123 03 S7 opy 1 s^ ^ ^■ s^ Sparl^s from The New York State Capitol Fire Copyiighl 1911 by COULSON & WENDT Publisher! 77 Slate Strict, Cor. North Pearl Street ALBANY. N. Y. ^ S^ ^ Mail orders promptly filled \ \ ^ s^1 ©CI,A284883 New York State Capitol as it looks from the East '-n/ (Albany Evening Joiniial, March 20, 191 1-) CAPITOL A SHOW-PLACE Took Many Years to Build on Account of Its Magnificence The erection of the capito] building- was begun in the early 70's, but on account of the magnificent scale upon which the architects had planned the work it took many years to complete it. Since its erection it has gained nation-wide fame because of its size and the beauty and richness of its interior decoration. The western stair- case was considered one of the most artistic of its kind in the countr3% For years visitors to this State from other parts of the country seldom returned home without seeing the New York State capitol. The large number of such visitors is attested by the fact that good-sized corps of guides are kept busy at the capitol the year around pointing out to sightseers its wonders. Although there have been several incipient blazes in the building the fire to-day is the first one that caused damage to any extent. The most serious of the previous fires occurred a few months ago, when the office of the State Lunacy Commission was flooded. .A gas pipe melted, causing several firemen to be overcome with gas. The magnificent western staircase that has been admired by thou- sands of visitors, to-day is badly damaged, and wreck, ruin and con- fusion abound on every hand in the western part of the structure. The walls and ceilings are stripped' of their ornate porcelain blocks, doors have been smashed in, brownstone arches have crumbled, and the devastation is increased by the dripping ceilings and rivulets running over the floor and down the stairwa>'s. Q Albany City Hall, used as temporary Capitol after the lire The New York Slate Capilol looking trom the northwest showing the Washington Avenue entrance and the west end, the part that was destroyed by fire I -.DQ=^ \ I EW ^'( )RK State's mas'iiificent $26,000,000 capitol building, recognized the country over as one of tiie masterpieces of architecture, had its western section completely fire swept on the morning N\\ of March twent\'-ninth, entailing a loss estimated by the State Architect at $5,000,000; practically 11 destroying the State library with the most complete law library in the country, and destroying a tremendously valuable collection of books and ancillary collections of manuscripts and priceless historic relics, whicii it took one hundred years to collect with an unlimited supply of money, in additi<5n to costing one human life. The fire made useless the entire west wing of the massive building, crippling fourteen State departments, and drove the Legislature out of the building to the city hall where James A. O'Gorman was elected United States Senator on March thirty-first, the first time that a Senator has been chosen outside the capitol halls. The conflagration was one nf the most spectacular that ever visited jMbanv. Flames shot from the windows in the west wing two liundred feet in the air, which with the setting of a cool, gray dawn presented a most picturesque sight. It brought thousands to Albany from all sections of the State. Fire smoldered in tire debris a week after the first alarm was sent in and streams were playeil on the burning eml>ers until April twentieth. The first alarm was sent in at 2.41 on the morning of March twenty-ninth and the out bell was not sounded until 8.22 on the morning of March thirtieth. It took the entire fire department of one hundred and fifty men, ten engines pumping industriously for twelve streams, and over 11,000 feet of hose, for the department to master the blaze. Steamers were kept laboring at the fire seventy-two hours after its discovery. In five hours the fire wrought destruction to the building which was in course of construction for twenty years, from the time ground was broken in 1869, until its completion in 1899. The whole weslern seclion burning |P" ■- "iEf^^^^^B ^^^R^^H ^^^^^^^^^^^H|p -:,:'*S^ m '' '^PB ^^^^^1^^^^^ .#» ■ ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^HJ^' ■ -i m B^^^^^B ^ ^8^^^.. ^^^^^H^^^^PF ^SWP"'^^^^B L ^^^^^^^'^ -->>'^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^l ^1 ''"V^f^^^^^^^^^^^^^l n 1 ^^K-~-m''M"rii^^^^H El i£^ ^ni ■'»-■■ \'v\ fc, 1 1 WB: ^\i^^8S 1^ ll fclll m *!;'•■■ •Jt'va;.,— ; »..*«:■.•• - ~ \ . Ill • ! ' y.% •-. --^ fft.vft-:^»*^- ■ 'Z.m^ 1 r ' ^1 Fighting the flames in the northwestern section o Ccpilol Library reading room before the fire Looking north in the reading room of State Library. Circle ^in centre of arch over doorway is wooden frame of clock with works burnt out. Doorway in extreme right of picture leads to the Law Library in northwest corner of Capitol. Law Library, third floor, looking up and south g-5 o Si u ■s r: g H n a o -r) « V S a ^ riD -o o n >. 3 -O /■ ,. r r — - • <-ii 1 ! \^ 1 ml? V. *' SHE!:! 'r' '^1 iiri f'^ mmm^ II. "-f S^^3hww1w IHMLj-i..fi ifcwMa ^^^^^^f-*": 1 ^ ~~^ > ,., -2 5 op en -a S E U K e e o U 0) o E The same stream going across air shaft CO d s o Pari of roof near great western staircase •■ The remains of the Department of State Board of Regents, 4th floor Looking ihrough window in library ^*-.-i?>>i . ...' fii> ■'■ f 1 ■^^1^1 ■K^^^ ,-- HhLS^ '^tif' : )\ • '''^1 "^w^ fm ^^mki I • vvv^ ti?n^^ T ' ^ M ■ft • , ^ - ' 'v*?* vX^"*\ ^B % 1^^' .10.' 4 9 fL/i M 1. \ 1/ f^- '?^/ w#^ ■ i. ^ ■ > ■/- !■ " V; " \ ■'■ ^^«^ ■ ' ' ' 4;-n ' The effe5 ]9n One copy del. to Cat. Div. S^ S^ ^ g&^ Sparf^s from The New York State Capitol Fire Copyright 1911 by COULSON & WENDT Publishers 77 Stale Street, Cor. North Pearl Streit ALBANY. N. Y. S^ s^ *^ Mail orders promptly filled LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 014 108 367 3 WILLIAM W BRIDGEFORD Chief. Albany Fire Department