Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-03-01
CAPITOL OF WISCONSIN AT
MADISON DESTROYED BY FIRE.
Loss Will Probably Reach $500, ,OOO-No
Insurance.

All but the north wing of the. hand
isome capitol building at Madison is
now thing of memory, it having
burned to the ground last Saturday
morning, February 9th, 1904. The fire
broke out in the south end of the capi-
tol at O'Clock and is supposed to have
caught from a gas jet. 1t seems that
the engineer at the water works had
been cleaning out the boilers and was
unable to supply water for some time
which enabled the fire to get such a
start that very little could be done to
save the building until the solid fire
wall was reached at the north wing.
The fire department, of Milwaukee, was
called upon and went to the fire on a
special and did splendid work in assist
ing the firemen of Madison in getting
the flames under control, which was
accomplished at about 10 O'Clock.
Under Governor Schofield the capi-
tol building was insured for 5000, 900
but the last legislature decided not to
renew and it expired in December the
policy being for the state to carry its
own insurance.
Various fire proof vaults in the capi-
tol preserved their contents without the
least harm to anything. The immense
law library in the north end was saved
by citizens who carried the books out
into The park. The records from the
secretary of states Office were saved and
removed to place of safety as were
the valuable records from the executive
Office; most of the supreme court library
was lost on account of rough handling,
water and snow. The g. A r. records
and relics were all destroyed together
with Wisconsin's famous war eagle,
"Old Abe" 1t is thought that the
wings containing the Senate and As
sembly chambers will have to be leveled
to the ground and rebuilt but that the
north and south wings can be repaired.
The iron dome is on a separate founda-
ticG with very thick walls and is virtu-
ally uniniured except by smoke. 1t is
estimated by competent architects that
100000 will restore the capitol even
better than it was before The burning
of the capitol will mean the calling of
special session of the legislature whicE,
may be done in a very short time as, at
best if started Immediately, it will take
several years to complete the work.
The following is . brief history of
the capitol building written by r. G.,
Thwaites
Wisconsin territory, partitioned from
Michigan territory, had been organized
at Mineral Point, July 4, 1886.
The first Legislature met at Belmont,
October %. Then ensued long struggle
over the location of the permanent seat
of government. There were seventeen
applicants Fond du Lac, Dubuque, Port
age, Helena, Milwaukee, Racine, Bel
mont, Mineral Point, Platteville, Green
Bay, Cassville, Belleview, Koshkonong,
Wisconsinapolis, Peru, Wisconsin City,
and Madison several of them existing
only on maps issued by real estate
boomers Madison one of the latter
class, won, through the influence of
James Duane Doty, who had been cir
cult Judge for Michigan territory west
of Lake Michigan. He together with
Stevens T. Mason, governor of Michi-
gan territory, had just previous to the
contest, purchased from the United
States government about /, 900 acres in
sections Is, IA, % and "a, in township z,
range east. The capitol park, which