Chicago Daily Tribune Newspaper, January 5, 1879, Page 3

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: SUNDAY. JANUARY 5, 1879—SIXTEEN PAGES, 2, ‘Falls flantic. .- 2260 Rochester German .- -+ 2300 Cifnton ..e- ==+ 2,500 2,500 21300 5,300 2,500 THE DAMAGE. Tour in the evening 3 TRIBUKE re- rter made 2 hurried survey of the- building. Tpe walls, except the West brick, are appa- N iy intact. This exception fs said to be bidly & cked, and lible to toople over at the most A ied moment. ‘This was observed while was in progress, and the apprehension was felt that it would fall the wronz way then. Happily, the calamity was pot added. Tne Dearborn and Adams street fronts sre scorched, snd must be. overheated, notwithstanding frigid surroundings. They are con- stracted of Joliet stome, which essily melts and crumbles under an unusual e of heat. It may be that they are and will remain solid. The opinion of those conversant with the material seems 10 be that they will have to be strengthened if not re- constructed to be ssfe. The buitding present- eds ‘beautiful sppearance last night. The wa- ter thrown on_to_{ts exterior had congesled where it feil, and the fronts were armored in jce. mmense icicles depended from the win- dows, cotrsnces, cornices, and whatnots with which the building is decorated, and reflected the'moonlight a8 burpished sil‘:cr. Banks of foe reared their white fronts against the <alls, obseuring them from view; and completing for- tifications more elaborate than the engineering 41t can describe, The streets in the vicinity are brideed from curb o curb with lcc, sod suggest reminiscences of Arctic splen- dor. ‘the roof is entirely destroyed, snd the fifch floor nearly s0. . A small portion of the fourth floor, snd of the first, sccond, and * third fioors, around the elevator-way, up which {be flames spread 60 rapidly when the fire broke ont, was burned. The basement was vearly Siled with water, which will probably be frozea ap so as to render it difficuit to eet at it. Capt. Bullwinkle reported late last night that {he valaable library of Isham & Lincoln, on the fourth floor, Was not seriously damaged. Atalate on the fire A rough estimate of the losses would be sbont as follows: Totaleeeens ¥ THE OCCUPAXNTS. The buflaing wis rented through the agency of Henry P. Isham, as follows: The basement o5 the Government and the Post-Office at the north end; the south end was occapied by boil- ers, eneines, and other avparatus, and alarge portion of it was unoccupied. The first floor was occpied entirely by the Chicago & Alton TRailroad as main offices at the south end, and “ ty the Post-Office in the north end ; the second fioor as'the military headquarters of Gen. Sher- jdsn and saff; the third floor by Lawrence, Campbell & Lawrence, Isham & Lincoln, Pad- dock & Iae, three wealthylegal firms with large lioraries,and by the Government Engineers con- nected with the Military Department; the fourth fioor by Shufeldt & Westorer, attorncys, who commenced moving n yesterday, and by the Quartermaster’s Department. The fifth floor s mainly occupied as living apartments by the orderiies of the military staff, the families of the engineer, janitor, and several Post-Office clerks, and by P. Borgello, artist. The total rental was about $50,00 per annum. 4 The sign-bulletin at the main entrance bears the following: Paddock & Ide, Room 20; Al- fred Bartow, Room 22; Jobn H. Hamlin, Room 23; Engiveer in Charge of Rivers, Room 255 Harbor Improvements, Room 26; Chief En- piveer of Missouri Military Division, Rooms 27 “god 28; Lawrence, Campbell &Lawrence, Rooms 82,33, 84; and 35; -Isham-& Lincoln, Rooms 36, 87, and 89; George L. Paddock, Room 39: Quar- termaster’s Department, Room 39; Clerk, Room 43; Shufeldt & Westover, Rooms 55 and 56. * JUDGE LAWRENCE. Judge Lawrence, who is the senior member of {be well-known law firm of Lawrence, Campbell & Lawrence, was visited at his residence, No. 819 Saperior street, last evening, by 2 TRIB- TNE reporter, and gave some information ahout the valuable library of law books thac his firm lost in the fire. He saia the collection embraced mauy volumes of English and American reports wd text-books, and estimated their value at 82500. The library was only partially insured— te conld not give the amount nor the com- panfes; Mr. Campbell had them. The onmly zarity fn the collection was a complete set of all the public and private laws of Iilinois, aating as far back as 1819, and the books composing it were fn & large vault, which ‘may protect them from burning. He. ccald not give the number of books in the library, but they filled the new cases that had been lately putinthe rooms. The firm had two vaults, in one of which valueble papers had been placed, 20dif the stancture stands they may be saved. In.auswer to other questions Judge Lawrence stated that his firm had fine, larze rooms on the I_ounm_loor of the building—on the Adams street flfle._anfl they had been fitted up nicely just Previons to the removal of the firm from the Ashland Block about three months -azo. The Judge and his nephew, C. H. Lawrence, who is the junior member of the firm, and Mr. Camp- Bell, were in their offices st the time the fire broke out. The smoke entered the rooms, and they went to the window looking out on the rourt at the wnorth end of the hall, #d saw .8 great volume of smoke rushing us from below, and pour throash the elevator-way on the Dearborn street side. Ins few minutes the rooms became so filled vithsmoke asto render them untenable, and the Juage beat a retreat down the stairway luflln[: out on to Adams street, his partners lingering bebind 2 moment more, and taking the fire-cscape as the safest means of reaching terra firma. They had no time to save anything {rom their offices, and, unless the vaults remain fireproof, everything in the rooms will be d ttroyed. P = The fosurance on the library, inmitnm ete., 15 understood to be $5.000. A reporter interviewed several of the law- Yers who had oflices in the building, and thevall ]l:\ld theyhad mo time to do more after they earned of the fire, so rapid was its progress, than 10 hastily put some of their papers in the vaults and make their way out. -Among the valuables in-the vaalts of Law- rence, Campbell & Lawrence is the ;”‘E‘flfl indictment in the Custom- Ouse cases, the indictmeni aralnst Mueller, Hill, Burling, Potter; and the Othiers of the Custom-House ring. The files of the United States District Court were ex- 2mined, and it was found that 1t was the fact the indictmefit had been borrowed some Aime ago by Judge Lawrence, probably to enable 10 get ready for the coming trial in these €3ses, in which it will be remembered he was Teled ns special counsel. It is said that ;’v"lflf equally valuable papers from n, belonging to the same cases, ‘u:: in ‘the same vaults, and bedin_dlcxed donot pray that these vaults shall ‘estroyed, it will only be because they have : sbiding faith that they can prove their inno- “I:]ee of the charzes made in the indictment. It €0 5aid that Judge Blodgett had been in‘the bullding during the sfternoon in consultation ¥ith certain broke out. ISHAM & LINCOLN. X the probable destruction or damage of the law orary of lsham & Lincoln. These gentlemen a collection of books there worth fully 10000, Some of them were of grest rarity. There was, for instance, one set of English re- - Dorts which Stevens, who collected for them, 3aid conld not possibl; ly be reduplicated. It was drare law library, and its destruction or its if lawyers, ana just left a3 thefire Oneof the most serious and painfal of the 0s¢es entailed by the conflagrstion is that of mage } ‘cause pain toall lawyers in this aty who take an Interest in such poolks for their own sake. It is not possible to tell as yet ex- actly how much damage was dove to them. Books burn slowly in case the fire reached them, as it prolably did by radiation at least, -since the cases were immediately against a brick wall which was exposed to the eat of the fire. Of course the room is flooded with water, but that, although bad, will not be €0 serlous a matter, for books wet turough very slowly, and all that would be necessary. would be to take them to pieces and rebind them. There was no insurance at all, and, as stated above, it is one of those losses that insurance does not replace. The rooms were finely furpished, and their total loss, if the library is destroyed, will be abont §15,000. They have taken rooms in the Marine Bank building, corner of LaSalle and Lake streets, where their clients will find them Monday fnorning. Mr. Lincoln reached the building somewhere about 8 o’clock, went up by the eleyator to his office, and had been there but a few mioutes when the elevator-boy came rushing in with the decidedly unpleasant snnouncement that the building was on fire. Mr. Lincoln ran out into the hall, saw at & glance how the thing was golng, realized that there was no time to carry anything our, and began to throw all his valua- ble papers into the fire-proof vault. He kept at this until the smoke be- came so dense as to sugeest to him the propriety of zetting down and out about es 500 as possible. The large Jaw library which the firm had got together was, of necessity, Teft to its fate, and to the enduring qualities of the vault were intrustea the valuable papers and other articles which there was time to throw n. THE POST-OFFICE. As stated elsewhere, the Post-Office occapied a great portion of the building. In the basement of the main structure were the paper-throwing rooms, the city paper-throw- ing rooms, the paper-stamp table, storage rooms for stampefl envelopes and for old mail matter,; the weighing-room for second-class matter, carpenter-shop, and boiler- room, the two latter beinz separated, it is said, by 2 heary wooden partition. . On the first floor were the letter-drops, the money-order office, the Wwholesale and retail stamp departments, the registry uffice, the gen- eral delivery, the office of the Superintendent of Mails, the dead-matter division; and the letter-stamp table. On the sccond floor were the Postmaster's room, business office, Special-Agents’ room, railway mail service, Superintendent’s and slip rooms, and Cashier’s department. The basement of the west wing, from which everything was removed, as no fire got in there, was occupied by the Eastern vpaper-throwing room, store and stalling rooms, the mails from the railroads being brought into the latter and divided by bags, so as to be ready for outgoing trains. . : The first floor contained the letter-throwing cases, the dispatching and receiving depart~ ments, and the Assistant-Superintendent’s room. In the rear, and almost directly over the boilers, were the slip and examiniog rooms. On the second floor was the carriers’ depart- ment, where tliey made up their mails, and the Superintendent’s room. The fourth floor was devoted to the bagde- partment, the leather and cloth bags being re- paired there by women. THE MAILS. ‘When the magnitude of the danger became manifest all was confusion juthe Post-Office Departmeént. The 3 o'dock aelivery for the city had just been sent out by the carriers, and, fortunately, that was saved intact. Postmaster Palmér was io his rooms, and immediately re- paired to the scene of the threatened disaster. The entire clerical force of the Department came to his assistance, and as soon as it became apparent that the bnilding was really in dan- ger, they began to think about the removal of the mails. The New York mails have been delayed for twenty-four hours, and, fortpnately, they were out of the reach of danger, as were the mails on several other routes. The delivery wagons of the Department were sent for, and every cart and wagon that could be pressed into the service was called upon in tnis emergency. The mail-bags were tumbled out of the base- ment into the alley in the rear, and a guard placed over them. The crowd was kept back by the police, and the alley leading from Dear- ‘born to Clark street, north of the Post-Office building, was kept frec from obstruction for the passage of the mail-wazons. A line of clerks was formed, and the bags were passed from hand to hand with the greatest rapidity, and some forty or fifty tons of mail matter was thus conveyed to the wagons and carried to the West Side Post-Office, and depos- ited for safety temporarily. Notasingle letter bag has been lost, and probably all the newspa- per and other bulky matter has also been saved. Even some of the Post-Office furniture was dragged. out by the enthusiastic and indomita- ble clerks. The money-order department was saved. The funds on band were 1emoved, aod all the books and documents. When an accountiog comes to be had it will be found probably that the loss in the entire ~Post-Office Department hus . been very trifling indeed. Even the lettersin the boxes, not called for, were pulled out, piled joto baskets, and carried out of the burning building. The flames bezan in the basement, and in dangerous proximity to the mail matter, but, owing to the precautions taken and the efficien- cy of the Department, they were saved. ‘the buflding on Fifth avenue, formerly occunied by the Board of Education and the Recorder’s office, has been offered to the Postmaster for a temporary Post-Office, but Mr. Palmer had not determined to accept the building ata late hour Jast vight. This building is now unoccupied, and the first ana sccond floors would furnish very goed accommodations for mailing pur- poses. It is surrounded onall sides by an alley, and can thus be readily approached by the de- livery wagons. Reed’s Temple of Music has also been mentioned, and one or two other very acceptable buildings have been placed at the disposal of Mr. Palmer. The public may con- gratulate itself that it has met with no greater loss in the destruction of this verv fine building. The burning of the mails would have fallen heavily upon a larze pumber of small capitalists and a class of poor people receiving remittances for their support. Later in the eveniog 3R. PALMER made up his mind pretty definitely to accept of the magnificent new building of the Singer tween Randolph ana Madicon. This building is centrally situated, it is immense as to size, it s new and every - way com- modions, and will no doubt be satisfactory to the public. 1f Mr. Palmer does not change bis mind this morning, and there is not much probability that he will, this building will be the one selected for Post-Office purposes for the present.” Justat the time of the breaking ont of the firc some of the delivery wagons, with the Eastern mails, were standing in the alley near the Post-Office and wre just about to" unload their contents . intg, the basement. Neeing the danger, the wagons were driven back to the Michigan Central Railroad depot and the bags were deposited there for a few hours. The Postmaster last night did not think #t was probable that any letters would be deliv- ered in the city to-day by the carriers. The in- coming mails will be first distributed, as they can be more readily gotten at by the carriers. Some of the loose letters in the Post-Office at the time of the fire will not reach the hands for which they were intended for some days probably. The letters in the mg'fl-bngs will be assorted to-day on temporary tables provided for the occasion and given to the carriers 88 s00n as possible,—probably this af- terpoon or to-morrow morning, The delay will be as brief as possible. Mr. Palmer says the mails arriving from the great business centres of the country will veceive the first atten- tion, and will be distributed pefore let- _ters of friendship and ordinary correspondence. Every effort will be made to accommodate Sewing-Machine Company on State street, be-’ the business public ‘In this regard. The Post~ master has received some telegrams from Post- masters of other cities asking him whether they shall send on their mails or hold them for the present.. He has uniformily answered that that the mails might be forwarded as usual, and that they would be properly taken care of. The publicare requested by the Postmaster to exercise a little patience to-day, and'not in- terrupt him or his subordinates by asking too many questions. He says he will adjust the machinery of the department as soon s possi~ ble, and to deliver the mails as promptly as cir- cumstances will permit, and he hopes that the interruntion will be very brief. 1t will be a aay or two before the Money-Order Department will be in worklng order probably, and peogile having remittances will have to wait uniil thé Disbursing Department can recover from its demoralization aud fright, and get " their stub-books arranged. A mecting; of! the heaas of departments and their employers: will be held this morning at the Paimer House for the purpose of divining ways and means for a reorganization of the affairs of the office. Everything seems to be in 4 fair way for an early resnmption of the business of the Post- Office, and the loss and inconvenience causcd by the fire witl be much less than might be ex- pected from the circumstances of the case. SQUIERS. Assistant-Postmaster Squiers, who was fonnd “working like a beaver?’ around in the alley, attending. to the removal of the cases, desks, tables, ete., and giving such general diree- tions as to the disposition of mail-matter that had been saved as werc necessary, and which the experiénce of three Post-Office fires peculiarly fittgd him for, was fcund wrapped up to keep out the cold and icy spray, but a TRIB- UNE reporter recognized him, and obtained some in(arqmzlou from him. as to the loss in effects, records, mail, ete. In round’ numbers he esti- mated the loss to the Government at be- tween $15,000 and $20,000, and, as Uncle Sam does mot insure his property, it is 8 dead loss to him. Al the letter mail had been saved, but most of the newspaper, book, and periodical mail had been left to burn up, it being impossible to reach it. Sofar as.he knew,%he most valuable records were in the vaults, along with $2,000 or $3,000 in money. In answer to a question as to the re- sumption of business, Mr. Squiers said that they would be ready to make the deliveries of letters, Monday morning, and he desired the reporterto publish the request that every employe of the Post-Office report at the Singer Building, corner of State and Washington streets, at an early hour this morning and proceed to business. The collection of mail would be made as regular as possible under the circumstances. Forthe pres- ent the business would be doue at the Swger Building, and ‘until the Postmaster found a more suitable place in which to establish the Post-Office until the new Government building is completed. A large qusntity of the wa’l, which bad become considerably mixed in its rapid removal from the burnfog building, was ordered by Mr. Squiers from the American Ex- press Company’s building on Monroe street to a postal-car at the Rock Island Depot, where the facilities are excellent for handling mall matter, aund much more available. The Assistant Postmaster thought that every- thiog would soon be'in fair working order when they got the cases, tables, desks, and the accu- mulated mass ot mail matter into the basement of the Singer Building. The Eastern mails were all delayed vesterday, sod that fact gave them quite an, important advantage. Mr. Squiers was not able to give any idea as to what building would be used for a Post-Oftice. They could tell about that when they ot straightened out. Mr. Squiers and Mr. Patten, and two clerks -West ana Weal, who were in the offices on the second floor, close to the large stairway leading up from Dearborn street, had a rather narrow es- cape from suffocation, the smoke coming up the elevator-way and entrances leading to the basement in great volumes, and almost cutting off their escape, which most of them made down the stairway. ' BENNER. At 10 o'clock the fire was under control. A reporter of THE TRIBUNE found Chief Benner on the corner of Adams and Dearborn strects at that nour and demanded from him faets. Matt knew little as to the origin of the blaze. ‘All within bis cognizance was that when be ar- rived on the ground, and that was early in the game, the centre of the buildiog was in a blaze. Then the second alarm, and following that the 28 alarm, was turved in.© Tone aim was to concentrate all the available engzines without unduly weakening the outlying districts, in case a fire should occur there. The firemen were relieved as the reinforcements came in, and when well warmed and fed returned to their posts of duty. The Grand Pacific Hotel furnished all firemen and policemen engaged with a first-class supper, and thus reinforced: they returncd to combat the flames. A trip sround the block with Marshal Benner resulted in the thorough wetting and freezing of Tae TRIBURE reporter, and in no mews of any interest to the reader. At that hour the fire was fully under control. and the efforts of the firemen were directed to saving the walls ol the building. The different Captains and Lieu- tenants were directed to carry hose into the various stories of the building with a view to saving what the fire might have spared, and that was all that could be learned. Mr. Benner wanted to know whether the reporter would like to gowith him and investigate the fire, the origin of which he could not understand, but the reporter firmly, though respectfully, de- clined tc essay the trip. - . AN EVENING SEANCE. At 6 o’clock, when a change of reporters took place, or, rather; when a new relay of pencil- slingers came on deck, the fire seemed to be making continuous and destructive headway, and it looked as though the whole structure was doomed to fall a prey to the devouring element. Upward- curled the great clouds of smoke,— black, furious, and threatening. The hosc of the various engines were decked with flecks of ice, and they ran down the whole length of the pipes as they hunir from the roof to the street, looking like some lengthened and attenuated iceberg just sent in from the Arctic Zove or wafted thither by the Munitoba blizzard. Still persistently crept and crept the threat- ening flames. They licked the upper window-sashes and the roof. Now and again they shot out of the windows. Onthe north end of the building, on Dearborn strect, the upper end of the great structure was burn- ing, andethe flames shiot up above the roof out of the upper windows. Now and then a great beam would show itself partially burning, and for awhile would hang threateningly, and then dropping inward cause a temporary greater brightening to the already whitening heat with-" in. At this northeast corner tbe firc burned with a remarkable persistency. It flashed, and fumed, and threatened to descend lower and consume anytbing and eversthing in its way. In the centre of the Dearborn street front, over the main-entrauce, the flames seemed to rush through the building fast and furious. Here the fire held high carcival, and [for the time bid deflance towater. Bravely fought the firemen, and stubbornly did the furious flames resist. To add to the fierce intensity of the almost unequal contest, some of the plate- rlass windows refused to yicld to the water thrown from the various ncse simed at them, Instead of that, they became coated with the ice which was so proinsely decking men, horscs, and nose. ‘U'his coating of the window-panes became a drawback to the successful working of the firemen, and Detective La Bounty and ‘Bailift Morris secured 2 double-barreled shot- gun and commenced firing at the obstreperous panes of glass, which yielded to the charges of buckshot sent into them. Joe Dixon’s son took ashot with the same gun, aod the result was that the pboy was sat down uvom, s0 to speak, and to-day, if his fatber is generous, he will present him with anew meerschanm cigar-bolder; to replace one tbat was broken, and a set ot store-feeth. The gun was a double- back action; hence the result. ~ *Matt Benner, of the Fire Departmeat. Said the But those stoical flames still libored on,— Iabored on as though tbey defied man and the watery element in their attempts to extinguish them. Upward still they shot frow the north end, but at the southesst corner they were hid- den by great, curling clouds of dark and im- penetrable smoke. Here the fire was still con- fined to the upper floor. The clouds of smoke shot up and up. Huge and threatening clonds they were, hiding building and everything else from view. At this corner two engines were laboring ond pufling incessantly, adding their smoke and steam toswell these cloudsand make still thicker the Egyptian darkness prevailing around the building ut this corner. Now and then there came & glow of red in that great darkuess,—a glow of crimson not uniike that scen at eventide of a dark dayat the setting of a summer suu. The firemen suffered terribly from the ex- treme cold, yet they worked like noble heroes. They hesitated and stopped at nothing. On Dearborn street they stood in knee-deep freez- | Ing water and held the nozzles withont budging for hours. Once there came near a TRIBUNE reporter a fireman whose ears were uncovered und fast freezing. The reporter gave bim a hondkerchief to cover his ears, which was re- ceived with many thanks, and another man was made happy. At 7 o'clock the flames still geemed to bid defiance to the efforts that were being made to subdue them. They still lashed, and fuwmed, and ‘burned with persistent fury. Back -of the building there seemed nothing wrong. - The'great black walls stood up against the pale and moonlit sky, seeming to dely the elements of destraction that were going on in front, One would hardly suppose, standing in the vacant lot fronting on Adams street, snd adjoining the building, that anything was wrong within that structure, save that » confusion seemed to reign on the street. Men, covered with great coats of ice, were bur- rying and scurrying hither apd thither. The Fire Department fuel-wagons and sleighs came and went, leaving their loads of coal near the engines which needed them, and hurrying back to replenish. In the vacant lots 2 number of the Post-Office cmployes were engaged in re- moving the newspaper mail, which had been de- posited there for safety. ‘Contractor Walsh was also there in person to sec that things were properly done. In the alley south of the build- ing, between the Honore Bloclk and the Post- Office, the road was clear, except that the ground was ' covered with o coat of slush and ice about two feet deep, through which it was difficuit to walk. The mailing, carriers’, and mail-bag aepartments, in a separate building iu the rear, were safe, and a large number of men ‘were employed in get~ ting out the racks and counters and transport- ing them to the new Singer Buildinz. At 8 o'clock 8 TRIBUNE reporter met Chief-Marshal reporter; **What do you tbink of it now?? ] have the fire under control now,” said the Marshal in reply, *and I wouldn's say it if I didn’t know it.” BT 1t did not look o to the reporter, but, sure enough, from that time on the flames began to diminish, and the work of destructiou seemed at an end, except so far as the flames were lick- ing up such portions of the building to which they were confined. * INCIDENTS. . At 4:45 an attempt wus made to move the Skinner escape-ladder from the north end of the bullding, tha fire having become too hot and the top of the building too Insccure to allow the firemen to play upon .the flames from post- tions on the ladder. As it was being lifted away from the building the group of firemen having charge of theguy-ropconthenorthslippedon the icy pavement and lost their hold of the rope. The mammoth machine swayed to and fro for a few momentsin the air, the top of -it barely touching the eaves of the burning building, and then with a terrific crash fell lengthwise in the miadle of the street. The men holding the guy- rope at the south of tbe machine had avery narrow escape from instant death, the immense ladder falling within a few feet of them. The machine itselt was but elightly damaged, but it was of no further service. The mercurial alarn is safd to have operated first, and Capt. Ben Bullwinkle was notified by telephone of the breaking out of the fire. Mrs. Kelly, familiarly known about the Post- Office as the. “apole woman,” who kent the stand in the Dearborn-street entrance, was ex- tricated from a room on the fifth floor, where she had been lying ill, and came down the fire- escape. ‘There are 217 Post-Office employes, and most of them tere in and zbout the building when the fire occurred. About twenty females are among the number, and six of them, who came down the fire-escape, were occupied in repairing and making mail-bags on the fourth floor, at the north end of the building. Fire-Marshal Benmer was a very interesting object abont 7 o'clock. He would then have passed off readily for the veritable Jack Frost, and looked as if he had been made up in imita- tion of Sauta Claus, or the Icc King from the cold North. His fire-hat was covered with ice, and icicles hung from the rim of it. His beard and mustache, and that portion of the hair of his head that had been exposed to the water, that flew about trom all sides of the building, were coated with ice, and the mass that covered his great fire-coat was suggestive of a portable skating-pond. His boots looked as if they bad been fashioned out of ice, apd his trumpet ap- peared like a huge icicle. Yet he moved about wherever duty called bim, while the falling spray and dropsof water fell upon him, and congealing, added to his already Jarge form. In the excitement attendant upon the re- moval of effects from the rear part of the Post- Oftice building, and the rush of ice-covered firemen in raising ladders, and stretching hose, and bringing streams to bear upon the burning plle, 'a TRIBUNE reporter managed- to obtaina little information from Postmaster Palmer, who was coolly standing in the doorway on the nofthwest corner of the building, giving direc- tions to his subordinates when required so to do. Mr. Palmer, in answer to a question, said hecould not then say where the Post-Office would be located, but he would take the most suitable, as well as available, building he coula find. He would look about for mew quarters as soou as he could get out of the present confusion. He was not able to give an estimate as to the loss, but the letter mail and other valuable matter bad ‘been saved. The money, With the exception of a small amount in the vault, had been saved zod placed in the Sub-Treasury safes, in the Custom- House building. Regardiog his whereabouts when the fire broke out, Mr. Palmer said he was in his office, adjoining that of his Assistant, Ar. Squires, on the second floor, and the’ room be- came filled with so much smoke that he was compelled to take to the fire-escape to reach the sidewalk. : . Mr. Lovell,of the Money-Order. Department, had tbree men at his window waiting to be at- tended to when the cry of firc was raised and the smoke came rushing through the rooms. He took the first man’s moncy, but when the second profferea his weaith the gentleman behind the partition asked to be ex:- cused, and ssia he guessed be would pick up his traps and move, which he did with great celer- ity, taking all valusbles with him thet be did not lock up in the safe. Potter Palmer and John B. Drake kindly sent word to Chief Benner tosend his men over in relays to supper at the Palmer House and Grand Pacific, which fnvitation was gratetully accepted by the weil-nigh exbausted laddies, and they were well taken care of. Carter H. Harrison was one of theJspectators. His mind seemed to be filled with anxiety over the distressing condition in which the Post- Office was placed in the matter of quarters; for he suggested that some enterprising photog- rapher make a picture of the building as it ap- pears after the fire is out, and let him exhibit it at Washington, He thioks that it would be a more powerful argument than be could give tongue to in favor of an gppropriation for the imedidte completion of the new Post-Office. It is probable thas the photograph aforesaid will be taken, even if it has to be paid’ for out of J some private purse. the scene. on hearing of the fire 4t once made his way to the scene. Bat like evcry one else present he was powerless, and after a short conference with Joe Dixon and other members of the police force he fell back into the ranks of lookers-op. Inquiry at tae Westérn Union Telegraph of fice showed that no important connections had been lost in the wires which were cut on Dear- born strect. A few private lines, perhaps, were shut off, but there will be no trouble with points outside of the city. The tidings of the fire reached the Water- ‘Works within a short time after the fire broke out, and as soon- thereafter as poseible William A. Cregier, of the Water-Works, visited the scene and tested the nydrants in the vicinity. Ic was found that they were all in the best possible condition, thanks to the care which bad been bestowed upon them by the Fire-Department since the coming on of cold weather, and Mr. Cregier on his return to the Water-Works or~ dered all steam to be crowded on the eugines. The possible powers of the cngines arc rated at 80,000,000 wallons per. day, but the West Side works befng notified, did their best, and the two engines combined were soon delivering water at the rate of 82,000,000 gallons per day— the bigeest work of the kind ever performed in Chicago. Notwithstanding the extra pressure there was no trouble either ‘with the pipes or the hydrants, and everything worked to a charm. The fire cansed great troubls to the telearaph companies, the local lines being the greatest sufferers. Both the American District Tele- graph Company’s wires and those used for the telephone service were interfered with, as were ‘also some of the wires of the through lines. Butin ecvery case the linesmen and repafrers were promptly on the ground and mew lines were extemporized almost before the efficiency of theold ones was interfered with. will, therefore, be little, if any; interruption to the work of these lines. There About 4 o'clock Mayor Heath appeared on He had been engaged in court, but John T. Vance, proprietor of a saloon im- mediately opposite the burnt building, says that he turned in the first alarm over the American District Teleeraph Company’s wires. He saw smoke issuing from the* central part of the puilding, and after an ineflectual attempt to make one of the fire-alarm telegraph boxes work, utilized the means at hand, and sent in an alarm which reached the [nsurance Patrol. Au exciting incident of the blazg was the smashiog-up of the fire-escape ladded apparatus on the northeast corner of the burning building, shortly after 5 o'clock. working order and braced up by supporting ropes, but it became mnecessary to transfer it a few yards south of its then location, and in the process of moving the accident occurred. ' The order given to looscn ome of the supporting ropes was misunderstood, another- rope was let go, and the whole concern came to the ground with a tremendous crash, rendering the . The escape was in machine useless. Gen. Phil H. Sheriden, in his fur coat, made one of a party which viewed the devastation from the southeast corner of Adams and Dear- born streets. He bad made a reconnaisances on the Army Headquarters, but found it a trifie hotter than Wirchester, and, for the first time in his experience, was forced to beat a retreat. ‘This was a little before 5 o’ctock, and the Gen- cral opined then that the whole building would go. No attempt had been made to save thd army records, with the exception of some pa- pers which Gen. Sheridan carried off in his overcont pocket, and even then there was little hope of rescuing the valuable documents and records of the office. Robert T. Lincoln stood around on Adsms street and watched the flames as they licked in his $10,000 library. He bad not a cent of iusur- ance, but seemed cool and collected enough, and apoarently had some reliance on the fire-proof capacities of the vault in which bis private papers were stored. ‘There was 1o lack of fun at the fire. Once | in awhile a fireman, with hat, overcoat, aod boots encrusted with icicles,.was led away from the scene of his labors to be thawed out in some adjacent saloon. Then there were the unfortunates who, in thelr haste, splashed into two or three feet of commingled mud, snow, and water, and tne lunatics who determined to sec the fire and pressed in upon the police even up to the walls of the bwining building, which momentarily threatencd to crumble over their heads. Occa- sionally a pipe would burst, deluging all in its vicinity and causing a stampede. Then the po- Tice, probably induced thereto by the fact that standing around was a cold job, would make a raid on the spectators, and a rush for safety would cmsue. The Dearborn street side- walks are somewhat risky at the best of times, and hundreds of hard-vressed citizens preferred the snow-mounds in the vacaut lots to a possible clubbing, ana jumped for dear life. There were remarkably few of the gentler sex on the ground, the cold ‘apparently being too much for them, and after the first irregularities were gotten over, the police succeeded very well in keeping ‘the crowd back. Many, how- ever, managed ander one pretext or another to get inside the Jines,'and once ioside, became an annoyance to the officers by their persistent at- tempts to get as near as possible to the fire. During the eveniog Mr. P. Aaron, of J. W. Goetz & Co., the State-strcet glove manu- facturers, appeared on the scene, and eave away some siz dozen pairs of heavy woolen mitts to keep warm the almost perishing firemen’s hands. ‘This benevolence was gratefully ap- preciated. Amons those who aided in rescuing the peo- ple from the upper stories was Capt. Buil- winkle, of the Fire Patrol. He wentup the fire-escape on Marble place, and found a middle-azed man on thefifthjfloor too frightened to venture on the ladder. Capt. Ben encouraged him, and told - him to burry down, as there wasn't any time to spare. The man started for a ca- nary-bird, and a parrot, and & dog, intending to take them along. Bulpwinkle said that would never do, as he would fall if he attempted to carry them. So the owner regestfully threw the birds out of the window, but hicld on to the dog, and, with Capt. Ben’s assistance, got safely to the ground. One of the Post-Office ruen said that Mr. Ful- lerton, the carpenter employed in the building, had reported that he had seen the wooden ceil- jog cateh- fire from the hot boilers immediately beneath it, and ‘which were located in the centre of the building, and under the main entrance trom Dearborn street. The ceiling being very dry from the heat, it was constautly subjected to radiation from the- boilers, the fire spread rapidly, and, drawn by the draught ot air, ran up the elevator way close by, and the building was soon enveloped in flames. Other employes, who were in the basement at the time, sre re- portea to have said that they first saw the fire over the boilers, and had no doubt but that it originated there. ; ‘The lawyers in the building have suffered severely, un! perchance, the fire did not reach the rooms jn which their books were stored; but, in any event, the damage by smoke and water will be uearly 25 great as total de- struction. Isham & Lincoln bad a valuable law library; worth at_least $10,000, and upon which there is no_insurance. Judge Lawrence had a valuable library, and Paddock & Ide another. valued at about $4,000, with no insurance. The firm of Shufeldi & Westover were engaged all yesterday forenoon fn moving into their new quarters, and had just plaved their $5.000 library when the fire broke out. Most of the lawyers stored away their most valuable papers, books, and treasures 1n the vaults as soon as word was gven thal the building was afire. Pipeman Shaughnessy, of Engine Company No. 12, whicn was stationed on the roof of the Howland Building, just north of the Honore Building, was badly frozen, and had to be car- ried down and relicved from duty. The main office of the Lozan Literary Burean has been removed, owing to circumstances over, which the proprietors nad. no control, and can be found for a few days at the Singer Building. Borgella, the artist, occupied Room 60 as a studio. His loss includes a number of valuable ‘paintings, many nearly ready to leave the easel. Daring the progress of the fire Hiram Amick, Secretary of the Fire-Marshal, distributed hot coffec among the men. Mr. Drake, proprietor of the Grand Pscific, gave the boys s 2ood, bearty supper. A change of clothing was also provided at the headquarters of the Fire De- partment. STEAMERS. ‘The following {s a complete list of the steamers worklog against the flames, together with their locations, tue alarms upon which they were called, and the approximate time of their severai arrivals: Steamer. No. 1 Stationed at firr. arhorn aud 3onrae., Alarm. Arrized. rst. 3: e There were in all twenty stcamers on hand, besides the chemical engines, hook-and-ladders, hose-carts, fire-escapes, fire-patrol, etc. Abont 9 o'clock engine No. 27, stationed in front of ‘Tar TRIBUKE office, went hume. THE END. _ About 8 o’clock the fire was completely under control, and little could be seen from the Hmit at which the policeman stopped the traveler save an indistinguishable mass of black ruin, out of which no particulars could be picked, on sccount of the weather and the policemen. Just about this bour the theatre opened, and it Was really pathetic, yes, emotfonal, to see the ladies paddiing and plashing their way through pud- dles, ankle deep, over hose-pipe, amid the roar ‘and hooting of the steamers, to hear the Berg- ‘ers blow their horns sud see Sol Smith Rus- sell do Dorcas Pennyroyal. Mr. Haverly was one of the sufferers by the fire, which undoubt- edly reduced his Saturday.evening receipts. Besides, he mourns over_the prospect of having the Post-Office removed from the vicinity of his theatre, as it must be for a time. At a quarter-past 10 o'clock it was aononnced officially that the fire was ont, yet this did not deter great throngs of people, who persisted in braving the energetic policemen, from wading through the freezing slash to gaze upon’ the ruios of the Honore Building. There was really nothing to see, bui perhaps it was a pleasure to Jisten tothe pufling of the few remaining en- ‘rines, which kept up a lively concert for the ’benefit of the neighborhood until about mid- night. The fire struck out at 10:15. At midnight the Fire-Marshals had lefs the scene, and had thawed themselves ont as well 8s they conld. Marshal Swenie stated that he mades tour of the building after the fire had been extinguished, and found that the ends of the building below the fourth story were in a tolerably good state of preservation, and, fo his opinion, the law hooks and the farnishings of the military department, and also tie fixtures in the Post-Office end of the build- ing, were but slightly damaged. The centre of the building was badly burned, but the fire and smoke found vent through the stairway and the large elevator passage-way. An engine from the outskirts cf the city, which had not been employed at the fire, was called tothe scene and the company left in charee, as the burning embers were contioually setting fires in odd corners throughout the building. MINOR CHICAGO FIRES. The alarm from Box 792 at 5:25 yesterday afternoon was caused by a fire in the frame building Nos. 153 and 155 North Wells street; owned by Jacob Koch and occupied by him on the second floor as a dwelling. The first story was ocenpied by Gottlieb Schlecht ané@ Charles Eicks for rendering purposes. Damace to buildine, $1,000, covered by $5,000 fnsurance in unknown comipapics. Damage to machinery and stock in the rendering establishment, $1,200, covered by policies Jor $1.250 in the ‘Traders, of Chicago ond the Chenywith of Boston. The flames also canght No. 151, ownea and occupied by Matilda Bicks, and was dam- aged to the extent of about3300. The rire originated from unknown causes in the engine- room of the renderivg establishment. The Fire-Patrol received a still alarm at 10:20 in the evening for s tire at Guillett’s card-board manufactory, No. 116 Fifth avenue. Some one had tbrown a lighted cigar, as is sunposed, into alot of paper. About $200 damaze was doge, the Patrol extinraishing the fire without calling oa the Department. - The alarm from Box 335 at 3:40 yesterdav afternoon was caused by a- fire in the two-story and bascment brick building No. 339 West Tay- Jor street. owned by Jobn Conwar, and necu- pied as a residence by Patrick Cavanagh. Dam- aze, S100 to building, covered by $2,400 insur- ance in the Germania, of_Buffalo, the Hudsoun, of New York, and the Detroit kire. Damage to furniture, $50. Cause, an overheated fur- nace in the basement. & ‘The alarm from Box 276 at 1:07 was caused by a firc in the basement of No. 13 West Jack- son street, in the wiiolesdle markets, caused by 2 defective Sue. Tho fire was between the ceil- ing ana floor- Damage, about $100. A still alarm to the Fire Patrol at 10:15 last eveniog was caused by an incipient fire in Tra- man S. Gillett’s paper warehouse, No. 116 Fifth avenue. Damage, $75. Cause, a wooden spit- toon catching tire from the stove. IN WASHOINGTON. apsctal Dispatch to The Trilune. Wasmxaroy, D. C., Jan. 4.—News of the Chicago Post-Office fire reached here by private telezrams about dark, and created excitement, alarm, and reeret in the narrow circle to which the news came. The repurt soon spread to per- " s50ns most acquainted with Chicago, and in spite of the intense cold a number of interested per- sons gathered about the newspaper and tele- graph offices to ascertain the exact trath. Among them were those who had property in- terests =nd friends in Chicago; as well as per- sons intcresfed in Esstern insurance com- panics.. The first official news of the fire came m a dispatch from Post- master Palmer to Assistant Postmaster- General Tynér, stating that the Post-Office build- ing was burning, and the Government proper- ty would be destroyed. _Tyner immediately tel- egraphed instructions to Palmer to mase the best arrangements he could to protect the Gov- ernment property. Soon after, 1 telegram came from Special- Aecnt Stewart that it would be impossibic to protect the Government property, azd that it was all in danger of loss. Apother telegram was received immediately from -the Post-Office Deparment authorizing the Postmaster to en- mage any suitable -'buildity ne conid find for Post-Oflice purposes. At a late bour this evening no additional de- taiis could be gathered as to the fire, although repeated telegrams were sent asking for infor- mation. AT INDIANAPOLIS. Specal Dispatch to The TriZune. Ixpravaroris, Ind., Jan. 4.—A fire broke out in Centenuial Block, a large three-story brick block on South Meridian street, near the Union Depot. Jt originated in the room used by a man named Marks 23 a rag warehouse, and is believed to have been Epontancous combus- tion. ‘The block is owned by A. Kubp, and cost $80,000. The damages will be $35.000, covered by insurance. The weather beiny 8o severe the Fire. Department labored under great difficulty; but succceded after a hard strugglein confining the fire to the room in which it orizinated, save that the upper floor of the next'room, occupied Ly Oliver Chilled Steel Plow Company, stocked with wood- work, suffered some. Several of the firemen were badly frozen in the ears and noses. but noue serlously. The water froze thickly over the machioery and the gearing, stiffening the hose, and eiwveloping the suits of the men in coatings of ice. They hadto. kcep moving to Keep their clothes at all flexible. AT HUNTINGTON, W. VA. CrycrsxaT, Jan. 4.—A fir broke out at5a. m. in the Avenue Hotel at Huntington. W. Va. Owing to the intense cold weather a zood deal of trouble “was experienced by the firemen in gettiog @ streawn” onthe fire. The hotel and e e e e e e other buildings were destroyed. When it was sapposed the fire was under control, the fire cisterns being exhausted, 2 change of hose was necessary, in which the engive suction was lost io the first cistern. Before it could be recov- ered the fire was again under full headway, and four other buildings were burned. Loss about $12,300. with perhaps otber small losses on gouods by water and removal. Insurance small. AT DETROIT. Spectal Dispatch &0 The Tridune. DerroIT, Mich., Jan. 4.—A fire broke out to~ oight in the Michizan Central {reight office, par- tially burning the buildiog and destroying ths books and revords, valued at $10,000. General Manager Ledyard says they can be replaced, as the books were kept in duplicate, one set re- maining here and the other sent to Chicago. When the fire was discovered the building was burning in three places, leading. to the belief that it was set or fire, probsbly by some dis- charged amploye. AT COLUMBUS, GA. Coruamnus, Ga , Jan. 4.—The Rankin House, with the skatiog-rink and thirteen stores uoder- ueath, is burned. The hotel and stores were valued at $70,000. Insurance, $22.000. Stocks mostly saved aad insured. Another fire, two blocks above, burned the stores of Pollard & Harris, Frank Perry, and the Wheeler & Wil- son machine factory. Loss, §17,000. Insured. NEAR DEXTER., MICH. Special Dispateh to The Tridune. ANN ARBOR, Mich., Jan. 4.—The house of Walter Brass, near Dexter, thiscounty, was burned to the ground this morninz. Loss, $3,000. Insured in the Washtenaw Matual for $1,060. The origin of the fire was a defective chimney. NEAR KEOKUR, IA. _ Special Disvatch to The Tridune. . KeoEUR, fa.,Jan. 4.—The country residence of Joseph Bennett, sixmiles from this city, with. nearly all its contents, was entirely destroyed by fire to-day at noon. Loss, $4,000: Insured for $2,500 in the Iowa State Insarance Company of Keokuk. The origin of the fire is nnknown. AT MOLINE, TLL. Special Dispateh to The Tribune. Davexeort, Ia., Jan. 4—The mills of the Moline (Iil.) Paper Company took fire at 7:20 this morning, and by the time the building conld be flooded $8,000 damage had been done. Fuilv insured. Work will be resumed in a few days. AT BUFFALO. BurraLo, N. Y., Jan. 4.—The Academy of the Holy Angels (Catholic) was burned this after- noon. The children were removed. Loss, $60,- 000; insurance, $25,000. The Academy was mort- gazed to the extent of the insurance. AT ST. PARIS, O. CiNCINNATH, O., Jan. 4.—The Commercial says the distillery and flonring-mill at 8t. Paris, O., owned by Levi Runkte, burned last might. Loss, $12,000; insured, $13,700. AT SPRINGFIELD, ILL. dpectat Dispatch fo The Tribune. - SerNGFIELD, IIl., Jan. 4.—The residecce of Col. E. R. Roe, United States Marshal, took fire to-day, and was burnea almost o the ground. £ AT HAMILTON, O. CINCINNATE, O., Jan. 4.—S8. Hughes & Co.’s flouring-mill, at Hamiltou, O., was partially burned thismoraing. Loss estimated at $18,0005 covered by insurance. AT HINGIOAM, MASS. BosTox, Jan. 4.—The Public Library and Post- Office, with their contents, -at Hingham, have been burned. CANADA. Supreme Court—The Fishery Award—Lieut.s Gov. Letellier's Case—Fall in Stocks—A Coming Execution. i Special Dispatch to The Tribune. Orrawa, Jan. 4.—The next session of the Supreme Court has been called for the 20th of January, but no intelligence has yet veen re- ceived rezardiog the movements of the Hor. M. Richards, Chief-Justice, who is still in En- gland. y The fmpression wus, that Newfoundland’s share of the fishers-award was ro be &500’0120,— the entire award being §5,500,000. But it S now stated that an understanaing was come to be- tween Sic Alexander Gald and the Hon. Mr. Whitewav, Newfoundland’s representative, that Newtoundland’s share was to be $1,090.000; and the money is said to have been placed tothe credit of the Province, in the Bank of Eugland- The rumor respecting the refasal of the Gov- ernor-General to sien the order in Coundl re- moving the Licutenant-Governer of Quebec, ap- nears not to oe devoid of some basis. "Many Conservatives claim that the refusal is a fact, while a few maintain a contrary view. While any statements respecting the matter must be accepted With caation, it is certain that the question has been brought forward. for the ron- sideration of the Governor-General. It is also trac that his Excellency, during the past few days, has eiven much time to the task of mak- ing himself gequainted with the facts of ibe case and the arzuments used on both sides. doecia? Disvetch to The Tribune. MONTREAL, Jan. 4.—A circular has been is- sued here showing the weekly average of the prices of stocks for‘the year 1878. ‘This indi- cates the heavy decline that bas taken place during the year. The shrinkage in stocks dar- ing the twelve mobtbs is estimated at from 316,000,000 to $11,002,000. Add to this §3.000,- 009, the amount of reduction of the capital of the Merchants’ Bank, and there is a total of from $14,000,000 to $15,000,000l0ss to bolders of those sceurities. With the exception of arise in the months of August and September, prices have steadily dropped from January,—the low- st price touched being at the close of the year. One of the mémbers of the Chinese Leaation at Washineton will visit Montreal and Ottaws during the mouth of February. Specaat Dispalch (o The Tribune Quesec, Jan. 4.—Preparations are being tade at the jail for the executionsof Michael Farrell—for the murder of Willam Conway— ‘riday next, the 10th of January. His re- lizious adviser visits him_frequently, tozetier ‘with nuns, with whom he dally sings the bymns of bis Churci. He wishes to see no one, and in- habits an almost otherwisc unoccupied wiog of the jail. From indifference he has become very Fubmissive, nnd keen to his sad position. ~ Tbe gallows upon which he will be baneed s the one upon which Costafloraz was bung. Itis a portable - wooden machine, and will arrive in Quebec in & day ~r two. ‘The particulars of the marder are briclly 2s follows: Un Sunday, the 25th of = August last, William Con way left - his home -to visit- his fatber, in order to reach whose resideuce he had tocrussaroad at the end of Furrell's farm. Farrel! had put up a fence across the road, and told deceased that if be dared to zo that Way or nolest the fece in any way he would shioot bim. The road being a_public’ highway, Con- way, judzing Farrell had no rizht to block it up, continned to us it wheo he s2¥ fit. Onthe day mentioned Farrell met Conway just as he Teached the crossing, and ordered him back, The latter said, I will go back,” but, before lic bad time to retrace a step, Farrell, who Lad a gun with bim, raised it and shot bim dead. The murder was a cruel, deliberate, and wiilful oné. e —— THE BRAIDWOOD MINES. Kpeeinl Dispatch fo The Trivune. Jougr, 1N, Jan. 4.~The Baaldwood coal mines, upon which this city depends for its sup- ply of fuel, are preducing only zbout one-third the nsual amount of coal, and dealers here are short of that important article. They have managed #o far 1o keep their customers sun- plied by delivering to each only balf a tonat a fime. If ibe extreme cold weather should con- tinue, and the supply of coal not increase, the sitnation will become serfous. e ——— OCEAN STEAMSHIP NEWS, New Yons, Jan, 4.—The Cusard steamshin Abjssinia, from Liverpool, due Tucsday, has not been reported. ~ The Labrador, of the French Line, and the Suevis, of the Hamburg Lice, are also overdue. . Sav Fraxcisco, Jan. 4.—Sailed, steamers City of Peking, for Hong Kong via Yokohama; Grapada, for Panama. Loxvox. Juve 4.—Steamships Parthix and France, Jrom New York, havearrived. out. New YORK, June &.—Arrived, sieamer Labra- | dor, from Havre.