The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1898-11-07

sion and fire at 51s this afternoon
wrecked the supreme court room and
the rooms immediately adjoining It on
the main floor of the capitol. The dam
age 10 enormous. The entire central
eastern part OF the great marble pile
from the main floor to the subterranean
basement practically is a mass OF ruins
The force Of the explosion was 50 heavy
that the coping stones on the outer walls,
tust east Of the point where the eEplo-
sion occurred werebulged out nearly two
inches; wlndows in all that part OF the
building were blown out; and locked
doors were forced from their hinges
quite q hundred and fifty feet from the
scene Of II.
Fire followed the explosion so quickly
as to seem practically simultaneous
with 1t. The explosion shook the I'M
mense structure to Its foundations and
was heard several squares from the cap
itol. 1t occurred In a small room Tight
Iy enclosed by heavy stone walls In the
subterranean basement Immediately be-
low the main entrance to the old capl.
tol building. In this room was a 800
light gas meter which was fed by four
inch main. Very little gas is used IN
that mart Of tlle building, but at the time
Of the explosion the gas had not been
turned of at the meter. The meter
itself was wrecked and the gas pouring
from the 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 ~ the supreme court
the office of the marshal Of the court
and the supreme court library.
Doenmrn,H RnI Books OrNiroyri.
Before the flames could be subdued the
priceless documents in the record room
had been almost totally destroyed and
serious damage had been done In the
marshals office 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 hre'
smoke and water, water practically de-
stroying the great collection Of law re-
ference books. The library contains
about 10000 volumes and was used not
onIy by the justices of the supreme
court but by members Of Congress and
LAWYERS practlcing 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 difficult to replace. LII
brarian Clarke, after a cursory eXamt-
nation necessarily made by the light OF
the lanterns, expressed the opinion that
many OF the books could be saved, al
though they had been drenched by
water from the streams poured into the
library for two hours or more after the
expulsion occurred.
The most serious damage, in the opln-
ION of the justices OF the supreme court,
is To the records stored In the sub-hase-
ment. These included all OF the records
OF the supreme court from 1892 70 1892
The room contains records OF cases and
opinions rendered by the fathers OF the
judiciary Of the government. Appar-
emily the documents in this room are
either totally destroyed or so badly
damaged by fire and water as to be use
less.
IrrrparabIs Loss.
Justice Harlan said that while the loss
Of the records was irreparable, 1t was
fortunate that the later records of the
cour. which are kept in the Office of the
clerk on the main floor, were not In
iured. 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 did
no damage In II, except to blow out one
window. The supreme court room was
damaged principally by water and
smoke the fire not reaching that point
Adjoining the court room, however
Elth the niarshal's office and the senate
barber shop furnished food Tor the
flames.
the cause Of the explosion, It seems be-
yond doubt 20 have been due 70 escap-
ing gas. At seven minutes after 5
O'clock. Lieutenant Nelson, OF the capi-
tol police, detected an odor OF gas in the
corridor adjoining the supreme court
room. Not being able to locate It he
proceeded to statuary hall, the old hall
At the house Of OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
ing the gas might be escaping from a
burner in that vicinity.
Explosion Of Gas.
While he was endeavoring to locate
the escape OF the gas the explosion oc-
CURED. Only few persons, principally
officers Of the capitol police. were in the
building at the time, but several Of them
had narrow escapes. Before the fire de-
partment, which responded to an alarm
sent in by a policeman, three squares
from the capitol, had arrived, G. p.
Gliem, chief electrician Of the capitol,
and H. w. Taylor, chief engineer Of the
house side, had a stream playing into
the supreme court record room, which
by that time was roaring furnace.
Within q few minutes after the arrival
OF the fFe department, flames were un-
der control, although as q precautionary
measure streams were poured intn the
marshal's Office, the library and the sub
terranean basement for two hours.
No Intelligent estimate Of the money
loss by the explosion and fire get can be
made. In the opinion OF capitol officials
and mechanics who examined the struc-
ture tonight, the loss win reach prob
ably 100000 10 the building. The loss
on the library and records ms stated
above. can be scarcely estimated in
dollars and cents.
Arrangements were completed to-
night by Librarian Clarke, of the Bu-
preme court, and Colonel Richard
Bright, sorEeant-at-nrms Of the senate,
by which che sittlngs OF the supreme
court will not be interrupted.