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"It may be interesting to know how this Government building took fire," Francis William
Test wrote to his mother three days after the fire ended, "for it was considered fireproof.
The wind was blowing a living gale from the Southwest when we saw the fire was coming
near, or rather that our office was in the line of the sweeping flames. The inside iron doors
were closed on all the windows. The outside shutters are always closed after office hours
by the watchman.... Mails are received in the basement and distributed in the first floor.
The iron shutters in the basement were also closed but a failing wall burst in these north
windows and in less than five minutes the first floor (the post Office proper) was in flames.
We still thought the second floor (Custom House) was safe; so it would have been had it
not been for the flooring that was nailed over an old stairway that used to connect the
second floor west room with the first floor.... The fire burst through this and in a short
time burned out the interior--forced its way through the wooden doors, bounded through
the hall to the East side; the main offices of the Custom House are situated here. In a few
moments the flames rushed like a tornado of fire through the windows; there are no outside
shutters to the second story but there are on the inside. Unluckily these shutters are
fastened to wooden stiles; these burned and let the shutters fall."
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Among the Ruins 