Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-12-16
The troWning of the Dome of the Capitol.
The Capitol Extension,

AT Y oe!oek neon, &c dav, The Statue of
Freedom, the ctownng feature of the dome
OF the Capital, took place. This statue is
nineteen feet six inches high, and weighs
nearly fifteen thousand pounds. II is com
posed entirely of bronze, and is constructed
III nve sections, the weight of the heaviest of
winch Is four thousand seven hundred and
forty pounds. The statue has been washed
with an acid which causes a slight oxidation,
thus producing a rich and uniform bronze
tint, which will never change.
The Statue of Freedom was modelled
IN plaster by Crawford, the lamented eminent
sculptor, for which model the price of three
thousand dollars paid, and was cast at
4 the foundry of Clark Mills, ESQ at BIadens-
burg. The entire cost of this 81 eat work of
art l. from twenty-five TO thirty thousand dol
lars. During the past two weeks three sec
/ tons of the statue have been elevated TO the
j tholus OF the dome the fourth one. elnbrac-
/ ing the chest OF the figure, was placed in po-
sltlon yesterday, so that to-day little remained
to be done other than that OF setting the head
OF the statue. The height Of the iron work
above the basement floor of the Capitol, in
/ GLIDING the browning statue is PSI feet
/ \ word or two in reference to the dome of
the Capitol may not be Uuinteresting to our
readers The old dome was built OF wood.
Tie outer and inner shcilsswcre not concen-
/ tric, and while the inner was, in proportions.
. y
Rome, though much inferior in size, the out
er dome was higher in proportion than that
OF the Pantheon. It's intlammable nature
and its narrow escape at the time the library
was burnt, III 1851, called the attention of
Congress to it, and it was finally resolved to
replace II by a dome of iron, entirely fire
proof.
The new dome in its proportions resembles
the modern rather than the antique struc-
B OF oh OF Of. -.
and flat outlines Of the Pantheon of Rome,
and the st. Sophia of Constantinoplc, the de
sign Il a light structure, decorated with col
umn5 and pilasters. rich coruice5 and eutabla-
lures springing up towards the sky, and
supporting at the height of nearly three hun
dred feet above the ground of the eastern
square, and three hundred and seventy-two
feet above the western gate, the colossal
statue of which we have spoken.
The interior diameter of the dome Is nine
tY-six feet. The galleries afford fine view
OF the interior and OF the exterior the views
stretching many miles down the Potomac
The structure is double, and between the in
terror and exterior shells a staircase, winding
spirally around the whole, will afford access
TO the very summit.
The general outline of this structure re-
sembles that of the dome of St Peters. of
Rome; st, Pauls, of London; and ST. Gene
We've and of the Invalides, of Paris and &C
the last great work of the kind erected in
modern times, that of the Russian National
, Church, the Cathedral of st. Isaacs, at St
Petersburg which is also partly built of iron.
The exterior diameter of the perisbytian cir
cular colonnade is l24 feet 9 inches. The
columns of the perstyle - feet in height
and weigh 10000 pounds each.
At II O'Clock precisely the upper portion
of the figure, contained in large box, com
menced ascending to the dome of the Capt.
tot, and some twenty minutes later the statue
was complete. Then a handsome flag was
run up to the apex of the dome, and this sig
nal of the browning of the statute was the
occasion for vociferous cheering among the
populace congregated in the park and around
the grounds below.
While the crowd was patiently awaiting the
GROWING of the figure, we leisurelv saunter-
ed through the uncomplcted portions of the
Capitol extension, and took hasty survey
of the work Of the past few months The
eastern porticoes of the north wing OF the
Capitol extension have been constructed
with the exception of a few pieces of the
cornce, all Of which are now in the hands Of
the workrnen- All the marble required 10
complete the eastern entrance to the north
wing, Is delivered except the caps for the
cheek blocks, and the carriage way of the
eastern entrance to the south wing is also
laying around the grounds, with the excep-
ton OF the cheek blocks. This portico, like
that of the north wing, will consist of twenty
two marble columns, composed of mOnolithic
shafts, pedestals, and deliberately wrought
capitols, supporting highly ornamented en-
tablature, and deeply panelled marble cell
ing. Five of these shafts already on the
ground. The pOrticOes of the connecting
corridors have been finished and the roof
and cutters have been permanently laid The
white middle jams and head of the front door
of the north wing have been wrought and set
and the workmen are now engaged from the
quarres of Baltimore county, Maryland.
Nothing has been done during the year to
the north, SOUTH and west porticoes, although
4 large quantity of the marble is on the
ground for this purpose. Nothing like the
| amount of progress has been made upon the
| marble front that was expected, owing to the
| fact that the contractors for the marble at the
| Lee quarters, Massachusetts,, have been uu-
able to secure Tesscls of freight to convey
| the marble to the Capitol. The eastern por-
ticoes of both wings would have been finish
| ed but for this delay. During the past year
| marble to the amount of $4,000 has come
| from these quarres. Some eighteen mono
| lituc columns have been furnished by the
| same parties, its commencement is almost
| $3.50, 900 Some fifty-four monoithic shafts
| are yet required for the exterior portcO.
| The group of statuary, :" Progress and Civ
|
| the late sculptor Crawford, for the pedimcnt
| of the eastern p0rtico of the north wing has
been put in place during the past year, as our
| readers are aware. They are securely at
tached to the building by heavy copper
| clamps The figures have all been executed
in the shops of the Capitol extension, of
marble from the Lee quarries. The two
i marble statues Justice and History" which
were executed in Italy, from the design of
| Crawford, for the top of the front door Of the
north wing, have also been put IN place du-
ring the past year. These figures are very
beautiful ones, and form appropriate and
| tasteful ornament to the Senate entrances.
| The plaster model for the eastern front of
| the north wing have been completed from
the design of Crawford, by Riuehardt, and
| are due in New York from Rome The bronze
coating for the doors will be executed in this
| country.
| All Of the sculptures for the eastern front
OF the north wing were designed by Crawford
| the group representing Progress of Civil
| zation,' IN the tympanum of the pediment
the group Of Justice and History" over the
front door, and the bronze doors for the main
| entrance-thus leaving the corresponding or
| namentation of the south wing yet to be exc