The silver blade. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1895-1903, 1896-05-02
Is A FIRE CURSED CITY
CRIPPLE CREEK HAS BHEN PRAC-
TICALLY OBLITERATED.
In Addition to Property Loss, Four
People Were Killed and
Number Injured.

Cripple Creek, Col, April "a hre
which broke out in the Portland hotel
shortly after noon today destroyed about
all that was left of Cripple Creek after
the great flagration of last Saturday.
Four persons were killed by the explosion
and at least IA injured, several of them
fatally The flames today spread with
great rapidity and although strenuous ef-
forts were made to check the progress or
the fire by blowing up buildings with
dynamite, they proved OF no avail. All
the principal business buildings are In the
ruins and nothing is left OF the town
proper except the railroad stations ana a
few scattered houses The fire ragged
Aercely all the afternoon and only died
out tonight for lack Of fuel on which to
feed. The origin of the fire appears TO
have been purely accidental. though the
general belief Is that it WAS .ncend}ary
Frank Angel the Portland chef, can not
be found. Second handed, the story is
that pan of grease on the range Dlazed
up and caught the grease-soaked boards
at the back
Bessie Kelly, one Of the mattresses, says
she had gone into the kitchen for an order.
Lunch was being served at the time. She
saw flames running up the wall and be-
lieves they came from outside the build
ing, apparently from the Chicago cafe, ad-
joining She rushed from the kitchen to
the Office, crying Fire, fire."
The clerk of the Portland says when
the girls came out of the dining room they
rushed upstairs toward sleeping rooms
over the kitchen. Hurriedly as possible
the hotel was emptied of the guests. The
girls who had gone up into their rooms
had scarcely time to get back with safe
ty. He had no idea how the fire started.
The hotel building was owned by I. /.
Moynahan. Moynahan valued the prop
erty at $50, 900 and he carried insurance for
only $4,000.
The fire department was powerless. The
smoke rolled high into the heavens IKE "a
cloud of doom from fringe of flames
that leaped above their prey. Wagons
were everywhere. The price for the SER
vice of a wagon ranged from nothing to
500 cash a load, according to the exigency
of the moment or the Observation-Disclosures
Of the owner. While the fire burned over
the territory saved from Saturdays tire,
carpenters were busily engaged getting up
many light frame structures being built
on the area then burned. Today's fire did
not encrOach on the territory of it's pre-
deceSSOr.
Into todays fire district were crowded
the refugees from the previous fire and
with them most of the goods that had
been saved. One million dollars seems Il
large amount to ascribe to IA loss i'll Il
hurriedly and cheaply built mining camp.
But there can be no question but that to-
ures The insurance loss of $156,000 on
Saturday must be fully $780, 900 today.
Every insurance Office in town is burned
and figures can not be obtained. 1t was
reported that the list Of dead and in
jured runs into the scores and this and
that officer was accredited with having
shot men in the act of setting fire tC
buildings.
I.awlessness seemed in the air; men los
their heads and were ready for anything
City Marshal James Marshall has Sworr
in about $50 special policemen. and com
pany G., Second regiment. c. N. G., ha.
also been utilized. Many of the men are
mounted and the burned portion is being
thoroughly patrolled.
KILLED AND INJURED.
DR.. Liggett and DR.. Crane of Pikei
Peak hospital took charge of the injured
George Griffith's head was blown near
IN off and he died in half an hour. Thu
others, while seriously hurt, may recover
Those injured are: George Youngstown
Georgetown; A. K. Hinkley. George Ley
den: Georgetown; E. Il. Broadway, Ne
braska City; G.. Ragsdaie, Washington
Ind; w. Is. Ordway, may die; Charlie
McMann, l.. w. Creiger. Aspen; Claud
Staten, Aspen; r. w. Grueber Kansa
City; J. w. Lynch. Loveland. Col; Joh
f. Rose, druggist; Larry Maroney, t. II
penter; Lew Cochrane, John Evans, Chri
Coffmer. Captain Tom Seweil. Denver.
Floyd Thompson saw man deliberatel
setting fire to a mass of debris. Thomp
son pulled his gun and shot the man. Hi
body was taken to the morgue, but coul
not be identified.