Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1884-09-24
FIRE ON THE HILL.
The ~NeighbOrs Work Hard and Stay
the CONFEDERATION.

the COnnagratiOn.
Yesterday morning, shortly after 8
O'Clock, a squsw gave the alarm Of fire in
New Town, and pointed to the flames
issuing from the Mau Restaurant building,
which was occupied only by Stephen Wal
lace as a lodging place. Mr.. Wallace was
away at the time, at work in the Bowman
mine. He left all of his clothes but the
mining suit he had on, and a couple Of
watches hanging ny, which we're destroyed.
The fire started in the cellar under the
back part of the building, and spread so
rapidly that it was useless to try to stop it,
there being no other way of fighting the
flames han with water buckets and by
tearing down the frame work. With these
appliances, and with wet blankets, the
ne1ghbors, men and women, went to work
to save the other buildings near by and to
remoye as much furniture as possible out
of the way of the flames. There never was
more earnest, wholesouled or effective
work done in any place. Our reporter
was told that Mrs. Bowman and Mrs. Nc
Gowan proved themselves not less active
or useful than the men, in the common
endeavor to subdue the fire. Before any
thing like a square fight could be organ
lied against the bad master, F" however,
the flames had completely enveloped the
Mau building and the next house, owned
by William B~idllngmayer, and occupied
by John G.. Tonkin as a saloon, was, also,
in flames, and had to be abandoned,
though not before Johns friends, he being
away in Eureka, had removed most of his
goods and all his books to a safe distance.
Mike Mitchelps cabin, above Tonkin's sa-
loon, and Mrs. Howard's house below
the Msu building, had caught afire and
were in ashes almost as soon as the larger
structures mentioned. Nor could any
thing be one to check the progress of the
flames until the residence of Mrs. M. Pur-
cell and an adjoining saloon building also
owned by her, on the opposite side Of the
road, had caught afire. Then, while some
of the crowd did all they could to remove
furniture, the rest joined their efforts to
stop the fire at that point and save the
dwelling Of John H. Bray, for if it had
gone others down the slope must also
nave been consumed. 1t was a hard
struggle, but it was successful. When
a SENTINEL reporter, kindly taken up to
the scene by Mr.. Kind in his delivery
wagon, came upon the ground, the fight
was over. Mr.. Bray had come up from
the Richmond mine, where be had been
at work. Mau d Co.'s brewery wagon
happening along he relieved it of four or
five kegs OF beer and invited everybody
TO drink-which they did heartily. At
some little distance off in the sagebrush,
Johnny Tonkin had tapped another
small flood Of beer, saved by friendly
hands from the flames. All the Hill pretty
much were gathered about the ruins, dis
cussing the losses, the origin of the fire,
etc. There was some talk among the
crowd Of incendiarism, and the
feeling, very naturally, was bitter;
bat an investigation Of the affair was to be
made by Justice Mclaughlin yesterday,
which will bring the crime to light, if any
WAS committed. In a conversation last
night with A. A. Andre, insurance agent,
whose company sustains the only loss, he
assured the SENTINEL reporter that, in his
opinion, there was no evidence to indicate
that the fire was the act Of an incendiary.
Mrs. l.. Purcell was the principal sufferer.
She valued her property at $4,000, on
which was 81, 900 insurance, as follows:
$3.50 Oh each building and $500 on the
house furniture and Saloon fixtures.
Johnny Tonkin's loss of goods will not
probably exceed 500.
William Bidlingmayer, saloon building,
$500.
r. Sadler, Mau building, 5000.
Mrs. Cavanaugh, dwelling, 5000.
Mike Mitchell, cabin, $50.
Mrs. Howard, dwelling, 5000.
There was no insurance but that men
toned.