Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1888-05-17
PRIDE OF ALLTEXANS
CELEBRATING THE COMPLETION OF
THE NEW CAPITOL.

The Building That Cost a Principally to
Erect-A Mammoth Architectural Pile
Second in Size Only to the National
CapitoI-A Description.
AUSTIN, Tex, May 16.-This is a gala
week for Austin. The city has been lit
orally crowded since Monday, and each
succeeding train has swelled the number.
All Texas seems represented to-day.
The celebration proper of the new state
Capitol begins to-day.
Tbe passenger trains of the Interna-
tional Il Great Northern aud Houston
and Texas Central railways disgorge
their contents at the foot of Con.
gress avenue. No depot is there; one
once was, but it burned, and Mr.. Gould
has not rebuilt it. From the place where
the depot should be n it is not, the
avenue is broad and straight, stretching
for three-quarters of a mile due north. At
h farther end, browning a hill some
fifty feet high and itself soaring heaven
ward, stands the new Capitol, the great
est building in the greatest state of the
union, and it is the completion of this
! SPLENDID structure which Texas cele-
brates.
Seen from a distance, the new Capitol
has rather q squat appearance. The
hight of the dome Is dispropsrtionately
great and the length is excessive. Stand
close, and it is a grand pile which reaches
the sky. OF color it Is the shade between
white and pink. In the. golden sunlight
of the Texas spring it is very beautiful.
The granite of which the walls are con-
structed come from Burnett Tex quar-
ries, and its receptiyity to polish is infe-
rior to that of no other building stone.
1t was dug and shaped by state convicts
under the superintendent of skilled
workmen. Some idea of the enormous
quantity required may be gathered from
the statement that 1000 car loads of it
were used, not including broken and in
ferior material.
The Capitol entrance is topped by a
massive arch, is approached by a series
of terraces in the side of the elevation.on
which it stands. Three doors swing
open to the visitors, and they step upon
the first floor, composed of reticulated
encaustic tiles of many colors artistically
laid. At b distance Of 100 feet from
the rotunda,, surrounded by three gal
leries, stretches up the dome, whose
ceiling is don in blue and gold. Every
door in the building is of the finest cut
glass. with frames that are richly carved.
The supports of the galleries are as fine
woodwork as skill will produce. The
ironwork OF the huge Ionic and Corin-
THAN columns was done by convicts in
the iron foundry i'll the state penitentiary
at Rusk.
All the wrought iron work-and there
is seemingly no end TO it--came from
Belgian. The staircases are of this
material, and the steps are covered with
corrugated rubber. All hinges ara poll
ished brass and bear the words, Texas
Capitol.
The various state Offices, located upon
the first floor, are furnished with every
izoonTenisfiee, Vaults, siiSsetse, etc. Ia the
seeond-story are located the chambers of
the senate and house OF Representatives,
the latter being larger than the house
chamber at Washington. Their acoustic
properties are remarkably good. The
galleries are Of oiled wood. Every facil-
ity is given TO the press, including the
chambers known as the reporters rooms.
Every wall in the house is of hard white
finish, the paneling carved and especially
heavy.
The Capitol building covers two and
one-quarter acres, and seven acres Of
grounds are attached, which have been
laid off and planted with every beautiful.
tree and flower which will grow in Texas,
SO they are equally lovely, viewed front,
rear or FROM either of the porticos.
Texas Capitol is second in size onfJ to
the national Capitol at Washington. The
site is the square that was set apart for
a Capitol after Texas set up a Lone Star
republic, independent of Mexico, and be-
fore the annexation to the United States.
From the dome there Is a magnificent
view. In front is the Colorado, wrig-
Cling alpng between the sand-bars in
drouth, and bo1naists withsa mighty flood
in the freshet seasoE Beyond the river
rises a range OF lefty wooded hills, the
last of the Ozarks.
The first step toward the erection. of
this building was the passage Of an act
by the legislature in 1879.
As carried out the plan became a trade
of lane in bulk for a new capitol. Bids
were then invited. The bids were for
the smallest quantity of 5000, 900 acres
of the public domain, set aside by law for
construction of the new Capitol, and
there were but two men who wanted to
furnish the proposed Capitol and take
Texas land In pay. On November 3,
1881, and pending consideration of the
bids the old Capitol blu ned. The bid of
Matthias Schnell, of Rock Island, Ills, to
build the Capitol according to plans and
specifications for the 1900, 900 acres Of
land, was accepted, A bond of $3.50, 600
to carry out the terms of the contract
was required, and it was signed in Janu-
AIRY, 1882, by Charles B. Farwell, now
United States senator, John ". Barwell
and Abner Taylor of Chicago, and Amos
c. Babcock, of Fulton county, Ills. AT
the same time Schnell filed a contract he
had made with his capitalist bondsmen.
He shortly after sold his interest entire
to the Parwells, Babcock and Taylor for
$l5, 900. The contract was subsequently,
sublet to Gus Wilke for something over
"a, 900, 900.
The Capitol constructors have obtained
title to practically all the land to be given
in payment for their work. They have
made money. Although their 3 1000, 600
acres when the contract was signed were
valued 81 SOC, 600, and the Capitol has cost
$4,000, 600, they hive been saved by the
rise of land values, which heve quintu-
pied In the past four years. Their prin.
cipality is worth So, 900. 600.
"HorizontsI Bill"
QUINCY, Ills, May ia number Of
prominent Democrats have received {
1 rnuHdpnfial 1attar FROM, ttrgo rJ,n,to n.ll,