The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1871-11-02
Lessons from the Chicago Fire.
THE CHASTITY FARCE OF FIRE-PROoF
BUILDINGs-How 50, 10000 WAS LOST.
From the Chicago Tribune.

THE CHASTITY FARCE OF FIRE-PRooF
BUILD1NGs-How s2,130,O00 WAS LOST.
/ From the Chicago Tribune
Some most extraordinary revelations
have been made by the fire with regard
| to the architecture of the Post Office
and Custom House building, which
proving to have been sham and q
fraud of the worst kind, has involved
| a loss of an immense sum of money.
The vault of the Sub-Treasury office,
in which Collector MCLEAN had de-
posted all the funds pertaining to his
department, was built upon the second
story. 1t rested upon two iron pillars
built from the basement, with two iron
girders of great strength and weight
connected with the wall. A third grid
er connected the two pillars, forming a
framework. A heavy fre-proof vault
was built upon this foundation, and
proved to be about the weakest in the
city in resisting the fieroeness of the
| fire. There were in the vault at the
time of the fire 81 100000 in greenbacks,
| $300,000 in national bank notes, $685.
600 in gold, and 81, 900 in silver, making
a total of $2,130,000, of which 100000
was in specie.
In an old iron safe which was left out
side the vault was deposited $4,000,
consisting OF mutilated bills and frac-
tional currency. This safe was regarded
with scorn and deemed unworthy a
place in the vault. But like the little
fishes in the net, its insignifcance saved
it, When the building caught fire, and
blazed with fervent heat, the miserable
iron pillars melted, and the immense
vault with its fabulous treasures fell to
the basement, burying the insignificant
safe and its mutilated contents. The
consequence was that the contents of
the latter were saved, while $1,S00,000 in
currency was burned to powder, and
hopelessly lost.
The specie was scattered over the
basement floor, and fused with the heat.
There are Jumps of fused eagles valued
at from $500 to 81 600, blackened and
burned, but nevertheless good as refined
gold. The employees have been COM
PEELED to rake the whole building, and
have recovered altogether about FIVE
sixths of the whole amount. 1t is prob
able that days will pass before they will
be able to find the remainder.
only week ago 100000 in gold, and
$4,000 in silver had been shipped from
| the city.
The building was, as before stated, q
fraud of the most barefaced description,
and consequently an everlasting dis
grace to the country. That vault con-
tanning treasure to the amount actually
| ;,.o-, sho--l1 he "--rr~-I"1 --iJ - W.
lost, pillars, which gave way and let it
fall in ruins, and should yet make a
boast of being fre-proof, is q piece of
irony the most acute.
But this vault was only one of the
frauds. The fre-proof dc ors of the
Post Office vault, in which were stored
the records, proved Trailer still. The
hinges of the massive portals which were
to protect the Government records were
only affixed to single brick. When,
therefore, the walls expanded with the
heat, the sturdy doors fell out of their
own weight, each hinge carrying with
it the single brick to which it held,
while the remainder of the wall was as
firm as possible.
Of course all the records were hope
lessly ruined.
This vault was fire and burglar-proof.
Experts are not the only persons who
can Judge of the value of q vault whose
doors had such feeble hold.
The building is one of large number
built on the same plan, and the condi-
tion of the lower vault suggests great
weakness in those erected in other cities.
1t is probable that the Government will
order an inspection of all existing vaults.