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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 2814901" data-attributes="member: 8530">Chapter Thirteen, “The Tombstone Fire”, Thursday, May 25th, 1882, 2:30 P.M Chester turns to Clarisse. "Sorry dear. I have to do this. It shouldn't take long. I'll meet you back here." She replies, "OK. I guess. Don't take long." He says, "I won't." Chester finds the Wells Fargo office. He walks up to the counter. "Good afternoon. Are you Deputy Marshall Williams?" He replies, "No, I'm Gerson Carter, can I help you sir?" he asks. Chester explains that he is looking for Deputy Williams. Carter says, "Don't know where he is right now but I can tell him you're looking for him. Where can you be reached sir?" Chester replies, "He can leave me a note at the Grand Hotel. That's where I'm staying until tomorrow morning. I may be out most of the day, though. Thank you. Oh, when's the stage to Promise City leaving tomorrow?" He answers, "Two O’clock in the afternoon. Would you like tickets? I've already sold six, only two left." "I just need one, thanks." Chester pays for the ticket. "See you later." Chester returns to Crystal Palace. "Miss me? Williams wasn't there, so I am free for the day. The stage home leaves at 2:00 P.M. tomorrow afternoon." Clarisse says, "Let's go shopping. I bet they have things I can't find in Promise City." Chester inwardly groans, but a promise is a promise. At a few minutes after three the Seagram family heard the bells of the Tombstone church’s sounding. Kate listened for a moment, then sighed. "I thought everything would be finished by now. Perhaps we should avoid going past the church." At 3:30 P.M. Josie Marcus is resting in her room at Brown's Hotel while Conrad and Henry are down in that hotel's lobby chatting up a storm. Chester and Clarisse are busy shopping in a dry goods store on Fremont Street. The Church bells continue to sound again. Chester and Clarisse see a group of men rush by outside pushing the town's fire wagon. Chester sticks his head out the door to see where they're headed. Clarisse says to him, "That's terrible. Let's go see what all the excitement's about. I hope no one gets hurt." After paying for their purchases, they walk to the fire scene. Kate is showing her family around when they see a large plume of smoke coming from the direction of Allen and Fifth Streets. "What in the world?" Kate turned her steps toward the smoke. "I need to see what's happening. Hurry," she said and began trotting away. Kate and her family reach the corner of Fifth and Fremont, seeing a fire raging a block further south at the corner of Fifth and Allen Streets. At least three buildings are already engulfed. Kate exclaims, "Phil, take Maman back to the hotel, we'll be there as soon as we can." He opened his mouth to protest but Kate said firmly, "Now!" Once the two had turned away Kate placed herself between her father and the wall and said, "Block me from view, Papa. I need to see something." Once she was sure no one could see her well enough to guess what she was doing, she made the subtle gestures and muttered under her breath the incantation that would allow her to see anyone hiding with invisibility. Chester and Clarisse are unable to get closer than fifty feet due to the heat. The buildings currently engulfed in the rising flames are Campbell & Hatch's Billiard Hall, the Tivoli Saloon, and the Golden Eagle Brewery. Somebody says that the brewery was stocked full of flammable liquids, which is why it is spreading so fast. All of the adjacent buildings on both Allen and Fifth Streets are being evacuated. Four men attempt to get the fire wagon operating. Clarisse says to Chester, "You should help them. This looks like the fire back home did. Oh, those poor people." Chester nods in agreement. He hands her his gun belt. "I don't want them going off in the heat." As Chester moves forward two explosions ring out from the Golden Eagle Brewery. One blows out the door and front windows of the building, the blast striking the fire wagon and toppling it over, the 100 gallons of water contained within pouring out onto the street without a single drop going to it's intended purpose. The second blast causes the front facade of the Tivoli Saloon to collapse forward, with the firefighters on the Street barley missing having it hit them. The debris crushes the fire wagon and it catches aflame. The top of the two-story facade hits the roofs of the butcher shop and dressmaker shop and they quickly catch fire. "I need to find out if anyone was hurt, I can help," Kate said quickly to her father. "I'll be right back." She started forward only to find her father keeping up with her. She only shook her head and kept going. As the heat became more intense she had to stop. She asked the nearest onlooker, "Is anyone hurt? Have they set up a place to take anyone who is injured?" Somebody says to Kate, "A few men from the Brewery got burned, they took them over to the Russ House, at the corner of Fifth and Toughnut Streets, but the fire is now spreading that way too." "Thanks," Kate said simply before she turned back to her father. "This is heading right for the hotel. We have to get Ginnie and Maman, hurry!" They both took off running, going around the fire and hoping to beat it back to the hotel. Chester creeps over to the nearest fireman. He shouts above the blaze, "Do you have another wagon? We'll need to start a bucket brigade in any case." The firefighter says, "A bucket brigade? With what, there's no water in town." The other firefighter says, "There might be another fire wagon over at the train depot. Promise City ordered one that was supposed to arrive today, possibly on the noon train. It wouldn't have any water though." The outer walls of Campbell and Hatch's Billiard Hall collapse, forcing people to move further back. With a breeze coming from the east the fires continues to burn westward along both sides of Allen Street. People are already being evacuated from the Cosmopolitan Hotel as the flames reach the building. Kate sees her brother Phillip, her mother and Ginnie being ushered northward onto Fourth Street. The fire also continues to burn both up and down Fifth Street, towards Fremont Street to the north and Toughnut Street to the south. Kate ran, easily outpacing her father to reach the others. She grabbed Ginnie and hugged her fiercely while looking at her family. Her father caught up, panting, and put his arm around his wife. "Friedrich, our things," Amelie said, her accent thick with distress. "Our clothes and Jacqueline's books. Gifts for the girls. And where is Henri?" "We're all alright, that's all that matters. Henry wasn't here, he's fine. We'll just have to buy new things in Promise City, everything's alright." Friedrich held his wife close to him and looked around. "They must have heard about this by now, Henry will be looking for us." Kate nodded, watching the clouds of smoke rise. "They must be moving the wounded. I should find out where, I can help. We'll have to find somewhere to stay tonight, if there's a town left to stay in." The fire continues to burn unchecked as the people in town hear the whistles of the 4:00 P.M. train arriving at the depot. The Tombstone Fire Wagon was a total loss after flaming debris from the Brewery fell upon it. The frustrated firefighters hurry westward to the train depot in hopes of appropriating Promise City's new one as a substitute. The fire has also now jumped Fifth Street and is rapidly spreading east towards Big Nose Kate's Grand Hotel and Restaurant. The townspeople are generally being herded north to Scheieffelin Hall and Turn Verein Hall on Fourth Street between Fremont and Safford. The fire also spreads northward on all three Streets where it is currently burning and Mr. Spangenberg, who owns the gun shop on Fourth between Allen and Fremont, yells for help to move whatever of his stock he has before it ignites. Frederick and Phillip Seagram both go to assist. Further up Fourth Street, Postmaster John Clum hurriedly removes the United States Mail from the Post Office at the corner of Fourth and Fremont. The Cosmopolitan Hotel was a large and stately structure and it makes for an impressive inferno. Unfortunately its flaming debris crosses Fourth Street igniting the Can Can Restaurant on the opposite side. Both Kate and Chester realize that the flames will very soon reach the O.K. Corral, three buildings west of the Can Can. Josie Marcus awakens at 4:15 PM from her nap to a room filled with smoke. She looks out the window to see several buildings on fire, including the building immediately adjacent to Brown's Hotel. She had locked the door of her room but Conrad Booth manages to somehow open it and hurries inside. "Hurry up Miss Marcus, we have to get out now," he yells between coughs. "Wha..What is going on?" Josie looks around confused for a moment then registers the smoke. She grabs her bag, still sitting packed neatly on the bed and follows Conrad out the door. They head out into the second floor hallway. Conrad yells up to the third floor "Henry, I've got Josie. Find Angela and get out of here." "Chester, the horses! Quick! Ginnie, take care of Maman." Kate didn't wait to see if Chester followed, running as fast as she could to the corral where Meribel and the new buggies were. Ginnie takes a hold of Maman hand. "We need to find the priests!" she yells over the confusion. "The only way the people of this town are going to be able to control this fire is with water and there isn't any. The priest can call it down but I doubt they have thought of that, with the wounded. The only other possibility would be to fight fire with fire and actually create a flame break but I can't see that happening. "How are you with pain and burned victims Maman?" Mrs. Seagram replies, "Jacqueline is the one who can nurse... I. It has been a long time but I can help. We passed the church when they had the funeral, but if we leave the others will not know where to find us." Chester gets a hold of Clarisse who looks on in shock at the speed of the fire. "Clarisse, get to the hotel and grab our bags, but only if it's safe. Ask a bellhop to help you. I'm getting the horses from the corral. They'll be burned up otherwise. Do you understand?" She nods and says in a quavering voice. "Yes. Get the bags if it's safe. Where will I find you?" Chester says, "Scheieffelin Hall. That's where everyone's headed. I love you." Chester rushes to the OK Corral. The clouds of smoke in the air agitate the horses. Ginnie yells to Kate and Chester "We're heading to the Schieffelin! I'm going to try to get the priests to use their magic to make water so it can be used for the fire, we will be with the wounded trying to deal with them!” “We'll meet you there, be careful!" Kate shouted back and kept running for the corral where she first looked to get the horses out, then the buggies. Ginnie pulls Maman behind her "If your going to get upset, save it for later there is nothing you do better than organize large groups of people and make them listen they won't listen to me. they need to start making some fire breaks I may need Pepere to tell the men that but they will respect you and listen. Right now we need to do what we can before we leave. And leave as soon as we can. Amelie looked down at this young girl her daughter had taken as her own. Her shoulders firmed up and the older woman suddenly looked years younger. "Of course, belle Ginnie." She took the girl's hand and they began to move. They caught sight of Phillip and she shouted to him where they were going and where Jacqueline had gone. They entered the hall and Amelie drew herself up with her most authoritative air. "Are any of the Priests here?" she demanded. Ginnie looked though the church to find the holy water font. The Priests would need it if they would listen to Maman. Ginnie also looked at the trappings of the church trying to find what the priests would find most important to save from the flames. If she needed to find a way to convince the priest to help she wanted some leverage. The Priest at the church had been packing up the congregations belonging in a trunk, as the fire is now only two blocks to the east of the building and rapidly moving in that direction. He says "I need to get the holy things out of here, it may be all that I can save." "The gods, they grant the power to make water, no? Can you not help douse the fire?" Amelie asked. Ginnie looked at the priest "I can pack if you can create water. The men can't stop this fire because there isn't a water source for the town. The fire wagons will be empty soon and people are willing to use buckets but there isn't water to be had. Is this something the gods would listen to you for?" She begins to hand him books and other articles. He says to Ginnie and Mrs. Seagram, "I'll pray when we are away from here, the fire is spreading this way." They gather up the remaining religious items that the three of them can carry and exit the building, the fire now much closer. "They are gathering people at Turn Verien Hall and Scheieffelin Hall. We should go there." Amelie began to stride out with her arms full before she realized she didn't quite know where to go. "Lead on, belle Ginnie." The dried out wood of the buildings makes the town a perfect tinderbox and the flames continue to spread rapidly with the assistance of the wind. The firefighters reach the train depot and get into an argument with the railroad men about taking the still crated up fire wagon that has just now arrived on the 4:00 P.M. train. It is only after the men point out that the flames are moving in the direction of the train depot that the railroad yardmen decide to help, finding crowbars to open the crate. A pair of draft horses is then found to haul the wagon up to the stamping mill where the water pumps are. When Chester and Kate reach the O.K. Corral a trio of men are busy ushering the horses towards the northern end of the corral on Fremont Street and away from the hay-filled barn on Allen Street. Kate notices the two new buggies that Conrad purchased sitting inside of that aforementioned barn, where her and Chester's saddles are as well. Kate hurried over to the men. "I need to get those buggies out of there. Can it be done without the horses to pull them?" One of the workers says, "We'll have to try, no way are we going to be able to get a horse to walk into there," he states as the first of the flames reach the barn's walls. "You help calm the horses." Two of the men head back to the first buggy, each taking the reins and platform on one side, and pull it out of the doors on the north side of the barn. They get it clear of the barn when the bales of hay in the barn loft ignite. "Sorry lady, we ain't going in there for the other," he tells Kate. Kate replies, "No, of course not. I'm grateful you got the one. Do you have somewhere else to move these animals?" she asked. She'd been working hard at keeping the horses mostly calm, and so far she was s succeeding. "There's no way to know where this fire will go. I can help you move them." The men decide to hook up one of the horses to the buggy to help pull it away and suggest that all four of them get on horses to help herd the animals in the direction of Turn Verien Hall, where others can help them. Kate swung up on Meribel's back without her saddle, which was merrily burning in the barn. She took the reins of the horse hitched to the buggy and followed the men to Turn Verien Hall. Chester climbs onto Lookout's back. He looks at Kate. "Been a while since I've ridden without a saddle. I've almost forgotten how to do it. Let's get these horses moving." He rides in direction of Turn Verien Hall. Meanwhile several blocks to the south, Conrad and Josie make their ways down the staircase the exterior north and eastern walls of the building catch fire. When they reach the ground floor the curtains and rugs near the main entrance are now burning. Conrad leads her through the kitchen and out the door on the western side of the building. Once she is free of the building he says, "I'll be back, get away from the building.". He then charges back inside yelling out "Henry! Where are you?". "Conrad!" Josie screams frantically, watching him disappear through the smoke. She backs away from the building, crossing the street clutching her bag, but stands in fear watching the flames envelop the building. The two lawmen presently in town, Deputy Sheriff Dave Neagle and Deputy Marshall Marshall Williams conclude that the entire town will be lost if the fire continues to burn unchecked and also that there is no water to extinguish it. They decide that the solution is to establish firebreaks to keep the flames from jumping across the streets. They retrieve large quantities of dynamite for this effort. Postmaster John Clum has thus far made sure that the safe, all of the mail, and all portable fixtures had been removed from the Post Office. Dave Neagle comes into the office through a rear door and tells Clum "I just placed a box of dynamite beneath the rear of the building and lit the fuse. I would advise you to get out." Clum does so and is a half block away when the dynamite explodes and the adobe walls of the post office were precipitated into the air. The post office was covered with a tin roof, which in its ascent and descent gave the effect of stage thunder. At the sound of the explosion, Chester almost falls off his horse. "What in Hades was that? Don't tell me there's a dynamite shed here too." The stunning sound of dynamite going off startled the horse pulling the buggy, and Kate had her hands full for a moment keeping the animal calm. Meribel was thankfully steady underneath her. The mare had been through so much already a little boom didn't bother her. "Was there dynamite somewhere or are they fighting fire with fire?" The stable hands manage to get the horses and buggy to the far side of the hall. They thank Chester and Kate for their help. Townsfolk are flocking into both Turn Verien Hall and Schieffelin Hall, including Ginnie, Mrs. Seagram and the Priest. Kate also sees her brother Phillip. Kate hurried inside after her family. She'd thought she would see Conrad and Henry here, but perhaps they were in the other hall. Waving to Phil, she called out as soon as he was close enough, "Phil, where's Papa?" Phillip yells over the sounds of the fire and dynamite "He went looking for Henry and Conrad. They were going to Brown's Hotel, wherever that is, to find somebody named Angela." Kate is very familiar with where that Hotel is, at the northwestern corner of Fifth and Toughnut Streets, as the boarding house where she lived for three months was diagonally across from it on Fifth Streets. It is only one block east and two blocks south of where she is now but everything in between is a raging inferno, so she will have to ride further east to get to there. Chester scans the crowd, looking for Clarisse. He finds her just outside the Hall looking for him. He dismounts and gives her a big hug. They say to each other, "I'm glad you're safe." She asks him, "What was that explosion? It shook the whole building?" "I don't know, but it sounded like dynamite. Let's look for Kate and her family. I hope the train got out of town OK." He no sooner says than when the sound of the train’s whistle calls out. It had delayed its departure while the railroad men loaded everything from the depot that wasn't nailed down, and a few things that were, onto the freight cars. They decide to help evacuate the town, waiving the requirement of tickets. Over two hundred people are crowded onto the passenger cars, standing once all of the seats are filled. They train sets off at approximately 5:00 P.M., mere minutes before the flames reach the western end of town where the depot stands. The two lawmen continue to dynamite buildings on the south side of Fremont Street, with both the Tombstone Nugget Office and Fly's Boarding House being the next to explode. It is now 4:45 PM and a ten-block radius of buildings is all in flames, with the fire now reaching the Roman/Greek Church and continuing westward. The Fire Wagon has been pulled down from the hills and takes position outside Schieffelin Hall to prevent the fire from crossing Fremont Street to that building. Josie Marcus hears the sounds of the buildings two blocks north on Fremont Street being dynamited to build a firebreak. Brown's Hotel continues to burn out of control, with all four walls now looking to be sheets of flames. A man emerges from the kitchen door carrying a woman. When he gets far enough away from the thick dark smoke of the building she can see that it is a soot-covered Conrad Booth carrying an unconscious Angela Young in his hands. He puts her down in front of Josie and says, "She's still breathing but she swallowed a lot of smoke. I think that Henry Seagram is still inside, I need to go back to find him." Josie kneels next to Angela. "I'll watch her," she says, glancing around to make sure she is far enough away from the burning buildings and flames. "Conrad, you can't go back in there, it's almost down. Maybe he got out another way. It's too dangerous." The roof and third floor of Brown's Hotel then collapse inward on the structure. Conrad drops to his knees and yells out "NOooooo!" He then buries his head in his hands and starts to sob openly. The gathering crowd keeps their distance. Not long thereafter Frederick Seagram arrives and walks directly up to Conrad. He exclaims, "Mr. Booth, what's wrong? Where's Henry?" Conrad gestures to the raging and mostly collapsed building before them and says, "Sir...we went in there to rescue people.....he never made it out." Frederick's face takes on a dark expression. He then begins to charge towards the inferno. Conrad leaps up and charges forward to grab him. Three burly men in the crowd also move forward to assist Conrad in holding the older man back. DM’s Note: Welcome to the Tombstone Fire, the second most famous event in the real town's actual history (the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral being the biggest). The account of the fire used for this and subsequent chapters was derived from John Clum’s Autobiography Apache Days & Tombstone Nights covering the years 1877 to 1887.</blockquote>

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