The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1911-03-30

Albany, y. Y, March 29.-One-
third of New Works $27 100000
capitol is in ruins tonight. Only
the spectral walls remain. They
represent loss of s. 100000, which
resulted from flames that swept
throughout the magnificent struc-
Iturc for nine hours to-day.
Nearly all the State officials, eN
cept the governor and secretary Of
state. have been driven out. Three
companies Of State militia are in
charge tonight. for martial law has
been declared. Bluc-ooatcd sentries
are patrolling Capitol Park and the
adjacent tforoughfares. Other SEN
/ tries are pacing through the water
soaked corridors OF the building.
ENGINES STILL PUMPING.
! Additional soldiers. in the midst of
scores of hattle-scarred flags. are en-
Camprd in the main corridors. Their sole
licht is that of candies. The electric
plant was destroyed by the Coniagra-
ton. Engines are stin pumping water
, upon the debris OF tho million dollars
worth of hooks. treasures. and archives.
which until : o'clock this morning dec
crat"d the State library. which ranked
as the sixth largest in the world.
The celebrated mllion-dollar staircase.
once cmblazoned with the medallions of
at least half hundred famous men.
warped and broken. lies under heap of
torn and twisted cirders and portions of
the giant towers and charred sections of
the red steel roofs which covered the
west end of the capitol. From this mass
Of crumpled wreckaGe. films of smoke
from tons of half-burned books fare up
fitfuIIy.
The fremen. who have been working
steadily since } o'clock this morning.
were still on duty in reliefs at midnight.
Several were overcome by smoke dur
ing the day. and tho clanG OF the ambu-
lance bell. as the vehicle rolled over the
pavement to the hospital, was no I'M
common thing. Reports that Waterman
had been burned to death arc untrue.
Cnuse of Fire n Mystery.
The cause of the fire is a mystery. al
! though many of the State officials hold
that it was due to defective insulation.
| Others hold to the theory that it was
caused by a cigarette butt The fire
!
assembly chamber. whore the Democratic
| caucus was in session until l O'Clock this
morning. At least three men were in and
about the senate chamber and near the
| assembly library. Assemblyman Levy,
chairman of the Judiciary committee,
which meets in the assembly library, said
to-day that for several days the wires in
his room have been out of order, and he
! feared to go near the switchboard lest
he would receive a shock.
The fire was discovered by a Waterman,
whose alarm was overheard by reporters
at work at the capitol at the time. All
hands rushed to the assembly parlor and
found large desk ablaze and fire in
one of the book shelves. There was no
I fire-ffghting apparatus. and a fire alarm
was turned in. 1t was twenty-five min
uteS after the fire was discovered, &C
cording to those there at the time, before
the fire department arrived, and at least
| forty minutes before water was turned
| on.
| Rv this time the room was a mass of
flames They leaped in every direction.
In a few minutes they had eaten through
the roof and were leaping dozen feet
| from the windows.
| save senate Chamber.
| AS if by magic, the fire leaped
| through the entire western reach of the
building. and soon faint chickering's in
the southwest tower and adjoining
rooms burst into a perfect furnace. 1t
took hercuIean efforts on the part OF
the firemen to keep the flames from the
senate chamebr. but they succeeded,
not. however, before the room was
deluged.
on the assembly side, they were not
so successful. The clerks loom and
the various executive Offices in the rear
of this chamber were burned to the
stone settings. The assembly chamber
was one topsyturvy mass of over
turned chairs and tables. while the ma
hogany ceiling that replaced the once
famous BILLY" Sheehan papier mache
ceiling was burned in a score of places.
During the early morning the tops of
both towers fell inward with great
crashes. and soon afterward the huge
chandeliers in the assembly chamber
fell.
State Architect Ware, after looking
the building over, declared that the loss
to the building alone would amount to
81. 00O. 900, but Shat he could get the
senate and assembly chambers ready
for occupancy by Monday next.
In the meantime, there is talk of
weeks adjournment until the proper
repairs can be made.
.Natfonal Loss,'' Says Dix.
Gov. Dix tonight said:
The loss of the State library is a
national loss. The fire is an appalling
disaster Fortunately some of the most
valuable papers in the library were
| saved"
The governor received several messages
of coincidence, including one from Gov.
Foss, of Massachusetts, and Secretary.
of State n. winslow Williams, OF Mary
land. Because of the fire the governor