The White Pine news. [volume] (Ely, Nev.) 1906-1910, 1907-06-06
ASSAY OFFICE
DESTROYEDBY
FIERCE FIRE
CUSTER & FEsLER's PLANT
GOES UP IN FLAMES AND
LOSS is $1,000.
TOWN THREATENED FOR A WHILE
Volunteer Fircmer Succeeded in
Checking the Flames by Dinte
of Hard Work.

time threatened to destroy large
portion of the business section of the
town. But for the heroic work of
the department and the fact that the
elements were with the people and a
heavy wind was not blowing, the re-
suits might have been much more
disastrous than they proved to be.
AS 1T was the blaze was a serious one
and completely destroyed the assay
Office and damaged the adjoining
business houses.
Mr.. Custer was engaged in start
ing his assay furnace when the stop
cock through which the gasoline was
running snapped, thereby allowing
the explosive chemical to escape.
In minute there was loud explo-
sion and the entire interior of the
place was on fire. The women folks
just had time to escape from their
apartments in the rear. Mr.. Custer
stayed with the plant as long as pos
sible, receiving minor injuries upon
his hand. His hair and eyebrows
were singed.
Shouts of fire were given on all
sides and soon the fire department
was on the scene and had streams of
water playing on the burning struc-
ture, which, by this time, was one
mass of flames. Everybody helped
and by hard work succeeded in con-
fining the fire to the assay office.
One stream of water. was played
on the fire from the rear, the fire.
men having taken the hose through
Wade & Company's clothing store.
By this means it was possible to pre-
hn 40 I.
business houses on Aultman avenue.
On the roof of the Northern hotel, as
we'll as on the tops or other build
ings, men watched the flames, ready
at any minute to turn streams of
water on their structures.
The alacrity with which the people
on Aultman avenue worked was won
derful. Hardly had the alarm been
sounded before the stock in the
stores in the rear of the burning
structure was taken from the build
ings and placed in the street. The
work fortunately proved unneces-
sarS as shortly afterward it was
quite evident that the fire had
reached its height
Custer & Fesler were the heaviest
losers. Mr.. Custer places his loss at
$4,000. Everything in the estab-
lishment was destroyed, as he did
not have time to save anything, so
rapidly did the flames spread.
To the west of the assay Office is
the rear of the paint and paper shop
of Stevens & Company. In this
building were stored 60 barrels of
oil. Men succeeded in rolling out
several of the barrels of infiammable
stuff and would have completed the
work only it was seen the flames
were under control The damage to
the paint shop was very slight and
was due only to the general disturb
ance caused by the excitement.
Mrs. p. j. Donovan, wife of the
proprietor of the Elk restaurant, the
rear of which adjoins the destroyed
office, did some heroic work all by
herself. She was working in the
kitchen when she heard the eXplo-
sion.
''It sounded like train of cars
crossing a bridge" she said, in mar
rating her experiences to a News rep
resentative. II asked Mrs. Freeman,
the cook, what the disturbance was
and she said it was an explosion.
Some person shouted fire and the
smoke commenced to pour in. l
rushed outside and saw the assay
Office ablaZe My husbands trunk
containing papers and effects worth
several hundred dollars to him, was
in the bedroom off the restaurant, so
| dashed in after it. Some ON tried
| dashed in after it. Some one tried
it outside. There was only one man
in the restaurant and he helped me
get things out He wanted to pay
me for the meal but ] would not take
it. See, there are my butter beans
already soaked"
And she pointed to several pounds
of beans on the floor that were COW
cred with water. Mrs. Donovan
pieces her loss at $500. Her hus-
band is out of town.
Waldron & Burnett, the ladies who
have the stationery store on Ault-
man avenue near Third street, were
fortunate, indeed. Their good for
tune did not consist in escaping the
damaging flames, but because they
took out fire insurance during the
morning and only an hour or so be-
fore the destructive fire occurred.
The insurance will cover half the
damage. The store proper was not
injured much as volunteers removed
most of the fixtures and stock into
the street. Their living apartments,
however, which are situated on Gar
den street, were badly wrecked.
They intended to open ice cream par
lors last night, but had to postpone
matters on account of the disaster.
The total damage is estimated at
5000.
Some excited individual raised
havoc in Wade & Companys cloth
ing store. Rushing into the estab-
lishment he grasped a pile of cloth
ing, and finding he could not pass
through the doorway with it, raised
the goods above his head and threw
them through the big plate glass win
dow. Glass was strewn in all direc-
tions.
Great credit is due the volunteer
fire department for it's efficient man
ner in battling with the flames The
members rushed into the fire where