Goldfield, Nevada
Merchants Hotel Fire
April 12, 1911
FAMOUS DESERT HOTEL
BURNED
Merchants Hotel at
Goldfield Destroyed by Early Morning Blaze
FAMOUS GAMBLING RESORT
Outlived Usefulness and
Was Used to Quarter United State Troops
Goldfield, April 12
– The Merchants Hotel at Columbia, one of the
most historic dwellings on the desert, was
burned to the ground at 1 o’clock this morning.
Three adjoining buildings were also burned and a
property loss of $9000, with insurance at $1500
resulted. The hotel was owned by
J. Casey McDonnel,
a former member of the firm of
Casey and Arden,
who during the boom days established hotels at
all the important mining camps on the desert.
The fire was caused by
throwing a glass of water into the stove to
create steam to blow the soot from the stove
pipe. An explosion resulted and the force
unjointed the pipe in a room on the second
floor. Through the aperture thus created hot
coals were scattered over the carpet.
The fire was not discovered
until the upper floor and the roof were in
flames. An alarm was immediately sounded and
the Goldfield fire fighting apparatus hurried to
the scene, a mile from the fire house.
Several narrow escapes were
recorded as the sleeping tenants were forced to
leave their rooms by the aid of ladders.
However, no fatalities resulted. The fire
department was greatly handicapped on account of
the high wind that was blowing and the freezing
temperature.
Nevada State Journal, Reno, NV 13 Apr 1911
Transcribed by
Susanne Populorum. Thank you,
Susanne!
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