Tonopah bonanza. [volume] (Butler City [i.e. Butler], Nev.) 1901-1909, 1909-05-15
From Thursdays Daily.

Main street was nearly destroyed by
fire last evening and only the eff
work of the paid and volunteer
departments saved the front part OF
the building, which was used as a
bar room, from destruction. The
fire was discovered at S:15 O'Clock
by Ed Uren, n of the managers of
the place. A fue from the stove in
the dance hall was emitting sparks
and Uren had n of the employees of
the place empty a sack of salt down
the stove pipe. He also had another
person watching the upstairs part to
prevent any such conflagration. The
fire broke out between the floors and
was discovered before it had gained
hardly any Roadway. In a few sec
onds it had eaten its way to the cell
ing and broke through. The Mac
Namara siren announced the call for
the volunteers at about the same
time an alarm was telephoned to the
fire department. Within three min
utes both departments were on the
scene and had several nozzles in oper-
alton. The flames gained such a head
way that by the time the water was
turned OF nearly the entire upstairs
of the building was burning.
The second story was used as a
rooming place by the women employ
ed in the hall and all lost their entire
personal belongings. They had just
started in to work when the fire
broke out and had no opportunity to
rush upstairs as the top of the stair,
way was In flames. Charlie REESE, the
bartender, however, managed to make
a rush past the flames and entered
every oom to see that no one was
sleeping.
The huge crowd attracted by the
alarm Immediately commenced to
strip the lower part of the building
of its contents and the piano and
other instruments were carried to the
outside. The bar and back bar of
the dance room was about the only
furnishings destroyed. The heaviest
loss here was the dance floor which
was valued at about $4,000. When
the building was first erected in 1905
the floor was shipped here by ex-
press by Mike Riley, who conducted
the place at that time. This may not
be a total loss as the damage could
not be estimated last night. The
valuable pictures were torn from
their hangings and saved.
The roulette, crap, faro and black
jack games had Just started and al
l the sounding of the alarm, the deal
ers placed the bank rolls In sacks
( which were turned over to Ed Uren
/, Mr.. Uren also took the reserve rol
from the safe and the total, amount
ing to about $30 1000, he carried t,
the vaults of the Tonopah BANKING
corporation, where the sum was de
posted for safe keeping.
o The volunteers completely cleanet
d out the front part of the guiding
which contained the gambling table
v and the front bar, and had the fir,
spread to this portion of the hous
there would have been very little loss
: Considerable damage was done in tn
breakage of the furniture and tn
g stock of the bar. The Office was ais
cleaned out, the books and furnish
ings being carried to a safe place.
The Casino restaurant suffered
small loss by water and breakage re
h sulting from carrying the contents G
d the establishment to the outside.
ie Chief of Police Malley was on han
h and appointed a large number G
deputies to watch the articles take
from the building. As it was Their
n was very little lost by thievery an
Ie pilfering.
The building and it's contents wer
owned by George Summerield an
w. S. Johnson and the place was va
ued at about $4,000. They est
mate the loss to be $4,000 with n
insurance.
The Big Casino was one of III
most widely known resorts in til
!, west and has been visited by tho,
!, sands who, in the old days, wei
anxious to see the sights of a mimi
camp. 1t was always conducted
a respectable manner and unlike IL
: dance halls of the Barbary coast
J, San Francisco, visitors could 60
= the place with any amount of none
without a thought of being robbie,
In the entire history of the plat
there has never been ii report of al
one losing money by violence.
was the training place of many
:. the noted fighters who have engage