The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-07

ough Investigation of the damage. The
supreme court room was damaged prjn-
cipally by water and smoke, the fire
not reaching that point
Adjoining the court room, however,
both the marshal's office and the SEN
ate barber shop furnished food for the
flames While maay theories are Of
fered as to the cause of the explosion,
it seems beyond doubt to have been
due to escaping gas.
AT 4.53 o'clock Lieut. Nelson of the
capitol police detected am odor of gas
in the corridors adjoining the supreme
court room. Not being able to locate
it, he proceeded to the statuary hall of
the house of representatives, thinking
the gas might be escaping from a
burner in that vicinity While he was
ndeavoring to locate the difficulty, the
explosion occurred.
Only few persons, principally Off
GERS Of the capitol police. were in the
building at the time, but several Of
them had narrow escapes. Before the
fire department, which responded to an
alarm sent in by a policeman three
squares from the capitol had arrived,
G. p. Gliem, electrician at the capitol,
and H. w. Taylor, chief engineer of
the house side. had a stream playing in
to the supreme court record room,
which by that time was a roaring fur
mace. Within few minutes after the
arrival of the department the flames
were under control, although as a pre-
poured into the marshals office, the Ii
braFy and the subterranean basement
for two hours.
The firemen were unable, however, for
q considerable time to extinglrish the
flame of gas which shot out of the four
this main the fire Swept Though an or
iflce in the basement floor caaEsed by
the explosion. and attacked the con-
sultation room Of tine supreme COURT
justices on the main floor. Some dam
age was done TO the faEniture and TT
tings OF this room. but it was inconsid-
cradle as compared with that done
elsewhere.
The ro1oing room Of the Justices prao-
tically was not damaged. 1t was evil
dent that the fire could not be extin-
guished until the gas from the main
was cut of That this might be accom-
plished the firemen turned two streams
upon the main. choking the how Of
gas and at the same time cooling the
pipe.
Electrician Gliem Drawing the intense
heat. entered the meter room and cut
off the gas at the floor valve of the
main.
Throughout the lower central por-
ton of the old capitol building, doors,
windows and fittings in committee
rooms, and other apartments are badly
damaged. Just north of the crypt an
archway almost over the meter room
was completely blown out and great
masses of masonry torn from the floor
were hurled to the ceiling with such
force as to burst the stone and plaster
Of the walls above. Ponderous flag
stones were wrenched from their rest
ing places and throughout the corridors
the frescoeing on the ceilings and walls
was utterly ruined.
No damage was done to the main
of the buildings, as these
are of solid masonry deeply embedded
and % feet 4 inches thick The electric
lighting apparatus including dynamos,
boilers and VIKINGS was not damaged.
In order to enable the firemen to work
without peril from live wires. Electric
ian GLEN cut off the current from all
wires except one circuit which lighted
he lower western part of the building.
Within 80 feet of the scene of the ex-
Dlosion a solitary ineandescent lamp
marking the exact center of the capitol
structure and hanging directly over tho
bier in which it was proposed to lay
he remains of George Washington,
burned brilliantly.
Among the losses which will be most
sincerely regretted are those Of busts
If Chief Justice Marshall and other
members OF the supreme
court, which were arranged ON small
oedestals about the court chamber. In
he smoke and ruin which followed the
explosion. these works were either bad
y damaged or wholly destroyed, and
With the rest the court has suffered an
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