The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1884-04-01
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE GIN
CHNNATE COURT HOUSE.
A Scene of DesOIatisn and Esuin- Extent
of the Damage WrOught-VaIuabIe
Records in Ashes.

A Scene of DesOIatisn aud ESuin- Extent
of the Damage WrOugbt-VaIuabIe
Records in Ashes.
Especial to Boston Advertiserl
CINCINNATI, March 80 -rhis MORNINGS
bright sunlight revealed the terrible havoc of
LAST nights work ia Court House square.
S noking ruins, pools of blood, armed militia,
aud yelling, excited crowds stood out 10 bold
relief.
About the Court House ruins were great
piles of smonldering and blsekenea public
records rescued too late from the burning
building. The two brass cannon captured
from the mob last night occupied prominent
position on Sycamore street. Fire engines
Nos. and were laying the ruins. What
was yesterday magnificent county building
doomed up sad monument of the mob's vio-
lence walls ell remain standing, but
almost everything combustble Inside of it had
been consumed, the iron-work warped and
twisted, aud the stones cracked and SCARED.
The roof had disappeared, aud the sun shone
uuobstrucred into the criminal court room
where Berner vas tried. Much OF the Court
House was built of iron, brick and stone, and
the shells of the various stories and rooms, as
well as the iron stairways, still remain solid.
Outside the building the vacant door aud win
dow spaces revealed the ruin within. Some
smoke and steam arose from the nearly ex-
tinguished FIRE, off the North side. The iron
shutters on the auditors Office windows were
warped by the heat, and the entire front of the
building showed many little light-colored
specks, where bullets had Clipped off pieces of
stone. The surrounding buildings also showed
marks from rocks, brickbats and powders.
OF the immense quantity of county records,
those only of the recorders office were saved,
and those partially in a damaged condition
The fire reached this Office the last of any part
of the building, and the fire engines imme-
diately upon their arrival played upon it
Much Of the furniture, the clock, desks, book
cases and their contents were saved. The
records in this Office, the evidence of titles to
real estate in the county, were probably the
most valuable of any in the building. Some
Of the books were badly burned around the
margin, denuded and scattered, but the frag-
ments were collected, and together with the
unframed volumes, amounting to several
thousand, we're hauled to the Gift engine
house for safety. All the mortgage books and
| indexes, and all the deed books except some of
| the arlier ones, were saved. Everything in
| the county clerks office, except possibly some
books, receipts, and a small amount of money,
| which were in the safe, were destroyed. The
court dockets and all the records of suits pend
| ing in the courts are in ashes. All the records
| of wills, marriages, deceased persons estates,
etc., in the probate court office were swept
| from existence. Everything was also destroyed
| in the auditors office. The duplicate for the
| June taxes went with the rest, and tax collec-
| tons will be in a terrible snsrl.
In the treasurer's office all that could be
| consumed by the fire was destroyed. The safe,
| which is one of Halls patent, and cost the
| county $1,000, still stands apparently un-
| harmed 1t is both fire and burglar proof, and
! and is locked by a limerick. Auditor Brew
| ster says it contained valuables and money
amounting to $250,000. and it is the general
belief that its contents safe. In the offices
| OF the county commissioners, board of control,
| coroner and sheriff, surveyors, engineers, and
| in all the conrt-rooms, everything was swept
| away From the sheriff's Office $4,000 was de-
posted in the Lafayette Baok yesterday after
noon. The safe in this Office had not yet been
| opened, but the smoke issuing from it gave
| small promise of saving anything therefrom.
| Ia fact, it is believed the contents of every
safe in the building except the treasurer's, are
| consumed. That in room contained all the
criminal indictments, iand if they are destroyed
there will be nothing to show against Indicted
| criminals.
The law library belonging to the Law
| Library Association, founded in 1884, the
| secopd best library of the kind in the country,
| and ont4ining 5000 volumes, was totally con
s1med. The loss has been estimate at $125,-
| 600 The only comb ustible thing in the whole
| conrt house certainly safe is the set of records
| of the recorders office. Probably the contents
| Of the treasnreI's sBfe are unharmed. Every.
| thing else is III ashes. The total loss to the
/ county by last nights work At the court house
is estimated at over $1,000,000.