Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-04-16

incident which recalls vividly tn
romance of Lady Ginevra, the mis-
tletoe bough and the great oakel
chest. Before the invention of tn
electric light the great circles O
burners about the galleries of tn,
dome and the clusters about th,
Senate and House skylights were ig
nited by an electric current tha
flashed through a series of wire
leading from an enormous battery
The battery was located in the rount
top above the well and lined its cylin
drical walls with great generating jars
A BRIDES ADVENTURE.
One wintry afternoon, but a few
minutes before the hour set for the
closing of the dome stairway, this
guide began the long ascent. plotting
one of the numberless bridal couples
that every season make Washington q
Mecca. TIE young man was an
enthusiastic sight-seer, and as the
guide pointed out the interesting
features of the ascent he suffered his
brides hand to slip from his arm and
pressed on several PAGES ahead, until
a sudden turn in the stairs hid him
from her view. Piqued at his deser-
tion of her, she toiled up the stairs
alone until her eye fell upon door
standing ajar at the head of short
flight OF steps leading Off to the right.
In a spirit of mischief she ran up
these steps, pushed open the door and
entered the electrical laboratory, re-
solved to hide from her husband.
Hardly ray of light penetrated the
gloom of the chamber, but for a mo-
ment curiositys overcame her, until
with bang strong draught swung
the heavy iron door shut with a loud
click of the spring lock. For a moment
she was dazed, and then realizing that
she was shut in, sprang to the door
and endeavored to open it, beating
upon it's hard surface with her little
hands and crying loudly for help.
CAUHGT IN A TRAP.
Many minutes that seemed to her
hours she tugged at the heavy fasten-
ings OF the door and called vainly to
her husband for assistance. "Help
me, Albert, help mel" she cried, but
her voice hardly penetrated the stout
door, and echoed mournfully in the
vaulted recess above her. She
pressed her ear against the cold iron
of the great lock, and her heart al
most stopped its beating as she lis
tened intently for approaching foot
steps. Once or twice she heard foot
falls echoing down the iron stairway
but though she cried aloud for bel D
they passed on and were lost in the
depth below. Then she sprang up
and ran aimlessly about the chamber.
On all sides dark passages led her
into narrow. winding recesses that
stopped in thick, dead walls. Fin
ally tired out, she found her way
back to the door through which she
had entered and fell fainting against
it.
In the meantime her husband, who
did not for several minutes observe
that she was not following, had
climbed far above the laboratory
Then calling to her and receiving nc
reply, he hurriedly retraced his foot
steps, expecting to find her hiding be.
hind each angle of the descent. Be-
coming thoroughly alarmed, he called
her loudly by name: "Annie, Annie,
where are you?s The echo of his
voice alone responded, and, crazed
with fear, he rushed up and down
the stairway shouting wildly for help
to find his lost wife.
CRAzED WITH ANXIETY.
The guide endeavored to calm him,
but, breaking away from him, he ran
down the stairs to a sudden turn in
the flight, lost his balance and fell
over the rail, distance of thirty feet
to the roof below. The guide climbed
Quickly down after him, and found
him unped by the fall. Summonine
assistance, he bore the inse ensible man
to carriage and drove him to his ho-
tel, where he lay unconscious for
hours.
Believing that the injured man g
wife must have found her way out oi
the building, the search for her was
abandoned. At about 8 o'clock that
night the electrician Of the Capitol
had occasion to visit the laboratory
Fitting the key to the door he pushed
it open and was astonished to find a
woman lying on the floor apparently
dead. Raising her carefully, he bore
her to the Office OF the captain of the
Watch, where she was speedily resus-
itated. Though suffering greatly from
the shock of her fright, her sole anx-
iety was for her husband, and enter.
ing carriage she was rapidly driven
to the hotel, just in time to fall into
his arms as he recovered conscious.
ness - Washington CORRESPONDENCE
Pittsburg Commercial Gazette.