Evening journal., 1898-11-07
Explosion Wrecks Part Of
the Great Building.
IMMENSE DAMAGE DONE
The Central Eastern Wing Almost
Completely Ruined.
SUPREME COURT ROOM GUTTED.
Priceless Records Destroyed - LIZ
brary Daddy Injured - Expio-
sion Caused by Leaking
Gas In the Easement.

W WAClllNRlO4Nf NOV. g. s- All tAlio-
sion and fire at 5:13 yesterday after
noon wrecked the supreme court room
and the rooms Immediately adjoining Il
on the main floor OF the capitol. The
damage is enormous. The entire cen
tral eastern part of the great marble
pile from the main floor to the subter-
ranean basement practically Is a mass
OF ruins. The force OF the explosion was
90 heavy that the coping stones on the
outer walls just east of the point where
the explosion occurred were bulged out
nearly two inches windows In all that
part OF the building were blown out and
locked doors were forced from their
hinges quite $50 feet from the scene OF
II.
Fire followed the explosion so quick
ly as TO seem practically simultaneous
with IT, The explosion shook the Inn
mense structure to It's foundations and
was heard several squares from the
capitol. IL occurred IN a small room
tightly lnclosed by heavy stone walls In
Che subterranean basement Immediate
ly below the main entrance TO the old
capitol building In this room was a
600 light gas meter which was fed by
four inch main Very little gas is used
In that part Of the building, but at the
time OF the explosion the gas had not
been turned off at the meter The meter
itself was wrecked. and the gas pouring
from tho main caught FIRE. The flames
originating from the explosion darted
up the shaft Of the elevator, which had
been completely destroyed by the force
OF the explosion. and communicated
with the record room Of the supreme
court, the Office OF the marshal OF the
~.
Before the flames could be subdued the
priceless documents in the record room
had been almost totally destroyed, and
serious damage had been done I'm the
marshal's room and some minor rooms
in the immediate vicinity.
The library of the supreme court, To-
Gated Immediately beneath the supreme
court ROOM was badly damaged by fire.
smoke and water water practically de-
stroying the great collection OF law ref
erence books. The library contains
about 10000 volumes. and was used not
only by the justices OF the supreme
court, but by members Of congress and
lawyers praoticing before the supreme
court Mr.. Justice Harlan said tonight
that the library was very valuable.
Many OF the works Il contained would,
he thought. be dihicut to replace. Ii
brarlan Clarke. after a cursory exami-
nation necessarily made by the light OF
lanterns expressed the opinion that
many of the books could be saved. al
though they had been drenched by wa
ter from the streams poured into the
library for two hours or more after the
explosion occurred.
The most serious damage in the opln-
ion of the Justices OF the supreme court
a.. -. ~. a..
ment. These included all Of the records
OF the supreme court from 1892 to 1892.
The room contains records OF cases and
opinions rendered by the fathers OF the
judiciary OF the government. Apparent
iy the documents in this room are either
totally destroyed or so badly damaged
by fire and water as 10 be useless. Jus
tlce HARLAN said that while the loss OF
the records was irreparable Il was for
tunate that the later records of the
court which We're kept in the office of
the clerk on the main floor were not in
jured. As documents for reference at
this time and later Justice Harlan
thought these We're of far greater value
than the records destroyed. Fortunate
ly the clerks Office was not In the least
damaged by fire. and the explosion dld
no damage In it except to blow out one
window.
Mr.. James McKenney. clerk OF the
supreme court, expressed the hope. aft
er making an examination OF the old
record room, that some at least OF the
documents could be saved Last night.
however, owing 10 the inadequate light
ing facilities In that portion of the
building where the explosion and fire
occurred II was impossible for him TO
lraa IVtf
cation Of the damage. The supreme
court room was damaged principally by
water and smoke the fire not reaching
that point. Adjoining the courtroom.
however. both the marshars Office and
the senate barber shop furnished food
for the flames.
While many theories are offered as TO
the cause Of the explosion, Il seems be-
yond doubt to have been due 10 escap
ing gas. At seven minutes after Lieu
tenant Nelson Of the capitol police de-
tected an odor Of gas in the corridors
adjoining the supreme court room Not
being able 10 locate Il, he proceeded 70
statuary hall-the old hall OF the house
OF representatives-thin the gas
might be escaping from a burner IN that
vicinity. While he was endeavoring 10
locate the escape OF tire gas the expio-
sion occurred. only Few persons. prin-
cipally officers of the capitol police
We're in the building at the time. but
several OF them had narrow escapes
Before the fire department. which re-
sponded TO an alarm sent In by a po-
liceman three squares from the capitol
had arrived, c. p. Giiem. chief electri.
clan Of the capitol. and II. W. Taylor
chief engineer of the house side. had q
stream playing into the supreme court
record room, which by that time was j
roaring furnace.
Within few minutes after the ar.
rival OF the fire department the flame:
were under control, although as a pre-.
cautionary measure streams were pour.
ed into the marshals Office, the librar,
and the subterranean basement for two
hours. The firemen were unable. how
ever, for a considerable time TO extin.
guish the flame Of gas which shot ou
of the four inch main in the meter
room. From this main the fire swep