Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1836-12-22
(Ero,n tho National Intelligencer.

! Ii IL with no ordinary regret that we per-
form the duty of announcing the destruction.
by fire, of the building I'm the central part oi
this city, which has for years been occupied
by the General Post Office, the Patent Office,
and the City Post Office, with an important
part Of the contents at those buildings. inclu-
ding the entire contents of the two latter.
! This calamity, great ms it il, has long been
feared by those old residents of Washington
who knew the eombnstiblc nature of the
building, the floors being all Of wood, and
some Of them not even countsr-sealcd, and
the custom Of slowing fuel not cnly coal but
wood. in the vaults underneath the hoor.-I
The calamity has come at last, and affords
the second demonstration, within four years,
OF tie utter abSurdity and improvidence of
the structures to which the public archives.
records, and government accounts have been
hitherto for the most part conlided.
The first alarm Of Fire was given by Mr..
Gown, u Messenger, who usually sleeps in
the room connected with The City Post Office
1.-THE. Posmaster's own rooIn.J The clerks had
been at work, asserting the mails until half
past two o'clock, when one of the persons
belonging to the Office (Mr. I.ansdalc) pas
sed out of the East door, and along the whole
front of the building, without discovering any
thing TO give rise to suspicion of danger.-
Not long nfter three o'clock, Mr.. Crown was
roused from light sTumbcr by the smell of
smoke. Opening the door of the city Post
Office, he perceived dense smoke, without
any visible appearance Of fire. lie gave the
alarm instantly, first rousing MIR. Cox, one of
the clerks, who slept in back room adjoining
the Post Office, ard who, coming ont Of the
door of his room passed along the whole of
the hong room with difficulty, through the
smoke, hearing the fire cracking, but being
able to see nothing. The watchman in the
body of the building some distance from the
city Post Office, had perceived nothing oftheI
smoke, until they, also, were CHARMED by Mr..
Crown.
The hohr Of The night when all this took
place, being one nt which the world is buried
in the deepest sleep, it was found almost i'm
possible to spread the alarm Of fire. One of
the church bells began to ring. but the ringer,
not seeing any flame, ceased ringing almost
as soon as he begun, and it was a full half
hour before the alarm bells were rung, and
more than that time before an engine or a
bucket Of water could be commanded. As
it was, the fire had its own way, and was at
hast seen in the vault or cellar Immediately
under the delivery window Of the City Post
Office; followed shortly afterwards by flames
from the windows of the latter, and, within
FIVE minutes afterwards, by flames from the
roof, the fire having crept up along the stair
cases or partitions 10 the top Of the building
before it broke out below. '
From the moment Of the flames bursting
ont from the lower windows, it was obvious
that an hope of saving the building was IN
vain. In little more than an hour the whole
interior Of the building and its contents were
destroyed. ..... ..,..
'fhe books of the General Post Office were
all. or nearly all, saved, exertions having been
made for their safety from nearly the first
moment Of the alarm: bnt mass of papers,
&C.. Belonging to the Office. were destroyed.
Not any thing was saved from the Patent Or
icc Or rtc City Post Office, the volume of
the smoke preventing any body from pene-
trntng the latter so as to save any thing.
As to the origin Of the fire, it is impossible
to say any thing, for nothing seems to be
known Of it, except that it was in cellar or
vault in which pine wood and coal were
slowed, all Of which were probably in state
of ignition before the fire disclosed Itself 10
the eye. We the more willingly forbear any
coniectires as to the cause Of the fire, since
both Houses of Congress have taken steps,
through committees, to investigate it, and in
and papers.
Most fortunately, the night was calm and
comparatively serene, or the destruction of
brivatc property would have been inevitable |
and great. IFad it occurred on the night
previous, when the wind blew almost hur-
ricane, several squares of valuable buildings
must have been destroyed. The means Of
the city for extnguishing ires are wholly
inadequate to the value Of the property at
stake, and the sources for the supply Of water
for the engines arc limited in their extent,
as we'll as precnrious. We trnst that the
lesson we have Just received will not be lost
on those who have it 10 their power to apply !,
the remedy.
Of all the anibint Of loss Of papers and
property sustained by this disaster, that which 4
is most TO be regretted, because irreparable,
is That of The Whole of the great repository of
models of machines in The Patent Office.-
The moudcring ashes now only remain Of
that collected evidence of the penetration,
ingenuity, and enterprise which peculiarly
distinguish the desce ndants of Europe in the
Western World. ...g..t...... ..e i
The City Post Office. We have mentioned
in the preceding article the destruction of all
the contents of the city post Office. All the
mails Of the night and morning incuding
letters received by both mails for distribution.
BY those mailsf except the Warren (Va.) and
Port Tobacco (Md.) mails, had been sent of
before the fire occurred All the mails re-
ceived the preceding evening and in the
night Of delivery ntthis YAace, were destroyed
including of course a. the letters for mem-
bers of Congress, different officers of the
Government, and editors. The transmission
Of mails from this place will not, we under
stsnd, ,bc for moment interrupted by this ca
tastrophc.
Correspondence Of the ~. Y. Jour. Of Con.