Sunday, Jan. 23d, at half-past seven o’clock, the students of the University assembled as usual in the chapel for the evening worship. The pleasant afternoon had given place to a chilly night. In a warm but not overheated room all were attentive to the opening exercises. In the midst of the second hymn, which all had arisen to sing, one or two young men near the door were seen to pass out quickly from the room. Several others followed at their heels, when, immediately, as by a common instinct, both divisions of the assembly turned and pressed down the aisles toward the two front doors. Not a word of alarm was spoken by an individual and the order, “back!” “back!” which was given from the rostrum, checked for a minute this sudden movement, and some at the doors hesitated whether to pass out or to return. A moment more when a quantity of water fell from the ceiling through the thimble of the stove pipe, simultaneously with the cry of “fire” without, all in the room became aware of the real cause of alarm. The young men who first passed out ran to the hall above, and, with what water was found in three or four rooms which they burst into, attempted to put out the fire. It was found to have broken out, however, above them, beneath the roof and very close also to the open bell-tower. This tower, with the long, straight hall, which, at one end, opened into it, and at the other had an outside stair door—the only entrance—provided at the start a powerful, furnace-like draught to the flames, which had they not been out of reach, could have been with difficulty brought under control. Within one hour our chapel was entirely consumed. During this time the young men managed to save a trunk, in some cases, a handful of clothes, a few books, or whatever else they could snatch out of their rooms the quickest. A number lost everything except what they were wearing at the time. In several instances what was thrown out of windows and carried to a safe distance from the burning building was stolen by enterprising neighbors. No sooner was the chapel well in flames than the attention of everybody was centered in the effort to save adjacent buildings, and especially the mansion, the most valuable of all. This and the chapel stood broadside toward each other, 37 yards apart. We had, however, the advantage of a flat iron roof easily accessible to work upon. To keep the northern side of the building thoroughly wet with water thrown from the roof, from the ground, and from the second-story veranda, was the work of a long half hour, each moment of which we expected to see the building take fire. The working force of our institution was put to its utmost strain for the whole of this time. This and all the other buildings were saved.