ich was
found to be a very inconvenient arrangement. The subject came under the
notice of the Council on February 19th, 1878, when the committee
submitted plans of the proposed alterations. These included the erection
of a new block of buildings fronting Edmund Street, to consist of three
storeys. The Town Council approved the plans, and granted L11,000 to
defray the cost of the enlargement. About Midsummer the committee
proceeded to carry out the plans, and in order to do this it was
necessary to remove the old entrance hall and the flight of stairs which
led up to the Shakespeare Memorial Library and to the Reference Library,
and to make sundry other alterations of the buildings. The Library was
closed for several days, and in the meantime the walls, where the
entrances were, were pulled down and wooden partitions were run up
across the room, making each department of much smaller area than
before. In addition to this a boarded-in staircase was erected in Edmund
Street, by which persons were able to gain access to the Lending
Library, which is on the ground floor, and to the Reference Library,
which was immediately above. A similar staircase was made in
Ratcliff-place, near the cab stand, for the accommodation of the members
of the Midland Institute, who occupy the Paradise-street side of the
building. The space between the two staircases was boarded up, in order
to keep the public off the works during the alterations, and the
necessary gas supply pipes, &c., were located outside these wooden
partitions. The alterations were well advanced by Christmas, and
everything bade fair for an early and satisfactory completion of the
undertaking. The weather, however, was most severe, and now and then the
moisture in the gas-pipes exposed to the air became frozen. This
occurred on the afternoon of Saturday, January 11, 1879, and an employe
of the gas office lit a gas jet to thaw one of the pipes, A shaving was
blown by the wind across this light, it blazed; the flame caught other
shavings, which had been packed round the pipe to keep the frost out,
and in less than a minute the fire was inside, and in one hour the
Birmingham Reference Library was doomed to destruction. It was the
greatest loss the town had ever suffered, but a new building has arisen
on the site, and (with certain exceptions) it is hoped that a more
perfect and valuable Library will be gathered to fill it. In a few days
after the fire it was decided to ask the p