The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1914-02-24
lYCEUM BUILDING
Quilted BY FLAMES
Library Of $4,000 Books are
a Total Loss.

Four granite walls are all tndI
main of the library and lyceum bdillo-
ing on South street. A IRE tnae
broke out about five-thlrty MONDAY
morning destroyed the building anu
contents except for few artlcles
that were rescued from The reaulns
room. Books aggregating $4,000 have
been practically destroyed togethel
with Invaluable newspaper files and
nortraits by Weir of two of Morris.
towns foremost citizens of days gone
by. Joseph Blatchley who gave the
land for the buildings site, and Will
lam L. King, the associations first
president and liberal donor to II.
The fire was discovered by Fred
erick A. Libby, night man at A. M.
Guerin's livery stable. He telephone
tn police Headquarters that little
smoke was issuing from the building.
Sergeant Morrison notified Independ-
ent Hose company. Meanwhile HOW
ard Millen,. driving by ON mix
wagon. saw the smoke and pulled pox
No. 73. Chief Day had no sooner az
rived when he ordered a second alaia
turned in, calling out more hen'
Washington Engine company $ tracso
was hustled back to quarters for the
steamer while the Humanes' pumping
engine took a point OF vantage close
by the fire and soon had three power
full streams pouring water into tne
building But the massive granite
walls only concealed what almost ey-
erv Morristown citizen knew, that
the interior of the building was Oh
wooden construction. The flames
started in the cellar under the library
and ouickly ate their way through IN
floor and spread through the pulio-
ing. The dense smoke made 1t I'M
possible for the firemen to enter ne
building and they had to tight ehe
flames from doors and windows.
Efforts were made by Joseph Hlnch-
man, of the library trustees, ana
others to enter the building IN or
der to save some of The prlceless
volumes but all were driven pacK py
the dense smoke and the neat. AT
ter the flames had been subdued late
in the morning firemen entered VIVA.
was left of the reading room anu
carried out bust OF Wasllihs,on
several framed mementoes of other
days, grandfathers CLOCK ana tne
remains of a model of the old MOI
ris Academy building.
Two hours after it's discovery the
fire had eaten it's way through the
beams that supported the slate ROOF
and finally burst through, shooting
high in the air. Flaming brands fell
unon the roof of the Menzie board
ing house opposite and set IT a1lre;
Lines from the chemical engine ana
extinguishers from the truck We're
used in extinguishing this blaze be
fore dt had seriously damaged the
building.
Chief Day ordered out the Humanes
reserve steamer and set IT 10 Worh'
After pumping continuously from quar-
ter 10 six until ten-thirty the HUI
names automobile pumping engine
was ordered back to quarters oo-
gather with the automobile chemlcai
engine so that apparatus was ready
to resnond to any other alarm that
might he turned in. The Humanes
worked all day at the fire "washlne
down"
RAYMOND Ridge, of Washington En-
CINE company, was overcome py
smoke while fighting the flames. He
was carried over to the Menzie house
and revived by DR.. r. Ralston Aeeu.
Augustus Tiger and Frank Marshall
of Humane Engine company, were
working on a ladder, directing a
stream into the burning building,
when huge piece of metal cofnlce
over their heads gave way and mlsseo
them only by inches.
The. building, which was erected III
1878, was designed by the late Georg
B. Post and cost $4,000. insurance
on the building was carried TO Inc
amount of $4,000 and $4,000 on the
books. The building and contents is
figured as being a total loss. Hehry
w. Landfear, who conducted motifs
academy, carried $500 insurance on
his school equipment which he valued
at $4,000 Charles H. yorholz had
S4O0 worth of personal property IN
the building which is a total loss.
Inst. how the fire started is a mys-
tery. Janitor James Vorholz at
tended the fires about seven O'Clock
on Sunday evening previous and
when he left everythin 6 was all
right. There were four hot air fur
naces in the cellar, each in sep
arafe section. These furnaces were
relics of the old South Street Pres
byterian church, taken from the rulns
of the building after it had burned
back in the 70's. ~
The library and lyceum trustees
have appointed as committee TO au-
Just the insurance and formulate
plans for rebuilding, the chairmen oil
the boards various committees. COR
don e. Sherman heads this commit
tee, the other members of which are
Henry c. Pitney, jr., DR.. Frederick
w. Owen, Alfred Elmer Mills and
John e. Taylor.
The Morris academy has secured
Quarters in the Young Mems Chris
tian association building and has
opened for school.