The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1892-01-27
Big FIRE At DUE VEST.
ERsK1NE COLLEGE. WITH THE LIBRARY,
Is LAID IN ASHES.
Prof. Hood Gives a Full and interest.
ing Description Of the Progress Of
the Destroying Element.
Due West. s. C., Jan. @. 1892

Due West, s. c., Jan. @. 1902.
Mr.. Hugh Wilson, Abbeville, 8. C--Dear
Sir Before this reaches you, you will have
heard that Erskine College was burnt down
friendship for the College and her people and
their interests. / am sure you .pnd the citizens
OF Abbeville generally will share Will us In
the grief this sad calamity spreads over this
know Of no event short OF death that could
have occurred among us TO spread such a pail
OF gloom over our town.
Thursday all day, teachers and pupils were
actively, earnestly and hopefully at their sew
eral places places OF work IN the venerable
building that had witnessed similar work
since ls43, with no danger in view, nor a
thought of any,
The next morning. the same persons, TO-
gethe r W 18th others, met around the smoking
:uins, cracked, scored. partly fallen and
swaying walls-all sad. detected and scarcely
able to talk to each other about 1t without
tears. !,
The fire must have begun by twelve O'Clock
or earlier. l remained at the burning build
ing about two hours after the ringing bells
awakened ME.
Judging by the progress the flames made az
ter 1 reached the campus, 1t must have been
at least four hours from the time IL first
caught until the floor Of my room, the last,
fell through. o..
At $50 a. m. all was down..
1t made slow progress along the roofs, as so
much rain had fallen Tor about a week before,
SN'
There Ia no doubt 1t was a belfry fire, as that
was the first part of the building In flames.
and out from which the fire spread along the
several roofs meeting at that point.
1t was impossible 10 save anything, except
from the first floor.
The belfry being over the entrance. with Its
Goals and burning tlmbers falling about the
steps and passages, approach was cut of.
The very heavy timbers, all on fire, falling
from above to the successive floors below, tb-
..l x.INI H. IL -. H. .t-
frames burnt'out, and the danger of the walls
giving way under the heavy Jars they were
receiving every few minutes by the crashing
OF burning materials from the stories above,
made IT, very dangerous to work on q floor un-
der q burning one.
The College and Theological library was IN
a room just to the rear OF the bell tower. Not
one Of It's thousands OF volumes was saved.
Some Of them can probably never be replaced.
About time the lower floors were cleared Of
the most Of the furniture In them, The North.
west wall OF the belfry fell in the direction OF
the library room. crushing the floor OF the
down on the library, and rendered access TO
the books or even that floor impossible.
Along with other valuableS lost in the libra
~ room, were the portraits Of two worthy
Mrs Wallace Of Kentucky, and DR. McMillen
Of California. ..-
We have sustained a sore loss indeed.
There was no insurance on the building or
any OF its contents.
The origin Of the fire Is unknown. Some at
first thought 1t might be a spark from q
chimney. AS no fire had been in any OF the
flre-places for eight or nine hours. and as eve
ry part of the building where u spark could
have lodged had been soaking wet by a week
of pouring, blowing rain, that opinion Is gen.
orally abandoned. A few thought OF incen-
diarism. but the fact that the IRE began In
the most conspicuous part OF the building
from which an accidental passer might have
seen 1t at once, and cut of escape by reaching
kl2 lNOr h I ~ Nnr rnt1o -nnnl.
by long flights Of stairs. changing direction
several times, is felt 10 be sufficient to pre-
clude this idea. The majority OF opinion
seems 10 be settling In the direction OF belief
that some person or persons had gone into
the building without intention OF this kind,
being on the upper floor from which the bel
Try stairs start, careiessly threw down an un-
extinguished match. the stub OF a cigarette
or cigar about the base OF these stairs where
probably paper and sweepings lad accumu-
lated, All Is mere conjecture, however. all
that Is really known Is that our dear old Frs
kline with all her books and furniture, teach
Ing appliances and accumulated treasures is
q pile OF ashes. fallen, split and ruined walls!
The faculty i'm Immediately rented u house In
will be inconvenient but we had expected the
new building ready by next fall any way and
II will be only II few months ofinc~onvenience,
have not written this for publication but
facts as possible / have written 1t TO add
whatever IL contains to what you already
have or the subject,
The Press and banner has recorded many
a fact concerning Erskine College, but this
will be the saddest one, Her teachers and
students.may die and pass away, but that does
not fall with such O shock IN the people as
the destruction of the building and all 1t con-
tains, To the eye the building Is the body Of
the institution, Insurance would not have
saved 1t, but 1t could replace IL, "
II could have been insured hfty years; for
5000 at present rates for $500, True 5000
would not rebuild, but what an aid still we
can all see behind events better than before
them, and 1t is too late now 10 retrospect.
Hoping for you and your In interests. I re-
main, Yours very truly, q.
... .. VIM, Hood,