Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-02-25
TEXAS CAPITOL.
| III COSTS 100000, OR 1900. 900
ACRES OF LAND.
How the Lone Star State Secures
ORc of the Finest state Houses
In the World.

AUSTIN Tex, February 10th.-Tht
new State house OF Texas is one of the
finest red granite buildings in the world
1t is now about completed, the foundation
having been laid in 1884 The builder:
were a syndicate composed of the Messrs
Farwell, of Chicago, and others. The
compensation on the part Of the State Of
Texas was 100000 acres of land situated
in the Panhandle" and including nine
counties, sufficient of themselves to form a
new State the size of Connecticut. 1t is
estimated the syndicate has expended in
the construction of the building, from first
to last, about 100000. During the last
year some 800 men have been constantly
employed on the building At one time
there were 1000 persons, engaged in vari-
Gus parts of the world manufacturing ma
terial or preparing it for different portions
of the edifice
The new State-house is situated on an
eminence near the center of the city of
Austin. 1t commands magnificent view
of the scenery up and down the Colorado
river for fifteen miles. Patches Of prairie
appear to the southwest, low mountains
and cedar-crowned hills rise in the blue
distance in the west. In the foreground
the tortuous Colorado runs like thread of
silver. At the feet of the observer lies the
city, with its palatiai residences and numer-
Gus public buildings
The native red granite of which the
Texas Capitol is constructed, was procured
from the granite mountain in Burnet
county, seventy-fve miles distant, and
transported by rail, and pronounced by ex-
perts equal to the famous red granite OF
Scotland.
The style of the new State-house APP
proximates the Doric. Its form approaches
the Greek cross, with a rotunda and dome
at the intersections of the corridors. It's
! front north is 500 feet long from east to
west, 2S7 feet deep from north to south,
and covers two and one-fourth acres OF
ground
The exterior is constructed of rough
granite blocks, laid lengthwise, but all the
margins are beautifully dressed, including
the window sills and their bases. There is
! considerable rock face work distributed
throughout the second and third stories,
and a stately feature in these is the finely
dressed pilisters, which, to the number of
l16, extend the whole length of the stories.
The hight of the basement is II feet 6
inches, first story % feet, second q feet,
third 20 feet and fourth 10 feet.
The hight of the first colonnade around
the base of the dome above the roof is 126
feet; second colonnade above, 162 feet to
the colonnades around the lantern, PIT
feet; to the base of the bronze statue of
Liberty, surmounting the lantern. 2S5 feet
the hight of the statue itself being L
feet. The large glass star on the top of
the statue is 81 feet above the base line of
the building, and $40 feet above the level
of Congress avenue leading up to the
Capitol.
The basement comprises sixtv-three
rooms, in which the records of the State
and other things will be stored, and NAV
serve as dungeons or bastile when the
United States-or Texas-fve hundred
hundred years from now shall be despotic
monarchy, perhaps. The executive Off
ceS, Governors room, etc, are on the first
floor; the second is set apart for the Leg
lslative and the third for the Judiciary de-
partments of the State Government.
The dimensions and appearance of the
two great halls of the interior-the Senate
chamber and Hall of Representatives-are
in keeping with the grandeur of the ex-
terror of the edifice. The latter is 94x96
feet and the former 94x70 Both these
great halls are open through TO the ceiling
of the second floor above, completely en-
circled with galleries. The ceilings are of
s.fns ,AI lata Il, Il
the immense skylights of the roof above.
Two tiers of windows also furnish natural
light from the north and south. The
magnificence of the Senate and Represent
alive chambers is not less impressive than
| that of the great rotunda, sixty-tive feet in
diameter, and encircled by balcony five
feet deep, connected with the second, third
and fourth floors. The center of the ro-
tunda on the first floor is of heavy plate
glass, to admit light to the spaces below.
The State library is 6Sx124 feet, and, like
the Legislative chambers, well lighted.
All the broad and stable corridors
throughout the building are laid in en-
caustic thing Of various patterns and at
tractive designs. Each of the offices on
the first floor has a large fire-proof vault
for records, and the State Treasurer's office
also has tremendous chrome steel money
| vault. The two grand stairways are sit
uated on both sides of the rotunda, near its
east and west entrances to the long corri-
doris that run the full length of the first
floor, and these grand stairways ascend to
the second floor near the entrance to the
vestibules leading into the Senate Cham
Der in the east flank and the House of
tnf. ba 80 81,
building, while the entire north projection
of the library and large portion of the
south projection are taken up by the Gov
ernor's public reception-rooms.
i distinctive feature of the entrance
facing the south is the triumphal arch
that spans this entrance at hight of
seventy-two feet, underneath which, in the
vestibule of the first floor supporting the
granite balcony, stands two magnificent
columns. In striking contrast with this
ornate entrance on the opposite or north
side of the building is the massive portico
which dignifes that side of the Capitol
The exterior of the Capitol possesses a
grandeur belonging to no building of the
same kind outside of Washington or Al
bany, n. Y. 1t has the advantage even of
those Capitols in the romantic scenery by
which it is surrounded and the magnificent
situation. There is no Capitol dome in
the United States that commands lovelier
view in all directions than that of the new
granite Capitol of the State of Texas
There are in the entire Capitol IF the
State of Texas 260 rooms, halls, and other
apartments.
The dome of the Texas Capitol surpasses
in hight that of any Capitol building in
America. There is stairway leading
from the fourth story to the exterior of the
dome, from which is had one of the most
magnificent and enchanting of landscape
views There are but two Capitol build
ings in the United States than can COM
pare with this immense pile of Texas gran
ite-the Capitols at Washington and AL
bany.
The new Capitol is to be dedicated May
18th to 10Th, and Governor Ross has al
ready sent ont invitations to leading and
distinguished people all over the United
States to be present.