The Arkansas advocate., 1837-01-13
From tic sats943ti steiA treacer. 41i1 ZION


 Ii Is win 10 efdnaf4 ses#e tAai perform the duty ol announcing he destruction, by tre. of the Building m He c6atfa aaf q 9dls tii7, which has for many years been occupied " ,ae General Post Office, l9e Patent ofiae. sad tae GHs Office, with sn important aaH G 3 eaate8s of those Aadtags lrclu- isiias ae eHtife eeHteHis Of tie two latter. hfs lanltif, sfeal ltls, has long been feared I5y those eid residents Of Washington who knew the Ee5s5asIibie nature of the building, fhe floors being all u wood, and some oi them not even counte sea- Eeat aad The custom ot sosng fue nol coaI bui wood im the vaults underneath the tsl floor. inc caian1uy has al last and affords ths second demons,ra ion within four years, o the utter dbsuFdiy and jr- providence o the structures To which the p4bic arch Elves, records, and Government accounts have been hltheno for the most part contded
 ,ihe first alafm of Fire was given by MT. GROWN, "a MesSengef, who usually sleeps in ihe room connect Ecd with the City Post-0ffce (,he Postmasters own Eroom) The clerks had been Il; work, asserting tbe Mals until half past two o'clock, one of the pt:- sons belonging to the Office 1f. LaNsDALgl passed out o the East dooF, and along be WI e front of the bllding without discovering any thing to give rise 10 suspicion of danger. Not Ioae after three o'clock Mr. GROWN reused from tight slumber by he smell of smoke. 0penng tae door of ihe city Post Office, he perceived dense sneke without any visi- be appearance of fire. He gave the alarm instantly, first ronsng Mir Cox, of the clerks, who slept in back room adjoining the Post Office, and who com ing out o the door o hs room, passed along the whole ot the long room with difficulty, through the smoke hearing the fire cracking, but being able to see noth ing. he watch men the body ot the building, So.re distance from the ely Post Office, had perceived no thing o the smoke until lhey, also. Were alarmed by Mir. GROWN.
 The hour of the night when all this took place be- lng one ct which the whole world is buried n the deepest sleep, Il found almost impossible 10 spread the alarm oi Fire One of the church bells began 10 fing but inc ringer, no seeing any ame ceased ring Ing almost as soon as he began, and 1t was full half hour before the alarm bells were rung, and more than that time before englne or bucket of water could be commanded. As II mas, lhe ire had its own way, and was at last the vault or cellar immediately nnder the delivery window of inc City Post Aict followed shattty aierMards hy flames from the win dows o the latter, aud, within five minutes afterwards by iiaes from the reo he fire having crept up along The slfeases partitions the top of the building be- fore II broke out below.
 From tie moment of the flame bursting out from sht. lower windows, Il obvious that all hepe of saving the building was vain Ii little more than an ho:f the whole interior of the building and its contents were de- stroyed.
 The books of the Genera, Post Office were all. or nearly all, saved, exetons having been made for their safety from nearly the first moment of the alarm; but mass o papers, &c belonging the Office were de- slfayed. Not any thing was saved from the Patent Office or the City Post Office, 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. His impossible to say any thns, for nothing seems De known of it. excen that Il, was m cellar vault, in which pine wood aud coal were stowed all which probably Tn state oi Ignion before the fire disclosed ilsel to the eve We the more willingly forbear any conjecture as to the cause of the fire, since both Houses of Congress have taken steps, through committees to investigate it, and n one House with power to send for persons and pa pers
 Most fortunately, the night was calm and compara- lively serene, or the destruction of prvate preper,y would have been inevitable and great. Had i, oec,r red on the night previous, when the wind blew almost hurricane, several squares of valuable buildings must have been distroyed The means Of the city for exn. gushing fires are wholly inadequate to the yaue o property at stake and the sources for the sn,lv of water for engines are limited in their extent as well as Wecsraas Ne ras, that the lesson that us have