Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1863-12-03
THE STATUE ON THE CAPITOL DOME

Pursuant to public notice the fifth and browning section
OF the colossal Statue Of the Goddess Of Freedom was
raised to it's lofty position the Dome of the Capitol at
twelve o'clock yesterday large number of persons had
assembled in the park east of the Capitol and gave ex
preston to patriotic Civilizations when the flag of the
nation hosted to the apex of the dome-a signal that
the browning" had been successfully completed And
at this signal salute Of thirty five guns was immediately
given from the grounds acent the Capitol in honor
the States in the Union which was followed by salsos of
artillery from the different forts which surround the city
We copy the following description Of the Statue and of
its position on the Dome from the Union # last evening
This statue is nineteen feet six inches high and weighs
nearly fifteen thousand pounds 1t is Composed entirely
OF bronze and constructed in FIVE sections the weight Of
the heaviest of which is 4740 pounds he statue has
been washed with an acid which a seht oxidation
thus producing rich and unifnrm br, nze lint which will
never Change 1t was modelled in plaster by Crawford
the mented eminent sculptor for which model the ire
of three thousand dollars was paid and wa. cast NJ the
foundry OF Clark Mills Esq at Badensburg The entire
cost OF this great work of art from to thirty
thousand dollars
During the last two weeks three sections of the statue
have been elevated to the thous of dome the fourth
one embracing the chest Of the figure was placed in posi-
ton on Tuesday, that little remained to be done ON
wednesday than setting the head on the statue The
height oil The iron work above the basement floor of the
Capitol, including the browning statue, is 237 feet
vi the old dome, which built Of wood, the outer
ad lnuer shes were not cnncenrc, and while the
was III proportions copy Of that Of the Pantheon of
Agrppa at Rome though inferior in size the outer
dome was higher IN proportion than that of the Pantheon
It's ibhamabe nature aud its narrow escape at the time
the library was burned IN 1851 called the attention of
Congress t. H. sad 1t was finally resolved replace it by
dome Of iron, entirely fire proof
The new dome IN it's proportions resembles the modern
rather than the antique structures If this character I
stead Of the low and fat outlines Of the Pantheon of ,
and the 81 Sophia Of Constantnople the design is light
structure decorated with columns and uasters rich cor
Noes and entablaures spring. the sky sup
porting height Ct nearly three hundred feet above the
ground of the eastern square and three hundred and
ty~" feet above the western gate the colossal statue Of
which we have spoken
The interior diameter of the dome il nilety sir feet
The galleries afford fine view OF the interior and of the
exterior the view stretching many miles down the Poto
mac The structure is double and between the exterior
ana the Interior shells staircase, winding spray around
the whole, will afford access to the very summit
The general outline Of this structure that Of
The dome OF ST. Peters, of Rome; St Pauls Of London
and Ut Geneveve and Of the Invades If Paris and ol
the last great work IT the kind erected in modern times
that Of the Russian National Church. the Cathedral
l-sacs, ut 81 Peershurgh which il also parity built of
foo The exterior diameter Of the perisbyan circular
coonnade s ia feet inches The columns of the peri
style are ~ feet in height and weigh ~ 900 pounds each
Let us indulge the hope that posterity the of
time may look upon It with the admiration which
to-day, aud an uDboken Union three years snca would
have viewed this glorious symbol o patriotism and achieve
ment Of art