fire swept through Virginia City, causing between $600,000 and $700,000 in damages. Beginning in a carpenter shop in the business section the fire quickly swept through the dry wooden buildings. At once it consumed the brittle board and canvas shanties. The damage may not have been so great had the two most important fire crews in town fought a heated argument on the street near the scene of the fire, trying to settle an old feud between them. Instead of putting their differences behind them, and their energy into dowsing the flames, they took to bricks, bats, and fire nozzles to battle one another. When all was said and done there was one man dead and many more injured _