The Middlebury register and Addison County journal. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1883-1885, 1883-10-12
A LARGE FIRE.
Burning Of the Exposition Buildings
at Pittsturg.
The Entire Buildings with All Their
Contents Consumed.

From dispatches to the New York papers
we CLEAN the following particulars of the de-
struction by fire of the exposition buildings
and contents at Pittsburg, Penn.
The magnificent buildings of tie Pittsburg
exposition, on the north bank of the Ale
ghany river, have been totally destroyed.
The immense structures, with their
almost endless variety of exhibits, iilustra-
tive of every branch of art, science and
mechanical skill, which were yesterday Wis
tied by thousands of people, and since the
oIening on September had been visited by
hundreds of thousands, is now a mere mass
of splinters and powdered embers, and curled
and tangled iron.
The fire was discovered in the boiler room
attached to Machinery hall, at the south end
of the building; and before the Waterman
could give an alarm, the flames had spread
to Floral hall, Machinery hall, and o5e main
building, and in less than ten minutes the
buildings were on fire from end TO end, and
when the fire department arrived on the
ground the flames were beyond control
Nothing was saved. and the fremen turned
their attention to saving al accent property,
many residences on South avenue being in
flames. By hard work, however, they sue
ceeded in saving these with no more damage
than the burning of cornces ard fences.
Repeated alarms soon aroused almost the
entire population of the two Cities and it is
estimated that not less than from 5000 to
100000 witnessed the confagration. The re-
Election of the flames Illuminated the country
for miles around. In one hour from the dis
covery of the fire mere attenuated skeleton
of once magnificent structure was all that
was left. 1t is known to have started in the
boiler house, and may have been caused
from a spark from the furnace, or the acct
dental ignition of some substance from the
gas-sset left burning in the boiler house. 1t
will probably reach 81 100000. Secretary
Patterson places the value of the buildings
destroyed at s15O,OO0. the insurance being
$4,000. The exhibitors will sustain a
loss of about ss00OO0
An igDparable loss, however, was occa-
stoned bS the destruction of the relic depart
ment The cash value of the articles con-
tainel therein did not exceed $1,000, but
cannot be replaced. The Great Western
band lose full set of splendid instruments.
In the safe were $1,000, the cash receipts
from yesterdays admissions. and Levy's gold
cornet
The attendance at the exposition yester-
day was the largest of any of the previous
days in its history. The admissions in the
day and evening were 21.0O0, and the
crowd last night was so great that the
building was packet to its. utmost
capacity. Had the conhagration oc-
sidering the rapidty with which the
flames spread, the loss of life would have
been appalling, a; it would have been almost
impossible for even a part of the crowd to
have escaped.
The buildings which were destroyed were
erected in 1870. The main building was 600
feet long and 80 feet vide. Machinery hall
was 400 feet long and 80 feet wide. The
other buildings were small.