Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-01-27

| against civilization.
Adjourned.
House of Representatives.
WASHINGTON, January 26th.-Stockslage
| offered a resolution which was adopted,
| directing the Committee on Public Build
| ing to inquire into the origin of the fire
which occurred III the roof of the House
| this morning, and report what measures
were necessary 10 give greater security
| against fire.
| Bills were introduced and referred as
| follows:
| By Bosecrans-Appropriat $1,000 TO
! provide further aid and encouragement for
| the periecting and manufacturing of the
| highest class of guns.
BY Sumner-A resolution reciting that
the California and Oregon Railway Com
| pany has failed to complete its road within
| the time limited by grants, and that not
withstanding this fact, it has been brought
| to his attention that the President had ap-
| pointed a commission to examine and re-
| port on said line of road and requesting
| the President TO inform the House the
reasons that impelled him 10 appoint the
| commission.
| The House went into Committee of the
| Whole springer in the chair on the Dis
| trict of Columbia appropriation bill.
At 2:30 the committee rose and reported
| the bill to the House, but no final action
| was taken.
| The House proceeded to the consider
alton OF resolutions expressive of the re-
! gret of the House at the death Of Duncan
of Pennsylvania.
Adjourned.
/ Fire i'll the Roof of the House of Repre-
| sentatiyes.
! WASHINGTON, January 26th.-A fire was
discovered this morning in a lot of books
| and records stored under the roof of the
| House of Representatives. Firemen cut
away the wood and soon extinguished the
| fire II was confined to a space less than
twenty feet square The damage is trifing.
| The fire is supposed to have been started
| by the electric wires used in lighting the
| hall.
SECOND DISPATCH.l
WASHINGTON, January 26th-The first
| discovery that a fire was in progress was
! that 4 few large sparks were seen TO fall
upon the floor of the House from the roof
| above, which in a moment increased to
| quite Il shower. The new Representatives
! in the hall, and the officers and pages
rushed for the doors, and for moment
| they seemed to expect an explosion, and
| see repetition of Saturdays scene in the
! / L
| no water, and no way of getting at the fire
except up the steps of narrow iron stair
! case, upon which two men cannot pass
| each other. After some delay, however,
| buckets of water We're passed up, and what
| came dangerously near proving a serious
| confagration was averted. In the
room to which the fire was confined
were stored the records Of the first session
of Congress, with all the original reports of
committees, of the proceedings of the
| House and reports of the various heads of
departments, including some valuable re-
ports dated 1890 The close proximity of
| the fire to these volumes rendered it most
miraculous that they were not burned.
They could never have been replaced, and
| their loss would have been a great mis-
fortune Members of Congress expressed
surprise and uneasiness that there should
be such a lack of means of eXtnguishing a
fire breaking out in this way. The fire is
supposed 10 have been started by electricity,
as a number of wires used in lighting the
hall pass the point where the fire began
Tom Ochiltree Bounced.
WASHINGTON, January 2G:h.-When The
Senate went into executive session to-day.
Representative Ochiltree, of Texas, was in
consultation in the Senate cloak-room with
Senator Jones, of Nevada, and Senator
Maxev. OF Texas, relative to q Texas ap-
pointnent. The three remained in CON
ference more than half an hour, during
which time the Senators discussed the
treaty under consideration. Ochiltree left
the cIoak-room, and, going upon the cham
Der floor, and to Senator Coke, of Texas, to
consult with him. The latter was con-
ferring with Senator Vest, when Ochil-
tree tapped him on the shoulder.
Senator Coke for moment was
nonplussed, and, turning to Ochiltree.
he said: What in the devil are you doing
here? Don't you know we are in executive
session" Senator Vest laughed. and
warned Ochiltrce not to let senator Ed
munds see him. He'll arrest YOU and
put you in jail, he continued Assistant
Sergeant-at-ArmS James Christie appeared
at this iuncture, exhibiting much surprise
at Ochiltrees presence He asked no dues-
tons, but, taking the Texan by the arm,
hurriedly escorted him to the Senate door
and told him to get out"
Notice of Contest
WASHINGTON, January 26th.-The Clerk
Of the House of Representatives to-day re-
ceiyed by mail from California a copy Of
the notice of contest of the seats in the
Forty-ninth Congress of Charles \. FELTON,
and W. II. Markham, Representatives
from the Fifth and Sixth Districts. The
contestants are Montague Il. Leverson and
Archibald f. McGrew, and the ground
upon which they propose to contest is that
there is neither Fifth nor Sixth District.
They say that they ran for Congress at
large, and that the Governor and Secretary
OF State unlawfully issued certificates 20
FELTON, and Markham after having been
informed by the Attorney-General of the
State that there was no Fifth or Sixth
District.
Sudden Death of Prominent Banker.
GALVESTON, January 26th.-Startling ru-
mors are afloat this morning regarding the
sudden death last night of Clinton G.
Wells, President of the Cotton Exchange
1t is said that death resulted Intentionally
from an overdose of morphine Rumor
attributes the suicide TO financial embar-
rassment The firm of Wolston, Wells q
Nidor, large cotton factors, is reported
hopelessly involved, and suspended pay
ment about noon. Deceased was also Pres
ldent of the Island City Savings Bank, the
doors OF which bear the notice Closed on
account OF the death of President Wells"
On the floor of the Cotton Exchange it is
currently said that the bank is total
wreck. DepGsitors of the bank are princi-
pally poor people. There is considerable
excitement over the flying rumors
Miner Dashed to Death.
WILKEsBARRE pa, January 26th. =
Daniel Egan and Edward Devans, miners
at the Woodward shaft Kingston, were be-
ing hoiSted from the bottom of the shaft