The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-08-25

GOVERNMENT MONOPOLY
Building Supposed to be Flreproof
Stood In Very Heart Of Lon
don and Was Worth
Millions.

Millions.
United Press Leased Wire Service
LONDON, Aug. 24.--Fire, caused by
the burning out of fuse box in the
general postoffice building this even
ing tied up the entire communication
system of London For several hours
the city was entirely isolated from the
world. At length the authorities com
mandeered the stock exchange private
wires. Even then for some time all
messages were refused because of the
congestion of business. Postmasters
We're busy all night long delivering de-
layed messages throughout tho city.
There were.casualties, but for a time
there was the greatest excitement. 1t
was feared that the big structure was
doomed and messages were sent out
to this effect Later it was impossible
to transmit corrections. wnen COM
munication was restored in a partial
fashion America was the only coun-
try that could be reached and mes
sages for the continent were sent via
New York.
| IUniteG Press Leased Wire Service ]
| The &c. P. or as 1t is universally
known to the British, is headquarters
not only for the mail service but for
1 the teiegraphic and telephone sys.
tens Both are government monop
olies and it is at the "G. P. O." thai
all lines center.
A pretense of a wire service ii
being maintained by Transmitting
ffstelegrams by train to nearby towns
whence they are telgeraphed. but tn,
disorganization is so great and thu
4 delay SO serious that the make-shif
is little better than nothing. skici
cable messages as 1t is possible tt
! get through are mailed to Weston
Super-Mare on Bristol Channel, near
+ ly three hours by train from London
for relay by wire.
4 The building and its contents rep
resented well over $3,000,000. Th'
1 damage done by the dislocation o
4 business, however, will far excee,
4 this sum. 1t will be many days be
3 fore mail, telegraph. cable and tele
4 phone services will be runnfn'
smoothly again.
! The &c. P. O." building, OF ~hicl
the late King Edward laid the col
nerstone, was in course of construc
tion for five years and was only fin
ished two years ago at a total cost
for building alone Of S1.75O,0o0. I
was seven stories high, covered tw,
blocks and was supposedly absolutel
fire proof. It's equipment was tn
t finest of its kind in the world. Fiv
hundred telegraph instruments wer
: constantly at work in it, leaving tn
mail and telephone services out o
consideration.
The building stood in the yer
heart of London, near the junction Q
Lheapside and Holborn, two of tn
most important business streets Il
the metropolis, only few minute
walk from the mansion house, tn
royal exchange and the Bank of Ems
land and a stones throw from s.
, Paul's.
The fire is said to have started i
the basement through the short Gil
) cutting of electric wires. 1t sprea
with alarming rapidity and some en-
, ployes in the postal, telegraph an
, telephone departments, who stuck t
their posts. women as well as mel
;. until the last possible moment, ha
difficulty in escaping. 1t Is believe
that there were no casualties.
Nearly the whole of London's fir
q department was soon on the scene
Though showy. it is inexperienced i
!. the handling of large fires; response
; to alarms are slow and ladders an
: facilities are of the most primitiv
description, so that it was able to
little toward controlling the sprea
on the flames. Fortunately the stru'
, ture is separated from other built
) ings by broad streets and heavy MAJ
onry is the prevailing construction |
the vicinity. SO that 1t was compar'
lively easy to confine the fire to tn
!. postoffice.
, The London Sunday morning new'
, papers must 60 to press with sea-
cely line OF telegraph news, muc
!, less serious calamity, however, tina
:. LIT would be in America, since thei
! telegraph services are, at the best, {
the meagreSt.