, 1864-02-11
DESTRUCTION OF COLTS
AESNORY.
Additional partfculars-Thc Loss not
80 Heavy as At first Reported -Ha1fn
million Covers All-Scenes and Incl
dcnIss

In addition to the telegraph accounts al
ready published, the Hartford papers furnish
the following interesting facts IN connection
with the burning Of Colts Pistol Factory;
The fire began In the attic Of the center
wing, close By the door leading to the i'm
menee upper loft Of the factory. In the wing
nttic where 1t took was skafting, and {accord-
ing to Mr.. Harbison, the Secretary but little
OF tnnything else. Others, who were employ
ed In the room beneath, and who went d.
1cctly up when the fire began, say that there
could have been put out with few pals Of
water Ind these been at hand, but that the
fire extended rapidly; Mr.. Farnham says,
tsas fast as man could walk"-and quickly
got INTO the great upper room OF the Armory,
where there were patterns, fancy stocks. and
various imtlammable materials. Once there,
the flames litcraliy s.spread like wildare."
Col. Colt never had tho factory insured
while he was living. He preferred to devote
that expense to system OF night and day
watchmen. ---,
It Is The most disastrous fire that ever took
place in the State, and 1,G0o Workingmen,
with dependent families, will be thrown ont
Of employment
So quickly did the flames spread that in q
few minutc6-less than Six minutes according
10 the testimony Of al1 who saw 1t, the fire
had run almost through to the old or main
4srmory, the woodwork burning Us II soaked
with camphene. The walls were OF solid
tected by massive Iron bars, but the floors
aud machinery were soaked with oil, and tho
flames spread with amazing quickness all
through The Pistol Factory.
The Eoutherly wind and the solidity Of the
wall between the centre wing and the new
fnctory (7shere The revolving riilcs were made)
saved this hitter structure. It is an immense
factory in itself, as large as the Pistol Factory
Nas-
So flcrcely did the 1ames come on, that
hundreds Of the workmen on the second story
liad barely time to escape with their lives.
Soma seized their tools, and others seized
them out, but In many cases they bad to drop
them, and some barely saved their 1--we by
leapiDg from the windows.
High above the din arose the steady roar OF
the Steam Gong, and its far-sounaing note Of
warning seemed to change, as the oestrue-
ton Of The factory progressed, Into hoarse
shriek Of f1amentation oyer the work OF ruin.
Like the ,ninister-chimes In the midst Of the
con1agration Of Hamburg, pealing tortn INC
grand old German hymn,
"All good souls praise the Lordl' :
while oil around were crushing walls and e.
FILLING timbers, SO here, in the midst O. tne
destruction Of Colts Armory, the faithful
notes Of this far-heard steam sentinel contln
utd TO sound, in the midst of the de6tfuc-
ton Of the great Factory. .,..+
Great efforts were made to save the elegan5
business office, by pulling down the e eleya.eo s
ipr MIA iactory. So soiidly built was 1t, how.
ever. that the massive timbers would not
Weld. even after a portion Of them had, a.
great hazard, been cut; and to the grief and
surprise of everybody, the office was seen 70
be on ire about o o'clock. It's valuable and
varied contents were hurried out; rifles, pls,,
to1e naf.ernp nlaNs b0Oks. pnDHf8. cases anu
everything; and supezintendents and police
men had busy umo Of 1t in preserving them
in tho crowd. A large number Of things
were taken into Charter Oak Ball, near BY
All the upper part Of the office was soon
cnyeloped {n flames. The beautiful Byzan-