The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-02-04
TIE STATE CAPITOL DESTROYED.
In Few Hours the Great Structure Was
In a Pile Of Ruins.
LOSS ESTIMATED AT HALF A MILLION.

The legislative halls are in ruins and
its law making body without home.
The fire started in Lieutenant Gov.
ernor Lyons rooms sometime Tues
day forenoon, but was not discovered
until it had gained considerable head
way, or until about 1 o'clock, when
the buildings were too far gone to be
saved.
The lieutenant governors apart
ments are on the second floor of the
main Capitol building directly over
the Senate chamber, and it was only
short time before the senate was to
have reconvened that "a page hurried
to the desk of President Pro. Tenn.
McCarrel, who was about to take his
seat, preparatory to calling the body
to order, with the information that
there was fire in the room overhead.
Bad news travels quickly, and it SEEM
ed that in twinkling everybody on
the whole floor knew of the fire.
The senate was to have received
the amended Mitchell treasury investi-
cation from the house and for this
purpose the senators took recess at
I2.25 o'clock until I. But the resolu-
ton was forgotten and the attention
of all was turned in the direction of
the room IN which the smoke was dis
covered. "Get out your buckets"
was the command of Chief Clerk
Edwin M. Smiley to group of excited
senate attaches who were standing
about not knowing what to do. The
chief clerks orders were obeyed; but
the most efficient bucket brigade in
existence could not have extingulshed
the flames that were eating their way
around the upper part of the building
between the brick work and the walls.
AS proof of this the most earnest
efforts of the Harrisburg fire depart
ment were found to be entirely un-
availing so far as the saving of the
main building was concerned. The
men with the buckets returned to
their chief with the news that the fire
could not be reached. Anticipating
this Senate Librarian Miller pulled
the auxiliary fire alarm in the senate
library. The fremen say the alarm
sounded was twenty-three, and be-
cause of their response to this box
they did not answer as quickly to the
call from the capitol as they otherwise
would have done. When they reach.
ed the building the flames had gained
such headway> that old firemen pre-
dicted the destruction of the entire
structure. And so it proved.
The cause of the fire has been var
iously stated. In an interview with an
officer Off the Harrisburg electric com.
pany last evening he stated that it did
not and could not have originated
from electric wires, as reporteds by
some. "The building" he said, "we
re-wired several years ago, at the time
the insurance was placed The wiring
was installed under the rules and
regulations of the board of fire under
writers and was carefully inspected
and approved. The odor of smoke
was apparent to a number of the sena
tors and employees from one to two
hours before the fire was discovered
Had it been caused by contact o.
wires the fire would have been ap
parent in a very short time. Tht
theory which has the most founda
ton in fact is that it originated from
the open hearth fire in the lieuteuan
, governors room and burned unde
the floor along the joists to the hal
! partition where it was discovered
, This hearth was ordered rebuilt las
5 summer by Senate Librarian Miller
' as he deemed it unsafe at that time
The accumulation of the dust of man
years and infammaDle particles mad'
the progress of the fire under the foo
{ an easy matter"
. While the senators were exoitet
e over the fire the house was transactin
! business. But it did not take long t.
S convey the information to the lowe
branch that the fire was in progress
: Messengers brought the word an
n soon there was hurried adjournment
: Many of the members fingered think
n ing the blaze was slight. When the
d realized the situation fully they starte
n to work to save their property. Other
e then appeared and few desks an
chairs were removed. When the las
man had LETT the flames were leapin
along the roof Of the house. Repr,
sentative Charles E. Voorhees, wa
d the last man to leave and he mad
n his escape just as an explosion oe
n Cured in the dome of the building.
e Governor William Findlay laid tn
corner stone Of the capitol at moo
Monday May 81, 1919, formal cer'
:, monles following. This stone bear