The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1898-11-10

WASHINGTON, Nov Am explsion
and fire wrecked the supreme court
room and the rooms Immediately ad.
joining 1t on the main floor of the capi.
tol ana the damage was enormous. The
entire central eastern part of the great
marble pile from the main floor to the
subterranean basement practically is a
mass of ruins. The force of the eXplo.
sion was so heavy that the coping stones
on the outer walls, just east of the
point where the explosion occurred,
were bulged out nearly two inches;
windows III all that part of the build
ing were blown out and locked doors
were forced from their hinges quite 100
feet from the scene of it.
Fire followed the explosion so quickly
as to seem practically simultaneous
with it. The explosion shook the i'm.
mense structure TO its foundations and
was heard several squares from the
capitol. 1t occurred i'll a small room
tightly enclosed by heavy stone walls
III the subterranean basement imme-
diatGly below the main entrance to the
old capitol building. In this room was
900 light gas meter, which was fed by
a tourlnCh 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
pouring from the man caught fire. The
flames, originating from the explosion
darted up the shaft of the elevator,
which had been completely destroyed
by the force OF the explosion and com.
munlcatCd 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 the priceless documents in the
record room mad been almost totally de.
stroyed and serious damage had been
done in the marshal office and some
minor rooms IN the immediate vicinity
The library of the supreme court,
located Immediately beneath the su.
preme courtroom was BADLY damaged
by fire, smoke and water. Librarian
Clarke, after CursOry examination
necessarily made by the light of Ian.
terms, expressed the opinion that many
of the books could be saved, although
they had been drenched by water.
Justice Harlan saId that while the loss
of the records was irreparable, 1t was
fortunate that the later records of the
court, which are kept in the office of the
clerk on the main floor, were not in.
jured. AS documents for reference at
this time and later Justice Harlan
thought these were of far n eater value
than the records destroyed. Fortu.
nately the clerk's office was not in the
least damaged by fire, and the explosion
did no damage IN 1t except to blow out
one window.
MIR. James MCKenny, clerk of the su-
preme court, expressed the hope, after
making an examination of the old record
room, that some at least of the dOCu.
ments, priceless from the view point of
the historian, could be saved.
While many theories are offered as to
the cause of the explosion, it seems be-
yond doubt to have been due to es-
Gaping gas.
Only few persons, principally off.
GERS of the capitol police, were III the
building at the time, but several of
them had narrow escapes. Before the
fire department, which responded to an
alarm sent III by policeman three
squares from the capitol, had arrived,
q. p Gliem, chief electrician of the
capitol, and II. w. Taylor, chief en-
gineer of nhe house side, had stream
pi"y ing ~ Iho SuIIelle COusC record
room, wti}ch by that time was a roaring
furnace. Within a few minutes after
the arrival OF the fire department the
flames were under control, although as
precautionary measure streams were
poured into the marshals office, the
library and the subterrauean basement
for about two hours.
In the opinion of capitol officials and
mechanics, who examined the structure,
the loss Will reach probably $2OO,OOO to
the building. The loss on the library
and records can be scarcely estimated
in dollars and cents. a million dollars
could not replace them.