Gilpin observer., 1914-02-26
CENTRAL'S BIG FIRE
From the Golden Transcript


Central City has for a great many
years had more than neighborly
feeling for Golden because of the
ready response of the citizens of this
place when the city of mines was
threatened with destruction by fire.
Old time firemen never tire of that
subject, and for this weeks "Tale
OF the Early Days" the account of
that famous trip Of the Golden fire
men is taken from the issue of the
Transcript of May 9th, 1874.
The most destructive fire that has
thus far occurred in Colorado, broke
out in Central City on Thursday last,
at 10:3O in the forenoon, and CON
sumed in less than three hours all
the business houses in the place,
with one or two exceptions, inyolv-
ing loss of some s75O,O0O, on which
the insurance was very small.
This fire originated in a Chinese
wash-house, near the centre of the
city, and spread with such rapidity
as to effectually defeat the efforts of
Ithe two hook and ladder companies
engaged in fighting it, and which, in
addition to several Babcock extin-
guishers, formed the apparatus of
the fire department
/"At some seven minutes to noon a
dispatch was received in Golden, ask
ing for aid, whereupon the President
of the Board of Trustees, Hon. w.
A. H. Loveland, directed that the fire
alarm be sounded. The echo of it's
first note had scarcely died away,
when the Fire King was moving at
a gallop toward the depot, being pro-
PEELED in that direction by team
from the Golden Colliery. The hose
jumper and the hook and ladder
truck followed Immediately in the
department seized the ropes without
waiting to ask questions. In some
ten minutes after the dispatch was
received, the outfit was loaded and
on its way to the fire, which it reach
ed in one hour and twenty minutes
from the time of starting.
The -qnickness of the trip up the
canon speaks well for the Colorado
Central, and we question if such time
was ever before made over twenty
four miles of narrow guage road,with
the grades running from seventy-five
to over two hundred feet to the mile,
and a succession of curves not else
where duplicated. During the trip the
assistant chief of the fire department
fell from the rear car, but was for
tunate enough to land on a large
lump of clay. SO that he escaped
without injury. Other members of
the fire department had their clothes
pretty we'll singed by sparks from tn
locomotive but this only served to
prepare them for the duty in hand,
and gave them little time to remem
Der that dinner was ready when they
left. Horses were telegraphed for
from Beaver Brook, and when the de-
partment landed in Black Hawk, the
thoughtful mayor of that city had ev-
erything in readiness, including
teams to draw the men, thus enabl-
ing them to reach the fire in fair
condition for active service.
THE Fire King was halted at the
lower end of Central, partly because
1t was presumed that 1t could not
reach the other side of the burning
district. and partly because the loca-
tion of the water supply was not un-
derstood. An effort was here made to
feed the engine diluted mud from a
flume. But this effort was soon CIV
en- up, when the arrival Of Bob Nc
Call brought the welcome news that
water could be obtained at the Tel
Ter House, and that the engine could
be hauled there by the assistance of
men and mules. W
Some fifty willing hands now seiz-
ed hold Of the ropes. and in less
time than it takes to tell 1t all, the
Fire King had performed its peri
lous journey and was throwing two
streams Of water from the reservoir
between the Teller House and the
burning blocks. One Of those streams
was directed to the right and rear Of
the Register office, and the other
was sent in the direction OF Roworth
& company's grocery establishment,
which was about to take fire from
the heat, although the building was
presumed to be fireproof.
Before the reservoir gave out the |
fire in the vicinity of the Teller
House was we'll under control, and |
all danger Of its further spread was
ovar ax,an% tc o,,o - l,t,.h ..t.a