The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1917-07-14

from $4,000 to $4,000 and as
far as is known only $1,000 was
covered by insurance. Four horses.
rs chickens and 200 pigeons were
burned to death. One of the
W~ells-Fargo horses managed to
escape from Kibby's stable.
The horse was badly burned on
the head and face. but it is not
believed it's lungs were affected
and it is thought the animal will
ecover. The chickens and pigeons
were owned by Joe Perry. a color
ed man, and were in a building in
the ear and across the alley from
the California Beer hall.
Fire Chief Murphy states that
the fire started in the rear of the
building occupied by Kibby's
stables. The manner in which it
started is unknown. 1t is well
substantiated hat shortly before
the hour of the fire, some men and
a woman, alleged to be drug fiends.
were in a frame shack across the
alley from the stables. 1t is said
that they were carrying beer and
drinking it in the shack.
Some time before the fire, Chief
of Police Morrison passed the shack
and found the door open. He clos
ed it, but on repassing later he again
found 1t open and again closed it.
The chief suspects the drug fiends.
on the general ground that they are
careless, and when loaded with
drugs or suffering from want of
them are irresponsible.
1t is said that these persons were
seen %parading the various alleys
during the night and that there are
too many of them in the town and
that Goldfield and it's residents
fewer of them here.
The fire was pronounced the hot
test, most spectacular and danger
Gus OF all hat have visited the town
in recent years. Again the absence
of wind was all that prevented the
flames from cleaning the business
section and spreading into the resi-
dence district.
Burning hay was carried 10
blocks from the fire and the intense
heat that broke windows along the
west side Of Main street caused
flames to appear frequently from
the buildings, and it was only by
continual wetting from buckets and
an occasional drenching from hose
that the fire was prevented froG'
crossing the street. Both the Hip
podrome and the Casey hotel, which
is now being torn down, smoked
from heat and it was feared they
would burst into flame.
| The damage to plate glass on tn"
west side of the street was ne~vy,
and $500 worth was destroyed in
, the Casey building alone.
The heaviest damage was sufCrcC
by C. p. Jensen, whose store COZ
tanned a large stock of new and sec
ond-hand articles of every deH ;rlp-
ton. His entire stock "a destroy
ed, including several pianos. Jcn-
sen est. mates hi" loss IA $4,000
Aside from Jensen's, but two OF
the buildings lcveled by tie Flames
were occupied, the stables and \
store on Main street in which Peter
Hausleiter had a shoe repair shop
and a stock of new shoes. lie car
ried $1,000 insurance.
The fire started shortly after
1870. The alarm was given the
firemen by DR.. J. V. Ducey, who saw
the glare from his home and sprint
ed to notify the fire department. As
the engine left the station the alarm
sounded from a box.
The flames spread with te.ri"ic
speed and but a few minutes after
being discovered we're shooting hun
dreds of feet into the air. The
buildings were dry as dust and
burned like finder. A large crowd
! quickly collected and rendered the
aid without which the chief and his
three men would have been unable
to prevent the destruction of the
town.
Many lines of hose were laid and
the fire was approached IN Main
street from behind thal
had been torn from in front of the
Lyric theater. In the shelter of the
boards, which were gradually work
ed toward Jensen's store, men work
ed until they were able to turn a
stream through a front window at
close range.
This stream, with n that was
turned into the store from the roof
of the building on the south,
! stopped the southwark sweep of the
flames and brought them under on
troll gradually until, over an hour
after starting, the spread OF the
fire was stopped.
Poles on Main street fell To the
ground and covered the STREET with
a tangled mass of wire that impcded
tho mon in their work.