The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-01-14
Correspondence from Montpelier.

ing of the State House at Montpelier, |
give, ct your request, brief statement
of the facts so far as known to me.
On Tuesday evening, the 9th inst,
about six o'clock, the cry, the State
House is on fire." was heard through the
village. The citizens, and such mem.
bers OF tho Constitutional Convention
as had then arrived, gathered rapidly at
the Capitol. The Hall of the House of
Representatives was filled with smoke,
and 1t was evident that tho fire, though
yet hidden from view, had made coDsid.
cradle progress. After some delay, an
opening was made in the floor, near the
Speakers desk, and great quantities of
snow and water poured in, but with no
perceptible effect, except to augment the
already binding and suffocating column
of smoke. On cutting through the floor
masses of shavings were found to have
been packed there when the Capitol was
built and were all on fire. The flames
soon flashed from the opening and drove
out all the occupants of the Hall, except
few whose retreat to the door was cut
off. The latter gathered at the windows
and cried vigorously for help. No lad
dors being at hand and considerable de-
lay arising before they could be obtain
ed, no small apprehension was felt for
their safety, by themselves, aud by the
excited throng below. Tho ladders,
however, finally came and they were res
cued without serious injury. The flames
crept rapidly up to the dome, and broke
forth from the windows, and then it be.
came apparent that all was lost. No
further efforts were made to save the
building, but the attention Of all parties
was directed to clearing it as quickly as
possible Of the furniture, books and
other moveables. The dome was soon
enve!oped in flame, and as the fiery col
umns rose and fell or swept far out over
the area in front; the spectacle was mag
nifcent in the extreme. By eight o'clock
the roof and dome fell in. The wind
was blowing forcibly from the southwest
and drove the fire in great masses to.
wards the front and east part Of
the building cracking off the cornices
and scaling off fragments from the CAPT
tails and shafts of the columns. The
colorado Of six Dorc columns, each of
solid granite, thirty six feet high and six
feet in diameter at tho base with the en-.
tablaturo and tria ngular front above,
still stands, BACKED and pealed yet beau.
tiful and imposing as the broken shafts
of the Partheuon. The gra mite walls he
ing everywhere lined on the interior with
o thick layer Of brick. were not heated
at all, and appeared to have received very
little damage, but, in front and on the
east wing, arc a good deal blackened,
and, in some places. sealed off by the
fiery food which swept around them
The fires were started in the furnaces
under the Representative Hall, on Min-
day and at three o'clock, Tuesday, p NJ.
the temperature in the Hall was raised
only to forty four degrees above zero
Great efforts wero making to get the
Hall warm enough for the Convention
to occupy it on Wednesday, and under
the excessive heat, it is supposed that
the pipes from one Of the furnaces, al
ready l5years old gave way and that the
woodwork near by, which, unfortunately,
in the original structure OF the building,
had not been sufficiently guarded was thus
ignited and the fire communicated to the
shavings under Tie floor. 1t has been
reported in this vicinity that the pipe
admitting fresh air to thu hot air cham,
Der was kept closed and that tia: was
the cause of tho disaster. The assistant
Sergeant at arms, Arson Davis, Esq, in
whose immediate care tho building was
at the time, informed me that this was
not the case, and that he closed the cold
air pipe only after the fire began, an d in
order to stop the draught, doing thus just
as a faithful and thoughtful man should
do. He was assisted by men accustom-
ed to have the charge of the fires.
The Library, which is altogether un.
worthy Of a sovereign State, in tho mum
Der and variety of its works, was mostly
saved A few Of the more valuable books
were carefully carried out, but, SIS the
fire advanced. the rest were pitched out,
at the windows into the snow by armfuls
at time, and carried away to place of
safety. The collection Of papers made
by Mr.. Stevens, the Antiquarian, was
wholly lost. The full length portrait
of Washington, hanging behind the
Speakers desk, the portrait Of Judge
Williams and hust IF Ethan A lion waro