Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1837-01-24

dow into the ieile.Ioum. A noinentary nope seems u
have been entertained that The hfe m'Tm. W. In;rIi,g wa
given I'm BY all for lost. Other engines arrived, uut 100
lalc to render any service. An engine peiohg'ng )" T'
Post Office Department, was very shoFtly aile' tHt VIA
cuverv of The fire, brought, but was asceriaihed 10 u
ont If repair and useless. That and some buckets De-
longing also 10 the Post Office Department, are the only
means which ser,n 10 have been provided at any time 10
rroe, such contingency. Not Z ladder of any length
could be obtained in the neighborhood of t'e building
Several witnesses expressed The opinion, that, had mere
been enpincs and other means necessary at the building
within a reasonable time after the discovery ana a'afm'
the fire MIGHT haze been c1tingulshrd. -. |
The officers. clerks, and messengers, reside III dis'er-
ent paris OF the CITY. lnany Of them a. SO great a distance
from The Office as nat to have heard The al"rI' ot"e'S
al 50 late an houc as not to have gotten 10 lie giouhu
until the building throughout vas III names iHose
who were present seemed 10 exert themselves III ao'"g
whatever could I've done. The Postmaster General: IT,
siding within a few rods Of the building. was, very S!ior''
" after the alarm was given, at the ot!lce, ana, arprP-
bending tic cons, Jlenccs, went directly INTO ms GlNce,
and commenced, with some two or three others there,
the getting out of tie books and papers belonging 10 lhe
Posi- Office Department. Those on the irst anu second
floors were gotten out, except the files ami sonic DOCKS
belonging 10 the office Of appointments. Those were IN
cases in the ruoms aud around the walls adjoining The
Patent Office. Soiic books from The third story were
saved the greater part were lost.
Your committee have examined t~hITty-t"o persons,
who's" testimony tilcy here present. That testimony, la.
ken together, is conclusive 10 the Rinds Of your com
mittcr. that the fire d.. originate IN the cellar under lie
City Iusl OiiCr; but IN WINCH room I'D he Celiil Iity
will not undertake to say certainly and are unable 10
charge the fire with certainty 10 any particular cause
From the testimony Of the messengers in the City Fest
Office and Patent Ofice, il appears that they were ID tle
habit Of depositing ashes in the cellar; Il practice That
your committee views rs highly improper and dangerous.
On The morning preceding the fire, the messenger at
tached 10 the Patent Office did depos!t n small quantity
Of ashes in the third room from the East corner. ihey
were taken up, he states, the morning before their depo-
site, and remained there that day and night in an iron
-. vessel; and sucl, was their precaution, that they never
d.! opposite The ashes il The cellar on the day they were
taken up. These ashes are represented as being Hlaceu
in a pine box that would contain from fifteen to twenty
bushels. In this room the Patent Office had their win:
ter's Woo. stored. The box stood near a brick wall, ana
some four O. five feet distance from The wood. Yet other
boxes were near The one used as an a.h box.
1t further appears, from the testimony OF several, thai,
some year Or more ago, Il box placed in the passage in the
cellar Tor tic purpose Of depositing ashes in did take lire,
but was fortunately discovered in lime, lnd cutcd, before
any injury was done. Ii is possible that the fire may
lave originated in ,!s box containing ashes, but from
tie evidence your committee arc left IN doubt and nh'
certainty. The box was placed near 4 brick wall, some
four or iie feet GiStan! from the wood. Other boxes,
Grr, and Of infam!nahle material. (,inrD wece near aHi
on the eide that stood lie asl'.hox. and Oh being set IRE
10. wuuld have produced 4 flame that wDaid prnba1!y
have been seen by those who first discovered the so'uk".
Yet those witnesses who were earliest on Tie ground SAW
no light in the cellar, but all agree In seeing smoke issu-
ing from the windows, and most freely from tines" III the
second and third rooms from the east Garner. That the
fire originated in one Of two rooms ~ tie cellar, (ihe Sc
cond and third rooms from the east cnrnrrO there Is lV
difference oiop!niOn with your con!iuitLcc; is 10 the par
t:cuIar room, some difference OF orininn is entertained:
The majority being unable 10 decide III wi:ic!i CT l!t
rooms it commenced.
The Testimony Of MIR. Cox, a clerk, and MIR. Crown.
the messenger, both Of whom slept III the office. as well
as others. proves that all w"s safe III tie "lica at about
hall after 2nclock that moinimg a portloE u! tic clerks
were necessarily in The Office every night un!l about mat
hour: that morning. Lbnui hail alter =, the business was
closed, and The eieIks left the Office for their E"rIcs; on
their retiring, th" ftes in the hearihs and slaves were
examined by Mr.. Cox and Mr.. Crc"n, and so secured
tina. there was believed 20 Gr no danger before they went
TO bed. Mr.. Summers, The wltchIlan, whose Guty II Is
also through Tie night 10 give out the mails, states III his
testimony, that about , o'clock That mrrnlng, lie Wis call
ed I'D by the driver lUr the Snut!.crn mail; that, after de-
liycriug il, !c went ul 81 The east door and over the
platform or steps, under which sinchc vas afterwards
discovered az that tine all was calm and quiet, and
there was nn appearance or smell OF smoke. ~ltappcars
that charges To be careful about fire were a!ncs. daily
given by Tie Postmaster to those abound him. In the
Pest Office Department there were two watcIinrn EN-.
plpyed, wiIu took il by turns in watching through the
night, onc Of whom was on duty until midnight, when
tue other was aroused 10 his duty, and continued Up I'M
I'll sunrise; they were required ultrn through the night
10 be cut, and look around not only that part OF the
building occupied by the Post Office Department. but
the wInle building.
The d.agrams marked A and 3 will exhibit the posi-
ten Of the roous in the basement or cellar, and the iirst
floor Or City Post Office. { exhibits the building alter
the fire with the marks Of fire a:d smoke. III" Ole
l,uiId;ur was occupied entire by the General Post
Office, and tie new part or east end, erected some ten or
twelve Yeas since, The first floor OF which was occupied
BY the Cily Post Office, and the second and third sto.
RES wr,c occupied b. the Patent Office. The passage
in the cellar. IN connrxion with that III the old building
was CONTINUED quite through the new one, and OF! either
side we've divided into rouEis which have been used for
wood, coal, lumber, &c. Tie first room in the southeast
corner had in it pine wood and coal; the second: west, was
filled with oak and pine wood, both belonging to lie city
office: the next or third, WAS stored with wood belonging
10 the Patent Office, and in which Stood The a<iI-box before
ms ni.onpd. On the north side the first ro"ni had IN II
wood, the second was Lot occupied, the third occupied
by III. Patent Office, the fourth had in it coal belonging
to the General Pest Office; the windows in the rooms
on The East, South side, had wooden shutters hung on
the upper side, that fell too Of themselves and nishi be
entered wi!l,"ul difficulty by any person who wished t"
vass in cn tie lis, flanf. The Postmaster occupied the
room in tie 5. Z. corner, and in which tie mess' niger
slrpt al rillt. The next and large room fronting 5. on
f. street. was The letter aGd he newspaper room; Tie front
room OH Tie North side from lie East ccrre: was used
by Mr.. Summers, the wa;ciiian, as a sleeping room:
and had in i also porimanteaus, Lays, NC; the second
C NAMED candles: oil, pGrtnIan,caus, cid letter cases.
paper. &c; in this rootn fire at no time was kept; the
lard was used by Mr.. Cox, the fourth By Col. COrcVGan:
Assistant Pus!Ii% sler.
In relation 10 the losses sustained by The Government,
your committee ATE unable 70 offer any opinion satls!ac-
tory 10 themselves, or that might be 50 10 others. Much!
nl that lost, none could fix u value on; the models, The
drawings. The backs, and all else connected with the "a.
tent Ohicr, are DISTRIBUTING saved. The letters, papers,
and mails that remained in the Post Office, wiul tie fur
ni;urc, all destroyed, with the fuel belonging 10 the OH
The Necessity for the erection of a building for the
+ accommodation of the Post Office Department must be
Obvious 10 all. The great object of The Government
shouid be The safely ana preservation Of tie recorus.-
These can be secure only in buildings strictly fire proof
1t vas the practice in The Post Office building. and per
haps is the same in the other Departments, necessarily
SO, Of slowing in the cellars uf Tie buildings their fuel.
The danger that The b~ui!ding' arc always liable to of be-
ing fired accidentally or otherwise, can 6e prevented on.
~ by the erection If out.buildIngs for The slowing III Of
wood and coal; and FOR that purpose your committee
have instructed me 10 report Il Till.
hlr. Dawson made an Intellectual motion to suspend
the rule, TO proceed 10 the consideration of the resulu-
ton, heretofore oi@!ed, requesting the Secretary Of The