The Churchill county standard. (Fallon, Nev.) 1908-1920, 1908-09-08
RAWHIDE LIES IN ASHES

In less than half an hour the fire had
taken under its sway an area of four
blocks, and when the devastation was
complete, what had been at sunrise
nine business blocks, not vestige re-
mained but smoldering ashes.
From the drug store where the fire
originated, the flames crossed the street
and in moment the Merchants and
Miners bank was ablaze, and few mo-
ments later the conflagration, which
by this had become almost general, had
claimed Collins hardware store and
the Rawhide News as victims.
Dynamite was used wherever pos
sibility of checking the flames was sug
gested. But with small avail. The
fire crossed Rawhide avenue and made
short work of the Rawhide hotel The
flames spread on to the south, but by
the free use of dynamite was checked
just in front of the Rustler building.
At the four points of the compass
were gangs of men fighting the fire
with the only weapon at hand-dyna-
mite. AS an instance of the despera-
ton with which the flames were fought
the case of Emil Grutt may be cited.
He blew up his own Office in an effort
to save the buildings in his neighbor-
hood. That was the spirit which ami
mated the camp as was evidenced in
the fight at the north end, where the
hoist of the Grutt Hill Coalition was
used IN tearing buildings from their
foundations in hope of making a waste
which the flames could not cross AT
this point efforts were conferred on the
Nevada hotel The fight was made
from the roof of the Fidelity Securities
Corporation building adjoining the ho-
tel.
Water could not be spared TO quench
the flying sparks and a bucket brigade
armed with wet blankets, managed TO
keep the buildings named cool and this
meant the saving of the Grutt Hill &C.
alton and the Grutt Hill properties.
To undertake anything like an accur-
ate estimate of the. damage, at this
time would be useless, except to say
that whatever succumbed to the flames
in the stricken district is a total loss. as
there can be found no evidence of any
insurance. The marvelously quick
growth of the camp and the temporary
structures necessitated therby, created
. risk which the insurance companies
refused to assume.
IL is certain that not less than mil
lion dollars lies in the ashes of Rawhide
today, but in the face of the disaster,
every, available auto and rig that could
be brought in requisition, were sent
scurrying, with the news to Fallon, to
Fsirview, to Schurz and to Nina and
the occupant of every vehicle carried
orders or requests for building material
that Rawhide might rise Pheonix-like
from its own ashes.
AS noted above. the news reached
here shortly before noon an in less
than an hour every team available
and there are not a few-had been en-
gagged in the transportation of lumber
food and supplies into the stricken dis
trict. And it was from Fallon that
the first relief came, although after
the news of the dis reached Reno
within half dozen hours two freight
cars loaded with provisions, raised
through the efforts of George Graham
Rice, editor of the Nevada Mining
News, was on its way to Schurz, but
even while these were being loaded at
Reno, autos from Fallon loaded with
provisions were scurrying after each
other in quick succession across the
flats that separate US from Rawhide.