Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1900-07-17
PRESCOTT FIRE.
Details Of the Destruction Of the
Prosperous City.
ONLY ONE FATALITY REPORTED.

4 correspondent Of the Phoenix Re
publican gives the following interesting
account OF the great fire at Prescott,
Arizona.
Prescott to-day presents a scene OF
desolation fearful to behold. -Four and
a half blocks. 800 by 800 feet. are com
pletely wiped out. Not a building Is
left standing in the hre-swept district.
The ERE started just before II p. m,
and was not under control until 4:3O a,
m. IT was caused by a lighted candle
coming In contact with loose wall pa
per in B%urchard' store. a two.story
frame building ON South Montezuma
street. Tho fire quickly spread to the
Scopel building, a four-story stone and
brick adjoining. and then to the nu-
merous frame shacks in its rear. and
running back to Granite street. Thess
were quickly licked up by the flames
and IL Is evident now that had dyna-
mite been used before the fire reached
Granite street " would nav been ION.
fired to small AREA and burned Itself
out. But this was not done. Property
owners hesitated to adopt what in the
beginning appeared TO be a rash pre-
vcntativc and the result Is that more
than three-ffths Of a valuation ofthret
millions Is a total loss.
SPREAD FROM GRANITE STREET
From Granite street the fire KEEP
north and spread east to Montezuma
anc the famous Whisky Row. Their
was absolutely no water pressure ans
dynamite had to be resorted TO. Many
buildings were blown out before tbs
flames reached the Burke hotel on th'
corner Of Montezuma and GurleS
streets. but without avail. Hundreds
who were watching or fighting tht
flames hoped that the ire would be con
fined to the big hotel. But this wa
not to be. The night. which was a per
feet one. with not a breath OF air stir
ring when the fire started. had by thu
time completely changed and a perfec
gale was blowing from the south. Gran
tie and Montezuma streets we're burne'
clear through to Gurley. The stauon
cry house OF Kelley Il Stevens stood oi
the corner opposite the Hotel Burke
When it was seen that the flame
would keep on north. the Kelley 4
Stevens establishment was dynamitec
but the fire was only scattered. ]
kept it's northerly course until ther
was absolutely nothing left to burr
and had also crossed Montezuma stree
and attacked the Journal-Miner offic
and Joe Wilson's gents furnlshln
store, on the corner OF Gurley.
BUSINESS STREET GOES
This street was the principal bus
ness street OF the town and the mos
costly buildings and largest stock
were confined to ". The wind sh6fte
again and drove the flames with recl
less fury into the very business heal
OF Prescott along this street. Nothin
could check the fire and the awa-struc
populace could only gaze ~helplessly OF
The liquor house of Jake Marks an
the Windsor hotel were quickly Ell
wrapped. Next came the great Basf
ford-Burmister coinpany,s mercanti
establishment. with It's quarter milao
stock. This building was supposed
be fre-proof and was built of ston
brick and iron, with a sanded ZOO
While the fire was in progress sheef
OF iron had beer nailed over all u
exposed surface ~ an additional pr
lection, but all to no purpose. The fl
had gained such Roadway that notl
ing would check 1t. This three-stol
structure melted before It and II marc
! ed steadily up the hill toward Ea
J Prescott.
In a very short time not a buildir
was left on Gurley street between MOI
tezuma and Cortez. and a half milk
had been added to the loss.