Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-05-16
BIGGER THAN THE CAPITOL.

-
How the Quaker City Brags Upon Its city
Hal-Really . Wonderful Building.
STAG Correspondence of The Evening star.
A PHILADELPHIA, May Is. 1891.
TlHE PEOPLE OF THIS TOWN sNIGGER
4 disdainfully when they hear the Capitol at
Washington spoken Of with admiration. They
say, 'Where is it beside our city hall?" Then
they point to the huge white marble structure
on Broad street and call attention to it, magni-
6cence.
In point Of size the building Is certainly I'M
pressive. It covers considerably more ground
than the Capftol-about four aud one-half
acres, without counting the great court yard
in the middle-and very nearly twice a. high.
At all events it will be 548 feet In height when
the immense central tower il finished, or only
two feet less than the Washington monument.
The top of Americas head on the Capitol
is only 2s7 feet from the ground. This
extraordinary edifce 10 in the form of
q hollow square $50 feet on each side
and covering an entire block. II has aiready
cost 81, 100000, and is likely to use up s10,-
600 600 more. There are over I 1000 rooms in
It., and twenty-four men have already lost their
lives by falling from the walls. The majority
OF these accidents have been caused by sheer
carelessness, the last victim turning somer-
saults for eight stories to the pavement because
he wanted to stand on the window ledge for the
purpose of seeing parade that was passing by.
HOW IT n OCCUPIED.
The city hall Of Philadelphia is not only the
biggest building in the United States of any sort
but the largest and finest municipal structure in
existence. It contains and includes the entire
machinery for the government and protection
OF this great town of more than million in
naoltants. Every municipal officer has his
headquarters there, and under the same
r ROOT. are housed the authorities Of the
all the law courts Of the county. One
half Of the sixth floor accommodates the
entire criminal business of the county, and
here all cases Of that sort will be tried from the
drunk who gets ten days to the murderer who
is dead. One-hah Of the second floor likewise
will provide for the entire civil law business Of
the county. The police courts Of the city are
located on the sixth floor. as well as the central
police station, which latter is spacious and
paiatial affair, with walls composed of costly
and beautiful tiles and a special elevator
for fetching up prisoners from the courtyard
On the fourth floor the supreme court of the
state OF Pennsylvania is at present in session.
The apartment 1t occupies is on a scale of gor-
geousness, beside which the Supreme Court
and unadorned. The judges in their black
robes sit behind a bench of massive onyx and
gilt carvings, and the very window curtains cost
nearly $1,000 pair.
COMPLETE TELEaRApH1o PLANT.
; On the east front Of the sixth floor is the fin
est Geographic plant in the world, including
all the very newest inventions in this line of
electrical discovery, by which communication
is had with all parts of the city and covering
hundreds OF square miles, 80 that if there is
a fire anywhere, or need of police, or a lost
10 or eka1 r.
to the city hall. Probably the most superb
room in the United States is the one pro-
vided for the director Of public safety, where
In that official receives every morning
all the police ieutenants, representing
their tn h ns f f CEILING limo is m mofs
than twenty feet high and most exquisitely
frescoed with female figures, representing Wis
dom, Justice, Peace and Virtue. 1t may fairly
be said that the director of public safety is in
Philadelphia q more important and powerful
parsonage than the mayor, controlling, as he
does, the police, fire, health and many other
departments like q veritable Koko.
PRIVATE WATER SUPPLY.
In order that the city hall shall never have its
water supply cut off or lessened by any
accident of fire or otherwise, special main has
been built connecting it with reservoir three
miles away, which is at so great an elevation
that gravity causes it to how on the topmost
floors, 200 feet above the ground. The buildingis
entirely composed of stone and iron; the tower
is Of iron and the dome at its top
will be covered with q film of aluminium
one-eighth of an inch in thickness. This
metal, which does not tarnish, will
shine like silver under the suns rays that fall
upon the Quaker city. great quantity of the
metal will be required for this purpose, but
luckily its cost has been reduced recently to
Sl.25 pound. When PhiladeIphians are not
Dragging of their giant structure they are
Kicking at the price. and from day to day con-
tinually rage and tear their hair over the mil
lions that are being poured into what the local
newspapers call the white Elephant" RIB.