The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1916-01-22
COLLEGE
HAS BIG FIRE.

With all records and archives. Will
liam Smith Hall. the handsome admin
istration building at Washington Col
lege. Chestertown, was destroyed by
fire early on Sunday morning. The
night watchman at the fennsyl-
vanIa Railroad yards was the first
to discover the blaze, and gave
the alarm by blowing an engine whis-
tie. DIR. James w. Cain, president of
the college, was awakened at $3.50
o'clock by the alarm, and hurriedly
dressing, he called the student body,
and, forming fire company, the stud
ents fought the blaze with the college
fire apparatus until the smoke and
flames drove them from the building.
Dr. Cain made a desperate effort to
rescue the valuable archives from the
college office and library, which were
located on the first and third floors,
but was unable to do so. Every YES
tage of the historic records of the
oldest educational institution in the
State was destroyed.
or time the fire was confined TO
the basement, but heavy south wind
soon created the draft necessary to
communicate the flames to other parts
of the building. Before the town fire
department reached the scene the
handsome building was doomed and
the efforts of the fremen were direct
ed to saving the fine new gymnasium.
which stands but a few feet from the
site of the burned building.
The fire is believed by President
Cain to have been due to spontaneous
combustion in the soft coal. The jani-
tor, Jackson Coleman, states that
when he left the building Sunday night
the furnaces were all right. A meet
ing of the board of visitors and COVER
nors of the college had been held in
DR.. Gains office until nearly II o'clock.
President Cain. however, is confident
that the fire was caused by combus-
tion among the coal, as only recently
fire had been discovered in the pile and
extinguished.
The valuable library of some 5000
volumes. all papers and the extremely
valuable records of the college, which
had been carefully prepared by Prof.
j. S. w. Jones, of the faculty, and
greatly priced bv President Ca: was
destroyed. Not an article of any de-
scription was saved except the oil
painting of William Smith. the foun-
der of the college and its first presi-
dent. which one of the students res
cued from its position on the wall at
the rear of the auditorium stage.
William Smith Hall was erected in
1897 at cost of $65,000. It's corner
stone Vas said in June, 1906, and at
the celebration of the one hundred and
twenty-fifth anniversary of the found
ing of the college during the COM
mencement exercises in June, 1907.
the handsome structure was dedicated
and prominent educators from all
parts of the East, representing the
largest universities and colleges in
the land, attended The hall had been
the seat of every commencement since.
This building was the first of a group
of handsome buildings erected during
the administration of President Cain,
the handsome new gymnasium finish
ed last year at a cost of $50 900, being
the second.
The loss on the building and con-
tents is placed bv the college authori-
ties at $65,000. There is insurance of
S45,000 on the building and $4,000 on
the contents. The building contained
all the classrooms and laboratories of
the college and the heating plant for
the entire set of buildings was located
in the basement.