Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1892-05-13


aided in every way possible in rescuing
the more valuable effects and state papers.
The effects were placed IN charge Of a
guard of ten men detailed by the com
handing officer at Fort Marcy and we'll
cared for until removed to places of safety,
DETAILS OF THE CALAMITY.
While the stories of those persons con-
nected with the control OF the building
and those first to arrive upon the scene
are very conflicting, still enough Is known
to make it certain that this disaster is the
result OF deliberate incendiaryism. What
the motive is has not yet developed it
may become apparent later, but unques-
tionabIe the job was well timed and
Cleyerly executed.
c. C, EyERHARr
is the superintendent of the building and
grounds, acting under instructions from
the capitol commission composed of
Secretary b. NJ. Thomas, Hon. Sol
Spiegeberg and DR.. K. Ii LUngwill. He
states that he left the building last even
ing at about ten minutes past &, Locking
all the doors, but leaving Auditor Perez
at work in his office At about O'Clock
he returned to the building and opened
the west door to admit U. S. convict
Francisco Hernandez, Il trustY from So
zorro county, detailed from the peniten-
tiary to irrigate the capito grounds. Her
nandez uubarred the south doors and
took the hose out onto the grass, turn
ing on the water from the stand pipe on
first floor, complaining at the same time
that there Was very little water III the
pipes. 81 knew this" said Everhart;
Il have complained time and again OF
the lack OF water, SO | paid no particular
attention to the convcts grumblings."
About 8 :l5 O'Clock Mr.. Everhart, While
working il his garden saw the smoke
about the dome and ran to the capitol,
and as he ran one way the convict ran to-
ward his house by another street to warn
him that the building was on fire.
CONFLICTING STATEMENTS.
ralCisco Anaya, Canuto and Antonio
Alarid were the first men to reach the
building. They ran across the street
from Hon. Anto. Ortiz y Salazar's resi-
dence and found all the doors locked in
CIuuluB ll6 Sbulll clllIduCGs ANO bOul
was in the building or about it the con
viCt was not there, nor was the hose In
place for irrigating the grass. This was
at s 10 o'clock, and herein is vide dis
crepency between the statements pub
lished. Celestipo Ortiz, clerk in
! the treasurer's Office, opened the
west door for Anaya and party and they
lighted the gas and ran up stairs but to
find that no water was available. About
this time the fire bell rang. In few MIN
utes, they say, fire broke out in the north
dome. They also say that Mr.. Everhardt
came in after little and turned off the
gas all over the building, telling the Ala
ribs that they had no business there.
AN IMPORTANT STATEMENT.
Privates Young and Downey, OF com.
pany D, Fort Marcy, were walking passed
the capitol grounds at little before s
when they saw a small light in the south
dome and a volume OF smoke. They
cried fire until a response came from
north OF the bridge and ran to the JAM
tors room, where kerosene lamp was
on table. They tapped on the window
and a man, of medium height and having
beard on his face, came out, but he die
not seem the least disturbed when told
that the building was on fire. They
thought this man was the night watch
man, and pushing by him they ran W
stairs and attempted to turn on the waite
when they found slit in the hose wasteC
the water as fast as it flowed from Lh'
stand pipe. When they came down
} stairs they saw convict near the soutl
door, but he was quite unconcerned abOu
, the fire to all appearances. When Ties,
| soldiers reached the ladder leading to the
, dome they could have eXtinsuished TIT
! blaze with two barrels of water. The,
say there was fire in the CRATE in thu
, janitor's room, first floor, but that thu
blaze in the dome was some distance
away from the chimney at the bottom o
which was this CRATE. Young thinks h
} would be able to identify the man whom
they first met upon rea"hlng the building
J and HON he thought was the guard, o
night Waterman. The description of thi
mysterious party, however, is vague.
{ SANTIAGO BACA
3 is the night Waterman. He says b.
usually reaches the building between
7 30 and S, and admits that he was no
about the premises last night until ate
8 the cry of fire was raised; he saw tn
crowds gathering as he was approaching
the capitol about O'Clock. When he ar
i rived he told the convict to 90 up stair
and turn on the water. He saw no sol
4 diers at that time.
/, Summing up, 1t seems from the abov
, that this contiagration originated almos
I at the same time in two parts of tn
e building far removed from one another
; and that it was started by an incendiar
. who was not only well aware OF the de
j fective water service, but took the add
t tlonal precaution to slit the hose ON tn
: upper floor in such a manner as to rende
5 it unfit for service.
O OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION.
, An official inquiry will be instituted t.
ascertain particularly the facts in relation
to the Mysterious individual above refer
red to and the status of the water service
], At this writing it appears that the cit
f water company is not to blame, for Will
/ the capitol service pipe was of little use
= the Company's water mains, one blocl
distant, showed by actual tests made las
night that the pressure was 1927 pound
to the square inch. The following ex
9 plains itself;
: The capitol custodian committee vii
s institute inquiry TO morrow, Saturday
=, morning at 10 O'Clock, at the office Of tn
! secretary of the territory, in the palace
= for the purpose of calling out all the fact
: in regard to the origin of the fire at tn
capitol and the failure to extinguish it.
All persons having knowledge on thi
: subject, and others desiring to elicit fact
are requested to be present.
Sol. SPIEGELBERG,
B. M. THOMAS,