Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1915-07-03
ATTEMPT TO BLOW UP
US. CAPITOL BUILDING
Either Bomb Or Internal Machine
Exploded in the Senate Wing.
JUST BEFORE MIDNIGHT.
Washington Authorities Are MYstified
Investigation Begun May be
Work OF Cranks.

All Washington is excited over the
tremendous explosion that occurred
shortly before midnight last night and
is believed to have been caused by
some kind of bomb or Internal ma
chine. which wrecked the public recep-
ton room on the east end of the Cap
itol Building
AT the time of the explosion the Cap
itol had been closed since dark. and
no one was in the building except the
few watchmen on duty and telephone
operators. The watchman in the hall
directly below the reception room was
blown from his chair by the force of
the blast He declared that no one
could have been near the room for sew
eral hours
An investigation was begun at once
by Elliott Woods, the superintendent
of the Capitol Building, who lives
within stones throw of the Capitol
Mr.. Woods directed that no person be
allowed TO leave or enter the building
without special permission during the
investigation. During the investiga-
tion il rapidly broadened until o'clock
this morning, when it was being con
Quoted from a police standpoint, joint
ly by the Capitol police and the Wash
ington city police
Those at the Capitol participating in
the investigation with Architect Woods.
were Capt. William H. Harrison, Of the
Sixth Police Precinct, in which the
Capitol is situated Lieutenant Dun
nigan and Sergeant Whalen, with po-
licemen from that precinct: John ]
McGrain. and other representatives of
the Office of the sergeant-at-arms OF
the Senate. and Robert b. Gordon,
the sergeant-at-1ams of the House
A structural investigation, as far as
it could be conducted, showed the build
ing undamaged structurally. All the
men on duty were examined with
a view to ascertaining who was seen
in any part of the building last night
Nobody is allowed in the building at
night except persons having a right to
be there. When Congress is in session
there are many such persons, including
members of Congress. their secretaries
and clerks. In midsummer few per-
sons have occasion to enter the build
ing at night. The suspicion uppermost
in the minds of officials is that il was
teh act of a crank who wanted to Gre
ate sensation.
Some seriously suggested that it
might have been perpetrated by a per-
son desiring to demonstrate his disap-
proval of some of the policies of the
American government. 1t was appar-
ent that there was no intent to destroy
life, as it is generally known that the
room is empty at night.
Some idea of the force of the blast
was gained by the discovery of a chan
delier crystal into the connecting link
of which a splinter of wood had been
driven. The report could be heard for
mile and in few minutes a crowd
of excited people had gathered on the
east plaza. In the meantime the lights
had been switched on and excited off
cials were rushing back and forth on
two floors of the great building.
After the first rumors of the 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.
A strong odor permeated the build
ing, but none seemed able to detect
just what it was. No trace could be
found of an exploded bomb nor of any
thing else which might have caused
the blast. AT 3 o'clock this morning
the Capitol officials called in Professor
Charles E. Munroe, a noted authority
on explosives, to make an examination
to determine the cause OF the ex-
plosion in the Capitol