The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1911-03-31
S5,OOO,OOO FIRE LOSS
NEW YORK STATE LIBRARY DE-
STROYED IN ALBANY FIRE
CAUSE UNKNOWN.

The western end of the $25, ,000,-
600 State Capitol was wrecked and
dame ged TO the extent of several mil
lions of dollars by fire which start
ed in the Assembly referencelibrary
at 2:15 o'clock Wednesday morning
The fire was not under control until
II o'clock. 1t is not known posi-
lively that any lives were lost, but
Samuel j. Abbott night watchman
in the State Library is missing, and
is probably buried in the ruins.
Thousands watched the streams of
water being thrown into the win
dows.
There was no insuraA~. on the
building or its contents, a fact for
which no explanation has yet been
offered. The greatest loss, because
it is irreparable, was in the State Lii
brary. Besides about 100000 vol
umes it contained 100000 pamph-
let's, 300, 200 historical manuscripts,
and the sacred wampum of the Six
Nations. So much of the collection
was of this irreplacable nature that
one persons estimate of it's money
value is as good as another's
DR.. Andrew s. Draper, State Com
missioner of Education, whose de-
partment includes the library, esti-
mated it this afternoon at $4,000
600. The bitterness of this loss is
increased by the fact that in short
time all the books and records were
to have been removed to the new
building of the department, Just
across Washington avenue.
There is almost as great a lack of
deflniteness about the various esti-
mates of the loss to the building.
That of State Architect Franklin r.
Ware may be taken as the closest,
since it is official. He said that,
| based on the original cost of the
/ Capitol, its extent would be between
! $5,O00,000 and S6,000,0O0, but that
is ~iew of more economical methods
/ of construction which can be EN-
! ployed in the restoration, this
amount can be materially reduced.
A trip through the damaged part
of the building when the fire was un.
der control reminded one of descrip.
/ tions of the Paris flood Water was
everywhere, in many places severa
inches deep. The rooms and cor.
ridors were practically deserted, save
for the weary firemen still playing
their hose on the smoking ruins, anC
members of the National Guard, who
were hurriedly called out to preven
looting or the invasion of danger
GUS places by the public
1t is said to have been nearly al
hour before the first stream from !;
hose was turned on the fire. Senate
Bayne and Assemblyman McDaniels
who had been in the building whel
the fire started, helped teh firemel
hold the nozzle. Other lines wer
quickly brought to play, but appar
emily without effect.
For the first time since Jan. 7
1879, when the Legislature frs
moved into the present Capitol Build
ing, the lawmaking body was com
PEELED today to conduct their DELHI
erations under strange roof. Wit
the Assembly Chamber drenched wit
water and party wrecked blythe dis
} astrous fire which devastated tn
western portion of the Capitol, wit
} large part of the Senate precinct
: fire-swept, though the beautiful ony
chamber in which the upper hous
holds it's sessions escaped seriou
damage, the legislators were glad t
avail themselves of the hospitalit
rendered them by the City of A
bany through Mayor McEwen, an
met Wednesday in the nearby Cit
Hall