Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-03-30
ALBANY LOSS
100000
"FireprooI" Capitol is Ruin
cd by Blaze.

Albany, n. l., March 3o.-With its
entire west side In ruins and the rest
of the building water soaked and
smoke stained, New York's s3o,o0o.00o
capitol, long recognized Al n Of the
greatest public buildings in the world,
stands a smoldering rebuke to the
word "ireproof."
One man. Samuel J. Abbott, a night
Waterman, lost his life IN the fire.
The state architect, Franklin B.
Ware, puts the damage to the building
at $1,000, 600, but declares that modern
building methods may make 1t posi-
BILE to replace the burned portion for
less than that amount. Experts say
that 1t will take at least 100000 to
replace the thousands Of Volumes and
records destroyed in the state library.
Fortunately the Washington papers,
the Andre records, Lincoln's enamel
patton proclamation and a score of
documents OF the greatest historic val
ne were removed from the library
about a year ago and are safe In the
rooms of the education department.
There was the greatest fear that these
relics OF the Revolutionary period and
earlier days had been Tapped up by
the flames.
Capitol Hill is now a dismal spot
The smoke is still pouring out of the
ruins OF the western part of the build
ing, while a battalion OF national
suardsmen are on sentry duty around
the whole building with a vigilance
that would be at for a captured fort.
The legislature Is farther from the
capitol than politicians could ever put
It, and both houses will be doing busI-
ness for some days In tina municipal
chambers OF Albany's city hall, IA
block below the capitol, facing Capitol
park square.
With Its origin somewhere In the
rear OF the assembly judiciary's COM
rnittoe room and the assembly library
directly In the rear OF the assembly
chamber on the third floor of the build
ing, the fire ragged with alarming ra-
pidity, wiping completely out OF x
isfence the entire state educational de-
partment with its state library Of
worldwide fame and OF a value that
cannot be estimated In dollars and de
stroyed other state offices with an
ease which bafied the fremen.
Granite pillars were no barriers for
the flames. They got q start In the
assembly Judiciary committee rooms
and claimed the state library with It's
hundreds OF thousands of books and
pretty wooden partitions Of carved oak
III one gulp. They swept over the en-
tire third floor OF the capitol at the
western end, while the big plate glass
windows crumbIed and fell with
crashes that tHmbled the residents
ten blocks OF the capitol out OF
bed and then went merrily skyward
nhSAj2
yg1EAh a half hour after the FIRE
Albany for miles about was
tTa nsforrnAd into daylight. The heay-
ems were Illuminated with the kind of
a ~refeetion Albany never saw before.
che capitol building on the top Of the
hill. plain to the view OF the naked
eye Tor at least hfty miles. was now
the great beacon light. giving q display
which was as spectacular as 1t was
threatening.
state officials. the hundreds Of clerks
employed In the building and members
of the legislature were out running to
Capitol hill from all directions and in
all conditions. The first view gave
credence to the belief felt for hours
after the whole capitol building WAS
doomed to destruction. State office
utter state Office went out OF business.
From the third floor the fSe ate its
way right and left and finally made
for the senate and assembly chamber.
Fire1nen pIuckily entered the burned
building, which was full of smoke,
and obeyed the orders OF their COM
smander, Chief Bridgeford, to save the
senate aud assembly even tt the whole
western section of the capitol went up
La flames