The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1886-12-16

Iesh h@LAou ioOH 10 une pOStOfnc6 of the
house and senate. West of the house of
representatives, and also east of the sem
ate chamber, IN the two end pavillions of
the building. are numerous rooms for the
officers, CLERKS and committees of the leg
islature, and opening into the state Ii.
brary is portrait gallery.
The house of representa- is ninety
four by ninesy-aix feet, and the senate
chamber ninety-four by seventy nine feet
Both these legislative halls are open to
the ceiling of the third floor, with CALLER
les on the third floor line completely en-
oiroling their interior, the ceilings above
being hesvy, polished, cut stained plate
glass, embossed and flashed, of superb de-
Sign and color, and directly above these
ceilings are the immense skylights on the
roof of the building: while opening into
the house and senate from the north and
soRth are a double tier of windows. 1t
will thus be seen that these two legislative
halls receive an abundant supply of natu-
raj light which will render them the most
desirable assembly rooms that could pos.
sibly be constructed. The state library is
sixty-eight by one hundred and twenty
four feet, and is also arranged like the
hONoO CIV oOAlhfO lOl
supply OF natural light. Immediately
above the state library, on the third floor,
are the supreme and appellate court
rooms, law library, attorneys rooms, and
clerks offices, a3id in the front prof
of the building, on the same floor, are
the judges consultation rooms. In the
fourth or central story are twenty three
rooms not designated for any special uso.
there are in the entire building 256
pRrtments. Connected with the second
snird and fourth floors of the building IS
a balcony FIVE feet in depth encircling
the interior of The rotunda, sixty feet in
diameter. The center of this rotunda, on
the frat floor is of heavy plated glass, to
give light into that portion of the base
ment directly underneath. ThereNare also
additional balconies in the interior of the
rotunda, above the fourth floor of the
building; and in the interior crown of the
dome there is a canopy or diaphragm,
circular iii form, to be prepared for the
reception thereon of allegorical or his
torical paintings. There is flight of
stairs leading from the fourth story to the
exterior of the dome, and from this great
altitude the variety of picturesque scenery
in and around Austin will be interesting
for the visitor to contemplate.
The dome OF the Texas state house is
the 5alIest of any capitol building in
America, and the national capitol at
Washington and the New York state CAPT
tol at Albany are the only two capitol
buildings that can stand comparison
with the Texas state house, either In point
of grandeur or magnitude.
THE CLIMATE OF AUSTIN AND
VICINITY.
The climate of western Texas has long
been celebrated among the people OF our
own vast empire, and of the adjoining
states, as being peculiarly adapted to the
amelioration and cure of chronic diseases
of the organs of respiration, but 1t is only
within the past ten years, or since the ad-
vent of railroads, that the advantages OF
this climate have been partially brought
to the attention Of the people of the north
and east who have hundreds of thou
sands of sons and daughters
DYING OF CONSUMPTION
and other diseases of the respiratory
tract. This part of Texas was traversed
by Gen. jackson and his armies during
the war between the United States and
Mexico, and to that campaign can be
traced the first general notice its ciimat-
ology received. But, for more than
generation after the termination of that
conflict there was no means of reaching
Austln and San Antonio, the distributing
points for
TIE GREAT HEALTH BELT
of the state, except by the old-fashioned
stage coach, or the Mexican wagon train,
and in consequence, the number of health
seekers who cared to or dared avail
themselves Of the climatic advantages OF
this region was limited to very small
per centum, com pared with the vast array
who now seek here restoration of their
wasting vitality. Immediately upon the
advent of railroads, however, western
Texas, especially the neighborhood OF San
Antonio and vicinity, received consld,
cradle notice at the hands of the railroad
management, and the advantages OF the
great southwest as
WINTER RESORT FOR HBALTH-sEEKEBs
was more generally advertised