The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-02-03
CAPITOL In RUINS.

SAT llOL llN NOllNSs
Concluded from Page ~
been sounded and there was no fire SER
vice.
When the fircmen arrived the whole
western end of the building was in
flames and the fierce flames were blow
ing like Il furnace. In five minutes
more the roof over the lieutenant COVER
nor's magnificent apartments and the
Offices of the educational departments
fell.
Captain Delaney, superintendent of
property, Private Secretary Better,
Chief Clerk Smiley of the senate, and
a number of others pushed out a leath-
er lounge and then followed, chased
away by the flames. A few moments
later there was a violent explosion,
supposed to have been caused by the
bursting sas pipes.
The crowd in the house had by this
time realized that the fire was not
small one and that the entire building
was doomed. The play of the water and
smoke forced Speaker Boyer to have the
rear doors of the house opened to allow
members and others to get out. Most
persons did not think the house in i'm
mediate danger, but the flames broke
out near the roof in few moments and
it then appeared as though the fire had
travelled throughout the entire build
ing, between the floors and walls.
number Of foolhardy persons remained
in the house as in the senate trying to
get furniture and personal effects out.
Among those was Deputy Sergeant-at-
Arms Rawlins. When a portion of the
floors collapsed he staggered to the
doors hurt and bleeding and overcome
from the smoke. He was revived after
a time.
RECENT IMPROVEMENTS.
During the past two years the capitol
building itself has been improved very
greatly. Lieutenant Governor Walter
Lyon had built for himself a suite of
magnificent apartments at cost APP
proXimating $4,000. The entire ar
rangement and decoration of the house
We're just completed and the entire ro-
tunda and lobby ON the first floor had
been rebuilt inside with magnificent
marble work.
A few minutes before l o'clock the
senate reconvened with Senator Grady
until II o'clock tomorrow But not a
moment too soon. Five minutes later
the senators were fleeing for their lives.
1t was almost Impossible to convince
members of the legislature that a seri-
Gus fire was under way and many of
them remained in the house until they
We're compelled to leap through the
windows to save themselves. The leg
I'll,
Associated Presses We're filing bulle-
tins at the Western Union office in the
rotunda when the scaffoding in the
dome fell with a great crash They
escaped through a window, both being
slightly injured.
THE FIRST SMOKE.
Senator Grady declares he detected
the smell of smoke as early at TO- 80
o'clock and this would seem to bear
out the assertion that the fire had been
burning slowly some hours before be-
ing discovered. The Philadelphia SEN
ator dispatched page boys at different
times to see of there was not something
burning in some portion of the senate
chamber or in one of the committee or
clerks rooms, but they all returned
with the message that there was moth
ing wrong. Just before the senate took
its recess the same senator says the
smell of smoke was more pronounced
and during the recess the fire was dis
covered.
The scenes in and about the senate
when it became known that the build
ing was doomed beggar description
The excitement was intense. Chief
Clerk Smiley first thought of the rec
ords and many of these We're taken to
places of safety. The most valuable
state records We're not in the burned
building, having been taken soon after
its completion to the fire proof eXecu-
tive building. Pages, messenger boys,
pastors and folders, transcribing clerks
and newspaper men hurried about mov-
ing what personal effects they had.
over the senate the old and rotten
timbers was dry as dust ana burnt and
sized like powder. Pretty soon those
who fingered on the border of the senate
chamber saw a bright !lame leap out
from above the speakers chair and then
around the chandelier appeared tiny
tongues of flame that licked away the
frescoing ON the ceiling and burnt the
fastenings of the chandeliers, which
came down with a crash
The only department in the burned
building was that of public instruction
IMPORTANT RECORDS SAVED.
At 2.3O o'clock the fire was under con-
troll but the tiremen were on duty
watching the smoulderinG embcrs. All
the important records, including the
journals of the senate and house We're
saved. At three o'clock about all that
remained of the old capitol We're the
walls.
Several firemen We're injured by fall
ing timber as We're a number of capitol
employees, There We're many narrow
escapes from death. A large dog was
penned in one of the basement rooms
and his piteous hOWls We're heard for
an hour before death ended his suffer
ing,
The capitol was insured. 1t has been
on fire a hundred times in the past,
but never seriously. X had never been
insured until Speaker Boyer was state
treasurer when he called Governor Pat
tisons attention to the fact and then
it was insured.
THE INSURANCE.
The insurance was about 100000 and
the loss is estimated at 81 100000. There
was much handsome furniture and the
recent remodeling cost We'll on to $780,