The Columbia evening Missourian., 1920-10-15

When students and visitors pass the
Columns they admire their beauty and
speak of the dignity they add TO the
campus. Few of the visitors and practi-
cally none Of the students remember that
once a building stood there and that
at one time it was the pride of the Uni
yersity and of the state.
The first main building of the univer.
siiy, which stood in the center of what
is now the quadrangle, was built in 1910.
Ii housed practically all of the depart
rents Of the University except the Col
lege Of Agriculture and was one of the
FIRST large state university buildings to
be erected in the middle west. On July
4, 1870, the cornerstone was laid for this
building. and a great celebration was
held. Men of national importance were
here to take part in the celebration and
10 deliver speeches. After the ceremonies
we're over. barbecue was held north Of
the spot where Switzler Hall now stands.
Ii was a great event and, as an old his
tory of Boone County states. The people
of Boone County made sure that the day
wss celebrated in the proper manner
This building was the home of the
University for a good many years. On
the night Of January g, 1892, the Athen-
aean Society of the University was to
have held its annual open session in the
chapel which was located in the left wing
of the building. About 7 o'clock in the
evening the audience began to assemble.
The University band had just come on
to the stage and was preparing to give
a short concert. Suddenly the big elec-
iric chandelier in the center of the audi
lorium. dropped from its hangings and
the house was plunged into darkness.
There were not enough persons in the au-
ditorium TO create a panic and they be-
gan to search for the cause of the pecu-
liar disturbance After a few minutes
a dim glow was seen in the hole which
the fallen chandelier had made in the
ceiling. The members Of the band and
the few persons in the audience rushed
up TO the next floor of the building and
when a classroom door, directly above
the auditorium. was opened a great cloud
of smoke and flames greeted them.
The FIRE had begun from a broken
electric wire in the ceiling of the auditor
ium, and had allowed the chandelier to
become loosened from its hangings. 1t
Immediately spread TO all parts Of that
wing Of the building and in a short while
the whole building was a mass of flames.
That part of the building was construct
ed Of wood and after the fire had good
strt there was no chance whatever Of
curbing it. In addition to this strong
wind was blowing
The fire started about Z O'Clock and
by midnight the main building of the
University Of Missouri was a mass of
ruins. Very little was saved from the
building. Practically all of the profes- |
sors Of the University at that time had
their Offices there. The Geological
Museum was located in the building and
all of the specimens were lost.
The only thing from that collection which |
was saved was the elephant which is still
c part Of the Geological Museum, which |
today is located in the Geology Building. |
The students of the University took a
leading part in fighting the flames. The
loss which the state sustained was never
known exactly. On the building and the
museum it was estimated that the loss
was S350.OO0 but there we're so many |
things that could not be estimated that
the real loss was never known.
On the morning following the fire, the
ruins Of the building stood as a CHASTITY
spectre Of what had taken place the night |
before. To quote from a newspaper ac-