The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1877-10-06
Fire in the Patent OElce.

The fire in the Patent of1ce at Washington,
on Tuesday, destroyed scOnsiderab'e portion
Of the building but was prevented from spread
ing to adjoining property. dispatch from
Washington says that the reports that several
other fres broke out in the CITY simultaneously
with that at the Patent ohce, and that they
were the work Of an inoendiaTy, IL untrue Two
or three fires occurred in the nelghborhoou OF
the Patent Office caused by sDarSs from that
building. but with the excephon OF livery
stable belonging to Gheen q Osoorn and stock
still q Co.'s galvanized iron oornioe WORK on
@. street, they were promptly sObdued with
None Of the tires-yere the work of lncendiary.
The original copy OF the Declara5ion OF lude-
pendence and relics OF General Washing on,
which were on exhibition IN the hal OF the
main building, were saved, rs was also re
Franklin printing preHs in the small hall. since
the flames have been su Odued, AMI The othU'als
have had an opportunity 60 make ha9.y eX-
animation 1t hes been found that nearly All the
specification and original drawings OF tle Pat
tent Office are safe. 1he only accident which
occurred at the Patent Office was to q fireman.
who had his arm broken. Three hremen up-
peared at an upper window OF the Dul dlnR
overcome with the heat and smoke but urag.
Elng the nose after them, They were renewed
without deiay, but one OF them uuIortunatslV
Dropped the pipe which struck tue hremen be
low knocking him senseless aud bre- EiGg nus
arm. Many of the CLERKS of the Inferior De
parJment, Land. Patent, Indian and Pension
Offices have been ordered on auy Tonight, pre-.
paratorY to asserting the papers ana books, anu
drying all which have been damaged Dy water.
gress for renting portion OF the COrcOran Q
proof building, at the corner of Pennsyiynma
avenue aud Fifteenth street. in which the WORK
Of the department will be resumed aud the
records restored as far as possible. None OF the
Land Office records have been DESTROYED DV tre,
but many of them are seriously damageu Dy
water and 1t will take some time to restore
them. 1t is said an amount OF litigation Will
grow out OF the disaster today as tie iaw WI III
complied with until within Jew years p>sI,
and many nodes cannot be reDrOcured accura-
toy The damage to the building Is variously
estimated from S3Co,uO0 to so0J 900. while that
growing out oisthe destruction OF models ana
other valun noiesIbelonging to the Patent Office,
The number Of models is varionsly estimated
at from 10000 to $4,000, and these comprise con
trlvances Of every character and Importance.
Tne greater number of the more important
monels were on exhibition and storage III the
west hsll of the building.
This hall End the NORTH hail IL completely
wrecked The roofs gre burned The cases
with their m Odels are gone, and that part Ol the
0eautifnl aud spacious builons IL one % scene OF
ruin ana desolation. The fire at Tins tlIne Is
confined TO the att.c IN the upper 10 IN Oi me
east hall, from which neaily al the models have
been removed TO the lower floors OF the oulld'
lug
Tne loss IN rejected models will he verv great
TO the government. AmonP the mlnioture ap.
parltus indicating the inventive feru ltH or ne
American people, num Oere among tne lo'bet
of this cOnfagratiOn, are steam engines win
imOlemelts, watches, heavy guns ana trma-
ments for ships and tort ficauon. models
OF Duildings bridges OOats. full riREed slps,
railrO ID adjustments, q d thousands Of Others
of greater o. less Importance in the world OF
science 1t is impossible to form a complete
idea rs TO the sum total of th- destruction OF
the many wonderful inventions that have Dren
the daily study of visltOrs TO the building and
the admiration Of the whole world.
There are various theories as 10 the origin Of
the fire. Out it seems to be generally believed
that 1t originated in the green-h0use, III the
southwestern corner OF the buildlna beneath
the roof aud above the model rOOui,a fire having
been kindied in the conservatory stove TINS
morning for the first time nis reason, and there
DeuR some detect in the flue the wood WORK
near 1t was igDlteJ. Others saw that cltton
stOI o. In the cOnservato was tired by the heat
OF the sun through the glass. .
The WIND beng from the southwest at the
time carried tle Il mes rapidly along the Ninth
street trout and thence along the q sJreet wing,
The loss sustained by the Interior Depart
menI Is estimated at 81, ,2S7, 90.