Evening star., 1900-12-17
VALUABLE RECORDS BURNED
DISASTROUS FIRE AT THE PORTS
MOUTH NAVY YARD.
Most Serious LOSS Was in Plans and
DravfnEs-NO Casualties
Among Men.

Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.
PORTSMOUTH, Va, December 17.-De-
tails of last nights navy yard fire show it
to have been the most disastrous the gov
ernment has sustained in years. Besides
all the furniture of the battle ship Texas
and fine building, there were destroyed
all the plans and drawings, the prepara-
tion Of which consumed many months and
the talent of many of the most gifted con-
structors in the service The value of the
building burned is estimated by the engineer
in charge at $4,000 The value of the
plans, etc, may never be known. That the
flames did not spread to other portions of
the yard was only due to the splendid
work Of the yard and city fire departments.
The burned building Is fianked on either
side by structures of great size. and is
connected with them by bridges. The deunt
less marines who manned the engines stood
on these bridges and fought back the flames
from the other buildings
There were no casualties among the fire
men, but that there were not is remarkable.
The escape of Sergeant Brown, Corporal
Benson and their six companions who were
hghung the fire at the western side of the
building, was almost miraculous.
The men had been fighting the fire at the
point of origin for two hours.
They had forced entrance into the
burning building and were pouring water
into the room where the valuable ship
models were stored when, without warning,
the roof fell in carrying down with 1t the
floor upon which they were at work and
hurting them through twenty feet of space
to the ground floor. Amid all the fall of
blazing debris the men escaped serious in
jury.
One man sustained slight injury to his
hip, another was pierced by nails and
third sustained a sprained ankle. Corporal
Brown saved himself from falling by grasp
ing burning beam. After several futile
at tfaYp ha va1 hNyf ha nfh hn
extricated themselves with difficulty and
Immediately went to the rescue of their
tmperiled comrade.
1t is said at the Navy Department that a
serious loss has been suffered by the navy
in the fire at the Norfolk navy yard yester-
day. The money loss is of secondary i'm
portance: the fire destroyed valuable rec
ords that cannot be replaced and many
necessary plans which can only be re-
placed at much expense and in long
time. The account Of the fire which
reached the department was contained in
two kilograms from Admiral Cotton, the
commandant of the navy yard.
Fire cause unknown, started in the sec
ond floor, near m;idle Of building No. 81,
this yard, at 5:15 pm. North end, occupied
print rooms. &C., south end, stores under
general storekeeper, principally turned In
from Texas. Ground floor, offices and con-
tents completely destroyed, including 1000
plans and all records.
Impossible at this time to estimate ex-
tent of damages. VIII order Investigation
tomorrow. Portsmouth fire department
rendered valuable assistance. Fire practi-
cally eXtinguiShed about midnight. Streams
occasionally after that hour to prevent
spasmodic flames Damage by fire as re-
ported last night. Timber and lumber on
the ground floor of building 81 and some
Texas stores on second floor south end
damaged by water only. No casualties and
no damage to other buildings"