The enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 188?-1899, 1898-11-09
A MIGHTY SHOCK.
It's Results Were Disastrous to the
Capitol at Washington.
An Explosion of Gas Is Followed by q Fire
That Ruined the Supreme Court LII
brary and Valuable ArchIves--DAm-
age to the Building Cannot BE
Estimated as Yet, but
Is Very Great.


Washington, Nov. 7.-An explosion
and fire at 5:1S Sunday afternoon
wrecked the supreme court room and
the rooms Immediately adjoining it on
the main floor of the Capitol. The
damage is enormous. The entire CEN
tral eastern part of the great marble
pile, from the main floor to the base
ment, practically is mass of ruins.
The force of the explosion was so
heavy that the coping stones on the
outer walls where the explosion oc-
Cured bulged out nearly two inches;
windows in all that part of the build
ing were blown out, and locked doors
were forced from their hinges quite
150 feet from the scene of it. The fire
followed the explosion so quickly as to
seem practically simultaneous with it.
The explosion shook the immense
structure to its foundation and was
heard several squares from the Capitol.
1t occurred in small room tightly en-
closed by heavy stone walls in the
subterranean basement Immediately
below the main entrance to the old
Capitol building. In this room was a
500-lights 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 flames originating from the explo-
sion darted up the shaft of the ele-
vator, which had been completely de-
stroyed by the explosion, and commu-
nicated with the record room of the
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
had been almost totally destroyed and
serious damage had been done in the
marshaPs Office and some minor rooms
in the immediate vicinity.
The library of the supreme court,
located Immediately beneath the SUI
preme court room, was badly damaged
by fire, smoke and water, the water
practically destroying the great col
lection of law reference books. The
library contained about 10000 volumes
and was used not only by the justices
Of the supreme court, but by members
Of congress and lawyers practicing be-
fore the supreme court. Justice Har-
Ian said last night that the library was
very valuable. Many of the works it
contained would be difficult to replace.
Librarian Clark said 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 after the explosion occurred
The most serious damage, in the
opinion of the justices of the court, is
to the records stored in the sub base
ment. These included all of the rec
ords of the supreme court from 1902 to
1882. The room contains records of
cases and opinions rendered by the fa-
theirs of the Judiciary of the govern
ment. Apparently the documents in
this room are either totally destroyed
or SO badly damaged by fire and water
as to be useless. Justice Harlan said
that while the loss of the records was
irreparable, it was fortunate that the
later records of the court, which are
kept in the Office of the clerk on the
main floor, were not injured. As for
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 damaged by fire and the
explosion did no damage in it except
to blow out one window. James Nc
Kenney, clerk of the supreme court,
expressed the hope after making an ex-
animation of the old record room that
some at least of the documents, price
less from the view point of the histori-
an, could be saved.
The supreme court room was dam
aged principally by water and smoke,
the fire not reaching that point. Ad-
joining the court room, however, both
the marshals Office and the senate
barber shop furnished food for the
flames. While many theories are of
fered as to the cause of the explosion,
it seems beyond doubt to have been
due to escaping gas.
Among the losses which will be most
sincerely regretted are those of busts
of Chief Justice Marshall and other
distinguished members Of the supreme
court, which were arranged on pedes-
tails about the supreme court chamber.
In the ruin which followed the explo-
sion these valuable worksof art were
either badly damaged or wholly de-
stroyed and with their destruction the |
country has suffered an irreparable |
loss. Many of them have been treas
ured as exhibits in the supreme court |
chamber for half century.