The Mena star. (Mena, Ark.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-09
WRECKED BY GAS.
Explosion In the National Capitol
Building Causes Serious Loss.
Valuable Records la the Library Of supreme
Court Destroyed and They Cannot
he Repiscsd-E,.vea Kuied la
Detroit-Othsr asuaisiea.

washington, NOV. I-An explosion
and fire yesterday afternoon wrecked
the supreme court rooms and the
rooms Immediately adjoining it
on the main floor of the capitol.
The damage is enormous. The
entire central eastern part of the
great marble pile from the main floor
to the subterranean basement practi-
cally is a mass of ruins. The force of
the explosion 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 in all that part of the
building were blown out and locked
doors were forced from their hinges
quite $50 feet from the scene of it.
Fire followed the explosion so quickly
as to seem practically simultaneous
with it The explosion shook the inn
nense structure to its foundations and
was heard several squares from the
capitol. 1t occurred in small room
tightly inclosed by heavy stone walls
in the subterranean basement inn medi-
ately below the main entrance to the
old capitol building.
In this room was 500-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 pouring
from the main caught fire.
The library of the supreme court,
located Immediately beneath the SUI
preme court room, was badly damaged
by fire, smoke and water, practically
destroying the great collection of law
reference books. The library con-
tanned about 10000 volumes and was
used, not only by the justices of the
supreme court, but by members of con-
gress and lawyers practicing before
the supreme court.
No intelligent estimate of the money
loss BY the explosion and fiTe yet can
be made. In the opinion of capitol Of
fcials and mechanics who examined
the structure the loss will reach $780,
900 to the building. The loss on the
library and records, as stated above,
can scarcely be estimated in dollars
and cents. A million dollars could not
replace them because of many of them
no duplicates are in existence.
Disaster at Sea.
Vineyard Haven, Mass, Nov GA
disaster at sea, fortunately with a
small loss of life, five persons in all,
was made known by the landing here
of % persons who escaped from the
burning steamer Croatan. of the
Clyde line, bound from New York
for Wilmington, N c., and George
town. S. G. The disaster occurred on
Novembe ], about is miles north
of Cape Charles and about 2O6 miles
the steamer sailed on October 81, with
a general cargo and eight passengers.
An Accident at Mine.
Wilkes barre, Pa, Nov. 7.-Seven
men were killed and three fatally in
iured at the Exeter colliery of the
Lehigh Valley Coal company at West
Pittston, near here Saturday. The ac-
cident was due to the alleged careless
ness of Engineer David Price, who.
acting in disobedience of positive
orders, caused three cars to run into
the top OF the snaIL 1hese cars,
loaded and weighing II tons, fell down
the 360-foot shaft and crashed with
frightful force upon the carriage car
rying ten men.
Eleven Bodies Taken from the Ruins.
Detroit, Mich, Nov. Three more
victims were yesterday dug from the
ruins of the New Wonderland build
ing which collapsed Saturday after
noon. This makes the death list so
far II. The loss on property was esti-
mated yesterday for the first time. 1t
is believed that S102. 900 will entirely
cover it. What caused the catastrophe
is still unknown and probably will ne
until the coroner's inquest next week.