The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1904-01-07
STATE CAPITOL BURNS
Iowa's Magnificent Capitol at Des
Moines Gutted by Fire--Loss
from $500, 900 to 100000

from $500, 900 to 100000
| Tuesday, just after noon, word reach
ed Leon by telephone that the State
Capitol at Des Moines was burning.
People who first heard the report made
light of it and asked GLOW could such a
fire proof structure burn?' But un-
fortunately the report was only too
true, and it was only after five hours of
hard fighting by the entire fire depart
mont of Des Moines that the flames
were under control, the north wing of
the building being gutted from top to
bottom.
The fire was first discovered at 10
o'clock Monday morning when colored
janitor discovered that the building
was on fire. The origin of the fire is a
mystery, various causes being assigned.
1 The flames had made considerable prog
ress when discovered, and seem to have
started in a committee room adjoining
/ the house gallery on the second floor.
A general alarm was at once turned in;
every fire company in Des Moines was
soon on the scene. The fire was very
difficult to get at on account of the
dense smoke that filled the building,
and the flames spread rapidly aided by
numerous false ceilings and the large
amount of wood used in the construc-
tion of the upper part of the building.
Gov. Cunmins put on an old coat and
rubber boots and worked as hard as any
man at the fire, giving directions as to
fighting the flames and removing the
books and valuables from the offices.
After fighting the fire until 1 o'clock
and apparently not making any head
way against it, the chief of the fire de-
partment announced that the building
was doomed and the money from the
treasurer's Office, as we'll as the great
library and books from all the offices
were removed to places of safety.
Many valuable books and documents
were ruined by the water. At three
o'clock the fire was apparently under
control after it had eaten it's way into
the south gallery, and by hard work the
firemen remained in control, although
streams of water wera kept playing on
4 the ruins all night. The magnificent
building, the pride Of the. state, pre-
sented sorry picture yesterday MORN
ing, the interior being covered with ice,
the walls and decorations being ruined
by smoke, and the house chamber a
total ruin, the whole north wing be-
! ing practically Quilted.
! When the first excitement had par
TALLY worn out, steps We're Immediately
taken to arrange for the meeting of the
legislature which convenes next Mon
day. Gov. Cummins and the executive
council were at first disposed to think
that the opening would have to be post
poned for several weeks, but the coun-
Gil has made arrangement for tempor-
ary quarters, and it is announced that
. the legislature will convene on time
next Monday.
The loss is variously estimated at
from $500,000 to 100000, and will prob
ably reach the latter sum. The state of
Iowa carries no insurance on any of the
, state buildings, in accordance with the
lifelong policy of the state board of
, control, the theory being that the state
can afford to carry it's own insurance,
notwithstanding the heavy losses which
, it has sustained better than to constant
ly pay the enormous premiums which
would be necessary to pay each year to
insure the property owned by the state.
!. HISTORY OF THE BUILDING.
Work on the capitol building, which
J for so long has been the pride of the
state, was begun in 1870, and fourteen
years later formal possession was taken
, by the state officers of Governor Sher-
mans administration. The final COM
pletion of the building was in 1888.
Foremost among the distinctions of the
, structure, which has been considered
| one OF the most superb puplic buildings
| in the country, is the fact that not a
dollar was found misappropriated, and
, there has been no suspicion so often
, associated with public buildings of such
, proportions. The building cost S3,OOO,-
600, provided by yearly appropriations
of S25O,0OO.
j David Armstrong has the honor Of
furnishing to the state the cornerstone,
a granite boulder from the Iowa glacial
| drift, and Iowa stone vas used in the
foundation and basement. Missouri
and Iowa stone entered into the con-
struction OF the upper stories of the
building.
The interior is finished in dark gran