Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1833-04-17
From the National Intelligence of the LIST inst.

rom tne NdtlOudi tulclilStuCT Vi Tue ISL iuse'
A SERIOUS DIsAsTER.-We are sorry 10
have to announce hat he Pubic BAllding
easl of the Presidents Square, occupied as ihs
/ Treasury department mas consumed ty tre
Yesterday mui ming, between two O'Clock and
sunrise. The fire was first discovered in the
room adjoining that OF the chief clerk of the
department, usually known among the clerks
and ether officers by the name OF Mr. f. Limb's
room. II is not known whether The fire ORR
glnated in the floor or selling Of he roam, the
whole being in blaze before any one APP
preached it; bnt no doubt appears to he enter
tanned that the fire was accidental. The whole
room was on fire before the alarm was given;
and unit the alarm was given, even The watch
walking The pavement in front OF the branch
bank (near the spoi) perceived nothing Of the
fire, (,he building OF state department interpos-
ing EVERY eXerton was made, as the people
gathered to the spot, finding that il would be in
vain to attempt saving the building, to rescue
he books and papers OF the several Offices -
A great deal was saved, by The clerks and
other citizens considering the circumstances.
Il is hoped, indeed, but few books or papers oil
much consequence are destroyed
All the books and papers on the ground floor
disorder of course) and all in the third story
we've destroyed OF The books and papers in
the second story, much the gr ater part were
saved
The offices ON the first floor, the books Of
which are saved, were those of the Register OF
the Treasury. the Treasurer, and the first Aa-
l5iitor. On the second floor. nearly all the
books of the first Comptroller, whose Office
lpied the greater number of the rooms, We're
saved, and part of those belonging to the Of
flee of the Secretary ofthe Treasury, in whose
immediate apartment the fire Was hrst dis
covered.
o. the offices connected with the treasury
department., severa! Of the most extensive, are
kept in other buildings than thai destroyed, and
are of coarse entirely safe, VIZ: Third, Fourth
md Fifth Auditors, and the Solicitor OF the
Treasury.
The papers destroyed were many OF them
,isoiete and almos, all OF a date prior to 1920.
The most important papers destroy ed were per-
haps the correspondence OF the head OF the
treasury department, which was kept In the
room wherein the fire originated.
When the fire was first discovered ii was the
dead hour of night, and the whole population
OF the city was SO deeply buried III sleep, tpat
a comparatively small number arrived early
on the ground. Very soon after the firstcry
Of fire was uttered, at half past two o'clock the
keeper of the Orphan Asylum bell caught and
repeated the alarm; whence it happened that
The persons first at the fire, next y the imme-
date neighbors, were reused by tia, bell, and
had half mile to run before they arrived to|
lit. To save the building, however, when once
on fire, would under any circumstances have
been impossible, SO inaamable was its struc-
iure, as well as its contents.
No one can look at the smoking ruins, with
out sensation of astonishment at the tatultl
and utter improvidence with which books and
papers of such vast consequence have been
long trusted to any other than fire proof
building. The few scattering vauIted rooms III