The age-herald., 1898-11-08

VA+--4N-@~ "a t1A1ttAA sponsibe for the damage, but they would not express this view openly until an of ficial inquiry had been made.
 Several supreme court justices made visit to the scene of the catastrophe during the forenoon. Chief Justice Fuller and Justice Harlan walked through the various apartments. guided by a man with lantern. While they looked at the scenes of destruction with interest. they made no remarks. They spent somewhat more time in the court room than elsewhere. There they found the upholstery and the courts new S4.000 carpet greatly injured, but the two court clocks were ticking away as regularly and as dignified as ever. The busts of the former chief justices, which line the walls of the old chamber, were also uninjured and this appeared to be source of much gratifieation to the chief justice and his companion.
 They found nothing but ruin and desola- ton in Marshal Wright's office. This room was completely gutted. No furniture es- caped and the walls of the rooms are as black as night from water and smoke com bined. While this damage was regretted, 1t was not considered irreparable.
 Many Records Destroyed
 The only damage that cannot be made good was done in the file room of the su- preme court in the basement, where were stored all the official records and the origi- nal copies of opinions from the foundation of the government All these opinions have been printed, but the principal manuscripts were highly valued.
 This room was almost over the scene of the explosion, and it was one of the first compartments to be attacked. The docu- ments here were stored away in an orderly manner in wooden eases and none of them had any other protection, except the records or the court from 1792 to 1S32 which were encased in tin boxes. The flames appear to have completely enveloped this room, but they were only sufficient to badly char all the woodwork and many of the documents. Comparatively few of the papers were ab- solutely destroyed, but those which suf- fered this fate were among the most valu- able in the room.
 They included the original opinions of the court in the early days of the republic, and among them were many manuscripts pre- pared in the handwriting of the jurists of the day of Washington, Jefferson and Adams. There were in the list many opin- Ions in manuscript written by Marshal Story, Samuel Chase, Bushrod Washing ton and others of the justices of the period between 179O and 1850, and therefore prized as relics Of the early days of the court. They also were occasionally referred to to settle disputed points concerning words or punctuation marks.
 Were Completely Consumed
 These papers were stored under the arch of the room and seem to have been com pletely consumed. On the other hand, the oiiiSaoi ieCoTuS ol the court s prOceeQ1nBS covering the same period appear to have been preserved, and are probably in good condition. These were encased in tin boxes, and these in turn placed within wooden cases. The debris is in such disorder as to have rem dered 1t impossible to open the wooden doors up to today but these doors were not penetrated at any place; hence the belief that the records themselves are intact.
 Many of the more modern documents were also so badly burned that it will be impossible to restore them, but none of these appear to have suffered such com- plete demolition as befell the early records. No document affecting the present docket of the court was injured. The fire at the time threatened to invade other rooms reaching within four or five feet of them. The superintendents of these rooms were on hand prepared to contest it's progress with the aid of the fire department, but the chances are that if it had gained any headway in this department the damage would have been far more serious, as the apartment is extensive and contains much exposed paper.
 Sergeant Bright has telegraphed Senator McMilon concerning the use of the senator's committee room for the SUI. preme court If it is not convenient to continue its use another committee room, or if need be, the senate chamber, will be utilized as court room.
 Sessi n of the Court
 The supreme court of the United States sat today in the room of the senate com mittee on District of Columbia. The room is quite a commodious office room, well fur nished with tables, chairs, desks and other office furniture, so that little difficulty was encountered in transforming it into suit able place for the court.
 No one would have inferred from the faces of the justices or their manner of proceeding with business that the court was sitting outside its own chambers for the first time since 1874, but such was the case.
 No written opinions were rendered. but this was not due to the fire. There would not have been any had the explosion not occurred
 The library of the supreme court, which is next to the congressional library, the most valuable collection of books in Wash ington, escaped with little damage, all though 1t was in the very center of dis turbance.
 Architect Woods at the close of the day expressed the opinion that the damage to the capital building could be repaired for $20, GOO.
 'It is by no means so serious as I first thought it was,' said MT. Wood. .I find that the foundations of the building were not damaged in the least but that the only injury done to the structure by the ex- plosion was done to the arched floors. These were struck from beneath, and af- fording the least resistance, gave way so readily that the foundation walls were not injured in any respect.
 Mr. Wood believes the explosion was caused by gas, but says he has not yet been able on account of the debris to make a sufficiently critical examination to place the exact spot at which the ignition cured. The work of removing the rub bish caused by the explosion has been pro- ceeding rapidly all day, seventy-five or one hundred men being employed for this pur- pose. MT. Wood thinks that the supreme court room will be ready for occupancy within two weeks. Here, as elsewhere, the damage was less than was thought and the opinion is expressed that nothing more than repainting the walls, new stairways and new upholstering will be necessary.
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