The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1898-11-10
1he Entire Eastern Part From
the Main Floor to the
Basement Ruined.
FLAMES PRECEDED By AN EXPLOSION
Inc Immense Structure to It's Founda-
tion Shaken and the Explosion
Was Heard for Squares.
Supreme Court Rooms Completely Ruined
-C"nrt VIII Meet in Senate Conn
mlttee Room-The Loss VIII
Foot Up 100000

and fire at 5:lS Sunday afternoo
wrecked the supreme court room an
the rooms Immediately adjoining it o.
the main floor of the capitol. TIL
damage is enormous. The entire cen
,ral eastern part of the great marbi,
pie from the main floor to the subter
ranean basement practically is mas.
OF ruins. The force of the explosion
was so heavy that the coping stones or
the outer walls, just east of the point
where the explosion occurred. were
oulged 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 quick.
~ as to seem practically simultaneous
with 1t. The explosion shook the inn.
nense structure to its foundations and
was heard several squares from the
capitol. 1t occurred in small room
tightly enclosed by heavy stone walls
IN the subterranean basement immedi
ately below the main entrance TO the
DID capitol building. In this room was
4 5OO-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 ey.
plosion the gas had not been turned ofs
at the meter. The meter itself was
wrecked and the gas pouring from the
main caught fire. The flames origin
ating from the explosion darted up the
shaft of the elevator, which had been
completely destroyed by the force of
the explosion, and communicated
with the record room of the supreme
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 marshal's Office and
some minor rooms in the immediate
The most serious damage. in the
opinion OF the justices of the supreme
ourt, is to the records stored in the
endorsement. These included all ot ;
he records of the supreme court from
792 to 1892. The room contains records
t cases and opinions rendered by the !
athers of the judiciary of the govern y
lent Apparently the documents in y
his room arc either totally destroyed :
so badly damaged by fire and water I,
5 to be useless. -
Fortunately the clerks office was not y
the least damaged by fire and the ex- &
losion did no damage in it except to 81
low out one window. -
The supreme courtroom was dam :"
red principally by water and smoke. :"
e fire not reaching that point. Adj ~ ~
ining the courtroom. however both
e marsha's Office and the senate bar ~ ~
r shop furnished food for the flames VI
While many theories are offered as A'
the cause of the explosion. il seems ~
yond doubt to have been due to es- ''
ping gas No ls
No intelligent estimate of the money u u.
IS yet can be made. In the opinion '''
capitol officials and mechanics who
lmined the structure Sunday night
loss will reach probably 5000, 900 to Vic
building. The loss on the library
d records. as stated above. can be
rcely estimated in dollars and cents
million dollars could not replace =
IN, because of many of them no -.
'licates are in existence. ,"D
arrangements were completed Sun -
: night by which the sittings of the 80
RENE court will not be interrupted. A.
court will convene Monday in the
m Of the senate committee on the
trict of Columbia, one of the most :,
cious rooms in the capitol. How "a "a
Al.
-. -, '"S 'o"'' WI o' wifi
ices themselves.
:, Mrs
AsHINGToS, Nov. s.-The big cap a.,
building was the scene of wreck NJ.
desolation Monday, following the - !
osion and fire which wrought such ~.
,us havoc Sunday night The en- g
S and fremen had gone. and in .r.,
r place a small army Of workmen .,,s
carrying off the debris of brick ar.
mortar, charred woodwork, soaked =
half burned official papers and
ments, which had been heaped in
lsion in the basement and sub X
nent. under the quarters oe- the
ID by the United States SUI cago
e court. Examination of the ware
room showed that the damage day
confined 20 discolored walls Hou.
ceilings and soaked carpets. No grasI
antial damage had been DONE, fixed
Robber K,l;ea and Two cso,ur,a peac'
REGISTER, Mass, Nov. s.-Early deati
ay posse of citizens of North In
on surrounded gang Of burg CA,
tho had broken into the post of inter
ld captured TWO ana killed one OF fortr
,bbers. ing