Show = LATEST DISPATCHES New Jerseys Capitol inFlames in-Flames and Ruins Autograph Hunters Annoying Annoy-ing General Grant The Trade Dollar Will Not Receive Consideration Big Fire in Trenton TRENTON N J March 21A large portion of the capitol building was burned early this morning The flames were extinguished ex-tinguished after a four hours fight The loss will be enormous The chancery office containing all the records of the courts and State deeds etc were destroyed de-stroyed Only the portion containing the Quar termasterGenerals office and chancery office were completely destroyed Other departments are somewhat damaged by water The chancery and supreme courtrooms court-rooms and senate and assembly chambers remain intact The entire building was worth 500000 There is a liberal insurance insur-ance on the structure The explosion in the quartermasters room it is thought was cnused by the confined gas which in some way ignited Two explosions were heard in the I QuartermasterGenerals office on the first floor at the northeast corner of the Statehouse I State-house this morning The explosions were followed by flames that shot through the windows In ten minutes the apartments apart-ments were in ruins The flames followed the steam pipe to the floor above and quickly set fire to the offices of the clerk in chancery From these the conflagration conflagra-tion extended to the geological museum I on the third floor In this were many valuable State relics but the most valuable valu-able had been sent to the New Orleans Exposition a month ago Battle flags were rescued by firemen at the risk of their lives The sword and saddle of General Kearney were destroyed The fire then moved back toward the dome and it looked as though the Supreme Court room Chancery Court room and Legislative chambers would have to go Books and documents were removed hastily has-tily from the offices of the Comptroller State Treasurer and Secretary of State The fire was finally checked at 7 oclock although the engines are still playing on the ruins in order that access may be had to the chancery vaults where exceedingly ex-ceedingly valuable papers relating to thousands of estates are kept The vaults are not burned but they are believed to be full of water which will cause almost as much damage as fire The losss will not fall below 100000 The part destroyed de-stroyed is the facade of the original Statehouse State-house built in 1795 |