COULTERVILLE FIRE
Merced Express, July 14, 1899

Coulterville In Ruins.

On Thursday the town of Coulterville was almost entirely destroyed by fire. The entire business part of the town was destroyed, Sixty-seven houses on both sides of Main street from and including Percy Davis’ store at the lower and of town to Wm. Canova’s place at the upper end of town were completely destroyed.

The fire occurred about noon, It commenced in the Bogliogi residence occasioned by the lighting of a fire with coal oil. A conservative estimate of the loss to the community fixes the amount at one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

One man was pretty badly burned and several others met with accidents, but no fatalities occurred.

Mrs. Jeffrey, who hotel was among the number of burned building was over come by the heat and came near dying.

Wm. Canova, who for sometime has not been in the best of health, came near dying.

The fire proof buildings in the center of the town were swept away the same as the wooden residence.

The fire was something awful and the rapidity with which it spread was alarming. It burned for two and one half hours and although there were plenty of men around they were powerless, there being no water to do anything with.

Most of the furniture of the dwellers in the burnt district were destroyed and many of them had no insurance either on house or furniture.

Telephone communication was cut off and not till Friday morning could any news of the calamity be obtained here. Some of the burned buildings were:

Jeffrey hotel and lodging house, Davis store, Thomas’s saloon, Bruschi’s store, residence and ware house. The Merced Company’s building, Gazzolo’s saloon building, Mrs. Reedy’s house, Warren’s store, Murphy’s court building, Patrick’s livery stable, LaVan’s saloon, R. Abraham’s store, Gazzolo’ barber shop, Mrs. Ryan’s restaurant, Mrs. Commissiona’s store and dwelling, Davis’ furniture store, C. Buttman, cigar and stationary store, Wilburn and Bagby’s saloon and residence, Ed Grenfell’s dry goods store, bond’s candy store, John Vigna’s saloon, Mrs. S. B. Sample’s hotel, Old Coulter hotel, Harlow’s livery stable, three dwellings of Mrs. Commissiona, Paul Sagah’s dwelling, J. Mentzer’s dwelling house and barn, Bogliogli [sic] residence, I. O. O. F. Hall, Shimer’s blacksmith shop and dwelling, Mrs. Parker’s residence, Lanyon’s residence, Mrs. Jos. Ryan’s home, Koenig’s Hospital.
–Mariposa Gazette.

Note: I am not sure for the spelling of all the names. This paper was very faded when it was photographed- transcribed by Tom Hilk

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