Brown and White Vol. 7 no. 46

              the main central tower is still standing as are all the chimneys the stone-work of the tower at the level of the main roof has been considerably affected by the heat and part of it has fallen out the entire building is roofless with the exception of a small portion on the extreme west end of the building m e society the meeting of the mechanical engineering society which was to have been held last tuesday even ing was postponed on account of lack of a quorum alumni meeting at the next meeting of the alumni association of lehigh university in the early part of june an election will be held for a president two vice-presidents a secretary and a treasurer to serve two years and an honorary alumni trustee to serve four years the term of mr w r lathrop expiring in june next , plans have already been inaugu rated by the executive committee which should make the next alumni day unusually attractive and atten tion is called to the matter at this early date in order that every one may have ample time in which to arrange to be present e a mechling manager of the pennsylvania football team has resigned his position theodore l bean the assistant manager has been elected his successor the physical laboratory the latest addition to the equpment of the university was discovered on fire at 8.20 o'clock this morning the fire started in the light and photographic laboratory in the east end of the first floor some experimental work in the photography of shadows was be ing done at the time and the drap ings used to exclude day-light caught fire the experiment was being conducted in the hallway from which the light is cut off by heavy cotton curtains the flames spread with frightful rapidity through this tinder-like material to a quantity of lumber which was piled along the walls the entire janitor force of the building aided by the students who were gathering for their first recita tion turned all the fire apparatus of the building on the flames but could not check them at the same time an alarm was sent in from the corner of fourth and new streets and at 8.45 the first hose carriage arrived one feeble stream was directed at the second floor windows most of it splashing on the outside walls but by this time the fire had spread and the whole east end of the building was in flames smoke was pouring out from under the eaves and the flames could be seen work ing their way toward the west end of the structure the entire fire department of south bethlehem responded to the alarm but as that borough does not possess a steam fire engine their most strenous misdirected efforts availed but little the bethlehem fire department was telephoned for but refused to come until requested to do so by the south bethlehem fire chief at 9.10 the south bethlehem chief sent a telephone message request ing aid and in response one steamer a hose cart and a hook and ladder company was sent they arrived about 9.30 but a dispute as to who was to use one of the plugs en sued and it was 9.45 before an effec tive stream was put on the fire in the meantime the south bethlehem department had been playing four gravity streams on various portions of the walls but the water seemed to have no appreciable effect on the flames by the time the steamer was in operation the east end of the build ng had been abandoned all efforts being put on an attempt to save the upper end this however was soon found to be impossible with the available facilities and by 10 o'clock the entire building had been gutted by the flames the most valuable apparatus in the building was in the dynamo room on the first floor east end this room contained about ten dynamos of various sizes and the engine which furnished them power all the moveable machines about six in number were saved and efforts were made to protect the engine at this time the damage done can not be ascer tained the students worked with will removing material from the build ing and second floors and succeeded in saving all the books in prof franklin's private study and some of the apparatus in the labatory rooms used by the sophomores the juniors and seniors working in the drawing room succeeded in saving their instruments but most of the drawings were lost the physical laboratory built in i892-'93 was a stone building 235 feet long 44 feet wide and four stories high it contained a dyna mo-laboratory which was excep tionally well equipped with electri cal apparatus also in this build ing were the electrical laboratories physical lecture and recitation rooms and laboratories for general physics light and photography as well as large audience and lecture hall the building was constructed upon the designs of professor harding then head of the depart ment of physics and electrical en gineering and was in most respects a model structure as originally planned the lower floor was divided into two large rooms separated by notes of the fire all college exercises were sus pended until the disposition of the classes could be arranged many of the students at recita tions in other buildings were kept for more than a balf hour after the fire was in progress before they dis covered what was going on instructor gummere was one of the most active workers and was instrumental in saving several valu able dynamos prof franklin lost his hat during the progress of the fire and was obliged to borrow jim's all matter saved from the fire was stored in the boiler house and in the chemical laboratory symington 01 was cut painfully in the hand while endeavoring to save some of the apparatus the bethlehem steel company sent a detachment of men to aid in subduing the flames 3.00 p.m extra edition 3.00 p.m the brown and white lehigh university south bethlehem pa friday april 6 1900 calendar no 46 vol vii physical laboratory destroyed buii/ding entirely gutted by fire this morning entire contents de stroyed.—loss unknown thursday april s at 4 p.m mustard and cheese rehearsal in christmas hall friday april 6 at 11.30 a.m college lecture -. saturday april 7 — baseball game lehigh vs columbia athle tic field sunday april b at 9.30 a.m meeting of bible class christ mas hall at 4 p.m christian asso ciation christmas hall notices supply bureau elections there will be an election for manager of the supply bureau im mediately after the easter holidays all wishing to apply for the posi tion must do so in writing before april ioth any undergranuate is eligible and the choice in the hands of the board of directors of the bureau the person elected will take charge september ist and will hold office for one year at least the manager has entire charge of the business of the bureau and is allowed a percentage of the profits the main stairway and two small supply rooms these rooms were subsequently sub-divided into store and work-rooms by wooden parti tions and it was in the hallway thus constructed that the fire originated the building cost over 100,000 and with its contents was insured for only 50,000 this insurance is held in four policies two of 10 000 each and two of 15,000 the building itself was insured for 40 000 and the contents for 10,000 later news 2 p m at 2 o'clock the fire had almost died out but was still being played on by two streams furnished by the bethlehem steamer the outside walls show no sighs of falling though some of the inside partition walls look shaky the interior of the building is a mass of twisted piping and half burned timbers the debris being in spots ten feet deep on the south side of the building the cut-stone facing disintegrated under the action of the heat but the stone-work on the rest of the structure does not appear to have been effected except immediately around the windows