The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-05-04
AT THE FIRST FLOOR.
Especial CorrespoIdence.1

derful stone ceiling, that had to be removed
to insure the safety of the legislators. The
senate staircase was the only part of the
building ever done by contract. 1t followed
designs furnished by II. H. Richardson, the
celebrated architect The material is a red
freestone from Scotland. Mr.. Richardson
personally looked after the construction OF
the work.
Work Of Great Architect.
But Mr.. Richardson thought he could do
still better so when the western staircase
was proposed he drew plans on a more
elaborate scale He had better chance
here because the space to be filed was con-
siderably larger. Rightly speaking, the as
seIsbly staircase fills well so by 35 feet,
extending through four stories from the
ground to the roof The senate staircase
takes space of SO feet square, while the
western staircase occupies a square of
about 20 feet. Therefore the area of the
latter on any one of the floors is double
that of the FORMER Mr.. Richardson looked
after the construction of the western stair
case Also but he never lived to see the work
20 much beyond the foundations. His ideas,
however, still live, and his designs have
been faithfully executed by the superin-
tendent of the capitol, AIR. Isaac G. Perry.
Had Mr.. Richardson lived it is probable
that many of the details of ornamentation
would not be as they are now. but the COM
pletion of the work in all of its essential
points is just az he had planned.
Each fight of the western staircase has
eight runs of steps. Beginning at the
ground floor, the broadcast of all the runs
leads from the east, for instance, to square
landing at one-third the height between the
first floor and the second floor. Standing
On this platform one can see that similar
run reaches it from the west Narrower
runs lead at right angles to smaller plat
forms that stand against the north and
south walls. Here the direction changes
once more, for still narrower runs branch
of to the east and the west on either side,
80 while there are but two ways of leaving
the ground floor there are four ways of
reaching the floor above. This plan is fol-
lowed through each of the four stories, the
result being that instead of the open area
in the centers of the assembly and the SEN
ate staircases there are in the western stair
Esse four smaller areas that distribute
more evenly the light that comes from the
Bkylight lis feet above the ground as well
as from the windows that pierce the CORR.
dors ON three of the four sides
Pleasing Effect.
The staircase proper is supported by mass
I've foundations of a solidity not equaled
In any other part of the building. The SUI
perstructure, of the same red Scotch free
stone composing the senate staircase, stands
upon heavy nodded bases of granite From
the ground to the top the structure grows
less massive and more airy and graceful till
the corridor that surrounds the whole on
The fourth floor seems almost like fairyland,
20 light and delicate are its lines The four
clustered columns that support the central
platforms, one over the other, seem hardly
able to bear such a weight. But they do
Even more than that, for they hold the
bases of the arches that sustain the heavier
funs. But the stone has been severely test
nd, and its crushing weight is far greater
than what it is called To bear in the pres