The Washington times., 1911-03-29
CAPITOL At ALBANY
DESTROYED BY FIRE
Costly Building Gutted,
With Loss of Many
Millions.
DEFECTIVE WIRING
is BELIEVED CAUSE
Priceless Records, Books, and Doc
umentS Burned in Early
Morning Fire.
Continued from First Page.)

as a city's bulwarks, and swept into
the office of Senator Robert H. Wag-
ner, majority leader of the senate. AT
this point only two rooms were between
the fire and the senate chamber The
senators were notified to make a rush.
and take from their desks all the docu.
Inents they wished TO preserve.
State Architect Ware was early on
the scene along with many other city
would be impossible TO give an idea
OF the damage, until the flames are ex-
Jinguished.
Others estimated the loss at s o'clock
at from $5,OO0OO0 to $S,OOO,OO0
Captain Storey and his men were
fighting the flames in the senate
judiciary committee room when the
fire, eating through supposedly fireproof
doors, trapped them for a time in a cor
ner. but they managed to escape.
Firemen Overcome.
Fifteen firemen who were battling at
the State library were temporarily over
come by smoke shortly after 5 o'clock,
and they were forced to abandon their
operations at this point.
1t was feared that Samuel Abbott. the
aged night watChman of the State
library, which was utterly destroyed
had fallen victim to the fire. as he had
IlOI btcn seen since ltS starting.
DR.. Won Lehr, the State architect said
that he hoped the most precious items
of the States great manuscript CoIlec-
ton Of more than 100000 pieces had been
saved. About a year ago the State
charter granted by Charles II to the
Duke of York, the Dongan charter, the
Washington relics, the Major Andre
papers, and Lincoln's emancipation
proclamat5 5n were placed in a great safe
in the office of the superintendent Of
public instruction, on the first floor of
the building.
1rreparable Loss.
All Of the Dutch and English colonial
records, except such as are in the Gus
tody of the secretary of state are de-
stroyed, and their loss is, of course,
irreparable. The Van Rensselaer, col
lection of historical manuscripts, some
$4,000 pieces in number, only recently
acquired, are lost.
The loss upon that portion of the
capitol building destroyed is undoubt-
edly not less than $6.000.O0O. Nothing
has been saved of the furnishings, which
were mostly costly, nor of the con-
tents of the library
There is no insurance whatever, as it
has not been the policy of the State TO
insure its buildings, save in the case Of
certain hospitals and asylum plants
II the fire had started an hour earlier
II would ,haVe found. the Democratic
members of the Legislature Caucused in
the senate chamber. discussing the Sem
atorial situation. The caucus adjourned
at o'clock to reCOnvene at 10 o'clock
this morning.
The fire is supposed to have been
started by defective wiring.
Spread of Flames.
The fire completely destroyed the State
library, the administration offices Of
the State department of education, the
State court of claims chamber, the sem
ate clerks office, the senate finance
committee room, the office of the chair
man of the finance committee the Of
flee of the president pro tenn. of the
senate, the assembly library, the as
sembly document and wrapping room.
All the offices in the western portion
of the building on the first and second
floors are flooded with water. The other
portions Of the building are also covered
with several inches of water. The grand
western staircase was blackened with
smoke.
The assembly chamber furnishings
tation ceiling crumpled away in many
places.
State Commissioner of Education Dra-
per said that the property destroyed in
the State library alone would amount to
s., 100000 in addition to documents that
cannot be replaced.
Governor Dix summoned Chief Bridge
ford and Chief of Police Hyatt to the
executive chamber for a conference re-
garding the safety Of the rest of the
building, and has decided to leave the
matter 10 State Architect Ware. who at
once began making an inspection of the
building