New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-10-06

the NiSsOnom ne creek, AT tiankOit, "htu lho
structure washed away and the Lady was drowned.
DAMAGE To PROPERTY IN CHESTER coUNfY.
CHESTER, Penn, Oct. 5.-Last nights storm
did great deal OF damage the vicinity Of this place
Crozer'S mills at lland. three number, flooded
nv the bursting OF West Branch and Knowon dams. IN
Chester Creek Several hundred OF the mill hands will
be without work IN consequence. the fous on the Bal
outs and Geographic communication with them was
b.ohen. number of schooners, soops aud smaller
boats were wrecked ut tie mouth or Chester tIreh
Several mills in the city were DAMAGED Tne loss Is
roughly estimated at from $4,000 to $4,000
THE DAMAGE AT THE PATENT OFFICE.
SCENES DURING 1HE RAIN-NO SERIOUS INJURY TO
Tue PUBLIC RECORDS.
fFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TYv TRIBUNEl
WAsHINGTOS Oct. 5-There was of great
confusion at the Patent Office, yesterday in conse
quence of the rain storm. Tne rain had fallen III
torrents all the morning, and the wind, which had
been strong SINCE daybreak, increased to gale ID
the afternoon Tarpaulin' had been placed over
that portion OF the building where the burnt wings
connect with those that were not damaged by the
fire bnt the wind was so strong tat it was impos-
sible to keep them in place. and the water poured IN
upon the unprotected floor of the model-room, and
about noon began to soak through the ceilings of
the rooms below. At 1880 the volume OF water
coming through was great as to cause
~
nortn and west wings of the building, and the re-
moval of all the furniture books and papers from
the rooms in those wings situated the main floor.
The water poured through the ceilings and down
the sides of the rooms occupied by the Commission
or If the General Land Office, the Commissioner Of
Patents and the clerks Of those two bureaus III
streams rs large as a mans finger The plastering
on the ceilings of almost every room was loOSened
During the afternoon it fell to the floor and the
fIescoing upon the side walls was in every instance
ruined. large force of men was kept sweeping 1t
from the floors into the watcT-traps, but they did
little god.
In the main basement of the building two stories
fellow the model rooms that were burned, were the
valuable files Of the Land Office, comprising from
$4,000 10 10000 volumes of the most important
records of the department. AbOut the middle Of
the afternoon the water began 10 come through the
ceilings of this Basement, and to drip down upon The
eases containing these files. Up to o'clock, how
ever none of these files had been injured, as the
amount of water that had come through was not
great. Each case had been cove,td with an OIL
10th to protectit In Of the rooms of the nam
basement the water came in in sucn quantities
rs 10 obige the clerks, to vacate them, and remove
the books and papers In the north aud west wings
of he Pate Office the greatest confusion prcva led
All the clerks and great force of laborerS were ell
gIg.d III removing books, papers and furniture from
tie Hooded rooms TO the corridors IN the south and
east wings Desks and file-cIses wer. being trans
ported upon trucks. and long professions of men
were carving out large bundles If official papers in
their arms. Great streams Of wat-r poured down.
especially ar und the gas-ixtnres, in nearly all the
roors, and came througI the ceilings of the
corridors in such great quantities that men car
ried umbrellas and wore rubber coats in orfier
to escape being wet throusi. At one time the
water stoud from half an inch 70 inch in depth
on the floors in both north aud west corridors
One OF che large stones forming the Intel OF the
poItIco of tie north G-st. front Of the Patent
OGcc, fell to the steps below, stance of about
fifty feet about > H. IN. The stone about twenty
feet long eight feet WIDE, and eighteen Inces thick
Ii is said that ,ome OF the workmeI had noticed that
tins stone was cracked through the middle. IL is
supposed that the heat of the fire ten days ago caused
it to break aud chat il has been settling since that
lime. Ga It's way down the stone grazed the iluting
OF ne marble columns Of the p0rtico, and large
portion of II upon striking broke into minute pieces,
as thong il had been di integrated by the heat.
No careful Investigation of the cause of the accident
has yet been made.
To-day an investigation has been made as to the
extent of dam &c by the storm, and ii is found
not 10 nave been 49, great as was AT first supposed.
TO all the public lands that have been disposed of.
were not wet at all. Papers in the Offices,
and IN cases, in the halls the
floor. were IN some cases wet, but not to
nearly so great an extent supposed yesterday.
To-day large force Of men has been engaged III re-
moving the papers and furniture from the rooms on
the main in the north and west wings Of the build
ing aud they are now all vacated. The greatest
amount Of damage has been done to the walls and
ceilings. The plastering overhead in all the rooms
that were flooded has fallen and the frescoing
the walls has been destroyed. Tins VIII all have 10
be replaced.
The business of the Patent Office will not be in
terrupted by the flood, temporary provision having
already been made for the draughtsman's DIVISION
new discovery has come through the effects of
the rain. When the plasterng fell in the rooms of
the north wing it was found to have been put on
wooden aths and these Oh wooden josts The only
protection from the FIRE above was thus shown to be
the thin marble tiles which formed the a or Of the
museum. The wonder very great on all sides since
the discovery, as il was supposed that 10 building
below the roof was fire-proof
MANY very severe criticisms upon the management
of the Interior Department have been INDUCED in
bv persons who assert that temporary roof ought
IN have been erected over the burnt portions Of the
Patent Office building during the eleven pleasant
DAYS that have passed since the fire. Contractors,
who have submitted estimates for the construction
Of these roof, ought to put them III position within
a few DAYS. aud il was said tnat. but for incompe-
tepce in the management OF the hre' the pnllding
rld have been projected against the present STORM
The officials of the Interior Department reply That
these criticisms are based on an entirely erroneous
id.a If The state of the case All the architects
yybo have been consulted agree, that it would be
- 90 olace a te,nporary roof on the top of the