The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-02-10


members scattered to their committee
rooms. The smoke suddenly began to
pour into the Senate chamber, and at
1880 an alarm Of fire was turned in.
Senator Saylor and Librarian Miller
started to follow the smoke to its source
and entered the room of Lieut.. Gov
Lyon, who was not in the city. They
found it dense with smoke, coming
through the walls behind a'bookcase.
When Senator Saylor took hatehet
and cut out a piece of the floor the
flames at once burst forth, showing that
/ they had been working between the
partitions and under the flooring.
President Pro Tenn. McCarrefl, with
Senators Vaughan and SaylOr, and
number of employees, unreeled a hose
and played on the flames, but the one
small stream had not the slightest APP
parent effect. BY this time the water
was pouring through the roof and on
the desks and seats in the Senate
chamber. The president pro tenn. was
still fighting the fire, so Senator Grady
took the chair, and amid the falling
water and binding smoke recognized
Senators Goblin and Mitchell to make
motion to adjourn until IL a. III.
Wednesday. Even then the serious
nature of the situation was scarcely
realized, and many members of the
House, just across the rotunda, did not
even know that the building was on
fire. But the next few minutes were
decidedly lively ones. The business of
the House for the day had been about
completed when hasty adjournment
was taken.
When the firemen arrived the whole
western end OF the building was in
flames and the fierce flames were blow
ing like furnace. A strong west wind
was blowing, driving snow before it
and making the work of the flremen
very difficult. 1t took nearly Is min
utes TO get hose on the burning build
ing, and by that time the flames were
through the roof of the Senate side of
the building, the dome was blazing
and not stream had been turned on
the flames except from the inside,
which was then abandoned. In five |
minutes more the roof over the Lieu |
tenant Governors magnificent apart
ments and the offices of the education
al departments fell Some anxious |
persons We're in the Senate chamber |
still trying to save effects in their desks. |
The crowd outside grew frantic yelling
at them to come out of danger. Among
those was DepJty Sergeant-at-Arms |
Rawlins. When portion of the floors |
collapsed he staggered to the door of |
the House bleeding aud overcome
from the smoke. He was revived after |
a time.
Famed by the stiff northeast wind |
the blaze ate up the timbers voracious-
ly. Ever and anon a gust stronger !
than its predecessors would come along |
and then the flames would leap forth |
10, ~ aud 81 feet from the building.
Tue most valuable State records were
not in the burned building, having /
been taken soon after its completion to
the fire proofexecutive building. This I
is matter of congratulation among the /
State officials.
Over the Senate the old and rotten |
timbers were dry as dust and burned |
and sizzled like powder. Pretty soon
those who fingered on the border of the |
Senate chamber saw bright flame /
leap out from above the Speakers chair /
and then around the chandelier ap-
peared tiny tongues of flame that lick
ed away the freseoing on the ceiling
and burned the fastenings off the !
chandeliers, which came down with
crash.
All the important records, including
the Journals OF the Senate and House, /
were saved. At 3 O'Clock about all that
remained of the old capitol were the
walls.
Several firemen were injured by fall !
ing timbers and a number of capitol !
employees were hurt. There were
many narrow escapes from death.
The capitol was insured. 1t had been
on fire scores of times in the past, but
never seriously. 1t had never been in-
sured until Speaker Boyer was State
Treasurer, when he called Gov. Patti
sons attention to the fact, and then it
was insured. The insurance was about
S200,00) and the loss is estimated at
81 100000. There was much handsome
furniture. The fire took with it these
separate rooms: The Senate chamber,
Offices of the clerk and Senate librarian,
Senate committee rooms, Forestry COM
mission, rooms of the president pro tenn,
Game commission, Lieutenant Gov
ernor's apartments and offices of the
Superintendent of Public Instruction,
the House chamber, committee rooms,
Speakers office, resident and chief
clerks apartments and newspaper
rooms.
I
Department of Public Instruction were
destroyed, including much valuable
statistical information regarding the
public schools. DIR. Schaeffer saved the
warrant book.
HISTORY OF THE CAPITOL
The capitol of Pennsylvania, totally
destroyed by fire had been in use, on
the day Of its destruction, exactly 10
years and one month. Its cornerstone
was laid by Governor William Findlay
on May 81, 1919. On January ., ISL,
Governor Joseph Hester, with the
heads Of the State departments; the
Senate, headed by Speaker William
Marks, Jr., Of Pittsburg; the House,
led by Speaker Joseph Lawrence, of
Washington county, father of George
V. Lawrence, and large coneourse Of
citizens, marched in procession from
the old court house, where the legisla-
ture had met for two years, to the new
capitol, and with appropriate ceremo-
mics dedicated it to the Legislatures |
uses, for which it served three-quarters
of a century.
As early as l7S5, John Harris gave
five acres of land to the State on which !
to erect a capitol. The Legislature was