Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1898-11-11
FIRE IN THE CAPITOL.
Valuable Supreme Court Records
Destroyed

And the Law Library Demaged--There
was Terrific Explosion. Probably
Caused by Gas Collecting I'm the Vaults.
An explosion and fire at j.13 o'clock Sun
day afternoon wrecked the supreme court
room and the rooms immediately adjoining
it on the main floor of the United States
capital at Washington The force Of the
explosion was SO heavy that the coping
stones on the outer walls lust east of the
point where the explosion occurred were
buleed out nearly two inches, windows
in all that part of the building were blown
out, aud locked doors were forced from
their hinges $50 feet from the scene of it.
Fire followed the explosion instantly.
The explosion shook the immense structure
to its foundations and was heard several
squares from the Capitol. IL occurred in a
small ON tightly enclosed by heavy stone
walls in the suht rranean basement, i'm
mediatelv below the main entrance to the
old Capitol building In this room was a
500-hght gas meter. which was fed by a
four-inch main. The meter itself was
wrecked, and the gas pouring from the
main caught FIRE
The flames originating from the explosion
darted up the shat OF the elevator. which
had been DESTROYED 10y the force of the eX-
plosion, and communicated with the record
room of the supreme court, the office Of
the marshal of the court and the supreme
court library. Before the flames could be
subdued priceless documents in the record
room had been DESTROYED and serious dam
age had been done in the marshals room
and some minor rooms in the immediate
neiPhborhood.
The library of the supreme court, located
Immediately beneath the court room was
badly damaged by fire, smoke and water.
The library contains about 20 00U volumes,
and was used not only by the justices of the
supreme court hut bv members of Con
grPss and lawyers practising before the
court
The most serious damage is to the records
stored in the sub-basement These includ-
ed all Of the records Of the supreme court
from 1872 TO 1882. The room contains re
se0rasBffzclsss sand -Upinions rendered by
she fafbare Of the J1diciary Of the govern
sas.sg ~ =. = y sh I
y dnmeesd By Ere onsi ssatsrs a. p % use
less.
Justice Harlan said that while the loss of
the records was irreparabe it was fortu
nate that the later records of the court
which were kept in the office of the clerk
on the main floor, were not injured As
documents of reference at this time and lea
ter Justice Harlan thought these were of
far greater value than the records destroy
ed Fortunately the clerk office was not
in the least damaged by fire, and the ex-
plosion did no damage in it except to blow
out one window.
The supreme court room was damaged
principally 10y water and smoke, the fire
not reaching that point. Adj lining the
court room however, both the marshal
office and the Senate barber shop furnished
food for the flames
The chief electrician and the chief engi.
neer of the Capitol had streams of water
turned upon the fire Immediately, and the
flames were subdued in few minutes after
thearegular city IRE department arrived.
but water was poured into the subbasement
for two hours 1t Is supposed that the ex
plosion was caused 10y escaping gas
Among the losses which will he most sin
cerely regretted are busts of Chief Justice
Marshall and other distinguished members
of the supreme court, which were arranged
on small pedestals about the court room. In
the smoke and ruin which followed the ex
posion these valuable works of art were
either badly damaged or wholly DESTROYED.
and with their destruction the country has
suffered an irreparabe loss Many of them
have been treasured as exhibits in the SUI
preme court chamber for half century.