Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-03-16
CAPITOL improvements.

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Capitol Improvements.
washington Dl patch to the New York Mall and Ex-
There are several propositions to i'm.
prove the capitol, which have been
presented to the committees on public
buildings and grounds One is to lift
the dome, another TO put up a library
building, and another to wipe out the
terraces and make facades on the west
front. In talk with Mr.. III. S. Wood
ward, he has given me several nice
points on architecture. which are wor-
thy of reproduction, together with Mr..
Smithmeyer's plan for a new library
building. 81 propose to extend the
east portion, or old capital building, to
correspond with the west, which ex-
tension will be Is by 40 feet. The
extension will add twenty-four large
committee rooms, % by "a feet. The
old library will be converted into ad-
ditional committee rooms, making
eighteen more Of the same size. 1t is
also proposed to face the old capitol
building with marble the color of that
used in the wing, thereby making the
building uniform and harmonious in
appearance. We shall raise the old
capitol building forty-eight feet. This
addition VIII be known as the library
room. 1t will present the form of
Greek cross. 1t will have five galleries
running around it; corridor, thirty
feet wide, extending arOAnd the entire
room. 1t will contain seventy-twO
miles of iron shelving, and have ca
pacity for seven million volumes. In
what is known by the generic title of
library room" there will be thirty-feur
rooms eighteen by eighteen feet; ten
rooms twelve by eighteen feet, for
works of art that cannot be exhibited
ON shelves and for the use of the Ii
brary officials. neglected to say that
there would also be two packing looms,
twenty feet square. On the senate and
house side there will be two passenger
elevators with a dumb waiter and
speaking tube attached. There will
be two marble stairways on the east
running into the library, and one on
the west. The total addition of rooms
of all classes will be eighty-eight.'
"How many committee rooms are
there now?"
eighty three, in which 10 standing
committees must be accommodated.
The addition makes 125 committee or
drawing-rooms. besides eighteen similar
rooms, 18x18 feet. for select and sub
committee rooms"
''In what manner will the alterations
be madeP" 81 shall run up the outer
walls to the height required, forty-eight
feet. and then put on an iron roof,
without disturbing the dome. Then,
after the roof is on, the dome, which is
composed of sections, bolted and Sc
cured, will be taken down and distrib-
Uted on the roof, after which the dome
foundation walls will be run up to the
same height and the dome replaced.
During this alteration the present, or
old roof, which is Of wood, will remain.
After the new roof is on the old one
will be removed and become the floor
of the library, which will be of iron
girders and brick arches. thereby max.
ing it an absolutely fire-proof structure.
The change in the legislative halls will
be made during the recess of congress"
"And what is the nature of this
changer" ITO take out the speakers
room and the lobby on the house side
and the marble-room and lobby on the
senate side. thereby running the two
halls to the outer walls on the north
ana south sides respectively. The
speakers and vice presidents desks
will occupy position directly opposite
t0>&hat they do now. The arc of the
circle of seats will be reversed, which
will have the excellent effect of plac.
ing the backs of the members to the
light and facing the galleries. The
galleries on the north side of the senate
and the south side of the house will be
removed. the increase in the size of
the two halls more than compensating
in gallery room for the one taken out.
Thus, you observe, the provisions of
the act Of June, 1880, for better light
and ventilation, will not only be carried
out, but the acoustic properties of both
halls will be greatly improved"
people will be interested in know
ing the cost of all this. Can you ap-
proximate the expense? ?" "The cost
OF all these alterations will not exceed
$5,OOO,O00. The time required for their
completion will not extend over a
period of two years and half, which
is about the time required for acquir-
ing title to the site of EAST Capitol
hill"