River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1904-03-03
A SERIOUS BLOW
TO WISCONSIN
HER CAPITOL BUILDING AT MAD
ISON rs BURNED.
LOSS Is PLACED At $500, 900
Legislative Action Had Caused Laps
ing of 100000 of Insurance
War Records Destroyed-State
Documents Probably Intact.

cOnSlu state CdpltOl building was pFac-
| tically destroyed by fire Saturday with
loss estimated at 100000. The state
carries only partial insurance, being
in the process of changing from insur-
ance IN companies to a system of state
| insurance. The fire involves the build
ing of a new capitol, a special session
of the legislature and the probable re-
newal of the agitation in favor of the
removal of the capitol from Madison
to Milwaukee.
The flames completely ruined the
east and west wings, containing the
senate and assembly chambers and
the departments Of the tax commission,
| the adjutant general, railroad commits
sioner state school superintendent, SUI
perintendent of public property, board
of agriculture, state normal school,
commissioner of fisheries, fish and
game warden, state board of pharma-
cy, state land Office, dairy and food
| commission, state treasurer and COM
missioner of labor.
| The last departments to burn were
those Of the secretary of state and gov
ernor on the south, the attorney gen.
eral and insurance commissioners on
! the main floor and the supreme court
law library and state library commits
sion on the second floor. Practically
all the valuable state records are be-
! lieved to be safe Most of them re-
main in masonry and steel vaults in
the ruins and their safety depends on
| the extent of the freprOOf character
of the vaults.
Two fire companies arrived from Mil
waukee at ten o'clock on a special train,
but too late to render assistance, as the
flames had practically wiped out every
department of the building with the eX-
ception of the north end. In this portion
were located the supreme court and at
torney generals office, and they are the
only departments saved.
The origin of the fire is believed to
have been a lighted gas jet in toilet
room on the second floor. The flame
was close to and ignited vanished
ceiling.
Little Insurance on Building.
Gov. Schofield maintained insurance
on the building throughout his term
totaling 100000, but lie last legisla-
| ture instituted an insurance fund and
directed the states officers to allow
the insurance policies to lapse. In
June last there lapsed $50, 900, and in
December the sum of $4,000. There is
in the insurance fund at the present
time about $4,000 to meet the loss
which conservative estimates place at
$500, 900.
Valuable Books Saved.
All the contents of the immense law
library situated in the north end of
the building were carried out, together
with a large quantity of other books
and papers. These were stacked N
huge piles upon the snow in the park
surrounding the building and, with the
exception of slight damage from the
snow, were not materially damaged.
Included in the burned portion was
grand army hall. The battle flags and
other army relics were saved. Prof.
Coniver, acting for the state board of
control, had rented new quarters by
six a. m, where the records of this de-
partment of the state government were
taken in safety. During the fire Chief
Charles Bernard was overcome by
smoke and fell from ladder, receiving
serious injuries.
One source of great satisfaction is
that the State Historical society's great
library, housed for half century in
the capitol, was safe in its own great
library building, but for which it
would have been wiped out with loss
which could never be measured From
an original cost of $4,000 in 1887, ap-
preparations from time to time for new
additions made the cost of the state
capitol to date about 100000. The
building was situated in the center OF
Capitol park, which is 914 feet square,
containing about 141a acres on an ele-
walton commanding a view of the sur
rounding lakes.
"Old Abe Burned.
Civil war veterans are mourning
over the loss of ''Old Abe" the historic
war eagle, which was destroyed in the
capitol fire. This famous stuffed bird
was burned, with all the other contents
of the G. A. r. room, including the
highly priced mementos of Lucius
Fairchild post of this city, one of the
| oldest G. A r. posts in existence.
Involves Removal Issue.
The burning of the capitol may mean
the transfer of the seat of government
| to Milwaukee. While the general inn
preston is that the seat of govern.
ment cannot be taken from Madison be-
cause of the impossibility of separating
it from the seat of the state university
this is declared to be a wrong impress
sion.
May Call Special Session.
Gov. LaFollette had conference
with a number of state officials Sunday
to consider steps to be taken with re-
gard to the replacing of the state cap
/ itol, which was practically ruined by
Saturdays fire. Nothing definite was
reached at the conference. but it is the
general impression that the governor
will call an extra session of the legis-
lature The governor announced that
nothing would be done for few days.
| --------
Some OF the Brooklyn savings banks
have recently increased their interest
rate from 31a per cent to four per cent.
The increased rate is said to be due to the
advance in the interest on real estate
/ MORTGAGES in that h0rouoh