The record-union., 1898-11-08
The Main Loss in the Marshal's Office and
the Storage Room.
Many Original Copies of Opinions
Government Ruined, But All
Other Damage Can be Repaired
for the Sum of About Twenty
five Thousand Dollars.

WASHINGTON, Nov THE big
Capitol building was the scene of wreck
and desolation to-day, following the ex-
plosion and fire which wrought such
serious havoc last night. The engines
and firemen had gone, and in their place
a small army Of workmen We're 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 sub-basement under
the quarters occupied by the United
States Supreme Court.
An examination of the courtroom
showed that the damage was confined
to discolored walls and ceilings and
soaked carpets. No substantial dam
age had been done. The bench oecu-
pied by the Justices was uninjured, and
even the briefs and papers left by some
of the Justices under paper weights re-
manned undisturbed.
But while the fire haE made no pro-
gress here, some smoke and water had
left this chamber, which has long been
regarded as a model of classic beauty,
in sorry condition. The windows and
sashes of the old Colonial windows
thanking the bench are in ruins The
frescoed ceilings, which recently had
been done over, are blurred and spotted,
the carpets and draperies are soaked,
While the whole chamber has the damp
smoked aspect usually following a fire.
The personal effects of the Justices,
robes, etc, We're found to be uninjured
The main loss of the court was in
the MarshaPs office, and in the storage
-, III i
kept. The extent of this last loss is
not yet exactly determined.
Sergeant Arms Bright of the SEN
ate was busy this morning making
temporary provisions for the sessions of
the court. Senator McMillin's commit
tee room, for the District of Columbia
was hastily prepared with a bench anc
seats for the Justices and dozen rows
Of seats for attorneys and spectators.
The quarters are rather cramped, and
the Chief Justice and five Justices will
have to sit, on one side of. a long oak
table
Architect Clark of the Capitol is adj
vanced in age, and is very feeble, so
that the active work of investigating
the cause of explosion and of clearing
away the wreckage is in the hands or
the Assistant Architect of the Capitol,
Mr.. Wood
II have made a preliminary examine
tion," Mr. Wood said to-day, land
am not yet ready to say what caused
the explosion, although the main atten-
ton is being given to the gas supply. I
find that general damage sustained by
the building is not as serious as at first
supposed. The heavy foundations to
the building do not appear to be dis
turbed, and the walls blown down are
confined to the thin encircling walls
covering the steam pipes, etc.
No heavy sustaining arches or pill
lars have given way so far as 1 can
find. / will make a fuller examination
with better light later to make certain
on these points. For the present it
does not seem that a rebu<11Sng of any
part of the Capitol will be necessary
The work will be that of repairing,
and | hope we can finish this by the
time Congress convenes. We have a
small balance for this, but in any
event the work will be DONE"
An examination of the meter room.
where the gas supplied to the Capitol
IS measured, showed that the big me-
ter had been blown to pieces. THIS
satisfied most of the Capitol officers
that a gas explosion was responsible for
the damage but they would not ex-
press this view openly until an official
inquiry had been made.
Several Supreme Court Justices
made visit to the scene during the
forenoon. Chief Justice Fuller and
Justice Harlan walked through the
various apartments guided by man
with lantern. While they looked ut
the scene of destruction with manifest
interest, they made no remarks They
spent somewhat more time in the
courtroom than elsewhere They
found the upholstery and the courts
new 4.000 carpet greatly injured, but
the two court clocks were ticking away
as regularly and as dignifiedly as ever.
The busts of former Chief Justices
which line the walls of the old cham
Der were also uninjured, and this APP
peared to be a source of much gratifi-
cation to the Chief Justice and his
companions.
They found nothing but ruin and
desolation in Marshal Wright's office.
The room was completely Quilted. No
furniture escaped, and the walls of the
room are as black as night, the effects
or smoke and fire and water COM
blned. While this damage was re-
GREETED, it was not considered irrepara-
BILE
me only damage that cannot be
MADE good was done in the fileroom
OF the Supreme Court in the base
ment, Where We're stored all of the Off
elal records and the original copies of
opinions from the foundations of the
Government All of 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 at
tackled.
The documents We're stored away in
an orderly manner in wooden cases,
and none of them had any other pro-
lection, except the records of the court
from 1892 to 1882, which were cased
in tin boxes. The flames appear to
have completely enveloped this room,
but they were only sufficiently intense
to badly char all the woodwork and
many of the documents Comparative
ly few of the papers were absolutely