The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-12-26

Originating in the northeast corner
Of tao fourth floor, fire early yesteIoes
morning entirely destroyed the hoi, ~
wing of Ryland Hall. the main puliu
ing of the Richmond College group
and seriously damaged the central por-
,to, az that structure The loss is cs-
tlnlated at from 100000 to $4,000 The
college Is protected BY ample lnsur
anca. but a large number of students
have lost practically all of their pc
t.Ionzings. with no insurance Whatever.
some ministerial and other students
| lost their books, clothes and all on
which they had hoped 10 complete
their college career, and unless atusu
| ,viu Eayc TO withdraw from the instl-
tuition.
| nr. escape from the fourth floor in
their night clothes leaving everything
lbehind them, and with every other es-
cape cut Oft by roaring ilames.
VIII Rent Dormitorics.
There will b: no Interruption to the
| college term. The finance committee
| OF tho board of trustees met yesterday
| afternoon and authorized President =.
| ". Boatwright to lease dormitory ana
| lecture rnom quarters near the cam
nus and the institution will reopen af-
| ter the holidays, as announced me
southern, or library, wing of the buiid :
ing Was practically unharmed, though
| when the fire continued to eat Its way
! through the centre of the building
along the fourth floor and roof ERE
/ Chief Joynes advised that all value uables
be removed. All portraits. museum
curios and $1,000 volumes from the
j library we're moved by wiling hahos.
Origin Mystery.
The origin of the fire is somewhat OF
a mystery, and President Boatwrisht De
cIines to make any statement reflect
i ing on any one until further eXamina-
ton. II is q fact however, that there
are severa! fraternity halls on the
fourth loor OF the burned wing, anc
that on Christmas Eve night receptions
were given there to out-of town mem
bers. two of the frat splashes" having
lasted until late in the night IN tns
J. absence of any evidence, however the
authorities are unwilling to reflect or
these organizations in any way. Pos
sibly a cigarette or lighted cigar stunI
may have smoldered on after the Jol'
llification was over. There was no frt
lin Ryland Hail. the college building:
5 being heated from central stea1
. heating plant under the north building
some distance away. Nor We're ther'
any electric wires for either lightins
. or telephones in that part OF the struc'
. Fortunately. large number of stu
: dents were away for the Christina
S holidays. Had the fire occurred at an,
. other time there might have been grea
: difficulty in getting all out and seri
> Gus loss Of life might have ensued
About 200 students live on the cam
pus in one or another of the dormi
Itories. AT the dinner hour on Satur
day all but twenty-siX had gone hom
but twelve roomed In Ryland Hall, an
all are accounted for.
Come Down Fire Escape.
= 1t was just at 4:20 A. NJ. that the fir
e was first noticed, and then the Who'll
: northeast corner of the buildins
V mainly unoccupied dormitories, was !
9 open flames. ". NJ. Hall, of West Vir
! ginia; X. w. Cauthorn, of Appomatto'
!, Va, and j. A. George, of WashinSto,
. n. c., three ministerial students, ha
Q rooms on the fourth floor of the wins
s a cry from Hall aroused the other tw
i to find the passageway full of smok'
and around the turn leading to tn
only stairway was a solid sheet {
flame. Their call for help was hear
by some unknown man passing Wesl
y ward along Broad Street. who wave
his hand and ran to No. 10 engi1
Is house, scarcely a block away, Whe1
l. the alarm was given. Before leavin
y the engine house Captain Thomas !
- = Davis pulled the box for assistance ar
"a ordered a second alarm on arriving
,e the college, where three -white-robe
er figures were making their way do"
an outside fire escape recently erects
on the north end, Other students, ha
lilly dressed, and some not dressed
all, shivercd in the freezing air VIII
neighbors and professors gathert
. about the blazing wing.
7. Two Engines Guard City.
X Immediately on arriving at the scel
Is Fire Chief Joynes got into commune
g. tion with fire headquarters and ga
s. the transfer orders which brought Il
~ ~ of the twelve engines OF the city
y tho scene, Because of the fact mat
m was Christmas morning, and the mi
IL We're on the alert for damage no
w fireworks, no general alarm was soun
cd, but orders We're quietly issued fro
4 /.