Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1915-07-03
Mysterious Explosisn Blows
Out Doors in Senate
Wing.
MAY HAVE p slN
wORy DF CRANK
Note of w.rni % Washington Tim.s
Lead. to ss., 4 That Foreign Sym.
pathixer Sought to Display Disap-
provai With Policy Of Administrator
Officials Search For .R. Pcaree,"
Writer Of Letter.

Washington, July 3.-The public re-
ception room in the senate wing Of tho
capitol was wrecked Just before last
midnight by an explosion. probably
caused by a bomb or an internal ma
chine. No one was injured and today
there was but ono clue. q letter 70.
ceived by the Washington Times. an
evening newspaper, announcing that u
would take place.
The letter was mailed nearly two
hours before the explosion. It was
signed "R- Pearce," and indicated that
the writer had been waiting Tor an op-
portunity to carry out his plan. which.
he said, would be the exclamation point
of his career.
Begin Search For Criminal.
Only one man OF that name - In the
washington city directory. A search
was begun for him.
Officials at first believed tho expao-
sion was caused by combustion or es-
Gaping gas. They abandoned that limo
of investigation and proceeded on the
theory that It was the work OF crank
or some foreign sympathizer. seeking
to display his disapproval OF tho ad-
ministration's foreign policy.
The explosion took place In the re-
ception room on the second floor OF
the building next to the Office OF tho
sergeant-at-arms. Tho doors Of the
room were blown out but no one was
hurt. Authorities Immediately began
an investigation.
The doors Of the capitol were closed
Immediately after the explosion and no
one was permitted to enter while tho
investigation was under way. While
the origin OF the explosion had not
been explained some reports In circu-
| lation said It might have been caused
] by d bomb.
Few Employees in Building.
The building had been closed since
dark and there was no one In Il but
the watchmen and telephone switch
men and telephone switchboard oper-
ators. Watchman Jones. on the floor
below at the east entrance, said he
was blown from his chair by the ex-
plosion.
The report could be heard Tor
mile and in few minutes crowd
OF excited people had gathered on the
east plaza. In the meantime lGhts
had been switched on and excited Of
ficials were rushing back and forth on
two floors Of the great building.
After the first rumors OF bomb
some OF the investigators concluded
that the blast had been caused by
spontaneous combustion In gas pipe.
The sides of the wall were torn out,
however. and all the pipes apparently
were intact. There had been no gas
fixtures on the senate side since an
explosion occurred there nearly twenty
years ago.
Mo Trace Of Ron,h
A strong odor permeated the build
ing. but none seemed able to detect
| just what 1t was. No trace could be
found of an exploded bomb nor OF
any thing else which might have
| caused the blast.
Superintendent Woods said he had
examined the structural features OF
the building and found that there was
no damage other than that In the i'm
mediate vicinity OF the reception room
While some officials thought the ex-
| plosion was the work OF an irrespon-
sible crank with no other end in view
than a sensation. others seriously sug-
gested that 1t might have been per-
! petrated by person desiring &c
| demonstrate his disapproval OF some
| Of the policies Of the American gov
ernment 1t was apparent that there
was no intent to destroy life as 1t Is
generally known that the room Is
empty at night.
Some idea OF the force OF the blast
was gained by the discovery Of
chandelier crystal driven into the con-
Meeting link Of which a splinter of
wood had been driven.