Birmingham age-herald., 1895-04-23
THRO' DOORS AND WINDOWS Patent Office Employees Were
 Blown by Explosion. SOME MIRACULOUS ESCAPES. A Bottle of Ether Broke and the Volatile
 Fluid lgnitcd. THE CLERKS WERE PANlC-STRICKEN And the Destruction of the Building Was Imminent but Cool and Quick Work
 Told-Duquesne, Pa., Partially
 Destroyed by Fire.
SOME MIRACULOUS ESCAPES.
THE CLERKS WERE PANlC-STRICKEN

Washington, April 22.--The United States patent office was for the third time visited by fire about 1:15 o'clock this afternoon.
 The scene of the blaze was in the southwest corner of the basement in
 the photographic blue print room, close to crowded thoroughfare. MT. Flint, chief of this room. was pouring ether into a five-gallon bottle, when the bottle fell to the floor and broke, the contents running along the place. MT. Flint be- gan sweeping it towards the door, re- marking to those about to be careful with lamps etc. Some of the fluid reached the stove and there was an eX- plosion, which was quickly followed by second with considerable force, blow ing up about seventy-five bottles MT. Flint was blown through the door,
 his head striking mass of papers in the hallway. He arose, his clothing in | flame, and rushed for the area, calling for help. Beside MT. Flint there were in the room at the time of the explosion As sistant Photographer Theilkill, J. B. Wheat Jr. J. E. Latimer and MT. Balkage, assistants.
 MT. Wheat was standing near MT. Flint and was also blown through door, his hair ablaze and clothing torn Tie TeCelNeu UO liJdiACo, 1iN attended to MT. Flint.
 Mr. Latimer was blown through the open window and on the lawn, and was followed, through the adjoining window, by MT. Balkage, who was in the dark room at the time.
 MT Theilkil was blown across the room by the first explosion and was blown through the window by the sec ond. His escape from injury was a miracle. His apparel was on fire, his l.ir, l,ak ir1fO fro rr- ments and his coat torn in numerous places.
 Stored in the room were eighteen gall Ions of collodion, twenty gallons Of ether and 100 pounds of gun cotton Of course these and everything else in the room were totally destroyed
 At o'clock quiet was restored about the building and the panic-stricken
 clerks, many of whom had rushed out of the building, resumed their work.
 The loss was about $500, principally in photographic apparatus. Most Of the original drawings were saved, and or those destroyed a good many can be re- placed.
 Along the halls in the vicinity were stored a number of files, which contained
 records of the office and other papers, and great many of these were dam- aged by water.
 Public attention has frequently been
 called to the danger to human life ana also to puDllc property OcCdSiopeu py ehC
 storage of great quantities of explosives and oil in the patent office. The patent office has twice previously been on fire.
 In 1877, "a fire occurred there Whlch
 burned for twenty hours and totally de- stroyed the museum of the patent office, necessitating the entire reconstruction of that portion of the interior department of the building
 Dequesne, Pa., Almost Destroyed.
 Pittsburg Pa, April 22.-The entire central business section of Duquesne, on the Monongahela river, twelve miles from
 Pittsburg, was destroyed by fire this morning The loss is about $1O0,0OO.
 Twenty buildings were destroyed, com
 posing what was known as the First
 National bank block on railroad street. The fire originated in the First National
 bank building about o'clock. and Is supposed to have been caused by incen-
 diaries Duquesne is without water works or fire department and a bucket brigade was at once formed to the nearest
 pumps and wells, but the efforts of the volunteer firemen were useless to stay
 the flames. Some small frame houses at the west end of the block were torn down
 to check the fire in that direction. The destruction of these houses alone saved
 the entire town from being destroyed. Rain also aided in checking the flames, which were under control at Il o'clock.