Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1911-03-31
NEW YORK STATE CAPITOL
DESTROYED BY FIRE.
New Works. S27, 100000 Building
Completely Gutted-Priceless
Records Burned.
DEFECTIVE WIRING is BLAMED; DAM
AGE DONE is INCALCULABLE.
Washington Times-1

Albany, N. Y, March 29.-New York
States $27, 900 capital building is
today the prey of the fire fiend, and its
interior a mass of ruins.
A fire which started early this morn
ing in the assembly library and which is
still raging has spread through almost
the entire building, destroying priceless
records, books and documents. The en-
tire fire department is working to sub
due the flames, which at o'clock were
under control.
The flames, fed by infammable rec
ords and documents, spread rapidly and
the library was afire at every point
when the firemen arrived in response to
an alarm at 2:46 o'clock. The ornate
hangings and rich carved mahogany
furniture of the library, which is also
used as a committee room of the as
sembly judiciary committee, fed the
flames, and the firemen at once realized
that they were in for a hard battle if
Fire lines were drawn and the fire fight
ing apparatus of the capitol was also
pressed into service.
The firemen were badly hampered in
their early operations, and at 8 O'Clock
it was found that the flames had eaten
out into the corridors and along it to the
entry room of the assembly chamber.
Owing to the proximity of the State
library, the firemen broke through an
air shaft and flooded it. The flames also
threatened the million-dollar staircase
at the west end of the capitol, consid-
cred one of the finest examples of mural
art in the world. The million-dollar
ceiling of the western staircase early
fell prey to the flames, which Their
continued their sweep along the cor.
ridor toward the senate chamber.
BYSTANDERS PRESSED INTO SERVICE.
Then the fire reached the elevators
near the State library and began tc
sweep up the shafts. The fremen were
being assisted by every employee of the
capitol who could be mustered into
service. The newspaper men who were
among the first on the scene also joineC
in the fight.
When at 1925 O'Clock the flame.
leaped across the elevator shaft TOWARD
the State library, Fire Chiefs Bridge
ford and Walsh had three lines of hose
trained on it from the corridor. Fall
ing stones from the ceiling and flying
chips from the marble pillars and wall!
greatly endangered the firemen and in
terfered with their work.
The fire quickly Quilted the assembl,
library, destroying all bills, documents
and papers, some of them dating as ia
back as 1776, which cannot be replaced
The library also contained all tn,
works, documents of the codes and tn,
judiciary committee of the present ses
sion, including the womans suffrag
bills. These were all destroyed.
DOCUMENT ROOM DESTROYED.
At $3.50 the fire entered the documen
room, and it was quickly known to b.
doomed. The flames ate up to tn
roof and swept above it, lighting tn
heavens and igniting other parts of tn
capitol. Five minutes later the fir
leaped into the State library with
roar, and its inflammable contents wer
licked up like oil in furnace. A grea
oaken door was partly burned through
and the firemen were unable to pene
trate to any point of vantage tina
would enable them to train their hos
on the flames with any success.
Every piece of fire apparatus in tn
city, with all the available men, wa
then on the scene. Finding they wer
baff1ed at the State library, the fireme
turned their attention to saving othe
offices on the third floor. They carrie
a line of hose through the senate chan
Der, and it was doing good work whe
the smoke drove them out.
ROOF CRASHES DOWN.
With a roar that could be heard fc
blocks part of the north roof crashe
down at ALL o. clock. The flames leape
up with renewed vigor, and continue
their march toward the north wing. tn
men rushed in with every line of hos
available and managed to block tn
flames from reaching the assembl
chamber, for a time at least.
At 4:30 Chief Shattuck and a part
of firemen attacked the blaze that ha
crept into the State regents depar
ment, within twenty-five feet of tn
senate chamber, determined to max
one last desperate stand to prevent tn
flames from cutting that rich, han(
some, and luxuriously furnished apar
ment. The fire fed rapidly on the papC
stock of the State regents office.