ff
~ scenes enacted
Demo Waldo
Terms, 82.00 a Year, in Advance. |
Bellefonte, Pa., Feb. 5, 1897.
P. GRAY MEEK, . EDITOR. |
|
The Bill for an International Confer- |
ence.
The Republican caucus bill, which is in-
tended to authorize President McKINLEY
to call an international monetary confer-
ence with the objeet of remonetizing silver,
and to name the American commissioners,
has passed the Senate by the extraordinary
majority of 46 to 4, and there is no doubt
that the House will follow the lead of the
Senate in this matter by an equally large
majority. This measure is intended to |
bring the action of the Republican Con- |
gress and administration into conformity
with the plank in the party platform that
assumed to favor international bimetallism.
It is to be seen whether there will be
any carnestness in this movement after the
bill shall have been passed. During the
campaign, when the minions of the money
power were denouncing, with the most op-
probrious terms, those who advocated the
restoration of silver to its former monetary
standing, the Republican leaders made the
concession to bimetallism expressed by
their international conference plank, with
the evident object of effecting a campaign
purpose. By that expedient they no doubt
retained the votes of many who favored a
double standard, and it is now necessary
that they should make some show of re-
deeming that pledge by such a measure as
a bill directing President MCKINLEY to
call an international conference.
But there is scarcely a probability that
the gold influence, which has complete con-
trol of the Republican party, will allow
this movement to materialize in any sub-
stantial action for the remonetization of
silver. The goldites, both of this country
and Europe, are making too good a thing
out of the contraction caused by the gold
standard to allow the existing monetary
status to be disturbed. They will ex-
perience no great difficulty in defeating the
object of a call for an international bimet-
allic conference that does not appear to
be any thing more than perfunctory in its
intention.
However, if there should be added to
this bill that has heen passed by the Senate,
a clause to the effect that if, upon the invi-
tation of the American President, the na-
tions of Europe shall fail to meet the repre-
sentatives of this government in a confer-
ence for the adoption of international
bimetallism or upon a meeting shall réject
that monetary policy it shall be the duty
of Congress to act without foreign co-
operation, and authorize the free coinage
of silver and gold in the mints of the
United States at the ratio that existed
previous to the demonetization act of 1873,
such a clause to the bill would look like
earnest business in this matter, and would
be a notification to European nations that
the action of the United States for the re-
_establishment of bimetallism will not be
dependent upon their consent and co-
operation. \
But such action by a Republican Con-
gress and administration would concede
that the Democrats were right in the posi-
tion they took on the silver question in the
recent campaign, and would be an ad-
mission that the terms ‘‘anarchists’”” and
*‘repudiators,’’ that were applied to them
for maintaining that the United States
could safely restore silver to its old status
without the permission and aid of Europe,
were used for the base purpose of deluding
the gullible class of voters.
But it is not to be expected that the Re-
publicans will, make such a concession,
however true it might be. Their situation
will compel them to maintain their alliance
with the monetary contractionists and
manipulators of the gold market, thereby
continuing the financial stringency and
business depression until a storm of popular
reprobation shall sweep them from power,
four years hence, by a majority that will
make the beginning of the next century
memorable in the political history of the
country.
The State Capitol Burned.
The burning of the state capitol build-
ing, at Harrisburg, on Tuesday morning,
was at once a misfortune and a blessing to
this Commonwealth. A misfortune, be-
cause there never was a time when the
State could so ill afford the outlay the
building of a new capitol will require. A
blessing, in that it has made it absolutely
necessary to have a new capitol building
and in erecting it there is the assurance
that it will be worthy the great State
whose seat of government it is.
The burned building had stood there
since 1821 and while it was imposing in its
antiquity it has long been recognized that
a new one was needed. Millions of dol-
lars had been thrown away on improving
it, with the result that it remained an old,
dilapidated looKing structure all the while.
Aside from the fact that the State is really
not financially in a position to start re-
building on the scale that ought to be fol-
lowed, without seriously burdening the tax |
payers, not one of the group of government
buildings, at Harrisburg, could have been
destroyed with less loss and more satisfac-
tion than the capitol.
Had the executive departments been
burned all of the archives and valuable
papers of the ‘State might have been lost,
never to be replaced. While there is
much of sentiment attached to the old
building, owing to the many historic
within its walls during
the past seventy years, every one will
| Fire [Interrupts Solons.—Valuable Records
The Capitol of Pennsyl-
vania in Ashes.
THE HISTORIC oLD BUILDING DE-
STROYED AT LAST.
Lost.
Great Scramble of Legislators to Save Personal Be-
longings and Some Heroic Work by Employes to
Rescue Public Property.—Loss Will Reach Over a
Million Dollars.—Arrangements Have Been Made
for the Legislature to Convene in the Court Rooms
Not Decidud.—Whether to Repair or Rebuild.
HARRISBURG, Feb. 2.—The famous old
state capitol building, the corner-stone of
which was laid in 1819 hy Governor Find-
lay, is a mass of ruins. A fire that spread
with as much rapidity as the fire was unex-
pected has left standing gaunt, thick walls
and the skeleton of the splendidly con-
structed dome, while the interior is a mass
of falling ceilings, walls and furniture.
Racalling the history of Pennsylvania, and
the stirring and momentous scenes that
have occurred in the venerable building
during the last 78 years, the ruins loom up
through the rain and sleet of to-night, in-
vested with an interest full of pathos and
regret. Not only did citizens of Harris-
burg, but old time legislators and officials,
who are here now, gazed upon the funeral
pyre of the ancient edifice with saddened
faces and serious eyes.
All the talk on the ‘‘hill’”’ this morning
was about the resolution creating the com-
mittee to make an investigation of the state
treasury, and the senate had used up near-
ly all the morning hours with routine busi-
ness and a talk over the need, from a Re-
publican point of view, of the passage of
apportionment bills. Everybody was wait-
ing for the treasury resolution that was to
come from the house, and finally there was
much wonderment why it did not appear.
Emissaries and correspondents hurried to
the house. to discover the cause of the de-
lay. It was discovered then that the reso-
lution had not yet gone out of the transerib-
ing clerk’s room ; and when it was known,
at 12:30, by the senate, President pro tem
MecCarrell, who was in the chair, declared
a recess until 1 o’clock.
DISCOVERY OF THE FIRE.
Scarcely had the senate adjourned for the
recess when quiet talk got around that
there was a fire somewhere in the building
above the senate postoffice, in the rear of
the senate and on the second floor. Sena-
tor Stineman, of Cambria county, had been
smelling the odor of smoke, Clerk of the
Senate Smiley detected the odor also, and
finally parties outside saw smoke issuing
from beneath the caves of the capitol build-
ing on the senate side. Word was com-
municated to the senators, and Senator
Saylor, of Montgomery county, with a
couple of officials, hurried upstairs over the
senate chamber to see what was wrong.
At that moment smoke was seen pouring
from the floor of the superbly furnished
apartments of the lieutenant-governor.
The fire had evidently started beneath
the floor of these rooms, and the ceiling,
directly over the senate postofiice and bar-
ber shop. No one knows yet what caused
the fire, but it is very reasonably supposed
that dry material between—the ceiling and
floor was ignited by either broken or other-
wise defective electric light wire. A line
of hose, stationed handy, was immediately
unrolled, after the discovery of the flames,
and water was played upon the fire at the
one small spot where it was seen. But
this proved ineffective. Evidently the
flames had been creeping along unseen for
two hours or more, and before the serious
extent of the trouble could be realized the
senate chamber was becoming clouded with
smoke.
N
FIRE GAINED GOOD HEADWAY.
This evidence of the fire at once created
the impression that it was serious, and en-
ergetic means were at once adopted. A
general city fire alarm was at once called,
and the engines promptly responded. But
before they could arrive the flames had eat-
en their way through the floor and ceiling
and had got through the roof of the senate
side of the building. Ten minutes later
the roof over Lieutenant Governor Lyon’s
rooms and the offices of the educational de-
partment began to sink down. There was
no longer any doubt of a serious fire. The
senate chamber was thick with smoke.
he cut 2 piece out of the floor and saw be-
neath : m@3thing mass of flames spreading
in every d rection ; and the draft made by
his oj (oii 1g soon swept the fire into the
'iente amb-governor’s room, and in a few
minut(s i, was all aflame.
FIREMEN WERE TOO LATE.
The firemen, when it was too late to do
to the open air. A number of narrow
escapes were made. One old man
was thrown against the wall. Rep-
resentative Bliss of Delaware, was
barely able to escape a rush of falling
timber. The telegraph operator in his lit-
tle coop made a forced egress through the
| window into the open air.
worked gallantly to get out the papers and
save them, and was almost suffocated by
the smoke. In running away from flames
he turned into a hallway and fell over a
desk, hurting himself badly. Twelve
o'clock was the last hour tolled by the
faithful old clock that did service so many
years. Clerks Rex and Fetterholf made
AR
THE CAPITOL AS II' APPEARED TUESDAY.
effective work, soon had streams of water
pouring upon the flames, and a few min-
utes later the water was dropping through
the senate ceiling. For some time no one
seemed to realize that the flames could not
be confined to the upper part of the build-
ing, but even when this belief was being
indulged in a bright flame leaped out from
behind the president's chair. Tongues of
fire leaped around the great chandeliers,
and before long they came down with a | not fall.
|
WAS A FINE SIGHT.
Shortly after this explosion the flames
were eating the ceiling of the hall of the
house, and before long it too, was a mass '
of flames. With the fire making such head |
way it required but a short time for the
flames to envelop the building within and
without, and the fire, as it leaped up to |
and around the high dome, presented a |
great spectacle. The dome, however did |
It was built like the building in
| ins.
heroic efforts to save their records and were
successful. The newspaper men, who had
copies of all the bills introduced during
this session, saved all of them, and this
will be a great help when the legislature
gets down to work.
To-night nothing but the ruined walls
remain standing, and what constituted the
substantial and noted old capitol building
is'now nothing but a mass of smoking ru-
Nothing of value was left, and the
crash, and very soon the entire senate|a most substantial manner, and its iron gaudy hall of the house of representatives,
chamber was in flames. In the meantime! 334 brick work remain standing.
The
with its gorgeous decorations and allegorical
senators and officials were endeavoring t0 flames burnt fiercely, and it was not until | frieze, had gone up in smoke. Thousands
save personal effects, records and furniture.
late in the afternoon were they subdued.
President pro tem MecCarrell, Chief Clerk | The building was then in ruins.
Smiley, Captain Delaney, superintendent | :
THE CAPITOL IN
of others turned in and worked valiantly ;
but, aside from personal effects and a few
chairs, only the records of the present ses-
sion were saved.
Representative Charles Voorhees, who
had been resident clerk for many years,
made heroic efforts to save valuable articles,
and at various times, with president: Mec-
Carrell, Clerk Smiley and some senators,
labored like regular firemen at the hose.
Mr. Voorhees tried to save the big and
costly clocks in the senate chamber, but
they were too heavy to be removed.
SENATE WAS DOOMED. J
With regret it was admitted that. the
senate was doomed. Most of the articles
in the senators’s desks and nearly all the
furniture were destroyed ; but so eager
were many of the men to stay the flames
or save things that some of them were com-
pelled to leap out of the windows. While
the flames were devouring the senate side,
the house, which had adjourned until the
afternoon, was in commotion, but congrat-
ulations were being heard on all sides that
at least that part of the edifice would be
saved. But even as these jubiliations
a shower of sparks dropped into the ro-
tunda, between the senate and house,
of public buildings and grounds, and a host gyrance is about . $197,000. During the |
The loss is about $500,000, and the in-
1
ii
-
Hr
TT
ml fey pt Sty!
m= 1
|
ITS FIRST YEAR. |
last three years $395,000 has been spent on, | .
the building. Many of the hooks, ete.,
cannot be replaced. Lieutenant-Governor
Lyon’s private room, with his fine library,
the department of public instruction with
its collection of hooks, all the caucus and |
committee rooms and the libraries attached
thereto are in ruins and a total loss. Be- |
sides these, all the ante-rooms, barber
shops, cloak and toilet rooms, the magnifi- |
$70,000 hall of the house of representatives |
and senate chamber with all its offices and
valuables were destroyed. The forestry |
commission and several other apartments
were burned.
ORIGINALS OF BILLS CONSUMED.
All the originals of the bills and peti-
tions in the senate from 1800 down were
consumed, but the records of both houses
for the present session were saved. When
the fire gained headway Captain Brown,
of the department of internal affairs, pre-
pared to move all the valuables out of the
department of internal affairs. He has all
the valuable surveys and records packed in
boxes, and in 10 minutes’ time that de-
partment could have been moved to a
place of safety. The entire libraries of the
senate and house were destroyed, entailing
a loss of $25,000. The two French clocks
Flames were coming through the elegantly
painted ceiling around the chandeliers, and
President pro tem McCarrell being upstairs
looking after the flames, Senator Grady, of
Philadelphia, mounted the rostrum, and,
with senators and newspaper men crowded
around with their hats on, entertained a |
motion to adjourn till 11 o’clock to-morrow
be glad that it is gone when a new one,
that ought to be made a credit to Penn- |
sylvania, has replaced it.
and it was carried.
When Senator Saylor had discovered the |
and in a few minutes the flames were in
the house gallery.
It was at this moment that the most
thrilling scenes occurred.
gas or superheated air, being
caused a terrific explosion.
released,
A false ceiling
: ruined.
Either escaping
far up in the rotunda was blown out, and |
a mighty roar of air and fallen timber fol- |
lowed. How people escaped death was a
miracle, and those in the vicinity rushed
——
RUINS OF THE CAPITOL AFTER THE FIRE.
in the senate worth $500 each, were also
In the rooms of the lieutenant-
governor, in addition to two valuable
clocks, five portraits in oils of ex-lieuten-
ant-governors were destroyed. These pict-
ures were of Stone, Latta, Chauncy F.
Black, Davies and Watres. Etchings of
Judge Black, ex-United States Senator
Wallace, Gen. Reynolds and Simon Cam-
eron were also burned.
. school
of people visited the ruins during the after-
noon. On the Third street side nothing
but the white pillars remain, the entrance
to the rotunda, and the top having been
burned away. The walls may fall at any
time.
STILL BURNING TUESDAY NIGHT.
There are three fire companies on the
ground to-night, and the fire still burns in
the cellar and part of the house.
The departments in the burned building
were the following : Senate and house
committee rooms, senate librarian’s room,
senate chief clerk’s room, smoking room,
barber shop in senate, lieutenant-govern-
ors’ room, room of president pro tem,
department, house chief clerks’
room, speaker of house room, resident
clerks’ room, two telegraph offices, room of
the Harrisburg legislative correspondents
| association, paster and folders’ departments,
| cloak rooms in both branches, and the en-
gine rooms.
The contractor for the improvements in
progress had an insurance of $70,000, his
contract not being finished.
The remarkable feature of the fire is that
of hundreds of people who thronged the
building during the fire, no one was ser-
iously injured. A couple of firemen were
hurt, and several citizens were bruised,
but no other casualties occurred.
Standing Since 1821.
The burned capitol was built early in the
century, but was, nevertheless. regarded as
one of the handsomest specimens of Ionic
architecture of the country. The build-
ings was of red brick, with white trimmings.
It was surrounded by a park of 10 acres,
and stood on an eminence almost in the
center of the city.
The main structure was 2} stories high,
surmounted by a large dome, from which a
fine view of the surrounding country could
be had. The capitol’s dimensions were :
Length, 180 feet; width, 80 feet. The
corner stone was laid on May 31, 1819, by
Governor Findlay. The building was fin-
ished in 1821, and was first occupied by the
general assembly on the 3d of January,
1822.
On each side was a wing, that on the
north being occupied by the senate and the
southern wing by the house. At each end
of the building, separated from it by a
narrow space, are located two buildings,
containing the state treasury department
and adjutant-general's office and other
state offices. About 100 feet south is the
modern granite building known as the ex-
ecutive building, recently erected at a cost
of near $1,000,000 for the accommodation of
the governor, attorney-general and secreta-
ry of state.
This building also shelters the state li-
brary, and a portion of it is used as a state
museum. The library is one of the finest
in the world, and until two years ago was
quartered in the structure destroyed by
fire to-day. It was the danger from fire
that constantly menaced the libraray in the
old building that induced the authori-
ties to erect the fire proof structure in
which it is now located.
The Pennsylvania state government was
organized in Philadelphia March 4, 1776,
September 24 of the same year the execu-
tive department was removed to Lancaster,
though Philadelphia still retained its title
as capitol of the state. April 3, 1779, by a
vote of the legislature, the capital was re-
moved to Lancaster, and it was continued
there until 1812. For 117 years the capi-
tal had been in Philadelphia. It was the
‘seat of state government during colonial
days. In 1812, however, the capital was
removed to Harrisburg by the unanimous
consent of the legislature. Lancaster was
found to be an inconvenient location, and
from that period until the present time it
has held its position as the legislative cen-
ter of the staje.
Fire Thought to Have Started Under the.
Floor of the Lieut. Governor's Office
The little furniture that is saved to the
state is stored in a neighboring market,
and is said to be only a portion of the com-
paratively small quantity that had been
handed through windows and doors of the
burning building to the crowds, or had
been otherwise ‘‘saved’” by any persons
with sufficient daring to grope through
smoke and risk falling plaster or embers.
Chief Clerk Smiley, who stood to his an-
kles in water, saved with some assistance
all the valuables of the senate transcribing
room and the senate records for 15 vears
back. He and Chief Clerk Rex say that
nearly all the bills introduced have been
The greater part of the legislative supplies
are gone. .
Mr. Miller and others, who were early
in the lieutenant-governor’s room, feel
certain that the fire came from under that
floor. The ofiicers generally say there was
no rubbish in the loft, and nothing worth
mentioning but the apparatus of the heat-
ing and electric light companies, all the
batteries and fans being there. All the
rubbish, they say, was taken out of the
loft two weeks ago. ILxcepting the law
books referred to by Mr. Miller, no books
were burned that cannot be duplicated in
the executive building. Many legislators
now condemn the long-continued policy of
patching the capitol, which was done be-
cause of jealous consideration for what was
generally pronounced exteriorly the purest
specimen of colonial architecture in the
country.
Senator Saylor and Representative Dliss
were among those slightly hurt, and As-
sistant Sergeant-at-Arms Rawlings, who
stayed too long in the house trying to save
things, had one of the narrowest of the
many narrow escapes, nearly fainting from
exertion in dodging falling objects, Speak-
er Boyer, in his room at the farthest end of
the capitol fron the start of the fire, was
unsuspecting of much danger until he found
it necessary to break the new rule of hav-
ing no exit but the main entrance, and he
hastily ordered open the end doors near the
internal affairs building, so that all hands
himself included, could the more readily
escape. Afterward he and president pro
tem McCarrell stood in the watching
crowds, ankle deep in the slush, while em-
bers perforated many a good umbreila.
iss Ethel Webster, almost overcome by
smoke, was rescued by firemen from the
game commission room. Fireman Harry
Schaeffer was badly hurt by falling plaster-
ing. Two other firemen were slightly in-
jured. :
The Legislature Will Meet in Grace NM.
E. Church.
The New Place May be an Oddity to Members but it
Will do Them Good.
HARRISBURG, Feb. 3.—The Governor in
an interview to-night said the quarters for
the Senate and House would be ready in
the Grace Methodist church, on West State
street, by Monday evening. He added :
“The Legislature has been in the habit
of adjourning on Thursday evening during
the first few weeks of the session. Every
public building and hall in Harrisburg, I
believe, has heen offered us. Harrisburg
has responded promptly and generously.
The Grace Methodist Episcopal church
came to our relief to-day. By a unanimous
vote of its board of directors it tendered te
the State, for the use of the general assem-
bly, their church on State street. I know
of no other building in the city of Harris-
burg so well adapted for the purpose as
this structure. The committee of the Sen-
ate and House were present when the gen-
erous offer of the church officials was made
and accepted. Contracts have now been
made so that by next Monday afternoon
the rooms for hoth branches of the general
assembly and for their committees will be
entirely ready. The contracts have been
concluded this afternoon with the electrie-
ians, steam heat company, the plumbers,
carpenters, carpet layers and furnishers,
and by next Mouday evening at 9 o’cleck
the Legislature will find quarters as well
fitted and prepared for them as is possible
under the circumstances.’’
The Governor is not in sympathy with
the proposition to adjourn to-morrow for
two weeks and said there is no excuse for
doing so. He said regarding the building
of a new capitol that the matter is a grave
one, which must receive the most careful
deliberation. The Governor and Mrs.
Hastings will not postpone their reception
next week.
ADDITIONAL LOCALS.
-—— Prothonotary W. F. Smith has bees
so badly crippled up with lumbago for the
past few days that it has required two
sticks, in addition to his legs, to move him
about.
a
——Guy, the five year old son of Edward
McKinley, of Milesburg, was badly scald-
ed, on Sunday morning. While warming
himself at the kitchen stove a pot of boiling
water toppled over onto him
tte
FOSTKR'S GENERAL FORECAST FOR
FEBRUARY WEATHER.—My last bulletin
gave forecasts of the storm wave to cross
the continent from 25th to 29th and the next
will reach the Pacific coast about the 30th,
cross the west of Rockies country by close
of 31st, great central valleys Feb. 1st to 3rd,
eastern States the 4th.
‘Warm wave will cross the west of Rock-
ies country about Jan. 25th, great central
valleys Feb. 1st, eastern States 3rd. Cool
wave will cross the west of Rockies coun-
try about Feb. 2nd, great central valleys
4th, eastern States 5th.
Ordinarily this disturbance would bring
a severe cold wave, but a reversal will prob-
ably occur at the last disturbance of Janu-
ary, and the cold wave, in that event, will
enter the upper Missouri valley not far
from the 27th or an and move eastward
across the continent in three or four days.
This prospective reversal will cause the
last days of January to be cold and stormy
and the cool wave following that first dis-
turbance in February will not bring very
cold weather.
The second disturbance of February will
reach the Pacific coast about the 5th, cross
the west of Rockies country by close of 6th,
great central valleys 7th to 9th, eastern
States 10th.
Warm wave will cross the west of Rockies
country about Feb. 5th, great central val--
leys 7th, eastern States 9th. Cool wave
will cross the west of Rockies country
about the 8th, great central valleys 10th,
eastern States 12th.
The regular weather changes would place
this disturbance in the low temperature
storm period, would cause severe storms.
heavy snows and rains and result in the
month averaging below the normal in tem-
perature. But all this is expected to be
reversed by the change that now appears to
be during the last week in January. Be-
cause of this reversal the coldest part of
February is calculated to fall near the 1st,
then a rising temperature to about Sth er
10th, then a feeble fall till near 16th or
saved, and all their duplicates were carried | 18th, then a rise till about the last days of
out safely hy the legislative correspondents. | the month, winding up with a severe cold
Chairman Marshall, of the appropriations
committee, saved all his bills and val-
uables, having carried his desk ou. Many
other committee chairmen maket similar
wave not fi. from March 1st.
February will probably be a warm
| month, bad for those who desire good
weather for gathering ice and favorable to
| fire, at his first investigation with a hatchet ; pellmell into the hall of the house and in- | Major Seiders, of the senate postoffice, reports favorable to coming legislation. ' pneumonia, influenza, colds, ete.