The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1804-12-25


painted 'heet iron. OF thsfe, fheet iron was
by far the cheapen, and with little attention !
TO It's painting, quite as permanent, as the two !
former. 100 feet fuperfcial of Hating in NOR
tar, weighs about Is cwt.-oe Meet iron, ex-
acsiy l47lb. SO that the buiidins-:he roof
containing > 1900 fuperhcia fect--could be re-
iieved OF a weight Of abont 50 tons. Thefe
reatons induced the adoption of iheet iron
roof, which has accordingly been put on.
The repair, or rather The total renewal of the
roof of the Preiident's houie, forms the prin-
cipal part of the expence OF this building for
the feaion. II has however been further requi-
iite, to make a new drain from the houfe, of
fuch dmeniions and contraction, as to pre-
vent tfrom being flied no before, and the build
ing from being flooded from the circumiacent
grounds. The cot of this improvement, aud
the hnfhing of one of the chamber apartments
in the fecond tory, bears a fnall proportion to
the former fun.
1.-THE CAPITOL.
In my former reports to you, ftatcd the
propriety of reconfdering the plan of the fouth
wing of the capitol; and on the reafons given in
that report, and in letter to the chairman of
the committee of the houfe of representatives,
appointed to enquire into the fuhira, the plan
which has been the ground work of all that has
been done during the feafon was approved and
adopted.
BY the arrangements of this new deiign, the
houie of representatives will fit on the principal
ftory of the building, the whole ofthe ground
tory, being appropriated to the Offices of the
| houfc; fituation the mott contiguous which
could be obtained, and far preferable, for off
ces, to the north wing or the attick ftoty. :
Various cautes have confpired to prevent our
carrying up, this feafon, as large MATS If Build.
ing as was expected. The frf and principal
| OF thefe have been, the time, labour, and ex-
penfe of pulling down to the very foundation,
all that had been formerly erected. Bad as the
workmanship appeared before the walls were
| taken down, the mcafure ofremoving them entire
ly Observation-Disclosures the fatein which they
werefound to be on their demolition. Even the
| materials with the exception ofthe bricks, were
not of any important value to the new work.
The fone was fit only tobe ufed as common rub
bic, andmo(t ofthe timber was in fate ofdecay
from the excuion of air.
Another cauie of delay in preparation, and an
important one, was the late period at which the
appropriation was made. The extreme wet
neis of the beginning of the feafon, and the
| foods which filled up fome of the quarries, and
retarded the working of others, afterwards ope-
rated much againft the progrefs of the building,
and threw great difficulties in our way. After
the work had begun, we were again interrupted
by the fcknefs which prevailed, and which at
one time, threatened, by depriving us of many
OF our beft workmen, to put flop to the
work.
| Under all thcfe Inconvenience, and others
airing from the nature of the building tfclf,
the work has been carried on. The beft mode
or proceeding would undoubtedly have been,
to have carried up the interior with the exteri-
Or walls. But the former building food with
IN the area of the wing. Had the external walls
been fuitercd to remain on the level at which
the work was cloied at the end of the year
1908, till the inner building could be removed,
and the internal wall carried up, little progrefs
could have been made in the former, during the
preient feafon, and the ftonc-cutters would have
been idle. 1t was therefore thought beft, to
carry up all the external walls by themielves,
thereby forwarding the more flow progrefs of
the ornamental work in free-ftone, and to con-
itru6 them in fuch manner, as to prepare for
good bond with the interior work, and for the
iupport of the vaults the preliure of which they
will be required to refft. Thus has the work
been raited to the level of the fees of the attic
windows externally, and by far the mott tedi-
Gus and expcnGye part of the work in free-fone
has been completed, excepting the cornice, and
the capitals of the piafters. Of the cornice
large portion is alto wrought, and of the so ca
pitfalls l6 are hnifhed.
ct:he interior parts OF the building, ali the
diS iH'iS dHti OTOuRnt TO the
Hoor of the cellar ftory on the north lide, and
although they do not appear to view, the work
done in them is very comfortable. The whole
iosth half of the cellar fory is vaulted, and
ready to receive the walls of the bafement or
Office tory.
Preparations to very great extent have al
ready been made in order to proceed vigorouf-
y with the building, as foon as the will of the
national Legislature fhall be known to that eff
fe6t, and the feafon will permit. All the free
Zone for the external walls, entablsture, and
bailuftrade is provided, and the greater part Of
1t on the fpot. For the internal colonnade, all
the Zone is ordered, moi of it is quarried, and
much of it is already brought to the building.
Early in the feafon the public quarry on the IL
land in Acquia creek was opened, and much
uiefu! ftone quaTied; and it would have been
much to the advantage of the public, had the
extent of the appropriation permitted us to
have proiecuted this work. But it was found,
that to clear out the rubbifh of former work
ings, andto provide for the conveyance of the
tone to the water fide, although ultimately a
meafure of economy, would have made too
large 4 deduction from the funds required to
carry on the building itlelf, and contract, for
tone with individuals were therefore prefer
red.
In the arrangements for erecting 70 large an
edifce as the fouth wing of the capitol, and for
pulling down or repairing extenfve works of
former contraction, it was not eafy, perhaps it