The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1918-07-23
COURTHOUSE FIRE
ANOTHER Big LOSS

Fire which started about pm.
Saturday night almost completely de-
stroyed Humboldt county's court
house, Fifth and Bridge streets, this
city. The fire was discovered by the
janitor, Peter Pedroli. during the
course OF his duties. and the alarm
was first sounded at $40 o'clock pm.
At 6:15 the fire department had water
on the flames, a fact which has been
the subject of much commendation
by witnesses.
But Ii was impossible to properly
combat the flames, which started be-
tween the ceiling OF the second story
and the roof, owing to lack OF equip
ment, such as adequate ladders Or
smoke helmets. and 1t was soon
realized that the battle was hopeless.
Soon the roof fell in and the entire
second story was a mass of flames.
Only through the most heroic meas
ures did the firemen finally succeed
in conquering the flames to an extent
whereby part of the first floor was
saved. Until 1890 am. the entire
fire department was right in the midst
of the ruins. fighting the fire from the
partitions remaining standing. The
tin on the roof so completely covered
the ceiling of the first floor that 1t
was necessary to get inside the burn
ing building and remove the tin be-
fore the flames could be reached.
For several hours the fireboys labored
as they never labored before, in tho
face of danger from falling walls and
a good chance of falling with the
first-fioor ceiling, debris from the roof
and partitions, to almost certain death
90 the floor below. Several did slip
through holes in the floor but were
in all cases able to save themselves.
Soon after the fire started II. l..
Bonnifield and C. Allison, fighting the
fire on top of the front porch, had
narrow escapes from death, the
cornice having fallen upon them.
Miraculously. neither was seriously
injured.
The courthouse was built in 1873
and II is estimated that all together it
cost the county in the neighborhood
of $5OO.OOO. only s152.000 of that
amount having been actually ex-
pended in the building and the bal
anee being eaten up by interest on
the bonds and improvements. 1t was
built by Dennis Jordan, contractor,
who died a short time ago in San
Francisco The story of the stair
case that wasn't and the additional
$2500 II cost for its construction
afterwards; the wash basins which
were not in the contract and after
wards cost the county $25 apiece, and
the shades which set the taxpayers
some $50 per window, has passed into
a proverb. At the time of the build
ing of the courthouse the county COM
missioners were N. Levy. B. F. Riley
and John Borland.
Most of the county records were
saved. having been in the vaults, but
all council of defense records. in
cluding questionnaires. ETC., were lost.
All OF the law books in the county
law library. valued at about $4,000,
we're destroyed. Judge Ducker's per-
sonal library was about half lost, the
Slance having been thrown out of
the windows before the fire reached
the chamber. His loss is between
$500 and $4,000.
The radio buzzer equipment, used
by the radio war training school, was
also destroyed.
The story of the attempt to set fire
to the power house is said TO sound
rather fishy by some OF our shrewd-
est business men and the rather per-
tinent query on all sides is who ex-
cept the employe at the power house
saw the tall man and the short man"