Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1898-11-12
SCENE OF DESoLATIoN.
Inject of the Explosion and Fire Upon
the Supreme Court Rooms-Loss
About 100000.

w IOu, NONs o,-l DlR
building was the scene of wreck and
desolation Monday, following the ex-
plosion and fire which wrought such
serious havoc, The engines and fire.
men had gone, and in their places a
small army of worllmen were carrying
off the debris of brick and mortar,
charred woodwork, soaked and half
burned official papers and documents
which had been heaped in confusion in
the basement and subbasement under
the quarters occupied by the United
States supreme court An eXamina-
ton of the courtroom showed that the
damage was confined to discolored
walls and ceilings and soaked carpets.
No substantial damage had been done.
The bench occupied by the justices was
uninjured, and even the briefs and
papers left by some of the justices
under paper weights remained undis-
turbed. But while the fire had made
no progress here, smoke and water had
left this chamber, which has long been
| regarded as model of classic beauty,
in sorry condition. The windows and
sash of the fine old colonial windows
| hanking the bench are in ruins. The
frescoed ceiling, which recently had
| been done over, is blurred and spotted,
the carpets and drapcries are soaked,
while the whole chamber has the damp,
soaked aspect usually following fire.
| The personal effects of the justices,
robes. ETC., were found to be uninjured.
| The main loss of the court was in the
marshals Office, and in the storage
room, where valuable old records are
| kept. The extent of this loss is not
yet exactly determined.
| The only damage that cannot be made
good was done in the tileroom of tile
supreme court in the basement where
were stored all the official records and
the original copies of opinions, from
the foundation of the government All
these opinions have been printed, but
the original manuscripts were highly
valued.
This room was almost over the scene
of the explosion, and it was one of
the first compartments of the capitol
TO be attacked. The documents here
were stored away in an orderly man
| ner in wooden cases, and none of them
had any other projection except the
| records of the court from 1892 to 1892,
which were encased in tin boxes. The
| flames appear to have completely en-
vcloped this room, but they were only
sufficiently intense to badly char all
the woodwork and many of the doc
rments. Comparatively few of the pa
pers were absolutely destroyed but
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 re-
public, and among them were many
manuscripts prepared in the handwrit-
ing of the jurists of the days of Wash
ington, Jefferson and Adams.
Many of the more modern documents,
including letters and opinions of recent
date, were also so badly burned that it
will be impossible to restore them. but
lone of these appears TO have suffered
such complete demolition as befell the
J early opinions. No documents affec:ing
| the present docket of the court were
injured.
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 a
! careful examination and located the
crack which had aroused suspicious.
1t proved, however, to be in the outer,
CT veneer, wall, and not in the six foot
foundation wall on the west side. This
main wall has stood over lee years and
Is still in fairly good condition. When
| additions were made a veneer wall
| about ten inches thick was added out
| side. The explosion blew out a neavy
stone door frame in the outer wall,
and this in turn loosened several stones
of the veneer wall. Mr. Stone satisfied
| himself that the main wall had not heen
| disturbed His attention was called to
a crack in the main wall, but this he
recalled as a well-known old crack
which has existed for years. Mr.. Wood
says it is not surprising that wall
which has stood a century should have
some old cracks. which do not however,
impair its general security. He thinks
| this crack may nave come from the ex-
pansion resulting from the burning of
the capitol by the British in 1914.
The library of the supreme court,
which, next to the congressional u.
brary, is the most valuable collection of
| books in Washington, escaped with lit
Tie ualnaSe the wrecked elevator smart
and upheaved stone floors being a the
| library entrance. 1t is estimated that
the loss in the library will be covered
| by $1,000. The books escaped intact,
the loss being confined to singed wood
work. The floor of the electrical re ON
under which the explosion occurred
was as completely demolished as if it
rad been directly over the center of
an earthquake. Fortunately no one
was in the room when the explosion oc-
Cured. Mr. Wood at the close of the
day expressed the opinion that the dam
age to the capitol building could be re-
paired for $4,000.
Mills Shut Down.
Fall River, Mass, Nov. S.-The Bar
| nard. Durfee, Flint. Mechanics, Shove