Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1836-12-22

without discovering any thing to give
rise to suspicion OF danger. Sot long
after three o'clock, MIR. Crown was
reused from light slumber by the smell
OF smoke. Opening the door Of the CT
ty Post-O Office, he perceived dense
smoke, without any visible appearance
of fire. He gave the alarm instantly,
first rousing MIR. Cox, one of the Clerks,
who slept in back room adjoining the
Post Office, and who, coming out OF the
door Of his room, passed along the whole
of the long room with difficulty, through
the smoke, hearing the fire cracking,
but being able TO see nothing. The
watchmen in the body OF the building,
some distance from the City Post-Ofiice,
had perceived nothing of the smoke I'M
til they, also, were alarmed by MIR.
Crown.
The hour of the night when all this
took place being one at which the whole
world is buried in the deepest sleep, 1t
was found almost impossible TO spread
the alarm Of Fire. One of the church
bells began to ring, but the ringer, not
seeing any flames, ceased ringing almost
as soon as he began, and it was full
half hour before the alarm bells were
rung, and more than that time before an
engine or bucket of water could be
lcommanded AS il was, the fire had its
own way, and was at last seen i'll the
vault or cellar Immediately under the
delivery window of the City Post-Ofiice:
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 staircases or partitions to the
top of the building, before it broke out
below.
From the moment Of the flames burst
ing out from the lower windows, it was
obvious that all hope Of saving the build
ing was vain. IL little more than an
hour the whole interior of the building
and its contents were destroyed.
The books of the General Post-Ofnce
were all, or nearly all, saved, exer'IonS
having been made for their safety from
nearly the first moment of the alarm !;
but mass of papers. sc. belonging to
the Office were destroyed. Not any
thing was saved from the Patent Office,
or the City Pest. o flee, the volume OF
| the smoke preventing any body from
penetrating the latter, so as to save any
thing.
AS to the origin Of the fire, ii is i'm
possible 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 which
were probably in state Of ignition be-
fore the fire disclosed itself to the eye.
We the more Willingly forbear any con-
! lecture as to the cause of the fire, since
both Houses of Congress have taken
steps, through committees. to investl-
gate it, and in one House, with power to
send for persons and papers.
Most fortunately, the night was calm
and comparatively serene, or the des'
truction of private property would have
been inevitable and great. Had it oc>
Cured on the night previous, when the
wind blew almost hurricane. several
squares Of valuable buildings must have
been destroyed. The means of the city
tor extinguishing fires are wholly mad
cquate to the value OF the property at
stake, and the sources for the supply oil
! water for the engines are limited in their
extent, as we'll as precarious. We trust
that the lesson we have just received
will not be lost on those who have 1t IN
their power to apply The remedy.
OF all The amount Of loss of papers and
property sustained by this disaster, that
which is most TO be regretted because
irreparabIe) is that of the whole OF the
great repository Of models of machines
in the Patent. Office. The Wondering
ashes now only remain OF that collected
evidence of the penetration, ingenuity
and enterprise which peculiarly distln'
guish the descendants of Europe iii the
Western World.