The silver star., 1898-11-10
CAPITOL DAMAGED
AN OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
Burning Gas In the sassmsat Piays Havoc
with Supreme Court Rooms and In
jurss the Building Seriously.

Washington. d. c.. Nov. 6.-An ex'
plosion and fire at 5:13 this afternoon
wrecked the Supreme Court room and
the rooms Immediately adjoiRing it Oh
the main floor of the capitol. The dam
age Is enormous.
The entire central eastern portion OF
the great marble pile from the main
tioor to the subterranean basement
practically is mass OF ruins. The
force of the explosion was so heavy
that the Gaping stones on the outer
walls, just east of the point where the
explosion occurred. We're bulged out
nearly two inches: windows in that
part Of the building We're blown out
and locked doors. $50 feet away, were
forced from their hinges. The fire fol
lowed the explosion so quickly as TO
seem practically simultaneous with it.
The explosion shook the immense
structure to its foundations and was
heard several squares from the capitol.
Ii occurred in a small room tightly in
closed by stone walls in the subterran-
can basement. Immediately below the
main entrance to the old capitol build
ing.
In this room was n 5O0-light gas
meter. which was fed by a four-inch
main. Very little gas is used in that
part of the building. but at the time of
the explosion the gas had not been
turned Off at the meter. The meter
itself was wrecked and the gas pour
ing from the main caught fire.
The flames originating from the ex-
plosion darted up the shaft Of the ele-
vator, which had been completely
u I.v- 81, ~.
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 subdue1
the priceless documents In the record
room had been almost totally destroyed
and serious damage had been done in
the marshars office and some minor
rooms in the immediate vicinity.
The library OF the Supreme Court. To-
Gated Immediately beneath the Su-
preme Court room. was badly damaged
by fire. smoke and water, practically
destroying the great collection of law
reference books.
The library contains about 10000
volumes and was used not only by the
justices Of the Supreme Court. but by
LACiiibtlS VI NtHNltSS anu INV yer :
practiclng before the Supreme Court.
Mr.. Justice Harlan said tonight that
the library was extremely valuable.
Many of the works it contained would.
he thought. he difficult to replace.
Librarian Clarke. after cursory ex.
animation necessarily made by the
light of lanterns. expressed the opinion
that many of the books could be saved.
although they had been drenched by
water from the streams poured into
the library for two hours or more after
the explosion.
Justice Harlan said that while the
loss OF the records was irreparable. IL
was fortunate that the later records OF
the clerk on the main floor were not
injured.
As documents for reference at this
time and later. Justice Harlan thought
these Were of far greater value than
the records destroyed. Fortunately the
clerks Office was not in the least dam
aged by fire and the explosion did no
damage in il except TO blow out one
window.
James McKenney. clerk OF the SUI
preme Court. expressed the hope after
making an examination OF rhe old
room tnAt some AT least OF tile uOcu-
inents, priceless from the point OF view
OF the historian. could be saved.
The capitol building has been dam
aged n number OF times before by fire.
but IL is believed that to-night's fire
will prove TO be the most disastrous iu
the history OF the building on two
occasions prior TO this. fires have been
started by explosions of gas. Seven
teen years ago a large amount OF dam.
age was done 10 the same part Of the
building by an explosion OF this kind
and in 1876 there was AN explosion of
gas that killed two men and came near
killing another.
No Intelligent estimate OF the money
loss by the explosion and fire yet can
be made. In the opinion OF capitol Off
cials and mechanics who examined the
structure tonight the loss will reach
s2nO.oo to the building. The loss on
the library and records can scarcely be
estimated in dollars and cents. One
million dollars could not replace them
because OF many OF them no duplicate,
are In existence.