Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1879-05-22

OF IN I0cenuiery INV Sos1A
sion Unable q Poias Ous she
offender.
Under the late State law providing for
an inquisition as to the cause or origin
of fires, there has been. during the past
few days, an exhaustive investigation
going on at the Office OF Judge Flaming
ham as to the cause Of the conlagraion
Al the Baltic Switch. May II. This in
QUESTION has been conducted by W. n.
Hall. Richard Mercer and Charles
Golden, Commissioners thersunto duly
appointed. Following is n summary OIL
the testimony taken:
Charles Pringls: I work at the Tro-
ian mine, near where the fire occurred;
discovered the location OF the IRE to be
in the Martin building; James McArdie
came to the works that night about
IL 20; went out again with the carman;
came back again; this was before the
fire; l smellsd coal oil very strong; ex-
amined the can; found no leakage;
smslled none after McArdle left; day or
two after he said: We are gone at last,
the sparks from the Trojan caused the
fire;" he said the building had caught
fire once before from the Trojan and
then he had the building insured.
John Farrell !: Am carman at the
Trojan /; McArdle came in ON the night
Of the lire, and when a car came up
went out with me and helped take the
picks out ; / then discovered the tira; 1t
was in the building owned by McArdls ;
the middle building after the alarm
McArdle ran out !; was not excited IN the
least ; the fire was spreading rapidly ;
noticed nothing unusual about McArdle
he told me to eat my supper and he
would take out the picks I; he closed the
door ; he il not in the habit OF closing
the door !; don't think he ever did so be-
| fore ; he went to the front Of the build.
ing and came back twice before the alarm.
Charles Daugherty: Was at my
| home in Gold Hill on night OF 14th,
when l first saw the fire; heard q woman
screaming; ran up the stanchion aud got
two children down; the fire was in the
middle building; l saw tho light before
the whistle blew; Mr.. Roach got the
woman down; after we got them out
saw McArdle coming between the Trojan
and the waste dump; be was not run.
mug; | first discovered the fire over the
buteher.shop; l helped Mrs. Martin get
some trunks out; the tire appeared II
the back part Of the house ON the roof.
A. Lackey Am superintendent OF
the Trojan ; saw the light aud got very
near before the whistles blew ; the fire
was in the butcher shop; in the middle
building ; got the men out oil the mine
McArdle claims to own the building
saw him there that night /; think the
lady / saw had a dress on the Belcher
sounded the first alarm ; tire was not
through the roof when l first saw 1t Z; II
was coming through from the inside.
George Foster : When coming from
the Belcher l saw An unusual light tina,
night aud thought u saloon had started
I was on the east side OF the building
about six feet Of the floor OF the building
was on fire /; when I returned, five min
utes later, the fire was raging in the two
middle buildings; no person lived where
1 first saw the fire; took q mattress oul
for Mrs. Martin; il was standing on its
edge, near the door; saw three trunks
ON the west side and a lady pull q trunk
across the way on the east side; smelled
coal oil very strongly; Mrs. Martin was
dressed Us usual; this was about IL.
Joseph Roach : Saw the fire ; II
originated in the two-story building ne1i
to the saloon on the south.
Charles Weeks Occupied one OF the
buildings burned ten months as q ga
loon McArdls owned it I; he told me
the building was insured ; don't know
what business he followed ; think both
buildings were insured ; building wal
not occupied after l left 1t ; he said a
one time that il the buildings burned NJ
he would get. / think. Sl,7OO or Sl.SOO
| always felt unsafe in the building aftel
Learned it was 80 heavily insured.
j. Ely: Heard several persons say
that furniture was taken away from the
buildings before the fire witness CAV,
names ; heard McArdlo say after the
fire that the building was insured.
Z. Z. Stillman: Was at the IRE; while
in back OF the buildings l smslled Goa
oil very strong.
John Mitchell: Was at the fire; helped
10 move four or five trunks west OF tn
buildings; they were apparently packe.
full; one trunk was roped; 1t WAS full
and pretty heavy. ..,
Jaues McArdle: On night OF 14tf
instant went home and put up IN,
horses /; did not feed them /; ate supps
and filled a lamp for my sister /; thel
went to tho Trojan /; it was about Il
O'Clock ; alarm was given while l wa
there; think was in there about ~ min
utes; don't knowhow building caughI
fire unless from sparks from Trojan
saved no furniture except some ole
chairs ; saloon was unoccupied ; hat
been for seven or eight days [, slept a
Mrs. Martins myself /; man named FL,
slept in saloon sometimes, sometimes
myself my property was insured To-
81, 200 f; both houses ; have no idea how
the fire originated except from sparks
hauled q mattress for Mrs. Martin 10 my
sisters yesterday.
J.. A. Rhodes Saw McArdle hauling
furniture over the Divide; cannot 50,
whether before or after the fire; was a
the fre; smellsd coal oil very strong anc
SO remarked 10 some OF the boys.
Mrs. Conway: Am a sister Of Near
die; occupied one Of my brother'i
houses; first I knew OF fire was l had {
lamp in next room and heard lamp
chimney strike ceiling; got two trunks
out; the others got burned; my furni'
ture was insured for $50; lost every
thing almost; had can Of coal oil in mex
room; hat exploded after the lamp.
took my trunks out myself.
p. Ii. Buckley Saw the fire frst IN
the upper portion Of the building; there
was none in the saloon building when
got there.
Mrs. Martin: Lived in one Of the
burned buildings; McArdls had the two
story building rented from me; first
heard Of fire was screaming Of Mrs,
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