The Washington times., 1915-07-03

stunned" said Jones today. AT first
thought the dome had gone. AS soon
as I could I rushed to a telephone and
called the superintendent Of the build
ing, Mr.. Woods, and the chief of po-
lice
The roar of the explosion which oc-
Cured in the southwest corner of the
reception room. an apartment about
20 feet long and 10 feet wide. was felt
as far downtown as the Postoffce
Department. Originating apparently
in the northermost booth Of the line
of telephone cabinets. which stand
along one side of the room, the blast
wrecked the booths, tore gaping
hole in the masonry beneath a near
by window. and scattered the place
with wreckage.
An immense mirror between the
northern wall windows was shattered
to bits. One OF the big prism chan
daliers suffered the loss of many Of
it's pendants. A pannel was blown
from one OF the oaken benches with
which the room Is furnished.
Door Damaged.
The door leading into the office Of the
Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate was
damaged by tho explosion. and two
doors at the entrance to the rooms of
the Senate District Committee were
Large biiiets of wood and finely pow
dered glass were blown far out into the
corridors. and showers of the glass
raned down the elevator shafts.
The interior Of the reception room to-
day presents a spectacle OF wreck and
ruin. although the Superintendent of the
Capitol. finding that no structural dam
age was accomplished, believes that the
loss will not amount to more than 81 900.
r-t. Il. - g..
waste hack of the wreckage of the wall
partition. near the wrecked telephone
booths, is the only point upon which
any theory of spontaneous combustion
letter, purportins to clear the mystery,
little credence Is given to the idea that
combustion was the cause Of the ex-
plosion.
fore going further in the investigation
the wrecked room was closed and a
strong guard was placed at all doors
Only Investigators from the Chesapeake
permitted to enter the room, and every
thing was left as it was until DR.
Charles z, Monroe. of George Wash
ington University, an expert on ex
DIR. Monroe was called in after the
explosion in 1898. during the Spanish
American war. when the. Supreme
section of the building immediately
adjoining was damaged to the extent
of 5000.
rr. Monroe reported that that ex.
plosion was caused by break In
the Capitol gas main. which sup
piled the upper floor.
Expert Searching.
From the twisted heaps of debris, thu
fragments of glass. brick1dust ant
plaster, which litter the Senate recep
ton room, Prof Munroe Is this after
noon endeavoring to isolate some bit o.
evidence to tell him the cause of th'
blast.
After twelve hour investigation
Superintendent Elliott Woods of th'
Capitol. just prior to the time whei
he and Dr.. Munroe began their lates
search for evidence. declared that h,
and his men are still in the dark as Il
the nature of the force which wrecked
the reception room.
There is just one small clue which
may or may not have a bearing upol
the problem set for the explosive ex
pert to solve.
Battery Cell Found.
This clue is a chloride of silver bat
terry cell. 1t was picked up thi
morning fully 100 yards from tn
scene of the explosion. In the gras
bordering the north drive in tn
Capitol grounds. 1t is a battery cell
the nature of which would hav
made it useful in detonating a bonn
such as is supposed to have beel
the cause of the wreckage in the re
Ception room.
From the location in which it wa