Yavapai Inferno

Yavapai Inferno . . . The Story of the Great Prescott Fire

On the night of July 14th, 1900, the citizens, and others in Prescott were relaxing and enjoying themselves in divers ways after the hot summer day. It was a Saturday night and that noisy and lively stretch of two or three blocks on Montezuma Street, opposite the big plaza and popularly referred to as "Whiskey Row", was crowded with miners, cowboys and men of the town, milling up and down from one to another of the little city's thirty five saloons. From the open doors of these many thirst emporiums blared the husky songs of exuberant devotees of the flowing bowl, the jangle of hard hammered pianos accompanying the shrill warbling of the night gals, the merry clink of glasses and clicking of spinning roulette wheels. In those halcyon days, every night was a gala night on Whiskey Row, which, by the way, comprised the main part of the business section.

At the southwest corner of the plaza, and about the south end of Whiskey Row, was located a little two-story hotel called the Scopel House. It was chiefly patronized by miners, who were charged the magnificent sum of two bits for a night's lodging somewhere upstairs, or a dollar for a room. It was customary for a party of two up to four men to all take a dollar room together. This doesn't sound conducive to comfort but when the boys from the hills hit town, they usually stayed up most of the night anyway. On the eventful night first mentioned, four Italian miners in festive mood, engaged a room and after a few nightcap drinks at the bar downstairs, tramped upstairs to their room to turn in. One of them stuck his miner's candlestick, with its sharp prong, into a wooden door frame, stuck a candle in the open clip and lighted up. At this juncture, one of them proposed that they step downstairs again to the bar and have "just one more." Arrived downstairs and in the convivial atmosphere of the crowded bar, one drink called for another, and time passed quickly. In the meantime, upstairs, that forgotten lighted candle dripped tallow down to the drouth-dried floor and, when burned to a soft stub, slipped through the clamp and fell, igniting the puddle of grease on the floor and setting the woodwork afire. Not until the whole room was full ablaze did the smoke and crackling flames attract the attention of any occupants of the building. A stream from a garden hose could have extinguished the fire when first discovered but it was found that there was no pressure in the water line, as the city reservoir was dry due to the long drouth. Ironically, the city government had just been engaged in putting in a new water works system and was wholly unprepared to fight the blaze.

a room and after a few nightcap drinks at the bar downstairs, tramped upstairs to their room to turn in. One of them stuck his miner's candlestick, with its sharp prong, into a wooden door frame, stuck a candle in the open clip and lighted up. At this juncture, one of them proposed that they step downstairs again to the bar and have "just one more." Arrived downstairs and in the convivial atmosphere of the crowded bar, one drink called for another, and time passed quickly. In the meantime, upstairs, that forgotten lighted candle dripped tallow down to the drouth-dried floor and, when burned to a soft stub, slipped through the clamp and fell, igniting the puddle of grease on the floor and setting the woodwork afire. Not until the whole room was full ablaze did the smoke and crackling flames attract the attention of any occupants of the building. A stream from a garden hose could have extinguished the fire when first discovered but it was found that there was no pressure in the water line, as the city reservoir was dry due to the long drouth. Ironically, the city government had just been engaged in putting in a new water works system and was wholly unprepared to fight the blaze.

Burning embers were blown across Good-win Street igniting roofs, and flimsy frame buildings melted before the sweep of the flames. Soon the whole of the famous Whiskey Row was one great conflagration. Helpless to combat the flames, the whole town turned out to assist in salvaging what they could of merchandise, paraphernalia, pianos and what not from the buildings ahead of the fire. Gurley was a principal business street of the town and the most costly buildings and largest stocks were confined to it.To prevent the fire from vaulting across Gurley Street at the north end of the Row, it was decided to dynamite the Burke Hotel at that end. All the occupants of the hotel were routed out and although the blast completely wrecked the structure, the fire jumped over to the block fronting the plaza on Gurley Street, and in a very short time not a building was standing on that thorough fare between Montezuma and Cortez, one city block of business houses including banks, hotels and merchandise establish-ments.

To prevent the fire from vaulting across Gurley Street at the north end of the Row, it was decided to dynamite the Burke Hotel at that end. All the occupants of the hotel were routed out and although the blast com-pletely wrecked the structure, the fire jump ed over to the block fronting the plaza on Gurley Street, and in a very short time not a building was standing on that thorough fare between Montezuma and Cortez, one city block of business houses including banks, hotels and merchandise establish-ments.

During the dynamiting of some of the buildings in the path of the flames, it was discovered that one enterprising fellow had just lighted the fuse leading to a charge of dynamite he had placed under the floor of a store in which there were several thousand pounds of mining powder. The fuse was quickly pulled out and the powder removed from the store before the flames reached it. This was probably a close call for some of the volunteers working nearby. Dynamite, thousands of pounds of it, was used to blow up many of the buildings in an effort to check the progress of the fire, but served no other purpose than to spread the conflagration and make fiercer the blaze.

The only water available at the time was from the few wells in the vicinity and one bucket brigade of about a hundred men managed to save the building at the north-east corner of Gurley and Cortez Streets. On the east side of Cortez was the Bellview House and a long line of other frame build-ings known as Office Row. This row extended nearly to the depot, offices and yards of the Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railway Company. There seemed no way to save all of this property but through the ingenuity of two boys, this property and probably ten blocks of residences in the northeast portion were saved from destruction. These youngsters climbed to the top of the Bellview House and as fast as the flames licked across to the roofs of Office Row, they swished water by the bucketful wherever sparks ignited the parched roofs. Toward morning, about 4:30, the fire had reached its limit after destroying practically the whole business section of the town. Four and a half blocks were completely wiped out; not a building standing in this fire-swept section. Out of fourteen hotels, two were left and of twenty-two general mercantile houses, twenty were gone. There was not a restaurant or butcher shop left in the town and but two drygoods and clothing houses, M. Goldwater and Brothers and Blumberg's stood. Both banks, the Prescott National and the Bank of Arizona were leveled although the contents of the vaults were intact. On north Montezuma Street it is said that only one residence was saved out of a total of not less than sixty and that the concussion from dynamiting broke every pane of glass within half a mile of town.

The disaster was taken in a most joyous (Turn to Page 40)