The Opelousas courier., 1892-07-02
OF THE NATION,
IT'S ARCHITECTURAL Equal DOES
NOT EXIST.
Bronze Doors Worth $50, 600 a Pair,
and a Dome That Weighs Nearly
1000 Tons-fn the Fsotunda.

who have visited the rofunda-aho
Everybody who goes there visits the ro-
ltunda of course-will remember with
interest the great set of bronze doors
which ornament the entrance OF TINS
wonderful portion of the wonderful
building, looked upon by many as the
handsomest legislative building ! n the
world. The big bronze doors which
open to the visitor as he 11nters the ro-
tunda of the Capitol alw, Is stick in ms
memory, and hundreds o~ffhousands OF
people in the United States to-day re-
member them. They are very elaborate.
The bill in question proposes to place
lat the entrance of the House end OF the
Capitol . bronze door somewhat similar
| to that at the entrance OF the rotunda or
the one at the entrance of the Senate
wing of the Capitol. The Rogers
bronze door at the entrance to the rotun-
| da of the Capitol cost a trife over $780,
600. Those at the Senate end OF the
| Capitol cost even more, for the total OF
their cost ran up to nearly $50, 0O0. The
bronze doors of the rotunda, while they
| are interesting, are by nc means all OF the
| attractive features of this interesting
portion of the Capitol. Everybody who
| comes to Washington makes a bee lin
! for the rotunda. The great dome, weigh
ing 1915 tons, which s%urmounts it Is the
| first thing he sees when he enters Wash
ing. and the rotunda itself is usually the
| first point visited after landing.
At all hours of the day there are
crowds of sight. seers in the rotunda. The
visitors who enter by the main steps not
only pass between a pair of doors costing
$50, 600, but find themselves surrounded
by pictures and statutes representing a
much greater sum. Usually the first
thing that the visitor does upon entering
the rotunda is to turn his eyes toward
the great dome. which stretches $50
feet above him. Here he sees directly
over his head a painting which costs a
trife of $40, 900. Stretching along the
circular walls which surround him he
find eight paintings, which cost
about $40, 600. ADoye them are
panels which contain medallion
heads of Columbus, Raleigh, Cabot and
La Sale, while over the entrance doors
are alto relieves cut in stone. represent
ing the Landing of the Pilgrims, PENIS
treaty with the Indians, a conflict be-
tween Boone and the Indians add the
preservation of Capt. John Smith by,
Pocahontas. These two sets of rellef
panels cost about 1926, 900. Still beyond
them runs the celebrated line of fresco
paintings, illustrating the principal
epochs of American history, aud costing
a sum not yet determined, as the work
itself is not yet finished. Thus the visi-
tor to the rotunda finds himself sur.
rounded by sshigh art" high in two
senses of the word, for it is high in cost,
and the item which was most expensive
is high above his head, 183 feet high.
There is a round white stone, q bit of
marble probably, in the centre of the
dome. The average guide always leads
his victim to this spot, and tells him
gravely that this is the esn.er of the
building. He informs hlsu that in q spot
directly below where he now stands is a
crypt, which was prepared for the re-
mains Of Washington, but which was
never utilized for that purpose. Then
he calls attention to the wonderful ale
gorical painting in the steye of the
dome,h directly above their heads, and
it is no unusual thing TO see little groups
of people standing over this central stone
with heads thrown back, looking directly
upward and studying out this wonderful
allegorical paintings from the hands OF
the renowned artist, Brlmidi. This
done, the guide leads the visitors to the |
historical paintings, with the customary
guides lingo, made up of some bits Of
history, anecdotes and imagination.
One of the most noted and carefully
studied Of these pictures is the surrender
of Lord CORVALLIS at Yorktown, and at
almost any hour Of the day you may find
Q group Of people standing before this
picture, this croWning event in the his
tory of the great revolutionary struggle.
There are a good many wonderful
things to be said in connection with this
rotunda and the dome which covers it.
The rotunda itself is q grand circular
hall three hundred feet in circumference,
So IL feet in diameter. The canopy
which overs the high dome, 1873 feet
above the floor. while it looks smaller
from the floor, has really an area of over
1000 square feet. The bronze door
which admits the visitors is twenty feet
high ard weighs 30, 600 pounds. It has
nine panels with figures IN relief. Illus
trating the life of Columbus and the dis
coyery Of the American Continent. The
dome which covers it Il SAID to surpass
in classical symmetry any other in the
world, and is only equaled in size By the
dones of st. Peters In Rome, st. Paul's
in London and the Hotel Des Invalides
in Paris. It weighs a trifie over 1919
tons. Being of iron, 1T is so construed
that the expansion and contraction by
hear q cold is easily permitted, the
builder saying of it that it can eexpand
aud contract like the folding and IN
folding of a lily The broaze figure of
the Goddess Of Liberty which surmounts
it weighs IA, 9s5 pounds. The people
who pass through this great rotunda and
halt to admire its wonders and beauty
may be numbered by millions annually.
-Star-Sayins il.