The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-09-24
TIE CAPITOL DOME.
Interesting Account Of its Construo-
ton and SurmountinR.

ucrstonc Of the capitol, the apex must not
be overlooked. NO pun intended.) Every
person who has visited Washington and
admired the magnificent capitol of our
great nation, has looked with admiration
also on the gigantic statue of freedom
which crowns the splendid edifice. Stand
ing upon the apex of the dome, looking
toward the rising sun, immovabe. and
yet apparently ON the alert, 10 has been
Razed at with wonder and admiration by
countless thousands and will continue TO
be conspicuous object of interest to
countless thousands and millions for cen
turtles TO come.
The dome of the original central build
ing was constructed Of wood covered
with copper. This was replaced, in 1856,
with the present structure of cast-iron.
IL was completed in 1865. The entire
weight of iron used Is 5000 200 pounds.
The dome Is crowned by a bronze statue Of
freedom, which is nineteen feet six inches
high, and weighs l40S5 pounds. IL was
modelled by Thomas Crawford, the sculp-
tor When the dome was built, the arch
iteCt Of the capitol was Mr.. Thomas u.
Walter, who resigned in 1868, and was
succeeded by MIR. Edward Clark the
present architect. Mr.. Charles r.
Thomas, M. e., of Massachusetts, was the
superintendent of the construction of the
dome.
EIGHT YEARS CONSUMED.
Mr. Thomas placed the statue of free
dom on the dome Dec. 2 1868, at 10
O'Clock m, and the scaffolding whereby
the thOlus was built and the statue was
raised to its position, was designed and
erected by him. Mr.. Thomas was eight
years building the dome and placing the
statue in position. The elevation
of the top Of the scaffolding
on the western face Of the capitol was 800
feet, and on the eastern face 300 feet.
Only Mr. Thomas and two workmen were
allowed TO so on the structure. They
climbed TO the top by means of cleats
fastened TO one of the uprights They
found it TO be a very windy place. Ire
mendous gusts would come from uneX-
pected quarters, and nearly blow them
away During all the time that they were
at work on their lofty perch they would
be obliged to keepa lookout for these
gusts, to prevent being taken by surprise
and swept away.
The head of the statue was hoisted to
it's place by means Of an eyebolt in the
cluster Of feathers in the helmet of the
statue. The instant it settled into place
thirtyfour guns were fired by park of
artillery east Of the capitol, and the guns
Of all the forts near Washington re-
sponded.
STANDING ON ITS HEAD.
After the scaffolding about the statue
was partly removed, MIR. Thomas stood
on the feathers of the helmet, while a
photographer took his picture. The
photographer could not say to him:
Now look pleasant or 'hold your chin
n little higher, please" or there now;
that will do-just so, or any of the other
entertaining remarks which phOtogra-
pliers are wont TO shoot off at their sit
ters for he was too far of. He was at
the corner of South First street and New
Jersey avenue, several hundred Yards
away. Mr.. Thomas had tied a rope
through the eyebolt in the center of the
top of the head, so that "A blight was form
ed which hung down the sloping side OF
the head He placed his foot in the
blight. The left foot was on top of the
head. Standing thus the photograph was
taken. In the photograph, copies Of
ed, MIR. Thomas looks like
blackbird just lighted on Freedoms
head. After the photographer had
dropped his handkerchief TO signify that
he was done, Mr., Thomas dropped on his
right knee and took hammer from one
pocket and some steel dies of letters from
another pocket. With "a blow on each
die, he stamped words on the topmost
feather Of the plume. Those words have
never been seen by any one but himself,
and possibly never will beat any rate
not in the next thousand years, unless
the statue should need repairs, which
Mr. Thomas says will never be the case.
The words he stamped are as follows:
INSCRIPTION IN THE STATUE.
"a. Lincoln, President of the United
States Thomas U. Walters, Architect;
b. B. French, Commissioner Public
Buildings Charles +. Thomas, Superin-
tendent of the Construction of the New
Dome.n
Mr. Thomas now nearly eighty years
old, lives in Chicago, but for many years
after the war was resident of the city
Of New York
Few people are aware of the fact that
jefferson Davis was the cause of substi-
tuting the helmet, which is on the head Of
the statue, for the liberty cap which
was there in the original design by Mr..
Crawford, the sculptor. The incident
gave rise to much talk at the time, and
many ascribed TO Mr.. Davis sinister
reason. They said that he was opposed
TO the liberty cap because he did not want
to admit that slaves could ever be made
free Mr.. Davis was Secretary of War
at the time the designs were submitted
by the sculptor, and he objected TO the
cap on the ground that il was a symbol Of
the freed slaves of ancient Greece. He
preferred helmet instead, eX-
planning his views in commune
cation addressed to Capt. Montgomery
G. Meigs, the officer then in charge
of the capitol extension. The letter is now
on file in the war department, under date
Jan. Is, 1856, and constitutes the only cor
respondence on the matter. AS to the
helmet, MIR. Davis said:
JEFFERSON DAVIS ARGUMENT.
U'Why should not armed Liberty wear
helmet2 Her conflict being over, her cause
triumphant, as shown by the other en-
blems of the statue, 1.-THE visor would be up,
so as TO permit, as in the photograph, the
display of a circle Of stars, expressive
of endless existence and of heavenly
birth. With these remarks, l leave the
matter to the judgment of Mr. Crawford,
and l need hardly say to you, who know
my very high appreciation Of him, that
certainly would not venture, on a question
OF art, to array my opinion against his"
Tide views thus expressed were deemed
so apt and well conceived that they were
carried out by the sculptor with the
strictest fidelity, and the statue of free
dom now wears helmet, albeit adorned
with tail feathers in such manner as to
be mistaken for the head-gear of a wild
Indian chief.
Such is the story of the immense bronze
statue which crowns the apex of the
finest dome on this earthly planet.
pDTrT TNrc1 rEIETp TOHynnES