, 1875-11-06
virginia City in Ashes.


9th nit. on street, between UCIon and 4
Taylgr. which. as the following account /
from the Record Z mon dispatches viii show, :
could not be checked until the whole town /
was in ash.s. An eve witness writing 10 the !
Ee79rl mon on Thursday last says:
Virginia Is q smoking mass Of walls and I.
beams Of buildings. At half-past this /.
morning the whistles Of the hosting works /
ami nails shrieked out the alarm of fire, and I
A. the winterv mornings bring with them /.
cold and darkness, the signal might rs well
have been in the dead OF night. The con-
migration which has desolGted Virginia
CITY began ia the rear Of Wilson & brown :
under aking shop on + street. The building
adjoining was Moneys livery stable, and
the fire did 10; az first excite alarm, ior had
ordinary usage been observed there Is no
reason 10 suppose that the town would have
been endangered. Chief McNair, who has
on several recent occasions distinguished
himself by total ignorance OF the principles
up0n which an attack upon threatening
fire should be conducted, allowed his men 10
direct their streams upon the stables, which
were clearly doomed. The consequence was
that the building occupied by the City Clerk,
county iail and Recorder on one side, and a
fashionable lodging house on the other were
soon III a blaza. From this moment the Fire
D.rartmerit lost iss head and the fire had full
sway. The wind was blowing briskly from
the west and carried the flames to G stree,
the principal ,horoughfare, and 1t was evident
that nothing but the intervention OF Proyi-
dence could save the city. Despite the wind
which mCmentarily increased IN force, the
fire slowly crawlrd to the west, licking up
buildings in its way and spreading terror
through the city. While the fire was at It's
highC the cisterus CAV" uut IN the central
portion OF the town, and 50 far from render
ing any assistance TO stay this destruction
the FIRE engines and their hose were burned
on the street. The fire, IN the meantime,
had created local winds, which carried the
flames III the most unexpected directions,
and thus added to the panic which had Siezed
the town. The church bells rang great
alarm, which served no better purpose than
10 set the women OF the city wild wi b fright.
The Consolidated Virginia hosting works
soon succumbed; the Ophir followed, and the
fire spread at all points. Piper's Opera
House, the international Hotel, and other
prominent buildings succassively gave way.
The flames envelUped the city, and swept
the wind sweryeI to the south, preserving
ths south end of the town from destruction :;
INT the fire shot to the southwest, and licked
up the Ia,ldings III its way. y scene Of dis
trrssinc CONFUSION prevailed. Families three
and four blocks from the burning mass
threw out their furniture upon the streets;
inyalids Were carried 10 places OF safety, and
business houses diSg0rg6d their goods upoa
the sidewalks Half a ME away from the
couAagratiou people rolled out their house
hold treasures and engaged teams 20 convey
them 20 places Of safety At eG0T5itanL prices.
/ Tho owners of wagons became unreasonable
Ia their drInauls-SlU0 to remove a piano
was their regular rate The TX ortion OF the
wGgonrrs caused murder \ man on B
street was endeayOrinS 20 engage IA te2n2ster,
and being unable 90 comply WI a the de-
mguI. drew a pistol and shot the driver dead
At the present writing 1t Is impossible to
give any accurate statement OF the loss OF
life. Two nan were killed on G street by
the falling of brick wall and there are
numJrrlcss rumOrl Of others being srriosly
injured. Hundreds of families are homeless
ann without oi,
Families are homeless and wi hout food or
( protection from the weather The school
hons-s are the Only rnhlir hnii.li.,es- u'I..I.
| are left open to receive them. 1t Is certain
/ that If immediate relief from the neighbor-
! inE towns and cities Of California Is not ex-
tended, great suffering will enSue. The
whole business portion of Virginia Is \ COM
platr I'lin. Every establishment OF any COR
sequence Is IN ashes. The Offices OF the
EEuMg Clyu.i.C and the Enterprise are burn
ed, and It j. impossible 20 say when the
publication of tn newspapers will be resumed.
Utter demuraIzatiou Is the condition of the
city; men, women anI children wandering
about q desDla,r3 sjyl.-1s 5l2- zz21e luzz2eE
a;haa-ia 10 lay their heads.
Rhs surrounding miis are dotted WIKI the
sage brush fires OF those VINO have no otler
covering than the storm Gud sIv. Usu5a-
hold goods are scs''erei about the streats
ownrllSS, and thou lnds Of homeless men
walk abIut s-eGiuG a place to sleep The
c3nH iSrat!on up 70 o. clock is still far from
being sabIacl, AMI only the 9 Iricn Of the
terco wind preserves the outlying houses
from ruin.
Daring the day great many buiIIngs
wera blown up and others pulled down III the
oitost TO stay tho fire, but in vain. The
wind iormei sPouts of flame which left their
source and carried fiery ruin in their path.
Great blocks OF burning wood from the frs-
qnent explosions fell upon the adjacent rolfs
and set fire 20 houses IN the outskirts of the
city.
Dssponiency has laid hold of the town.
1t ls not expected by the most sansuine that
1t Will recover from the disaster within two
yeas Every ediiice of Importance has been
swep. away and the business energy OF the
place paGalyzsd-
The telegraph Offices are burned, ths wires
lying in tho streets among the smokin., en-
berS, and temporary officers are set up in the
Northern outskirts Of the town.