Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-10-30
RRPA1krlNa TIE CAPITOL DOME.

REPAIkTNG THE CAPITOL DOME.
The work of repainting the great white
dome of the Capitol, which has been in
progress several months under the imme-
date personal supervision of Signor Phil
hppo Contigini, the ell.Bnown italian
artist and fresceist, is offering daily attrac.
lions to hundreds of people, not few OF
whom are visitors from every section of
the country. The men actually employed
upon the outside of the dome are twelve
in number. They are Washington painters,
men of more than ordinary daring in their
profession, who are not afraid to risk their
lives tor fancy prices, and that is what the
Government pays for all it's work. The
dangers to which these men are daily SUBJ
Ject would no doubt freeze the blood in
the veins of their loving spouses and cause
their hair to stand dizzily on end, but, for
tunately for the good danes, they are told
nothing about these things. They only
hear about the wages. 1t is mistake to
say, as some adventurous correspondents
have done In years gone ly, that the air
around the upper part of the dome is in q
freezing condition as compared with that
OF the air on the ground below. OF course
at even this elevation there is delightful
profuseness of breeze, crisp cool air, and
all that sort of thing, but on clear day in
this autumn weather the workmen WELD
their brushes in their shirt sleeves, and
even this does not keep them from pro-
fuse perspiration.
1t may seem incredible, but it is fact
nevertheless, that to repaint the outside OF
the dome requires fifteen tons of pure white
lead. This amount of material, under
ordinary circumstances, would be sufficient
to paint every house on Pennsylvania ave.
nue. from the Capitol to the Treasury
building. Common white paint would wash
Oft the roof of the dome in the first rain
that came along, and trickle down in big
streams, leaving the dirt as palpable as be-
fore. The work of repainting would not be
rendered 30 often necessary were it not for
the fact that the dome is SO constructed
that the vertical joints, or ribs of the
walls, which are Of iron, as is the entire
structure, do not come in actual contact
with each other, thereby allowing the rain
to get in and rust. Were they Joined
the grand old dome would assume each
day, under the mfr suce Ct the weather.
new and horribly fantastic shapes, and
some unusually cold morning would find it
crushed like an egg shell into thousand
fragments. The painters on the roof of
the dome resemble nothing 80 much as tiny
flies, and the rope-ladders stretching down
from the top in every direction like hair
lines, remind one of delicate streaks of
molasses, which these flies are working for
all they are worth. To reach the bottom
of the dome it is necessary to lie PROSTATE
and climb down these ladders, a proceed
ing which is not of itself peculiarly diff
cult, but becomes so when he who descends
has dizzy head, an unsteady nerve, and
is incumbered with too many paint-pots
and several brushes. Fortunately no acct
dents have as yet occurred, although sim
gle misstep orthe giving way of slender
piece of rope would send the unlucky
painter rolling down the steeply.curving
roof and off into-well, eternity.
The most wonderful thing about the Cap
itol dome, however, it yet to be told. 1t is
said that there was a statue in ancient
Egypt, called Mormon, which whispered
sweet words of melody to the sun as he ap.
peared above the horizon, and sung him to
sleep every night with wild, weird lullabies.
The grand, naughty Goddess of Liberty on
top OF the dome has heart of bronze. but
a good heart for all that, and one filed
with true old Virginia courtesy. She has
not yet picked up enough courage to at
tempt to do the prima donna act, but
every morning tn good dame courtesies to
the sun, and when he sinks in the west she
aroul... Some time since architect Clark
suspended a pluYnct line from the interior
of the dome, AM was found by actual
space of fur ge:qls,fsF inches,
making total the perpendiod.=
lar Of eight and one. half inches.
This Is caused by the alternate con-
traction and expansion of the iGon. 4
ludicrsds mistake, which occurred not long
Stree, may be mentioned i this oonnec-
ton. The coast survey hal in chsrse the
surveying Of the river front preparatory TO
locating tie line for the reclamation Of the
Potomac flats. The top OF the dome was
taken as ooe point Of the a.. geyErR IL
angle in ettimsting aEr.ain distances, The
calculations thus arrived at were found to
sadly differ almost every day, and much
swearing and perpls1 ed thinking upon the
part of the brilliant engineers was INDUCED
in before the dipping of the dome was
brought to mind A; ter that the top of
the Washington Nor ument did unceasing
duty as mathematis guiding star.
To remove the paint from the dome it is
necessary to use potash. This is applied
with a mop In closing it may be re.
marked chat it is II contemplation to re-
move the copper roof over the Con.
gressional Library, owing to it's cracked,
tissured condition. he cost of repainting
the outside of the kiome is estimated at
Sc, 900. This is for paint and labor. And
while the dome is Putting on snowy robes
without, Costigini i, within weaving his
wonderful frescoes. = Washington Post.