The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-08-13

counts Of disbursements. They always
travel in dra wing room cars, put up at
Z best hotels and enjoy the choicest OF
I whatever is 10 be had
TO RUS THE CAPITOL.
! II costs a lot Of money % run the build
/ ing which congress occupies for business
/ purposes. Thecapitol is under the charge
/ Of Architect Clark. who is allowed 49,
I OOC year for keeping 10 in order. Seven
I carpenters are employed all the year
round in making repairs while six paint
/ ers devote their exclusive attention 70 the
many acres Of wall surface inside and
outside Of the structure. Four plumbers
do nothing but mend and renew the ar
raugements for water and gas, while
skilled cOppersmith attends TO the roof
and sees that it does not leak any
where. Half a dozen gardeners and a
score of assistants are always at
work on the surrounding grounds, while
twenty-five laborers are engaged every
day of the year in scrubbing the corridors
of the great edifice, washing the steps,
etc. All this has nothing TO do with the
keeping up of the two wings, so far as
their interior arrangements are con-
cerned. The care Of them devolves upon
the Senate and House respectively.
Furniture and repairs require an annual
outlay Of SIS. coo, to which must be added
about S25, 900 for fuel and gas. The wages
of engineers, elevator conductors and
workmen come to 49,, 900 extra The pay
of the capitol policemen is 50 900 per an
mum.
THE CAPITOL AND GROUNDS
represent cash outlay of nearly $50, OOO,-
900. This estimate would have startled
its original projectors Wanting a design
for the building, they offered $500 and a
building lot for the best one that should
be submitted. Andrew EllicOtt got s. a
day aud expenses for making out the
foundations by the aid Of astromical in
stuments, so that the structure should
face exactly TO the east. Objection was
made to the Expenses and so he went
on without them. Until 25 years ago the
site comprised an area of only % acres.
IL was enlarged to its present size Of
511s acres at cost of S6S5,000. The old
capitol, partly destroyed by the British
in 1914, had cost S2,750-000. The portion
which they burned was rebuilt within
10 years for 100000.
THE NEW WINGS.
Forty-five years ago it was realized that
the capitol was not big enough 1t was
decided to construct the wings which at
present accommodate the House and
Senate. The cost was estimated at So
675, 900, which sum was appropriated for
work could be done within five years. At
the end of that time it had progressed
one-third of the way toward completion,
the money was nearly gone and the engi-
neer in charge asked for $1,000, 600 more
The total outlay for the completed wings
was IS 100000. In 1851 it was determined
to put on new dome and 100000
was provided for the purpose. 1t cost
that much to remove the old dome, and
the new one involved an expenditure of
81, 10000 moro. In those days it was the
usual practice to bamboozle congress into
authorizing a thing by misrepresenting
the expense OF 1t. Nowadays such affairs
are managed differently For example,
the cost Of the new library of congress
will not exceed the 100000 appropriat
ed, and it will be finished within the time
specified. The total cost of the capitol
and grounds is reckoned by Architect
Clark as follows: