The true northerner., 1898-11-09

20 Building Not Heavy.
shington, Nov. 7.-An explosion
4 fire at 5:l5 Sunday afternoon
.ecked the supreme courtroom and
he rooms Immediately adjoining 1t on
the main floor of the capitol.
Caused by Gas Explosion.
While many theories are offered as
20 the cause of the explosion, it seems
beyond doubt to have been due to es-
Gaping gas. At seven minutes after five
Lieut.. Nelson, of the capitol police de-
tected an odor of gas in the corridor
adjoining the supreme courtroom.
Not being able to locate it he proceeded
to Statuary hall-the old hall of the
house of MISUNDERSTANDING the
gas might be escaping from burner in
that vicinity. While he was endeavoring
to locate the escape of the gas the ex-
principally officers of the capitol police,
were in the building at re time, but
several of them had harrow escapes
A Scene of DesoIation.
Washington, Nov. s.-The big capitol
buildic, was the scene of wreck and
1esolation 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 workmen 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.
Valuable Records Damaged.
The only damage that cannot be made
good was done in the fileroom of the
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 protection except the
records of the court from 1892 10 1882,
which were encased in tin boxes. The
flames appear to have completely en-
veloped this room, but they were only
sufficiently intense to badly char all
the woodwork and many of the doc
uments 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 aud Adams.
Il Not Dangerous.
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 100 years and
IL still in fairly good condition
Inss IN Tho nutIdtum
The library of the supreme court,
which, next to the congressional IL
brary, Is the most valuable collection Of
books in Washington, escaped with lit
tie damage, the wrecked elevator shaft
and upheaved stone floors being at the
library entrance. 1t is estimated that
the loss in the library will be covered
ty $1,000. The books escaped intact,
the loss being confined to singed wood
work. The floor of the electrical room
under which the explosion occurred
was as completely demolished as IL 1t
had 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.