The herald., 1898-01-20
Wipes Out Nearly Half the
Town
NOT A DOLLAR OF INSURANCE
ON STRUCTURES OR THE STOCKS
OF GOODS
Before Making Careful Estimates Of
Loss the Plucky People Are Pre-
pairing to Rebuild
Special to The Herald.

RANDSBURG, Cal, Jan. 19.-Rands-
burg has had the most destructive fire
in it's history, which started at 1890 this
morning. 1t started in vacant build
ing and soon communicated to the Mo-
jave saloon and spread rapidly north.
1t soon reached the east side of Rand
avenue and burned down both sides two
blocks and a half east of Staley avenue
and Broadway, the principal business
district. At 1880 Butte avenue seemed
doomed, which would have destroyed the
town. Indefatigable efforts of the vol
unteer flremen and citizens prevented
the extension. The fire was controlled
at about 2:3O a. m.
Among the heaviest losers are the Will
son company general merchandise store:
the postoffice building and a stock of
goods worth $4,000; ]. M. Underhill, sa-
loon building and stock. $4,000; Hammond
company, general merchandise stock,
and Ed Hammond four buildings, $4,000;
s. ]. Montgomery, dry goods and gents
furnishing goods, saloon, stock and
buildings, $4,000; Warren Gillelen of Los
Angeles, four buildings on Rand avenue.
$1,000; Gillelen & White, Grand Central
Thomas & Rogers, st. Elmo hotel build
ing, $250O; Price & Hopper, saloon build
ing and stock, $2500; Elite theater build
ing, furniture, saloon and stock, $2500; j.
M. Crawford, saloon building and stock,
$4,000. The total loss is over $100, 900, with
no insurance.
There were no fatalities and no one
was seriously injured, but there will be
much hardship resulting from lack Of
shelter.
The -toWp will be rebuilt Immediately.
The postofnce was burned. but the let
ters, stamps, coin and postal account
books were taken out in safety.
LOSS OvERESTIMATED
RANDSBURG, Jan. 19.-(By Associ-
ated Press.) The first estimates Of losses .
by last nights fire were much in excess
of the real loss. Owing to the excitement
it was impossible to do better than to
take a general survey and guess at the
results. Even now nothing accurate can
be obtained.
So far as learned there was not one
dollars worth Of insurance on any build
ing burned.
Tonight the wind is blowing stiff, and
had the fire happened a day sooner or
today, nothing could have saved the
camp from total destruction. Hardly a
breath of air stirred last night to urge
the flames, and to this fact the town
owes much. The homeless are about all
housed in temporary shelters and there
is probably not a vacant barn in camp.
Many acts of real heroism developed
last night. When hope seemed gone as
the flames threatened the Broadway ho-
tel, the men faltered for moment and
then climbed upon burning buildings
and fairly tore the burning boards loose
by main strength and hurled them far
away to be scattered and literally
stamped out beneath the feet Of other
workers. Not man in all that heroic
band but knew that if the fire crossed the
street and attacked the Broadway hotel
the entire camp would be burned, and all
worked with the energy of despair. two
or three falling from sheer exhaustion
while at work.
But one accident worthy of note oc-
Cured. That was the case of a man
named Eness, who broke through the
roof ola burning building and was bad
ly burned on the leg before he could get
out.
The heaviest losers were the w. c.
Wilson company, about $4,000; HAM
mond & Co., $35OO; Underhill G. Foran.
$4,000; ]. M. Crawford, $4,000; S. ]. Mont
gomery, $500; d. ]. Mccormack, $1,000;
st. Elmo hotel, about $4,000; George
Toedt, $500; Austin Young, postmaster.
$500; Otto Diesler, $1,000; Ed James, 5000:
Price & Hopper, $2500; Grand Central
hotel. $4,000; e. A. Ormsby, 5000; Leon
Cert company, $400.
Some of the losers are already pre-
pairing to rebuild, while others would
do so If funds were available. Had the
property been insured the entire burnt
district would have been rebuilt in thirty
days, or as soon as material could have
been obtained.
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