Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1894-01-02

ture itself app-ar- to Ioss.ss new charms
with every passing day. To the visitor
who has never bcen down In the lower
region. % the capitol would suggest q
journey ,hither a, the fir-t opportunity.
You will h. surprised at the things you
find there. You will not expect to en-.
counter steam boilers anil engines big
enough for great factory. nor will you
think % coming upon burial yault un.
der the very center % the rotunda.
ssor-. rpe. scores sf R..m..
Suppose You go down frst from the
senate side. An elevator will show you
the way. which you could never find by
yourself. At the bottom you will hnd q
sub-basment, largely filed with ma
chincry. Hero are elegan, bathrooms
Tor the use ~ senators; also storrrooms
fllei with tons upon tons u public doc.
umen,s, which arc ro,ting away. There
are steam boilers and engines. electric
lighting machines and n part 81 the elab-
ora,c system ~ heating with which the
senate wing ~ the capitol j. provided.
sun lpWfI NbNu - Wv uH'A w AH' VI
race. Underneath the handsome mar.
bic structure which surrounds the capt.
tol. save it, eastern eide. AMI which was
er.c,ei purely for architectural effect,
ar. scores upon scores ~ rooms, many u
them u.si by committees OF as the indi.
yidual private rooms of senators. Others
have yariOu. uses. yOn will H. alnaKcl
a, the number % things that have a. be
done for the senate. There l. a carI-n-
ter shop. an upholstsrrr's room, book.
binders outfit for repairing books and
file- without sending them out Of the
building. q machine shop and several
rooms filled with archives. one room
down there IL never opened 20 the pub
lie, and IT. contents are guarded with
much mysterious secrecy. II i said 10
contain large supply % fine wines and
liquors, the residue - outfits provided
for various funeral parties - the past.
II IL the property % the government and
may H. used. wholly or In part. when.
ever another senator dies and a biz and
Jolly committee l. sent across country
with his remains.
Pumping frs.h Air.
Under the terrace there il It'll another
large engine and boiler room. one won
iers what need the Unitei States senate
has for - much power. But when you
consider that II must have heat from
steam, power for the elevators. electric
lights. and that the luxurious body has
q constant stream of fresh air pumped
into It's chamber. this air being warmed
In winter by passing through coils of
steampipes and cooled In summer by
passing over large masses of Ice, Il Is easy
10 understand why 80 many boilers arr
required that this part II the terrace
looks like the hold Of n transatlantic
steamer.
For the convenience Of visitors who
wish To see Just how the fresh air u
pumped into the senate peephole has
been cut. A. you walk through the cor.
ridor of the terrace you perceive small
vlass window. and looking through thu.
you observe a huge fan driven at high
speed. II Il poised over the top .nd of
brick tunnel which runs out into Capitol
park and there emerges In the little stone
tower which you see In the grounds
The fan pumps the fresh air through tins
tunnel and forces II into the senate cham.
ber. where II comes mp warmed In win
ter or cooled In summer from gratings
placed under the desks Of senator's.
Thiag. Han oa Forever.
Under the house wing Of the capitol l.
another array Of boilers and engines. In
q room which Is grated OIL like bank
vault, AMI wherein there must be abou,
hundred bushels ~ dust, arr files Of the
old archives of congress, invaluable,
though not very interesting. A gas jet
IL always kept burning In the vault. but
no one ever enters IL. Not far away In
one Of the long. low corridors II the sub
basement stands figure which every
American takes more or lees of n patri-
otic interest In. II is Liberty Enlight.
ening the World" This l. the model
which was sent to congress when an ef'
fort was being made to induce that body
10 appropriate funds for the erection OF
the pedestal ON Bedloe's island, New
York hafbor. When the model was first
sent here, an electric light was put In the
hand that holds the torch. and II u q cu.
nous commentary upon the methods OF
Tire caretakers Of the capitol that, hav-
Ing once put an electric light, glowing.
In the hand Of Liberty" they can see
no reason why they should take II away.
notwithstanding the fact that the figure
n buried In dark and remote corridor,
where perhaps no more than dozen
people In week, aside from the capitol
employees, ever see II. There isa good
deal Of continuity In things about the
capitol. Once start something going
here, and u is likely TO run on forever
vsr ws.hisstsa's Rsmsins.
An illustration Of this IL found In the
sault under the rotunda. where II was
pnce proposed 20 place the remains OF
George Washington. When the capitol
was first built and this vault was set
apart for that purpose, some one hal the
good senss 10 suggest that guards would
be needed at such . sacred spot. So
guards were employed. and there they.
their successors and assigns remained
for three-quarters OF q century. though
there never was anything for them TO
guard. The wonder is not that they
were permitted 10 remain 20 long. but
that they were ever taken away at all.