Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-02-01
CONVICTS In PERIL.
A Fire at The Penitentiary at $40 A.
NJ. Threatens 500 Lives.
CELL-DOORS OPENED.
Prison Officers Hurry the Inmates Down
Into The Yard.
MILITARY ALARM SOUNDED.
All the Police and All the Soldiers Re-
spond
THE SEOE-SHOP BURNED.
Loss Almost 100000; the States Share Of
This $4,000.
AN UNSOLVED MYSTERY.
How the Flames Got Such Start with
Two Fre-Watchers On Duty.
LEGISLATIVE INVESTIGATION.
Committee Of the Two Houses TO Take
Testimony.
BUDGET OF INCIDENTS.
The Lessess' Insurance sl3G,59s-Hero
ism Of Convicts-
&c, &c, &c.

&c, &C, &c
The shoe shop at the penitentiary was
destroyed by fire about o'clock yester-
day morning, entailing a loss upon the
State and the contractors and the in
surance companies of near about
S2OO.OO0
Within the walls OF the penitentiary
are three large. separate buildings.
First as You enter the horseshoe shaped
structure. in which are the three tiers of
cells next the shoeshop; next the
tobacco-iactOry.
This shoe-shop was about 100 feet in
length by about 80 in width, and bad two
wings, and was throughout three stories
in height. Here in the daytime SOC
male prisoners and 81 females, hired
from the State by the Davis Shoe Com.
pany, of Lynn, Mass, were employed in
making ladies' and misses shoes.
The fire broke out in the cutting de-
partment, in the third story, cast side,
and very soon afterwards the whole
building was a sohd mass Of flames.
THE ALARM.
There was a man in the shoe-shop en-
ployed by the Davis Company to make
fires, and there was also fire-search-
er" employed by the penitentiary whose
duty it was to make half-hOurly rounds
through the binding in search Of fire.
Neither one Of these men saw the flames
until they shot out OF the windows.
Then they raised the cry of Fire, and
the prisoners took up the alarm. 1t was
responded to 10y the guards all over the
institution, ana Officer Glinn and Others
came and fixed hose to the plugs and
carried up a stream, but it was too feeble
to avail much.
BOX 121.
Superintendent Moses, who with his
family resides on the front premises, was
awake and was attracted by the cries,
and at once got out of bed,
and as soon as lie realized that
the fire was in the penitentiary turned in
an alarm from the box in the institution.
Said he "When | turned in an alarm
August 81, 1856, on the occasion of the
earthquake, it seemed to me that before
] could turn around there was an engine
laundering into the grounds. 1t was
not so this time. They were rather
slower this morning | think. "Do you
know why that WAS ?" asked an officer of
the Fire Department who was standing
bv Mt the time. "It was because the
Laurel-Street Company (the nearest
company was without horses to pull
their engine. For two or three weeks
they have been left with but one horse
to pull their engine. SO the first engine
to arrive was that from Brook avenue
and the horses from it had to be I'M
hitched and sent to Laurel street after
that engine" "And how much time dO
you suppose was thus lost ?" was asked:
" Three or four minutes 1 should
Judge" answered the fireman.
THE PRISONERS LIBERATED.
Having turned in the fire alarm
having seen that the whole institution
was threatened by destruction, Mr..
Moses soon gave the order to liberate the
prisoners-that is to open the cell-doors
and let them come down into the yard.
Many OF the conyicts were IN terri
bic state of fright. Their cries could be
heard plainly on Main and Franklin
streets. and with sticks and planks from
their hunks they belabored the doors
and transoms OF their cells, repeating
pretty much their exhibition OF the earth
quake night.
They mad good reasons for fear
The flames spread with great rapidity,
and the wind, which was blowing from
west to east, often sent from the shoe
shop to the tiers OF cells tongues OF fire
which seemed as if they were determined
TO lick up the whole institution.
MILITARY ALARM.
The turnkeys opened the cell-doors
with great rapidity, telling the men
.sBe ouiet; behave yourselves. There
is DO chance for you to escape. Go into
the yard.
The prisoners obeyed and behaved ex-
cellently.
They rushed from the galleries to the
ward with great speed, and IN the semi
circular yard were quietly ranged IN
ranks four or five deep alongside the
offices and commlssary.
They manifested no disposition to
make break for liberty.
Anvhow, it would have been useless.
The double gates were held 10y mum
her of the officers OF the institution, and
reinforcements of city police soon
arrived. and after a little while the mill
tary call was sounded, and the soldier
bows reused from sound sleep. came
troopinQ in-frst in squads and then in
companies. =,
ward while the fremen went hard to
work around the burning building.
TgE ENGINES.
No. 4 Company took their engine
within the walls and located it in the
snsce botween the shoe-shop and Larus
& Brothers Qeased) tobacco. factory.
Here they wers in place TO do con-
sn;cnonsly good service, but they were
aiso in danger. The smoke often en-
yeloped them at times the flames al
most reached them, and more than once
falling walls threatened the safety OF
their lives. But they stood their ground
and we're largely instrumental for good
No. s was stationed on the grounds
outside OF the walls.
No. 2 WAS at the corner OF Second ano
Byrd. -, -.
No. 9 was at the corner OF Pine ano
Spring streets.