Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1910-05-23
HAOLEY HALL
IN ASHES
Albuquerque Had Spectacu-
lar Fire Early This
Morning
LOSS MORE THAN 100000
Invaluable Indian and Geologi-
cal Collections Could Not
Be Saved.

/ Albuquerque, n NJ, May 23-Had-
ley Hall, the science department of
the University Of New Mexico was
completely destroyed by fire early this
morning. The loss is more than one
h.lndred thousand dollars. The Indian
historical museum and geological col
lection, the former almost priceless
is value, We're destroyed. Crossed
electric wires started the fire and ex-
plOding chemicals made it spectac-
ular sight.
An alarm of ire was sent into the
city fire departments and both the
Highland and down town fire COM
panies started up the hill with the in
tention of rendering whatever service
possible. The deep sand, however, i'm
peded the progress of the department
and Chief Klein was reluctantly COM
PEELED to order his men back to their
quarters. The fire chief pressed on
to the scene of the blaze, but was un-
able to do anything. The fire was
under good headway, when discov-
cred and as a stiff wind was blowing
from the north, it is doubtful if the
flames could have been subdued even
with an elaborate fire fighting equip
nent.
! Deep mystery surrounds the origin
| of the blaze, the members of the fac
ulty who live near the University and
who were on the ground this morn
ing, being at an absolute loss as to
the manner in which it started. School
was dismissed several days ago, and
as far as is known no one had been
in the scenic hall for more than
thirty hours. The only possible ex-
PLANTATION of the blaze is that it orig
mated as the result of an electric
light or power wire which in some
manner became crossed. A portion of
the building is given over to the engl-
: neering department and there are nu-
merOus motors and dynamos, together
with the necessary power wires, in
this section. One theory advanced at
the fire this morning is that in some
manner one of the power switches
was thrown on, which resulted in
the burning up of one of the cleo
trical Instruments and the subsequent
blaze.
Dean Hodgin, who lives almost di-
t rectly opposite Hadley hall was one
. Of the first persons to discover the
= blaze, Mr.. Hodgin notified other
1 members of the faculty, including
: Prof. Clark and Prof. Espinosa and
= also telephOned to the members of
n the board of regents in the city.
+ Having gained such headway be-
t fore being discovered, it was useless
to make any efforts to extinguish the
J. blaze and those who went to the scene
It were helpless to render assistance of
d any kind. The probability of the
= chemicals exploding caused those who
S might have been inclined to make a
Y dash into the building and attempt to
d rescue some of the most valuable in
t. struments and other property, to de-
= sist from doing so.
The building was equipped with a
complete fire fighting apparatus
tanks containing thousands of gallons
of water being located in the attic,
designed to feed standpipes connected
with coils of hose on each floor. All
N these precautions, however, proved
= useless in the hour of need So furi-
Gus was the blaze when first discov-
cred that none dared enter the doomed
building and the members of the fac
II ulty and attaches of the university
were compelled to stand helpless and
watch the beautiful building burn to
blackened ruin.
Professor Clark, who was one OF
the first on the scene, says the fire
L seemed to originate in the basement
" on the west front, about midway be
tween the east and west walls. Di
IF rectly over this portion of the build
ing is where the light and power
wires enter, some of them of heavy
voltage. This would appear to LEND
strength to the theory that the blaze
al was caused by crossed electric wires.
At three-thirty o'clock this morning
Hadley Hall was a smouldering ruin
nOlnlHS remaining OF the once ndnu
IL some structure but a few bare walls
n Immense piles of broken and de
al stroyed machinery were all that was
o. left of the once expensive and com
.. plete mechanical and electrical ap
i paratus
OF The Hadley science hall, three
a. story basement brick and stone build
re ing, was built in 1889 at cost o
ut 100000, the money for the building
"a having been donated half by Mrs
n Walter Hadley and the other half b.
81 the citizens of Albuquerque. Had
lall Il