The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1882-12-09
Daring Work.

dome of the Capitol is offering daily at
fractions 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 num-
Der. They are Washington painters,
men of more than ordinsfy daring in
their profession, who arr not afraid to
risk their lives for fancy prices, and that
is what the Government pays for all its
work. t
The dangers to which these men are
daily subject would no doubt freeze the
blood in the veins of their loving spouses
and cause their hair to stand dizzily on
end; but, fortunately for the good danes,
they are told nothing about these things.
They only hear about the wages. 1t is
a mistake to say, as some adventurous
correspondents have done in years gone
by, that the air around the upper part of
the dome is in freezing condition, as
compared with that of the air on the
elevation. there is delightful profuse-
ness 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
profuse 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 Penn
sylvania Avenue, from the Capitol to the
Treasury building.
Common white paint would wash off
the roof of the dome in the first rain
that came along, and trickle down in
big sire ms, leaving the dirt as palpable
as before. The work of repainting would
notbe rendered so 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 in
fiuence of 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 so much rs tiny flies,
and the rope ladders stretching down
from the top in every direction like hair
lines remind one of the delicate streaks
of molasses which these flies are working
for all they are worth. 10 reach the
bottom of the dome it is necessary to
lay PROSTATE and climb down these lad
ders, a proceeding which is not of itself
peculiarly difficult, out becomes so when
he who descends has dizzy head. an
unsteady nerve, andis encountered with
too many paint pots and several brushes.
Fortunately no accidents have as yet
occurred, although a single misstep or
giving way of a slender piece of rope
would send the unlucky painter rolling
down the steeply curving roof and of
into-well, eternity.
The most wonderful thing about the
Capitol dome, however, is yet to be told
| 1t is said that there was statue in ancient
Egypt called Memnon which whispered
sweet words of melody to the sun as he
appeared above the horizon and sang him
to sleep with wild weird lullabies. The
grand, naughty Goddess of Liberty on
top of the dome has a heart of bronze,
but good heart for all that, and one
filed with true old Virginia courtesy.
She has not yet picked up enough
courage to attempt to do the prima donna
act, but every morning the good dame
courtesies to the sun, and when he sinks
in the west she again courtesies, but
without turning around. Some time
since Architect Clark suspended plum
met line from the interior OF the dome,
and it was found by actual measurement
that the lead swung over space Of four
and one-quarter inches, making total
dip out of the perpendicular of eight and
one-haf inches. This is caused by the
alternate contraction and expansion Of
the iron.
A ludicrous mistake, which occurred
not long since, may be mentioned in this
connection. The coast survey had in
charge the surveying of the river front
preparatory to locating the line for the
| reclamation of the Potomac flats.
The top of the dome was taken as one
point of the surveyors triangle in esti-
mating certain distances. The calcula-
| blOQS illus dtIlfcu ~ WCtC AOuuA W onNAAy
differ almost every day, and much swear
ing and perplexed thinking upon the
part of the brilliant engineers was in
dulged in before the dipping of the dome
was brought to mind. After that the
top of the Washington monument did
unceasing duty as mathematic guiding
star.
To remove the paint from the dome il
is necessary to use potash. This is APP
Piled with q mop. In closing it may be
remarked that it is in contemplation to
remove the copper roof over the Con-
gressional library. owing to its ragged.
| assured condition.
The cost of repainting the outside Of
the dome is estimated at $4,000. This
is for paint and labor Washington Post.
Barbecue is from the French words