The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1911-02-06
Winter Storm at Jefferson City viii
Long be Remerbered- on Ac-
count Of the Destruction
Of Building.
GOVERNOR AT WORK
convicts From state Penitentiary
Helped But Flames Ran Riot
and Devoured the
Structure.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. Feb. g.
When day broke over Jefferson City,
only the smouldering ruins and
blackened walls of the historic old
State Capitol remains as reminder
Of the spectacular fire which gutted
ii last night. A bolt of lightning at
D. m. which struck the Capitol
dome was the cause of the conflagra-
| ton.
Invaluable records, which money
cannot replace, have been DESTROYED.
| Other data still more valuable, inciud-
ing the land records in the Office OF
the secretary of state, were saved.
The destruction Of these would have
jeopardized the title to thousands OF
acres of land in Missouri. They We're
the original government grants ana
could not be replaced.
Probably $4,000 in money and
script is locked up in the vault in the
8 state treasurers office. Attaches of
the office said there. was about $780,
900 in money and about ss0.0001 OF
! legislative script for which the state
| is liable. This vault is supposed to be
| fireproof
1t was impossible to remove the
records from this office, for the vault
has a time lock and could not be
opened A heroic fight was put up to
save the old building, but nothing
could be done. The dome burned like
| tinder. In short time flames were
licking out every aperture and VIM
dow, and the firemen We're driven
4 down into the building.
y Governor Hadley was one OF the
& earliest on the scene, and Cornelius
n Roach, State superintendent Evans,
State Auditor Gordon and other Off
GERS of the State Government arrived
soon.
N With the flames creeping down the
dome into the building proper, the
fight was begun to save the states
records. Governor Hadley and the
state officers superintended the work
Hundreds of men from the city and
the members of the Legislature as.
sisted in the work.
Warden Henry Andrae, under the
direction of Gov. Hadley. hurried the
fire fighters from Missouri Peniten
drilled regularly in the fighting OF
flames and render as good service as
trained firemen of the large cities
could have given. They were able
backed up by the little handful Of 10
| cal fire fighters, business and profes
sional men, who give their services
voluntarily to the city.
Gov. Hadley called out the local
company of National Guard of Mis-
souri, and shese young men and boys
Tough valiantly as any. They were
under the command OF Maj. Paul G.
Hunt of the adjutant generals office
The maze of electric wires in the
[ capitol grounds early in the evening
became menace and tt, lights were
I switched off, but the grounds were
brilliantly Illuminated by the burning
dome of the old building.
From the height of more than u
feet in the dome. large electroliel
fell to the rotunda of the capitol
narrowly missing large crowd Of
people who were watching the opera
uons Of the firemen on the dome
This was in the early progress of The
FIRE.
Notwithstanding that the local fire
men, the members Of the nationa
guard and the convict squad of fight
ers, We're constantly in danger wheI
the flames got into the interior of thu
building nobody was seriously hurt
Joseph Frank. one of the voluntee
nremen, was overcome by heat while
trying to save some records and wal
carried from the building on stretch
er Later, 1t was stated, he had par
TALLY recovered.
Boys First TO Give Alarm.
4 vivid flash Of lightning, sharl
rumbling Of thunder, and an instan