The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1877-09-29
GREAT FIRE IN WASHINGTON.

THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT AND OTHER
BUILDINGS BURNT-HEAVY Loss.
The most disastrous fire that has ever
visited Washington occurred on Monday,
and resulted in the destruction of about
one-iialf of the Interior Department build
ings which occupy two squares and ex-
tend from Seventh to Ninth and from L to
G. streets. The buildings consist of four
wings, each wing being about eighty by
three hundred feet, with an open court of
about one and one-half acres in the centre.
The basement and first and main floor are
occupied by the Secretary of the Interior,
Land Office, Indian Bureau and Patent
Office, the last named office occupied about
two-thirds of the entire buildings. The
model room is located on the third floor
and consists of four grand halls opening
into each other and Attending a promenade
of about one-foulth of a mile around the
four sides of the quadrangle.
The fire originated in a loft of the west
wing over the model room. This loft has
been used exclusively for storage of reiec-
ted models, and was not open to public
inspection. The rejected models were
packed in the loft on hastily improvised
staging and shelving. The entire room
was thanked with these wood supports and
pine tables were crowded together along
the entire length and filed with models.
! In addition to the intlamable mass the
braces, rafters and other supports for the
roof We're composed of pine wood, giving
the loft the general appearance of a hugh
junk shop, and suggesting just such a con
migration as swept it away.
The law allows the Commissioner of Pa.
tents to sell rejected models or loan them
to colleges and literary and scientific Insti
tutlonS. But as many important patent
suits have turned on re ected models, the
Commissioner has declined to dispose of
them in this manner during the past few
years, and in consequence over 20 600 of
such models were in the loft when the fire
originated.
As nearly as can be ascertained, the fire
originated in this grand collection of com
Uustibles, at about 80 A. NJ. The loft
was seldom visited and never with light,
and 10 fire has been in that portion of the
building for over two years. The theory is
that the fire originated from spontaneous
combustion coused by rejected chemical
compounds, of which large quantities in
the shape Of specimens were stored in the
loit.
About twenty minutes elapsed from the
time the fire was discovered until the first
stream of water was directed against it,
and by that time the entie upper floor of
the west wing was developed in flames, which
hurried through the windows and Toared
through the roof with tierceness that
threatened the obstruction of the entire
buildings. The delay in getting water to
the tiames was owing not 50 much to the
lack of pr0mptness on the part of the fire
men as to the difficult of reaching the fire.
In ten minutes after the first engine began
to throw water there was an acre of fire
sweeping over the entire west wing.
The iiremen, seeing the hopelessness of
saving the west wing, directed their efforts
to the south wing, which is the original
building. In this wing were placed the
Washington relics valuable souvenirs pre-
scented To various Presidents by rulers of
foreign countries, and about forty thnu
sand models of patent inventions. These
were all removed under the direction of
Secretary Schulz, the relies and souvenirs
being taken to his own office The wind
favoring the tiremcn, they were enabled to
keep the flames from spreading to the south
wing.
In the meantime, however, the flames,
assisted by south breeze, communicated
rapididity east along G street, about one
half the entire length of the wing, before
they were checked. The floors of the
model rooms, composed of solid masonry,
prevented the flames from penetrating to
the lower floors, but they Were deiuged with
water, which soaked through aud did con
siderable damage to many of the public
records.
1t was two O'Clock before the fire was
checked, and by that time two acres of
models and furniture had been DESTROYED
The destruction of rejected models is com
plete. These numbered about 10000. but
save in very few INSTANCES their value was
slight.
The number of patent models DESTROYED
is about sixty thousand. These embraced
all models in metal working, wood working,
agricultural implements of all kinds. Mo.
dels in civil and mechanical engineering,
mills, carriages, wagons, and models per-
tanning to railroading, hydraulic pneuma-
tic, and portions of models belonging to
various other classes. Among the models
destroyed is that for the original cotton
gin, invented by Levi Whitney. The
models of sewing machines and looms
we've much damaged, but mainly from
water. The original model for the Howe
sewing machine was saved.
About one hundred thousand models are
intact in the south and west wings. Thes
embrace all models in toys, fine arts, fire
arms, ships. stoves, lamps and gas fixtures,
leather working, printing aud paper, furni-
ture, philosophical instruments and build
ers' hardware. 1t is estimated that about
two tifths of all the models in the office
We're destroyed.
Many of these were only valuable as curl
osities. but it is estimated that about ten
per cent of them had positive value as evil
dence in contested patent cases. The loss
III this direction is lessened somewhat by
the fact that all the original drawings and
written records of the Patent Office are
safe. Over two hundred thousand original
drawings were hastily carried out during
the conllagration, and saved from damage.
The loss of these drawings would not have
been severely felt, as nearly all the draw
Jugs have been reproduced, many copies
having been made of each.
The Patent Office library, of thirty thou
sand volumes, is uniniured mscellane-
Gus library, belonging to the Interior De-
partment, consisting of seven thousand vol
umes, is somewhat damaged by water
The written records of the Patent Office
are uninjured. The records of the Land
Office were hurried out in great confusion
and are in worse condition than those of