WV State Capitol Burns –
100 Yrs. Ago
Jan. 3, 1921
This week with the holidays over and the horrors of 2020 in our rearview mirrors, I’d like to take a look at what West Virginians were thinking about 100 years ago as they moved into 1921.
Like us, they were still reeling from the terrible 1918 pandemic with over 71,000 West Virginians sickened and nearly 3,000 of those citizens perishing from the dreaded influenza virus known to many as the “Spanish Flu” only a couple years earlier.
However, West Virginians suffered yet another terrible blow when our State’s 4th capitol and the 1st one built and owned by the State of WV burned on the afternoon of Jan. 3, 1921 and was left in devastating ruin. The proud tower clock over the main entrance had struck three from its 194 ft. tower at the front entrance, just as it did every day, and it was about 15 minutes later that some people walking out and about looked up and noticed the smoke passing out the 4th story window.
They immediately notified the fire department who arrived before many of the almost 300 workers realized their lives were in danger or that the fire was even burning and growing larger by the minute.
As if the capitol fire itself was not dangerous enough, firefighters had to run for cover when they began to hear the sound of ammunition caught in the flames being discharged for more than an hour. The firefighters learned that both the ammunition and a cache of weapons had been placed in the capitol building for storage. This was the result of the need to combat the West Virginia Mine Wars that had been going on since 1912 and was still underway at the time of the fire. It was a miracle that after 1,000s of shells going off in the flames, not a single person was injured from the bullets.
The city of Charleston dispatched every available firefighter and all the equipment they had at their disposal. Both Boy Scouts and military cadets who were still home for the holidays were allowed to help. They went throughout the lower levels of the burning inferno to evacuate anyone who might be still inside. They also helped to remove as many official records and office equipment as possible out to the capitol lawn where they would be safe.
The following is a description of the manner in which the fire was handled by the Charleston Fire Departments at the time:
“Charleston’s Fire Stations #2 and #4 responded to the first alarm and was there in just a few minutes with their 1,000-gallon pumper truck, 75’ ladder truck, a combination chemical and hose truck, and a combination hose and Junior pumper, with a total of 4,000’ of hose, of which 550’ was 3” hose.” (The ladder truck and the pumper can be seen in the photo below.)
“The 2nd alarm brought out the 2 old steamers which are held in reserve and # 3 horse drawn hose wagon. The steamers were put into service at once. Two hose lines connected direct to hydrants were carried into the building to the attic and an effort was made to confine the fire to the Senate wing but owing to the fact that the division wall did not extend to the roof, the highly inflammable roof structure and lack of adequate pressure at this point, these two hose lines were unable to retar the spread of the flames to any extent and one line was soon removed. The other line continued to work from this point until the fire spread to the central part of the building, then it was pulled out.
The aerial ladder, after some delay, was soon removed on account of flames breaking out around the eaves. There were 6 hose lines in all in use and with the exceptions as mentioned above, the fire was fought from the ground outside with little or no effect. These 6 lines, after considerable shifting, were all finally connected to pumping engines.
The dial from the recording gauge in the central fire station showed that the water pressure from noon until 3:30 p.m. on the day of the fire was approximately 65 pounds. At 3:30 p.m., it jumped to 75 pounds and held at approximately this figure throughout the duration of the fire.
During the event, a brick gable with a heavy stone arch over a dormer window in the rear of the center wing fell when a roof collapsed, killing one man (Fireman Charles Walker), and severely injuring one fireman (Captain Oscar Thaxton who died several months later from wounds received at the fire). Several other men who were engaged in removing records from the building were slightly injured.”
The wall gave way as Charleston Police Chief John Charnock and his officers were dropping boxes to records from the State Tax Commission office to Tax Commissioner Walter Hallanan standing on the lawn below. Chief Charnock started to climb down a ladder when the wall gave way which had a section of the roof attached to it. The Chief held to the window frame until he was rescued. The falling debris narrowly missed the chief, but WV National Guard Col. Thomas Davis was not as lucky. He was struck in the back, but sustained no life-threatening injuries.
When all was done and the smoke was beginning to clear, an inspection of the capitol ruins revealed that the flames were so hot that they melted the giant vaults which held priceless official documents. The safes were said to have transferred enough heat to cause the irreplaceable paper documents to smolder into ash.
At the time, the cause of the fire was unknown. However, it was later determined to have been caused by defective electrical wiring on the fourth floor.
The cost of the 85-room capitol building at the time it was built in 1885 was $400,000. While the loss of the historic building and the vast collection of irreplaceable official records could not be measured in monetary terms, it was comforting to know that there was a $6,000,000 insurance policy on the structure.
The following description of the history of the WV Capitol can be found at:https://generalservices.wv.gov/history-of-the-capitol/Pages/default.aspx
History of the Capitol
Before the capitol was in its current location in Charleston, several West Virginia cities had served as the capitol location for the State of West Virginia. The capitol was first located in Wheeling from 1863-1870 in the Linsly Institute Building. It was moved to downtown Charleston from 1870-1875. The state’s capitol then moved back to Wheeling where it remained from 1875-1885, partially in the Linsly Building, and later in an original structure constructed by the city of Wheeling. The capitol returned to Charleston in 1885 where it remains in present day. The capitol was previously located in downtown Charleston from 1885-1921, then moved to the “Pasteboard Capitol” from 1921 to March of 1927.
The construction of the present capitol took eight years to complete at a cost of just under $10 million. Cass Gilbert, a New York native, was appointed chief architect of the building in 1921. The state purchased 65 pieces of property between California Avenue and Duffy Street for the building’s foundation. George A. Fuller Company was awarded the general construction, a steam shovel was moved on site, and a groundbreaking service was held on January 7, 1924.
It was constructed in three stages: The West Wing was built in 1924-25 and the East Wing was constructed in 1926-27. The rotunda connecting the two wings was completed in 1932. Governor William G. Conley dedicated the new capitol on the state’s 69th birthday, June 20, 1932. The total construction cost of the WV State Capitol was $9,491,180.03.
The capitol holds 530,000 square feet of floor space and 333 rooms in its main unit and two wings. The building encompasses more than 14 acres of floor space. Two thirds of the interior consist of marble. The walls are made of Imperial Danby, and the floors are a combination of white Vermont marble and dark Italian travertine. The Rotunda features a chandelier hanging from a 54-foot brass and bronze chain. The 4,000-pound chandelier is eight feet in diameter, made of 10,080 pieces of Czechoslovakian crystal, and illuminated by 96 light bulbs.
The exterior of the Capitol is made of buff Indiana limestone. More than 700 train carloads of limestone and 4,640 tons of steel were used in its construction. The West Entrance to the East Wing, East Entrance to main building, and East Entrance to West Wing feature the carved heads of mythological creatures above the entranceways. Two biblical inscriptions are carved in stone tablets on the north and south bases of the capitol dome. On the north side: “Wisdom is the principle thing. Therefore, get wisdom. And with all of thy getting, get understanding.” On the south side: “Happy is the man that findeth wisdom and getteth understanding.”
The 293-foot gold atop the capitol is five feet taller than the dome of the United States Capitol. The dome is covered in copper and gold leaf. The dome was originally gilded by Mack Jenney and Tyler Company in 1931. The dome was restored to the original plans of Cass Gilbert in 2005, which included the reconstruction of the eagle at the top of a 25-foot bronze spire built on a 34 and a half-foot lantern.
West Virginia did pick herself up and did rebuild her capitol… One of the most magnificent capitols of any state in the nation was the result.(See Photo Page 8.)
God Bless, Chin Up, and Stay Safe
Patricia Richards Harris