The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1847-08-17

some rs feet above the dome, nearly equal to 800 feet
above the level Pennsylvania Avenue ct the foot Of
the Capitol grounds. Mr.. Thorn pson Is bulky man
and the weather was warm yet he accomplished for the
sake of information the great feat Of ascending to the
tcp Of the dome, and the result he gives follows
Yesterday evening about O'Clock we accepted an
invitation from Mr.. Cruchet to ascend with him the
mighty dome of the Capitol and take look at the great
lantern aud the operations OF the workmeu the scat
fold We contrved after much fatigue and
to reach the dome and sat for half hour resting on
seat about twelve feet below the lantern Mr. Crutch-
EFT invited us TO follow him into the lantern, which
six feet ia damster but this politely declined AZ we
had no inclination to become Gagged In that way and
coms as IL Jack of the Lantern this great
tropois During our stay the gliding Of the splendid
vans having besn completed by Mr. Hurley it was put
up and gtt red beautifully in the rays of the setting
sun or the Great Lantern aud the Vans the wing
have been furnished to tho correct dimensions D
sm,ter OF the antera feet; body and chamber feet
nigh; base OF ditto feet inches; dome and upper
works u tho ball feet of feet inches;
globe on top of the Is inches dam-ter total height
the weight OF the lantern aud its fxngs will be about
$40 pounds rhe mast will be about $500 pounds; the
upper braces under 1000 pounds"
The objections which have heretofore expressed
Respecting this experiment have not been answered by
the statement of Major French clerk Of the House We
have only hope that fair trial may prove
fears TO have been unfounied Major French says =
The resolution (sl7 500 embodied In the above
munieatiou w,s founded petition of Mr.. James
Crutchett in shich forth fully his plan ofght-
ing thu Capitol and capitol grounds That petition
before both houses of ongress and WAS doubtless well
consiIsr nv the committee Senate which report.
ed the rsspution The Secretary and Clerk-who are
NOT oniv an horssdr but directed, to contract-sf
ter slderation and reflection the
cluson tn the plan la before the committee OF the
Senate BY Mr. Crutchett must be pursued by them in
th-r contract; aud they consequently embodied 1t
therein They did not hosev-r enter into the contract
until they had consulted two OF the best architects in
Washing on and Mr. Renwck, the architect OF the
Smithsonian Institution. all of whom their opinions
that the erection Of the contemplated mast secured in
the manner proposed by Mr.. Crutchet would not en-
d, igrr the building, but would. the contrary,
streng hen the dome; and that when finished it would
rather add to- than detract from the SYM
metry Of The Capitol Thus assured the Secretary OF
the senate and Clerk Of the House of
have to perform the duty assigned to them by
SO far the under is concerned he most res
pecuny begs the good citizens of the metropolis
pend their Judgment until the is fairly submitted
for their verdict when he hopes they will all be
oiled by the food light which will be shed upon them
The Major himself throws considerable light upon the
subject the square of the elevation of $50 feet
above the capitol grounds will be the proportion OF
light dused over the twenty six acres below from sand
elevation rhe light will be wasted in the empty at
mosphere The lantern will be lighthouse to the SAL |
ors ON hePotomac; and beacon to travellers
coming To the city rather than light to the grounds
The fixtures inside the dome and outside sustaining the
magnificent susquehanna will interfere with the
Rotunda lighted The light, before insufficient, will
BE- diminished How long will pole standing rs feet |
high with weight of Thousand pounds on the top
the large surface OF the lantern exposed to the
westerns stand perpendicular Ropes may it for
a n,
viii be the fall thereof Then let Columbus and the In
dian girl the Eastern porco stairway look the
lantern will fall upon their pates like bomb shell For
all that, we are as anxious to the lantern up and
lighted as Mr. Crutchett, and he may rely upon it We
disposed to do him justice.
distinguished citizen Of Indiana has shown a let
ter from Speaker Daviss district purportng to give the
official returns thereof for the Congressional
from which n appears that Dobson the democratic
ddate defeated by IL votes and Dunn the wing, by
this small majority elected Owen is defeated by nearly
300 rhssetwo districts for Polk aud Dallas gave a
gregate of about 1000 .ority which greater than
their majority IN the State How do account for this
falling of! Easily enough Mr. Owens former ndel and
socalen philosophical publications, brought out from
the old barrels and dark holes where public opinion had
consigned them were read and analysed by his compe
ttor before the peoples and these things and these
alone, he was found wanting. They enough for
the public Judgment unretrActed and unatoued for
they were by full and unqualified recantation.
Mr. Speaker Davis was of the very best represent
atves ever sent to Congress by the people of Indiana
With scarce an exception he the best Speaker that
was the first that received unanimous testimonial of
thanks from the reporters He the first, perhaps
who established conviction with the minority of the
entire OF his decisions before the House
points Of order and the right to the floor But he
cded against the democrat in the New Jersey
election and gave the wings member when he could
have added to the democratic majority of seventy
just as we'll His course Speaker, though approved
all honest in this and in many minor cir
cumstances reused the indignation Of parzans and he
was suspected traitor The party politicians at
home-the aspirants for his place, strong for
him His nomination would have been opposed by an |
Independent democratic candidate. merely to defeat
him He omitted then to the humiliation of backing
out thus virtually asserting to the verdict of the party
thai he was unnt to represent them, but still willing
to serve them by sacrificing himself to the OF
party prejudices But he had friends, who not
thus to BIZ transferred to the support party
The narrow jealousies OF clique not be second
ed by public opinion There is always reservation of
independence in tha quarter The result is that your
party schemers have been rebuked aud honest merit
revensed. w.