The San Francisco call., 1908-09-05
RAWHIDE IS IN
CINDFRS- 5000
ARE HOMELESS
Two Tons of Dynamite Explode
and Hurl Debris Hundreds
of Feet
Fire Destroys Supply of Food in
Camp and Reno Sends
Groceries
Volunteers Try to Stop Flames
by Destroying Buildings
Without Avail
SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL

SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL
RENO, New, Sept. "A fire loss
of more than S75O,o00 was caused in
Rawhide today when flames which
started in the office of DR.. Garner
spread to the Ross hotel and swiftly
swept north, south and east until the
heart of the mining camp was mass
of ashes. Three thousand persons are
homeless tonight and, being without
food, too, await irnpatiently the arrival
of two special relief trains which have
gone from here.
Aid for the stricken men and women
is being subscribed by businessmen in
Reno and San Francisco. The Nat c.
Goodwin company headed the first list
today with a gift of $1,000. and the
San Francisco stock exchange gave
$500. More than $4,000 had been sub
scribed by merchants five minutes after
the list was circulated on the streets
of Reno.
when the flames started in the
physicians quarters in the rear of the
Rawhide drug companys store. at Es-
meralda and Main streets, the wind was
blowing rapidly. The Ross hotel, dag
onally across the street, a flimsy frame
structure, caught up the flames and
they passed on to the Collins hardware
company's store.
EXPLOSION SPREADS FLAMES
Two tons of dynamite stored in the
Collins store exploded and fragments
of burning debris We're hdrled hundreds
of feet. The volunteer fire department,
under the direction of Justice of the
Peace Brede, was unable to cope with
the flames.
The explosion caused . the fire to
spread so rapidly that,t the firemen were
forced to use dynamite in blowing up
buildings in the path of the flames.
But the strong wind forced the flames
across Rawhide avenue to the south
and across Nevada street to the east.
The telegraph office burned soon
after the fire started at $50 o'clock
this morning. Wire connections were
Immediately made by newspapermen,
who used batteries and instruments
borrowed from mining companies. The
first word sent. out after the bulletins
of the fire called for food.
E. W. King, the well known mine
owner, headed the relief organization,
and before 3 o'clock received word from
here that supplies would reach Raw
hide at midnight.
The hungry women and children re-
ceived some food from those pros
pectors and miners who had caches in
the canons east and north of camp,
but not a particle of food was saved in
Rawhide.
THOUSANDS SLEEP IN TENTS
Thousands of inhabitants are sleep
ing in tents pitched on Grutt, Balloon
and Hooligan hills. The few who had
friends in the western part of the
camp are using the crowded quarters
saved there.
few minutes after the conhagra-
tion started 1900 miners and business
men began an heroic fight against the
flames. Bucket brigades organized by
the volunteers were unable to stop the
fire in the face of the strong wind and
the combustibility of the structures.
At last, when many buildings had been
dynamited and hundreds of others lay
smoldering in ashes, Justice of the
Peace Brede deputized the firemen and
they stood guard over the ruins.
Among the principal losers SO far re-
ported and the extent of their losses
are the following:
PARTIAL LIST OF LOSSES
Lovegrave mercantile company, IS, 900;
Rawhide hotel, $1,000; First Bank of
Rawhide, SIS, 600; Moss saloon, $4,000;
Bank of Rawhide, $4,000; Rawhide Ii
quor company, $1,000; Press-Times
building, $1,000; Mizpah mercantile
company, 5000; Nevada meat company,
$4,000; Northern saloon, 1000; A. ].
Hall liquor company, $1,000; Johnstons s
dancehall. $4,000; Rawhide Rustler Of
f1ce $4,000; Dewey's saloon, 100000; Inn
saloon, $1,000; q. E. Maris & Co., $12,-
900; G and K drug company, $4,000;
Nevada club $4,000; Dormer hotel,
$4,000; Kelley's dancehall, $4,000;
hosting works on the Bluff mining
company's property, Grutt Hill prop
critics, Grutt Bros business office Rose
berry's office, Dunnings building, post
office, $4,000; Kearns Nos. / and 2
leases, Collibs hardware company, $780,
900; Young's saloon; Freeman's store
s5, 900; Mrs. Green's restaurant Nc
Clellan's studio, Pioneer feed corral, A.
Friedman clothing, Hazen lumber COM
pany, Manhattan hotel, Merchants and
Miners bank and Imperial saloon
There were no large stone or brick
buildings to stay the fire. Fire pro-
lection was never provided and water
was unobtainable. There was no in
surance in the entire camp SO far as
known.
TWO MEN BURNED TO DEATH
Two men were burned to death, but
their names have not been ascertained.
They were commrcial travellers who
slept in the Ross hotel, according to
dispatch just brought in.
An additional list of the losses sus-
tanned is given as follows:
-Four small buildings in Sunbeam
avenue. $4,000; Gill arcade. $4,000;
Rosenberg store, $4,000: Lord & Coch-