Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1898-11-08
Consumed in the Capitol
Building ConAagration.
WORKS OF ART RUINED
The Damage to the Interior Es,,,,,,s,,
he About $4,000. judicial ,,,,,
men's Were Priceless and Can
not BE Rep aced

room and the rooms imuedjatelv ,d
Joining it on the main floor of the can
NJ me entire central eastern part of
ahe great marble pile. from the ma in
moor 70 the Suhterranean basement is
practically mass of ruins The. f,rc.
OF the explosion was 50 heavy that the
coping stones on the outer wallis lust
east Oh the point where the explosion
"scurreo We're bulgcd out nearly two
,hcnfs: windows in all that part Of thu
building We're blown out ana lock cd
doors 100 feet distant We're forced from
their hinges
Fire followed the explosion SO quickly
as 10 seem practically simultaneous
with It 1t occurred in small room,
tightly Enclosed by heavy stone wallis,
IN me subterraneal b;,Sem.n, iinlnedi-
ateiE below the main cntrhnc" to the
old Capitol building. In this room were
"oo-lisht gas meters. which were. fed by
q 1our-inch main. Very littl.. gas is
used in that part Of the building hu, at
the time of the explosion m. gas had
not been turned OF at the meter. Tho
meter itself WAS wrecked, and the ras
pouring from the main caught fire.
ne names originating from III. -x-
pinsion darted up the shaft Of the cl--
Nator. which had been completely de-
ana communicated with the record
room Of the Supreme Court. the office.
OF the marshal of the court ana tn. Su.
preme Court library. Before the flames
S'tih De SuDtlltt Int priceless tibrn-
ments in the record room had been al
most totally destroyed and serious
damage had been done in the marsh:l'S
Office ana some minor rooms in th,. inn
mediate vicinity.
The library of the Supreme court To-
Gated Immediately beneath the Supremn
Court. was badly dn mayed by fire.
smoke and water. practically destroy
ing the great collection Of law rcf.renc"
books.
THE MOST cEp1CN-c 1,>,,,r.,
The most serious damage in tn" nIin-
ion OF the justices Of the Supreme
Court. is to the records stored i'm the
subterranean basement. These includ
ed all of the records of tn" supreme
Court from 1892 To 1872 The room con
tainS records OF cases and opinions
rendered by the fathers Of tn" judiciary
of the governments
Only a few persons, principally Of
fcers OF the Capitol police were in tn.
building at the time. hu, several Of
them had narrow escapes.
The firemen We're unable To "x,in-
Guish the flame of gas which shot out
OF the four-inch main in tn. meter
1t was evident that the fire could no, b +.
extinEuished until the gas from tn
main was cut off. That this might he
accomplished the nrenen turned two
streams upon the main choking the
flow of gas and ut the SANG TIM. cool
Ing the pipe. Electrician Glen bray,
ing the intense he.-..... :::;:.4.l the meter
ro0fa aasfd cut off the gas a, the Hoo,
valve of the main room.
or ~ -, Sn,i,, NM; - - - 49,
dows and fittings in committee rooms
anu other apartments are badly dam
aged. Just north of the crypt an arch
way. almost over the meter room. was
completely blown out and ,,rent m, 500,
of masonry torn from the floor were
hurled ~ ~. cn;lin, Win cuc,, r,r.
as 10 burst ~. stone md ,,,,s,..r az 10
walls above. pnndnrm,s t,nps,nnrs
were wrcnchcd from thcir resting
places and throughout tho r,rri1nrs
the frescoing on the ceilings ana u.n,ls
Of the corridors we're utterly ruined
No damage waa don. 10 ,h,. main fnun
dations Of the buildings as these ar.
solid masonry deeplv i,nbodd.d ana
TWENTY-FIVE feet four inches thick
WORKS OF ART LOST.
The busts of chief Justice Narshon
and other DISTINGUISHED members ,f M.
Supreme Court, which were arranged
or, small pedestuls about tbs. supreme
Court chamber. we're either badly dam
aged or wholly DESTROYED MANY or
them have been treasured as exhibits
in the Supreme Court chamber FOR half
IL century.
The Capitol buil,Iinr has been dam
aged a number of times before, by fire
but it is believed tina, last ui.h,'s tr,.
the history of the building. No ' intsll H.
gent estimate Of the money loss nv M.
explosion and fire can We, ~. made.
In the opinion Of Capitol officials; and
mechanics who examined the structure
500 sne a aoos 70 WIN M ranE9 from $4,000 t"
the library and records, as stated above.
can be scarcely estimated. y million
dollars could not replace them because
many Of them have n" duplicates in
existence
The work of clearing away the debris
from the Capitol began today. An cx
animation or the supreme Court room;
I" when the IRE was cnnineh shove"
that the walls and ceilings are dis
colored. the carpets soaked. but that no
serious canage mas heen n"n". IN"
nenchcs occupied ny ,he JUDGES ar" "n.
injured. and even the briefs. left by
some of the judges under their paper
Weights. are undisturbed. The fine old
colonial windows thanking tn" bench
are in ruins however. the fr"sc"cd cell
ing is blurred and spotted. and the ear
pets and draperies are soaked, The
EnY1.l aft rf hAsl