The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-11-08
THE WRECKED ROOMS.
Loss of the Supreme Court Not So
Great as First Feared.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 1.-THE big Capt.
toll building was the scene of wreck and
desolation to-day, following the explosion
and fire which wrought such serious havoc
last night. The engines and firemen had
gone and in their place a small army of
workmen was carrying off the debris of
brick and mortar, charred woodwork,
soaked and half burned official papers and
documents which had been heaped in con-
fusion in the basement and subbasement
under the quarters occupied by the United
States Supreme Court. An examination of
the courtroom showed that the damage was
confined to the discolored walls and cell
ings and soaked carpets. No substantial
damage had been done. The bench occu-
pied by the judges was uninjured, and even
the briefs and papers left by some of the
justices under paper weights remained un,
disturbed. But while the fire had made no
progress here, smoke and water had left
this chamber, which has long been regarded
as a model of classic beauty, in sorry con-
dition The windows and sash of the fine
old colonial windows thanking the bench are
In ruins. The frescoed ceilings, which re-
Gently had been done over, are blurred and
spotted, the carpets and draperies are
soaked, while the whole chamber has the
damp, smoked aspect usually following a
fire. The personal effects of the Justices,
robes, etc, were found to be uninjured
The main loss of the court was in the
marshal's office and in the storage room,
where valuable old records are kept.
An examination of the meter room, where
the gas supplied to the Capitol is meas
ured, showed that the big meter had been
blown to pieces. This satisfied most of the
Capitol officials that a gas explosion was
responsible for the damage, but they would
not express this view openly until an official
inquiry had been made.
Several Supreme Court justices made a
visit to the scene of the catastrophe dur
ing the forenoon. Chief Justice Fuller and
Justice Harlan walked through the various
apartments guided by man with a lantern.
While they looked at the scenes of destruc-
ton with manifest interest they made no
remarks. They spent somewhat more time
in the courtroom than elsewhere There
they found the upholstery and the courts
new $4,000 carpet greatly injured, but the
two court clocks were ticking away as regu-
larry and as dignihedy as ever. The busts
or former chief justices which line the walls
OF the OLD chamber We're also uninjured,
ana LhlS appeared to be a source of much
gratncatlon to the chief justice and his
companion. They found nothing but ruin
ana desolation in Marshal Wright's office
This room was completely Quilted. No fur
nlture escaped and tie walls of the room
are black as night, the effect of smoke and
water combined. While this damage was re-
GREETED, 1t vas not considered irreparable
The only damage that cannot be made
good was done in the hIe room of the SUI
preme Court, in the basement where were
stored all the official records and the orig
maj copies or opinions from the foundation
or the government. All these opinions have
Deen printed, but the original manuscripts
were highly valued. This room was almost
over the scene of the explosion, and it was
one or the hrst compartments of the Capitol
10 pc attacked. The documents were stored
away in an orderly manner in wooden cases
and mono OF them had any other protection.
except the records of the court from 400
To 1882, which were incased in tin boxes
me flames appear to have completely en-
yeloped this room, but they were only suf-
hclently intense TO badly char all the wood
work and many of the documents Com
paratiVely few of the papers were absolutely
destroyed, out those which suffered this fate
were among the most valuable in the room.
They included the original opinions of the
court in the early days OF the government
and among them were many manuscripts
prepared in the handwriting OF the jurists
OF the days Of Washington jefferson and
Adams There were in the lists many opn-
ions in manuscripts written by Marshall,
Story, Samuel Chase Bushrod Washington
and others of the justices of the period be-
tween 1850 and 1852, and therefore priced as
relics OF the early days of the court. They
also were occasionally referred to to settle
points concerning words or punctuation
marks. These papers were stored under the
arch of the room and seem to have been
completely consumed. On the other hand
the official records of the court proceedings
covering the same period appear to have
been preserved and PROBABLY in good con-
dition These were incased in tin boxes
and these, in turn placed within wooden
cases. The debris is in such disorder as to
have rendered it impossible to open the
wooden doors up to noon to-day, but these
doors were not penetrated at any place,
hence the belief that the records themselves
are intact
Many of the more modern documents, in
Guiding letters and opinions of recent date,
impossible TO restore them. but none of these
appears to have suffered such complete
demolition as befell the early opinions No
documents affecting the present docket of
the court were injured.
The fire at one time threatened to invade
the Senate docket room, reaching within
four or five feet Of 1t. Mr.. AMI Smith
the superintendent of the room. was on
the aid Of the fire department., but the
chances are that if it had gained any head
way in this department the damage would
have been far more serious, as the apart
ment is extensive and contains much ex-
posed paper.
A report was current during the morning
that the west central wall of the Capitol
was cracked as a result of the explosion
Architect Wood made q carefTl examina-
ton and located the crack which had
aroused suspicious. 1t proved, however, to
be in the outer, or veneer wall and not in
the six-foot foundation wall on the west
side This main hall has stood over one
hundred years and is stil in fairly good
veneer wall about ten Inches thick, was
az ded outside The explosion last night
blew out a heavy stone door frame in the
outer wall and this in turn ioosensd sew,
satisfied himself that the main wall had
not been disturbed. His attention was called