Past Pages for Saturday, Nov. 1, 2014

140 years ago

The burning of the Belcher air shaft. Our little city was thrown into a state of excitement yesterday afternoon on receipt of the intelligence that the Belcher mine at Gold Hill was on fire. Subsequent dispatches brought the information that it was the new air shaft and not the mine that was ablaze. Later telegrams brought the welcome news that the miners were all lifted out of the levels without injury; and still later dispatches brought a welcome statement that the fire was all out. Of some of the particulars of this exciting accident, the Gold Hill News: At about 2 o’clock the Belcher was to be on fire at the 850-foot level and a few moments later huge volumes of smoke poured out ... the fire department turned out followed by thousands of spectators, including women and children, who were sobbing hysterically, fearing their husbands and fathers had perished ...

130 years ago

A suit has been brought in the U.S. Circuit Court against the bondsmen of the late Augustus Ash, formerly U.S. Marshal of Nevada. It appears that a discrepancy of $5,600 has been discovered in the accounts of the late Marshal, and the suit is brought by the government to recover the same.

100 years ago

Two blocks of residences were destroyed Thursday night and a score of families rendered homeless in a blaze which broke out in Tonopah shortly before midnight and swept unchecked until its path was barred near the West End Mining company’s shaft by the dynamiting of houses that stood in its path. Fighting the conflagration was rendered difficult by reason of a deficient water supply.

70 years ago

About Sunday, Carson City will have a taxi service. It will be called the Capitol Cab Company and is owned by Fred Koepke Jr., who will have as his helper Charles Mayer. The place of stand and the telephone will be announced later.

60 years ago

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Redican of Carson City are the parents of a boy weighing six pounds, 2 1/2 ounces, born at Carson-Tahoe Hospital.

50 years ago

With its population spurting toward the 100,000 mark, Carson shrugged off a hint of rain and welcomed swarms of Silver State pioneers and tourists who flooded into Nevada’s capital to ring in 100 years of statehood.

Trent Dolan is the son of Bill Dolan, who wrote this column for the Nevada Appeal from 1947 until his death in 2006.