Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1870-05-11
THE STATE PRISON FIRE.

onortly after lU o'clock Monday
morning fire was discovered on the
roof Of the work shop at the prison.
near the engine house, which is about
in the middle of the building. The
shop was 400 feet long, 40 wide and
two stories high, the outer and parti-
ton walls of stone, with single roof
and wood cornice. The partition walls
were not carried up to the roof, and
just as soon as the fire worked through
into the loft it swept rapidly from one
end to the other, ere the prisoners or
overseers had time to remove the val
liable furniture, tools, lumber, &C., with
which it was filled, the whole was mass
of flames and owing to the highly in
fammable substances with which it was
stored, in remarkably short space of
time there was nothing left but the
bare walls.
There was high wind at the time
from the south, which swept the flames
directly toward the blacksmith shop
and other buildings in that end of the
yard, but through the active exertions
OF the prisoners and others, these build
lngs were saved unframed. Great
credit is due the convicts, who from
the time the flames first broke out I'M
til they were called in at half-past one,
worked increasingly to save property
and subdue the flames; and they feel
the loss far more than do those not con
nected with the work. None tried to
escape, and their behavior In every par
ticular was admirable. Some furniture
was saved, and three or four valuable
pieces of machinery, including the new
planer, scroll saws, and saws. 1t is
thought also that the engine is not
seriously injured, though owing to its
insufficient capacity it will probably be
replaced by larger one.
The walls are yet standing, but in
such damaged condition that they will
have to be RACED to the ground, and
the new building viii have to be built
from the foundation. AS soon as the
dry season set in this spring, Commits
sioner Wheeler took every precaution
against fire, by placing barrels of wa
ter all along The top of the roof, and
lately the exhust steam was conveyed
into the smoke-stack, which it was
thought would completely extinguish
the sparks and render it comparatively
safe; but these extra precautions have,
it seems, been unaVailing, and we trust
that the State will learn by this lesson
not to put shing lie roof on 500, 900
building, which is to be covered with
sprks and cinders twelve hours out of the
twenty-four. The onl y wonder is, that
it has stood as long as it has, and we
learn that it was on fire several times
during Mr. Cordier's administration, but
was discovered in time, and extinguish
ed.
| This throws out of employment
about 100 prisoners, and destroys the
extensive manufacturing business which
was just beginning to reach paying
basis. The chair factory alone was in
shape to turn out | 700 chairs a week,
all of which were taken by a Leavsn-
worth, Kan, firm as fast as they could
be put up. Owing to the high wind
the sparks and masses of fire were Car
ried high into the air and distributed
over the village. and at one time it was
thought that much of the place would
be burned, but owing to the vigilance
of the citizens, although fifteen houses
caught on fire, none were burned, and
the loss outside the Prison walls cannot
as yet be accurately estimated, but will
range somewhere about $3.50, 000.-
Cor. of Mtl Wisconsin,.