Du Buque visitor. [volume] (Dubuque, Lead Mines, Wisconsin Territory) 1836-1837, 1837-01-11
From the National ha,eligeneer Of yesterday.
DISASTROUS CONFLAGRAT1ON.

THr GENERAL Posr-oFFIcE AND PATENT
OFFICE IN AsHcs--It is with no ordinary re-
greet that we perform the duty of announcing
the destruction, by FIRE, of the building in the
central part of this city, which has for many
years been occupied BY the general post-ofice,
the patcnt-office, and the city Post-ofhce, with
an important part Of the contents OF those bull
dings, including the entire contents of the two
latter.
This calamity, great as tits. has long been
feared by those old residents of Washington
who knew the combustible nature of the build
ings, (the floors being all Of wood, and some
Of them not even counter-sealec, } and the Gus
tom of slowing fuel. not only coal, but wood,
in the vaults underneath the first floor. The
calamity has como at last. and affords the Sc
cond demonstration, within four years, Of the
utter absurdity and improvidence of the struc-
lures to which the public archives, records,
and government accounts have been hitherto
for the most part confided.
The first alarm of fire was given by Mr..
Crawn, messenger, who usually sleeps in
the room connected with the city post-ofice-
1.-THE post masters own roomD The clerks
had been at work, asserting the mails, until
half past two o'clock, when one Of the persons
belonging to the Office lNfr. Lansdale) passed
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 after three o'clock, Mr.. Crown was fous-
edfrom light slumber by the smell Of smoke.
Opening the door of the city post Office, he
perceived a dense smoke, without any visible
appearance of fire He gave the alarm Instant
ly. first rousing Mr.. Cox, one Of the clerks,
who slept in the back room adjoining the post
Office, and who. coming out of the door of his
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
Office, had perceived nothing of the smoke,
until they, also, were alarmed by Mr.. Crown.
The hour Of the night when all this took
place being one at which the whole city was
buried in the deepest sleep, it wrs found al
most impossible 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 began, and it was fnll
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
II was, the fire had its own way. and was at
last seen in the vault or cellar Immediately
under the delivery window Of the city post Of
flee; 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 to the top of the building
before it broke ont below.
From the moment of the flames bursting out
from the lower windows, il was obvious that
all hope Of saving the building was in vain.
ln little more than an hour the whole interior
OF the building and its contents were destroyed
The books Of the General Post Office were
all IL all
made for their safety from nearly the first mo-
ment OF the alarm; hut the mass Of papers, &c.
belonging to the Office were destroyed. Not
any thing was saved from the patent-o1ice
or the citvpost Office, the volume OF the smoke
preventing any body from penetrating the lat
ter so as to save any thing.
AS to the origin Of the fire, it is impossible
f1say any thing. for nothing seems to be
known of it.. except that it was in a cellar or
vault in which pine wood and coal were stow
ed. all of which were probably in state Of
ignition before the fire disclosed itself to the
eve. 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 investigate it, and in one House
with power to send for persons AMI papers.
Most fortunately, the night was calm and
comparatively serene. or the destruction of
private property would have been inevitable
and great. Had it occurred on the night pre-
vious, when the wind blew almost hurrican,,
several squares Of valuable buildings would
have been destroyed. The means Of the city
for distinguishing fires are wholly Inadequate
to the value Of the property at stake, and the
sources for the supply Of water for the engines
are limited in their extents we'll as precari-
ols. We trust that the lesson we have Just
-
in thrir power to apply the remedy.
OF all the amouot of loss of papers and prop
erty sustained by this disaster, that which is
most to be regretted because irreparablc) is
that Of the whole Of the great repository Of
models of machines in the patent Office. The
mouldering ashes now only remain of that col
lected evidence Of the penetration, ingenuity,
and enterprise which peculiarly distinguish
ed the descendants Of Europe in the western
world.
The city Post Ogiee.----We have mention-
ed in the preceding article the destruction Of
all the contents Of the city post office. All
the mails ofthe night and morning (includinr
letters received by other mails for distribution
BY those maiis,) except the Warrenton Va
and Port Tobacco Md. mails, had been sent
OF before the fire occurred. All the mails re.
ceived the proceeding evening and in the
night for delivery atthis place were destroyed,
Including ofcourse, all the letters for mem.
bers Of congress-, different officers Of the gov
eminent and editors. The transmission Of
mails from this place will not, we understand
be interrupted by this catastrophe.
Inc CITY post Office is re-opened for the
present in the lower story Of Steaver,s brick
house, on It'll street, few doors above the
Office Of the National InteIligencer.
It is q remarkable fact, that only
eight Of that majority in the house Of
representatives last year, which char
!, tered the bank, and crowded monopo-