Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-02-04
THE SH0E-SH0P FIRE.
LEGISLATIVE oOMwIrrEEPURsUIEe ITS
INQUIRY AT TaE PERTTSaTlARY.
Several Officers story Of
Life-Term Convict.

The special legislative committee, act
ing under resolution directing them 70
investigate the cause % the recent FIRE
az the State pcmicntiary. the extopt Of
the damage done by said fire, the loss TO
the State occesioncd thereby, and to
mako such recommendation as they may
deem proper in order 60 repair the dam
age done. met in The o.bfc9 Snpcrlnten-
dent ". W. Moses. at that institution. at
4oclock yesterday afternoon to prosecute
their labors The members Of the COM
nittee Mcsers. Echois lchalrman), Ii.
l.. Carter. and Dupuy. from the House
Committee on Asy ums aud Prisons, and
MesSrs Barnes and Duane. Of the Senate
Committee on Public Institutous-too
carriages Mt their hotels and drove ont TO
the penitentiarv. The fun committee,
rs stated yesterday, held % meeting
Thursday evening, heard the statements
Of the superintendent aud others, aud
appointed this sub-committco TO con-
tlnue the investigation.
IIRE-sEAECHER RErCE.
Mr. J. t. Ecoce. who fills the dual
position OF guard and firc-scarcher. WAS
the first witness called. He was tx.
amined Thursday. but the committee
thought it best 90 re-cxamine him, as ne
seemed confused on Thursday and was
inclined to contradict himself Tie went
over the whole story afrcsh, and was
on the stand for "A half hour or more.
tie said that he came ON az ! O'Clock
Monday night and made three searches
visiting every room IN the Shoe SHOP,
finding everything in proper order
When be started ON the fourth search,
soon after o'clock. he called his
son Henry and told him 1t was
about time 10 be lighting the fires
Henry went into nc laslIug-roOm
and had been in there about long
enough 10 make two fires when witness
went IN. as was his custom, to soe that
the fires were properly made and that
there was 10 danger While la TINS room
me heard q noise. and. looking around
saw through the door of the room Ia
which be was the light in the cutting
room. He halloocd " Fire Fire
and told his son f, DO the same. we
went pinto the hox-lactory cndenyorlng
70 get TO the fire, but the smoke was so
dense that We had to retreat. The fire
was in the ast-room on the same floor
with tho box factory.
He then put the hose on either III the
fitting OF tinismngroom, BEE could not
say which. FmlIug 70 secure water here
be went down stairs. and with the as
sistance of the prisoner Jones succeeded /
in turning ON the water lie then
started back upstairs t. tee II he could (
not accomplish some good, and at the /
head Of the steps mt Captain Green and /
another gentleman and he thought "a
prisoner. Godfrey. They again tired to (
procure water, bot 1t could not be got.
CEos@QUEsUCNED.
Witness was very closely cross-qucs- /
toned, as the committee desired to gam
all the facts possible IN connection with /
the ire when first discovered. In an |
swer 10 these questions Mr. kc'ce SAID /
that the fire was only finish or blaze /
when he 1rst saw it. There was a stove /
in the room IN which the fire originated /
and not pore than ten feet from the fire. /
Saw the flames about fifteen or twenty /
minutes after O'Clock The noise which /
be hearl sounded like the bursting of "a |
paper bag. Had 10 idea as to what this /
noise Vas. There was no lamp I'm tins
room nor any gas-fAtues. This room
WAS under charge of Mr. Haynes, !
one Of the guards. Witness had been IN |
tins room Rbout fifteen minutes before , /
and everything was intact. Nobody /
kindled the fires anywhere IN tins bulld- /
liz except witness or his SON
A convict. witness said, cOuld not get /
in that room or in that huiluing without /
his knowledge unless hc should come /
into the encino-room through small /
door from the back yard. he first saw
Jones 0he prisoner) m the lasting-room.
Prisoner was there To- assist others ia do
ing ell possible 10 stop the fire. No
kerosene oil or anything of the KIND Gas
used about the building IN Mudhng ires
Gas was used in all OF the rooms except IN
thecuttlng room, whore there Was night
at all.
Witness said be turned on the gas at
the meter himself soon after ! O'Clock. /
He could not say positively that tine KEYS
10 the burners bad been properly turned /
the night before. The bt3yc-pipcs ran /
into the brick wall and not mp into the
ceiling.
THE YOUNGER REEcE.
The second witness called WIS Henry
CLAY Reccc. son OF the former witness
He said that his business Was thut of fire
maker. lie LEFT ills fathers box IN the
hack yard about 3 O'clock TIA, SHAY morn
in. About fifteen minutes latcc when /
DE had Just stepped from the lasting /
room into the edgOining one. ne heard /
Tremendous NOISE that sOunutOilh' q iooi /
breaking IN or something Of that knd. .
lie at once turned and saws Che ileht
from the cutuneroOm ou the moor
above him. The noise was Ike th"t oil
suppressed or deadeucd Houui and 1t
was louder than the report oil gun. Le
had To make Preparations Tor ali OF the
fires in the morning except that the
stoves i'm the cuttiug-roOm are PINNED
c,,rv afternoon Ev ono Of the con
victs EMPLOYED therein whose business
i. that of sweeper. As these stoves are
ALWAYS in readiness they are lighted after
daylight when all OF the other iires nave
been made The room that no was IN at
the time was lighted 10y gas, ana ms
father had lantern with hlm. Tvs
father always followed immediately aiter
him. 10 see that everything was intact,
or went along with hlm also c'uNOuC"
him frequently 70 be very careful
Sometimes his father would suck
match 90 the stoves N the
cutting.room. bat not until later hour.
lie saw flames breaking ont OF one oil
the windows and he heard that two WIN
dows on the opposite side broke about
the same time. lie did not know the
condition of the room at the time Of the
fire, as he had not been IN there that
morning. Heat once atterthe discovery
of tho ire, ran down into the yard and
tried 10 get the hose q work.
MR, HAYNES.
Mr.. J. T. Haynes officer in charge OF
the cuttiug-room IN the Gay time, was
next called. Tie said he left the room at
few minutes after o'clock the alter
noon before. The men quit work at
that hour and the fires hod been put out