National Republican., 1877-09-25
TIE PATENT OFFICE CALAMITY.

The partial destruction of the Patent Of
fee by fire yesterday Is q calamity which
will be heard of with regret and surprise
throughout the entire nation. The models
and curiosities contained in that building
have always made II an object Of great in
terest to all visitors to this city, while
thousands of persons practically interested
in inventions will feel that the partial de-
struction of the great Museum was q per-
sonal loss to them.
The first emotion which most persons
will feel on hearing Of the immense dam
age done to that building by fire will be
one Of surprise. It was 80 substantial in
its appearance that II was generally sup
posed to be fire proof. The impression was
strengthened in the popular mind by the
fact that on the 18th Of December 1896. the
building then occupied as Patent Office
was totally destroyed by fire, including
over 1000 models which had accumulated
during the previous half century. The loss
of those models has been very frequently
deplored, but IL has generally been taken
for granted that the new collection was &C.
curely stored In q fire-proof building. The
country will be greatly astonished to learn
that they were in fact stored in IN immense
tiuder-box, admirably prepared for consum-
ing them in an incredibly brief period Of
time.
We do not propose to-day to criticise the
architecture Of the Patent Office building.
Yesterdays calamity has rendered it oh
vious that IL was very far from being such
q building as II should have bcen in order
to properly preserve the valuable property
and records deposited in it. The best use
which can now he made of the irrcparable
misfortune which has bcfallen the nation is
to direct public attention TO the necessity of
providing thoroughly tre-proof buildings
for all the departments of the Government.
In the present advanced state of archtec-
turc, the matter Of building tire-proof struc-
lures is merely question of money. The
expense Of rendering all the cdifces used
by the Government fire proof is but n trihe
compared with the vast amounts of public
property and valuable records which are cx-
posed TO destruction in combustiblc build
ings. The loss which the Government sus-
tanned yesterday at the Patent Office would
have paid many times over the cost of rem
dering that building fire proof 1t is not at
all creditabc TO our Government that il has
suffered property and records of such i'm
mensc value TO he exposed to the risk of
destruction by fire.
1t is to be hoped that this calamity will
lead to an inquiry into the condition of all
thc othtI puDllt DN'll'lln-S III lnlS CITY. VIC
presume that there is no question hut that
the State Department is provided with safe
quarters, but it does not appear to he GER
tain that any of the other Departments are
as secure as they ought to be. As Congress
Is to assemble in q few weeks, it would be
well to have this subject thoroughly invcs-
tignted, in order that such legislation may
be asked as may be necessary for rendering
all the archives of the Government secure
from fire.
This subject is one in which the people
have n deep interest. The destruction of
records at the seat of Government inev itably
subjects thousands of citizens to the loss of
property or rights which depend upon evil
dence of which the Government is the
proper custodian. If the calamity of yes
tcrday leads to the adoption of effcctual
measures for rendering all the property and
records of the Government secure, it will do
much to alleviate the misfortune which
this morning fills the nation with sadness.