The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-07
SUPREME COURT ROOM A RUIN.
, DESTRUCTIVE EXPLOSION OF GAS
At THE NATIONAL CAPITOL.

a Jet Without-FOrce OF the EX-
,,,osioD Terrific-SeriOus Damage
None the Capitol.
washington, Nov. 6.-An explosion and
ers at 518 this afternoon wrecked the Su-
RENE Court room and the rooms imme-
9;9tely adjoining ii on the main floor of
The capitol The damage is enormous.
The entire central eastern part of the
GREAT marble pile from the main floor to
me subterranean basement practically is
a mass of ruin.
The force Of the explosion was so heavy
that the coping stones on the outer walls,
inst 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 hundred
and fifty feet from the scene of 1t.
Fire followed the explosion so quickly as
TO seem practically simultaneous with it.
The explosion shook the immense struc-
tnre to its foundations, and was heard
several squares from the capitol 1t oc-
CURED in a small room tightly enclosed
by heavy stone walls in the subterranean
basement Immediately below the main en-
trance to the old capitol building. In this
room was a 500-light gas meter, which
was fed by a 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 the main, caught fire.
The flames, originating from the explo-
sion. darted up the shaft to the elevator,
which had been completely destroyed by
the force of the explosion, and commu-
nicated with the record room of the Su-
preme Court, the office of the marshal of
the court. and the Supreme Court library.
Before the flames could be suDdued The
priceless documents in the record room
had been almost totally destroyed and Sc
rous damage had been done in the mar
ehars 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 fire,
smoke and water, water practically Ge-
stroying the great collection Of law refer
ence books The library contains about
10000 volumes.
Justine Harlan said Tonight that the
library was very valuable. Many of the
works it contained, would, he thought,
be difficult 10 replace. Librarian Clark,
after a cursory examination necessarily
made 10y the light of lanterns, expressed
the opinion that many of the books could
be saved although they had been drenched
by water from the streams poured into
the library for two hours or more after
the explosion occurred.
The most serious damage in the opinion
of the justices of the Supreme Court is to
the records stored in the sub-basement.
These included all the records of the Su-
preme Court from 1892 to 1882. Apper-
emily the documents in this room are eth
er totally destroyed or so badly damaged
by fire and water as to be useless. JUS
uce Harlan said that while the loss of
the records was irreparable, it was for
tunate that the later records of the court,
which are kept in the office of the clerk
on the main floor, were not injured.
Mr.. James McKenney, clerk of the Su-
preme Court, expressed the hope after
making an examination of the old record
room that some at least of the documents,
priceless from the view point of the his
torian, could be saved.
The Supreme Court room was damaged
Particularly by water and smoke, the tlre
mot reaching that point. Adjoining the
court room, however, both the marshaIs
office and the Senate barber shop furnish
al food for the flames.
While many theories are offered as to
the cause of the explosion 1t seems beyond
doubt to have been due to escaping gas.
Within a few minutes after the arrival
Of the fire department the flames were un-
der control. although as a precautionary
measure streams were poured into the
marshars Office, the library and the sub
tewanean basement for two hours. The
tlemen We're unable, however, for con-
siderable time to extingulsh the flame OF
gas which shot out of the 4-ineh main in
The meter room. From this main the fire
swept through an orifice in the basement
floor. caused by the explosion, and at
tackled the consultation room OF the Su-
preme Court justices on the main moor
Some damage was done to the furniture
and fittings of this room.
IL was evident that the fire could not be
eXtnguished until the gas from the main
was cut off. That this might be accom-
plished, the firemen turned two streams
upon the main, choking the flow of gas
and at the same time cooling the pipe.
Electrician Giie, braving the intense heat,
entered the meter room and cut off the
Gas at the floor valve of the main.
Throughout the lower central portion of
the old capitol building doors, windows
and fittings in committee rooms, and other
apartments, are badly damaged. just
north of the crypt, an archway almost
over the meter room, was completely
blown out, and great masses of masonry
torn from the floor were hurled to the
ceiling with such force as to burst the
stone and plaster Of the walls above. Pom
0erous fagstoues were wrenched from
their resting places, and throughout the
corridors the frescong on the ceilings
ana walls OF the corridors were utterly
ruined. No damage was done to the
main foundations of the building. as
taese are of solid masonry embedded and
twenty-five feet four inches thick.
The electric lighting apparatus, includ-
Ing dynamos, boilers and wirings were not
damaged. In order TO enable the fremen
10 work without peril from live wires,
Electrician Gle cut off the current from
all wires except one circuit, which lighted
lne lowest western part Of the building.
Among the losses which will be most
sincerely regretted are those of busts Of