The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1857-07-17
LOCAL NEWS.

he weak TO bear the new dome Its
ton WILL therefore, he suspended and the immense
penditure already incurred viii be lost Strengthening
the walls sufficiently involves the removal and renewal of
the old Capitol building
The above is quotation from a late number Of the
New York Tribune and 1t is scarcely necessary to inform
city readers that IL is manufactured out OF the whole
cloth There Is the slightest ground for the
the slightest shadow of truth in the whole par
agraph. The writer says the architects have found
thus and Mr. Walter the architect Of the DOME
that such an idea never moment occupied his mind;
that it most distant from his thoughts and that the
first knowledge he had Of such he derived from
tbs above article Capt Meigs the United States engi
in charge of the work. says that thought of the
kind entertained by him. These gentlemen
know what they about and they would not leave il
until this late day TO discover whether not the founda-
tons of the dome strong enough to bear the
structure.
Before they began the work they dug under the founda-
tions to that all right there they also took out
portions of the materials and submitted them to tests to
obtain data upon which to base a calculation of the
strength of the substructure and having established
beyond doubt the capabty the foundations to
tain with safety of such domcs they proceeded,
and up the present they say that nothing has
transpired change the slightest degree the results
that previously obtained.
1t should be borne in mind that the dome of the Capt.
to differs from all the domes Of the Old World in the fact
that it continuous wall or ring of masonry,
while they rest insulated piers this gives its founda-
lions decided advantage other domes in point Of
strength and the time its weight is less than that
Of any similar structure ever built
The calculations of the architect show that the entire
weight that will be imposed each superficial foot of
foundation, when the dome Is completed will be but
I 100 pounds which is 472 pounds per square foot
Ieee than the weight imnoged the foundations of
the new wings Of the Capitol, reported by Pro-
fessor Walter r. Johnson to committee of Congress
in 1852. Professor Johnson says 'the pressure
square foot of the bearing surface, at the base of the
superstuctue, of the wings of the CapitoD will be
1872 pounds Tor 472 pounds than the result given
for the doc,) which is but the hundred and Gyf
part of the absolute strength Of the weakest sample Of
buestone which has been tested during this nvestga-
ton 1t is therefore plain that if the materials Of the
old Capitol strong the weakest that used in
the wings the foundations in question strong enough
TO sustain more than ..one hundred and tisfce of such
domes.
What makes the article are discussing the more
ridiculous is the fact that the weight of the new dome will
be about the that of the old one the weight
the immense mass of masonry of the old DOME which
has recently been taken down. together with the old
wooden superstrucure is quite equal by calculation to
the light iron structure that is to take its place
f H - -
SENTENCE OF RoBnr Cross Robert Cross was arragn-
ed before the criminal court Wednesday last charged
with resisting the laws and attempting to shoot officer
Thomas H. Robinson, of the sixth district police while
dischargng his duty, the 30th u The facts in this
familiar to readers The trial concluded
yesterday and the submitted to the jury who
brought in verdict Of guilty. The court thereupon
passed the following sentence:
s.The court ordered the prisoner to stand up; and
then said that he had been tried and convicted of most
atrnns crime, that of resisting the laws of his country
and the officers of the laws IN the execution of their duty
that crime Of its nature had never come within
his experience where the resistance had been carried to
great extent that it the special mercy of Prov
dence that he had not killed the officer that nothing
saved the officer life but that the officer 5 hand inter.
vened between the hall and his head It was the duty Of
every man TO submit to tho laws and the officers that
is not necessary for officer to have warrant in his
possession but II he has received from the proper author
y the order TO make the arrest, that authority is su
cient, without any further being shown. If he had
killed the officer he would have been unaucstionably
guilty of murder What the prisoner could have meant
by this dabolical resistance it difficult to perceive
the law the master Of every man. and all should
submit.
The sentence of the court was that the prisoner
fer Imprisonment at labor in the pententiary for the
term of eight years that being the longest time the law
allows.
Cry Pom OFFICE STATISTICS The returns Of the CITY
preparing stamps Including stamped enyelopes) have
been sold to the amount of $l0O23 96 that ls7, 1854
free letters have been sent away and 65l $50 received
that 1896 dropette have been distributed for city de-
livery that 81, 400 mails have been made up and de-
spatchcd for other Offices and that 719 900 pounds of
public documents have been sent Off Eighteen clerks
and five etter-carriers employed in the Office
At the deadleter Office of the General Post Office De
parmcnt 2202 dead letters have been opened enclosing
in the aggregate slls2 ninetenhs of which has been
returned to rightful owners
PERsoSAL-Hon. G. Eanes, United States minister to
Captain Alden, United States navy are at Willard
Hotel.
CRY ITEMS. The crossing the Long Bridge is now
suspended until Saturday to allow the complete re-
pair of the western draw Meanwhile ferry in opera
ton at Georgetown.
We understand that tho schooner Hamilton from New
York for Georgetown, arrived at Alexandria yesterday
Mr. Stanley of this city, is engaged in painting a
representing the discovery of the site of Washing
ton by Captain John Smith, the first white-yoyager up
the Potomac Captain Smith win be represented as land
ing with his party at point which is the foot of
Eighth street. The wondering aborigines who met him
after he had landed will be strikngly portrayed
AT Georgetown, yesterday, 224 hhds sugar the cargo
of the brig delia lately from the West Indies sold at
auction at prices ranging from $40 O5 to $40 30 per hun
bred.
Sixty nine police arrests made in this city during
al