The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-09-25
HAsHIEGTOE LETTER.
From cur regular oOrrsTp0ndsnt.

From cur regular OorreSpondsnt
WAsHINeToN, September 2l, 1855.
The appearance about Washington
OF the familiar faces Of public men who,
through modern pictorial art are known
almost as we'll IN the hamlets OF this
vast country as in the Capital itself. in
dicate the not remote approach OF the
fall political opening. The city Is alert
with preparation. Hotels and boarding
houses. private residences and shops
streets aud sidewalks, are receiving the
touches OF renovation. and are having
their youth and freshness renewed with
such cosmetics as paint. white wash,
vail paper and paving stones.
The most conspicuous Improvement Is
that which has been made at The CAPT
tol. Marble terrsces have been built
about the north and west wings with
the result Of improving the symetrics !
effect OF the building by reducing the
dispTooortion Of the dome.
Between forty and fifty workmen are
now engaged in the ~ork-sheds oppo-
site the south side of the Capitol pre-
pairing the marble and granite blocks
for the terraces. This work is being
pushed along rapidly. The terrace
work has advanced 80 far as to enable
Improvement. There are $50 men en-
ployed at the work. These include Ia
borers, brick-layers and well-diggers.
The latter are employed in sinking
wells down some twenty-five feet below
the present surface of the ground.
wells are filled up with concrete and
stone masonry, and between the wells
massive brick-arches are constructed to
support the walls. This method Is
adopted to save expense, time, and to
secure a solid foundation. To excavate
the entire foundation would be dan
generous. The contra,t II feels assured
that he can finish the north and south
parts OF the terrace before the close OF
the present building season. Prepara-
tions are now being made to lay the
tagging of the north terrace, which also
forms the roofs of the vaults. There
will be twenty large rooms on the north
side Some of them will be ready for
occupation in about two weeks time.
These rooms will relieve the interior
part of The Capitol OF vast number of
documents.
In the building itself much :s being
done to prepare for the coming Con
gress. Some of the committee rooms,
particularly that of commerce, claims
an library on the House side, aud
privileges and elections on the Senate,
are being handsomely fitted up, and the
ceilings and walls frescoed. The paint
ings, The Battle of the Thames and
the 'Capitulation of the City of Mexico
have been finished and will soon be
placed in position in the rotunda. Such
is the pressure for Committee rooms in
the building that the document room
had to be removed to an interior part,
where there is but little ventilation,
and the room surrendered to the Com
mittee on Foreign Affairs. The Sec
retary Of State when conferring with
this committee does so in secret. The
clerks, therefore, to carry on their work
are required to seek desk room in other
places, The document room was seized
upon to obviate this difficulty.
a large force OF men are painting the
interior OF the dome. Preparations
will soon be made to lay the carpets in
the Senate and House chambers. The
Supreme Court chamber has been paint
ed and the marble cleaned down. On
all sides the busy workman is seen
lending his hand to beautify the build
ting before Congress convenes.
The east front of the building has
been holy-stoned to whiteness, all marks
Of the mellowing hand Of time being
ohliteTated by removing a thin layer of
the surface of the marble in the wings,
so as to correspond with the white
! painted surface Of the old portion of
the building.
The new Pension building has been
almost completed and is already oc-
cupied by the Commissioner of Pen
sions and his vast army of assistants
and clerks. The Pension building is
| ugly in the extreme, AND think it will
be used as a warning, and end the brick
era in National Architecture. For a
building so vast, and so enduring. no
worse design or material could have
been adopted. 1t looks like a factory
or mammoth prison and it is so un-
| fortunately situated as to be con spicous
| from all parts of the city. K.