Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1873-12-11
TIE IOWA VOTER.
rnEx0wAsrATE CAPITOL.
what Has Been D0ne-Pian,
Size, and COsf--T7aserisai Used
fu Basement.


The erection Of a permanentS TATl
House for the great and CROWN;
State of Iowa is work Of time, mag
nitude, and vast importance.
9 Such buildings should contain NJ
evidences OF haste, cafeleSsness, u
perishable material.
x permanent Capitol should not b.
erected for the mere present, or fo
this generation, but in lis plan, con
struction, material, and style of arch
itecture, should give evidence o
durability aud ample accommodation
for our State and people as they viii
be, after several generations have
passed away with the ravages and
decay that time brings, and the won
derful increase in population enc
wealth that time must give to tbs
great State OF the distant future. Re
aiizing these truths the
FIRST BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS
adoped plans and specifications that
Ii faithfully carried out will give to
Iowa a magnificent State House, sup
plying every want that has been sc
kcenly felt by successive Legislatures
and State officers, for the last fifteen
years.
That mistakes should have been
made, and that more may be made
in the future progress OF so vast a
work, Is not strange, neither Is ii
evidence Of corruption.
The first commissioners were
among the most highly esteemed
and well known OF the citizens 0i
Iowa. selected from different locali-
ties by the Legislature, with express
reference to their supposed qualifi-
cntions for work Of this magnitude.
They exercised great care in gather
ing and testing by the usual methods,
specimens Of building stone from
various parts OF the State, but by
some unfortunate error OF judgment,
the building stone first used proved
e. be unsuitable, and though 1t had
been carefully inspected by SO honest
and careful Il man as Hon. q. A.
Dudley, acting superintendent OF the
work, the first winter brought such
evidences Of unsuitability for a struct-
IRE of this kind, that the foundation,
which was nearly completed, had to
be removed the next season, at
ALoss TO THE STATE OF $52.353.
The succeeding Legislature elected
d new Board OF three Commissioners,
consisting Of Hon. j. q. Foote, OF
Burlington, Hon. II. s. Finkbine
and Col. Dey, of Iowa City, who
lave given the work under their
charge their personal supervision
from the commencement to the pres
emit time.
THE SIZE OF THE FOUNDATION.
for the entire structure Is 2G3 feet s
inches north. and south, by 236 feet
and III inches east and west, inclu-
ding porticos at the four extremes.
The subsoil beneath the excava.
ton Is OF clay, and n thorough system
Of drainage has been put In to secure
the foundation from danger by the.
action of water and frost.
Drains have been constructed from
every part, by which the water Is
carried by small pipes to main sew
err, which connects with the city sew
ers on Locust street. The water
conductors are mostly Of tile, the
small drains measuring in the aggre-
gate $50 feet in length, dischargiDg
into the main sewer, which Is 2S9
feet In length, $50 feet only being
built OF brick.
When completed every room In
the State House will have waste
pipes leading to the sewers. The
FOUNDATION FOR THE LOWER
BASEMENT
walls was carefully prepared with
concrete Of small stone and cement,
making solid rock-like surface for
the heavy dimension stone upon
which the great structure Is to rest
for ages.
The rubble stone used during the
past season are mostly from Bear
Greek in Dallas county, and are con-
sid-red by competent Judges to be
durable. The cut stone were from
Madison county, excepting the gran
lie used for the base course, three
feet in hight, which was mostly pro-
cI,red from the great prairie bonlders
OF Buchanan county. The entire
FOUNDATION STORY Is COMPLETED,
and arched over with brick: this is
covered with concrete, and has an
outside coating Of pitch.
AS one wanders through the vast
lower basement, divided into nu-
,iiaruus dark rooms, halls and pass
age-ways, he can easily imagine that
he is trcading the damp labyrinths
OF some ancient castle Of the middle
ages; and these dark underground
rooms, passage-Ways, and halls, are
hut the useless space left In the con-
Struction Of suitable foundation walls
for the great work.
The side walls of the
SOUTH EAST PAVILION
are up 70 the top Of the basement
story, and are constructed Of brick
faced with cut stone. The south
west pavilion walls IRE nearly COM
pieted TO the top Of the basement,
Lacking but two courses.
The granite Is alton the ground for
the last course, aud ready to be- put
up. t,.