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Volume 056-2 - April 2002 (8 pages)
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Page: of 8
NCHS Bulletin April 2002
The caption on this old newspaper photo reads: “The Chinese Gardens off Coyote Street.’ The tall building in the middle :
background was Nevada City’s Washington School on Main Street.
town, and thinks $60 per quarter would be a reasonable
license for them to pay, if they decide to stay within the
corporate limits. The Supreme Court in a recent case decided that the Trustees of a city have the right to use their
discretion in fixing the sum to be paid in licenses. According to that decision the laundry license could be
fixed at $100 as easy as it can be at $30. “The Chinese
must go,” say the trustees.
It was not until 1884, when fire swept through Kentsville,
that new Chinatown again became newsworthy. Transcript,
July 26, 1884:
Big Fire in Chinatown.... A few minutes past one
o’clock yesterday morning, fire broke out in an unoccupied building in Chinatown and in less than an hour
thirteen tinder box houses were laid in ashes. It is supposed the fire originated from the carelessness of a Chinaman who had been smoking on the premises in the
early part of the evening. The light was seen by Matt
Daily, who was coming out of the National Hotel at the
time and he gave the alarm. By the time the firemen
reached the spot most of the buildings on the north side
of the street were in flames. The firemen, however did
good work in saving the buildings on the opposite side of
the street. Most of the buildings destroyed composed the
business portion of the bed-rock town, and were all occupied except the one where the fire originated.
While the fire was progressing there was one very
loud explosion, supposed to be from giant powder cartridges, bombs and firearms. The loss is said by the Chinamen to be about $8,000. Four of the houses were
owned by Phil Richards, upon which there was an insurance of $475 in the Pennsylvania and the German
Companies. Ah Moon was insured for $1,250 and his
loss is $250. Quong Tuck was insured for $2,800 and his
loss is $300. Both were insured in the Pennsylvania and
German Companies. Both of these merchants kept most
of their goods in fire-proof vaults and had sufficient time
after the fire broke out to save the goods. which were in
the front buildings.
Lin Ree and Wong Woo were insured in the Shoe and
Leather Merchants Insurance Companies for $1,200 and
$1,800 respectively, and their losses are unknown. Tong
Sing was insured for $200 in the German Company. The
whole loss falls upon the Chinamen except for the four
wooden buildings owned by Phil Richards, whose loss is
about $1,200.
This is the second time a big fire has occurred in the
new Chinatown out on the bed-rock, and it is a blessing
that the Chinamen are so far removed from the business
portions of the city. At the time of the fire the wind was
blowing in a northwesterly direction else the whole of
Chinatown would have be swept out of existence.
It was customary for the newspaper to report the efforts
taken to rebuild communities after fires. They had reported
in some detail the rebuilding of Kentsville after the fire of
1881. There was no follow up articles about rebuilding new
Chinatown after this fire. The “news blackout” of the
Chinese in Nevada City continued. There were numerous
articles regarding increased licensing fees on laundries as a
means of forcing them to move outside the city limits. An
occasional crime report or anti-opium article appeared from
time to time. The only positive report was that Ah Moon,
who had left his brother in charge of their business here
while he was in China, wrote home to report the birth of his