-Caveat Lector- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/"> </A> -Cui Bono?- http://www.knoxnews.com/news/5100.shtml Dayton fire damage $1 million plus 'Scopes' materials mostly safe February 8, 2000 By J.J. Stambaugh, News-Sentinel staff writer Authorities say they still don't know what caused a Sunday night fire that destroyed part of a building on the campus of Bryan College in Dayton. Officials from the State Fire Marshal's Office said they dispatched a team Monday morning to investigate the blaze at the request of the Dayton Fire Department. The three-alarm fire, which was first reported at 6:11 p.m., almost destroyed the school's administration building before it was extinguished some eight hours after it was reported. The fire caused at least $1 million worth of damage to the building, which houses historical documents from the famed "Scopes Monkey Trial" of 1925, according to Dick Garner, director of the Bomb and Arson Section of the fire marshal's office. "It's too early to really make a comment about the cause," Garner said. "Right now, we haven't even been inside to start the investigation." Classes were canceled Monday as firefighters and school officials poked through the ruins. The building housed the school's library, many of its classrooms, several laboratories and most administrative offices, Garner said. School spokesman Tom Davis said the Scopes collection was "basically" intact, although an early edition of Charles Darwin's "On the Origin of Species" was lost. The book, which was first published in 1859, laid out the author's controversial theory of evolution that later became the focal point of the "Scopes" trial. The school's Natural History Museum, touted as one of the largest in the southeastern United States, appeared to have been destroyed, Davis said. The museum contained taxidermy exhibits that included a mounted African lion and a 50,000-piece salt and freshwater shell collection. School officials said the library alone was valued at $4 million and the building itself was worth more than $5.5 million. "We lost a very special collection of rare books," said student Kerri-Lynn Paulson, who worked in the library. Davis said the fire began an hour after the library had closed and an hour before the computer laboratory opened, which meant that few students were in the building. "God was really watching out for us," he said. Several students managed to record the early stages of the fire on videocassette tape using hand-held video cameras, Davis continued, and investigators are reviewing the material. Bryan College President Dr. William Brown said the campus community had pulled together in the wake of the fire. He also said that offers of aid were pouring in from alumni, businesses and the Christian community. While state investigators were poised to enter the building Monday afternoon, they were proceeding with caution because of concerns that some of the labs might contain hazardous materials. The fire gutted the third floor, but officials said they still hoped that the lower portions of the building can be saved and renovated. That decision, however, must await the results of an engineering survey scheduled later this week. The school, a private Christian college, is named after orator William Jennings Bryan, who argued in support of Tennessee's ban on teaching evolution in public schools during the "Scopes" trial. It offers education and business courses to 550 students from 30 states and 10 foreign countries, Davis said. J.J. Stambaugh may be reached at 865-342-6307 or [EMAIL PROTECTED] Copyright © 1999-2000, The Knoxville News-Sentinel Co. All Rights Reserved. -- ----------------------- NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ----------------------- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance—not soap-boxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
