College Laboratory Damaged at Meadville

College Laboratory Damaged at Meadville

The laboratory building connected with the Allegheny College at Meadville, Pa., valued at $25,000, was damaged about half that amount January 15. The building was constructed of brick, with wood interior, 2 ½ stories high, 50 x 85 feet in area and was erected eight years ago. The fire is supposed to have been caused by escaping gas and was first seen at 5 o’clock, but it was supposed to be a student’s light that was seen, and it was not until 7:30 o’clock that the fire department was notified by telephone instead of by bell alarm from a nearby box. When Chief Howard Dowdell and the department arrived, the second floor and roof were burning fiercely. There was a great amount of explosive material in the building, which caused the department to work with great caution. An American-La France motor pumping engine provided two excellent one-inch streams, and two hydrant streams were also used, all through 3,000 feet of hose, one length of which burst. The water pressure in a six-inch main was 30 pounds, and two double hydrants 500 feet apart were used.

The laboratory building connected with the Allegheny College at Meadville, Pa., valued at $25,000, was damaged about half that amount January 15. The building was constructed of brick, with wood interior, 2 ½ stories high, 50 x 85 feet in area and was erected eight years ago. The fire is supposed to have been caused by escaping gas and was first seen at 5 o’clock, but it was supposed to be a student’s light that was seen, and it was not until 7:30 o’clock that the fire department was notified by telephone instead of by bell alarm from a nearby box. When Chief Howard Dowdell and the department arrived, the second floor and roof were burning fiercely. There was a great amount of explosive material in the building, which caused the department to work with great caution. An American-La France motor pumping engine provided two excellent one-inch streams, and two hydrant streams were also used, all through 3,000 feet of hose, one length of which burst. The water pressure in a six-inch main was 30 pounds, and two double hydrants 500 feet apart were used.