Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1881-06-28
THE TOMBSTONE FIRE.
Description by an Eye Witness.


card this morning tackled to the
crumbling walls of what was yes.
terday one of Tom bstone's finest
business houses. After u year and
a half of unremitting toll, crowned
by the success which is the reward
of business enterprise and fair deal.
ing, this firm had just moved into
their new fire proof building, az
yet unfinished, when the bosom OF
destruction swept over them, lesv-
ing nothing but blaeksned, smoul.
dering walls behind it. twenty.
Eve thousand dollars swept away
in an instant and no insurance,
yet, 1--WE will open when it cools.n
Our little city, scarcely two years
old, has received a visitation from
the fire king, which has been ex.
pected ever since the town was
built. With scores of houses bull:
Of the frailest and most infiamma-
BILE material and In close proximity
to each other; with no means of
utilizing the water supply quick
Iy and effectively, 1t is marvellous
tina: we have escaped so long.
Henceforth frame buildings will be
at liberal discount in Tom bstone,
The fire is supposed to have been
caused by fame coming in con-
tact with the fumes Of an open
whisky barrel. 1t seems that a
party stood near or over a barrel of
whisky, from which the bung had
just been removed, with either q
lighted cigar or u lighted m atch in
his hand. A terrific explosion fol-
lowed, scattering the blazing fluid
In all directions and envelOping the
whole structure in flames in the
twinkling of an eye. Now, the
the singular part OF this business is
displaying possibly the mysteri-
Gus dispeDsations of an OverruliDg
Providence-that Of the four men
who stood around that portentous
barrel not one of them was even
singed. Well The finest block
Ia town is laid low, and . hundred
families are destitute. Three hun
dred Thousand dollars in smoke
and ashes, OF which the insuranc
companies will bear only one-ffth.
Ia striking commentary upon the
business recklessness Of q frontier
community.
But the calamity, direful as it is,
and fraught with ruin to so many ,
viii not prove an unmixed curse.
An active demand for building ma.
terials will at once spring up and
artisans of all kinds will find ready
employment. This will go far to-
wards couuteracting the general
depression which had settled down
upon US az the result of recent liti-
CATION in regard to land titles.
Several narrow escapes are re.
corded. The officials of SAT.
ford g. Co.'S Bank were
startled by the cry of fire !
and sprang Instantly to the task OF
placing their valuables within the
vault. But before that could be
done, the flames were darting
through the ceiling, and when the
Cashier closed the combination he
WAS in the midst Of o blazing cir
Gle, vt only ono point of which es-
cape seemed possible. He darted
to the back door and opened it,
only to BIZ hurled back by a sheet
Of flame which burst in from the
yard.
Hope for season babe the world fare.
well;"
But y sudden draft from the front
door blew the flame outwards, and
he glided through the fiery portal
Just as the roof crashed into the
doomed building behind him.
The new fire department dis.
played conspicuous bravery; but,
unfortunately, they had nothing to
work with. One member Of the
force nearly paid the penalty of his
life for his generous rashuess. A
verandah had lost all its supports
but one, and as it tottsred upon its
failing base, he struck the solitary
post few vigorous blows with his
axe, bringing the whole superiu-
cumbent mas numbering down
upon him.
Everybody went wild. Your
correspondent picked up little
girl wne was returning from SCHOOL
and got bewildered in the human
and elemental chaos and took her
home only to fad that structure
deserted and rapidly becoming 8
prey to the all-devOuring element.
| passed one house where a lady
and her two daughters were en-
gagged in frantic and futile efforts to
get five hundred pound plano out
OF the house. They had succeeded
in getting the pedal off, but that
was all, and they stood
"I.ike Niobe, all in tears"
Among the "nymphs du pave"
lively CONSERVATION was excited.
One FASTENED from her domicile
with bird-csge In one hand, and
q solitary dress in the other. An.
other rushed frantically down the
street, attired in a robe of Burlap,
with "A Nubia of green mosquito
netting on her heat.
The adjoining hillsides were COW
cred with household goods of every
description and the sobs of women
and children, blended with the
universal uproar, made up q scene
which will not soon bs forgotten.
Had the wind been favorable,
the whole town would have been
Quilted, but old Boreas, in his Ca
price, neglected our customary
zephyr" OH that eventual day, and
as an evidence of his consideration,
Pom bstone ia still in existence.
N. s. G.
Tombstone. June %. 1881,