New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-11-07
EXPLOSION IN THE CAPITOL.
UNITED STATES SUPREME COURT ROOM WRECKED AND
IRREPARABLE DAMAGE DONE.


The hremen unable however. for
siderable time 10 cAtingush the fame OF gas
which shot out OF the finch main in the meter
room. From this main the fire swept through
orihce in the basement floor caused By tho
explosion and attacked the consultation room
of the Justices on the nlair floor Some dam
age wds done TO the furniture and fittings Of
this room. but it was insonsiderable as com
pared with that done elsewhere The rohng-
room Of the justices practically was not dam
aged
1t was evident that the fire could not be ex
tinguisled until the gas from the main vas
cut of. That this might be accomplished tn.
hremcn turned two streams -oon the main.
choking the flow of gas and AZ the same tn,a
cooling tho pipe TIE electrician. Mr.. GLEN.
bravng the intense heat entered the meter
room and cut off the gas At the roor valve -
the main
TERRIFIC FORCE OF THE EXPLOSION.
Throughout the lower central part Of ths
old Capitol Building doors. windows and fit
tings in comm,tee-rooms and ether apart
crypt an archway almost over the meter-roor
was completely blown out and great masses
of masonry torn from the door we're hurled "a
the ceiling with such force 70 burst the stone
and plaster Of the walls above Ponderous flag
stones were wrenched from their resting places.
and throughout the corridors the frescoing on
the ceilings and walls was utterly ruined
No damage was done 10 the main foundations
Of the building as these are Of solid masonry
deeply imbedded End 25 feet I inches thick.
The electric lighting apparatus. including
dynanos boilers and wiring. was not damage
In order 20 enable the hremen to work without
peril from live wires Nj GLEN cut of the cur
rent from all wires except one circuit whion
lighted the lower western part Of the buildint.
Within thirty feet of the scene Of the explosicr
solitary incaadescent lamp. marking the exsc,
centre OF the Capitol building and hanging
directly over the bier on which il was proposed
to lay the body Of George Washington. burned
brilliantly.
Among the losses which will be most sincerely
regretted are busts of Chief Justice Marshall
and other distinguished members Of the SD
premc Court. which were arranged on small
pedestals about the courtroom. In the smoke
and ruin which followed the explosion these
valuable works of art were either badly DAM
aged or wholly destroyed and with their de-
struction the country has suffered an irreparabe
loss. Many Of them have been treasured as eX-
f,-I Ioff
century.
The Capitol building has been damaged
number of times before by fire. but 1t is be-
lieved that to-night's hre will prove 10 be the
most disastrous in the history Of the building.
On two occasions previous TO this fires have
been started by explosions of gas. Seventeen
years ago a large amount Of damage was done
to the same part of the building by an expio-
sion Of this kind and in 1876 there was an ex-
posion Of gas which killed one man and came
near killing another
MONEY LOSS CANNOT BE ESTIMATED.
No intelligent estimate Of the money loss by
the explosion and fire can yet be made. In the
opinion Of Capitol officers and mechanics who
examined the structure tonight, the loss will
reach probably 100000 to the building. The
loss on the library and records. as stated above.
can be scarcely estimated in dollars and cents.
A million dollars could not replace them, be-
cause many Of them have duplicates in ex-
istence Twenty thousand dollars had just been
expended in improving the supreme Court room.
The fire engines attracted an immense throng
10 the plaza where the Presidents are inaugu-
rated and the news Of the disaster spread rap
idly throughout the city.