The morning times., 1895-07-21

terraces and the several workshops aud
engine rooms. Entering the terrace from
It's central western approach, and leaving
the genial but torrid July sunshine behind,
the visitor experiences a queer sensation
as the first draught of cool and refreshing
air strikes him. Away in the distance he
hears a whirring and buzzing sound which
! gives the impression that he is entering
some mammoth hornets nest or bee hive.
This sound is produced by the greatrevolving
fans which supplies the immense structure
| with fresh air.
After a few minutes walk ne finds him
self well into the ramificatons and sub
| terranean vastDeSS of 1.-THE land of gasIight,"
for down there the Illuminating fluid burns
on forever, both by night and by day.
This is necessary as there is no other way
of supplying the region with light, unless
! Congress makes a big appropriation for a
great electric lamp service. Electricity
is used now in some localities, but far down
and under the Capitol structure, gas does
duty as an jllumiuaDt, just as it has
many long years.
lie journey through the vaults halls
and passageways is in some respects like
entering the immense underground caves
so often read or. The atmosphere through
out is cool, but somewhat oppressive TO
the novice.
UNDER THE CRYPT.
There are many interesting and queer
! sights and sounds to be seen and heard
III Uncle Sans Mammoth Cave. After
| leaving the terrace on the Senate side,
/ with its pretty committee rooms, yesterday
The Times man proceeded up TWO pats
! OF dusty and age-worn stairs, with an
! accompaniment or busy sounds, as the
| worknen are now engaged in the mid
summer repairs and renovation This
| brought him to small apartment imme
! dlately under the crypt which has an
! interesting history. The little room was
| clean and appeared snowy in new coat
| OF whitewash. In its center was an old
| fashioned catafalque, or funeral bier,
| covered with black broadcloth The con
| trast between this grim, dark object
| and the newly whitened walls was in
! deed startling, especially when the ma
ture of the dark object was considered.
Situated at regular intervals about this
| morguehke vault, were three old-fashloned
| alcoves. single gas jet against the wall
| fickered and fluttered in the draught
| from the open door, causing ghOstly shadows
| 10 chase themselves about the wierd apart
ment, while musty odor filled the at
| mospere.
The aged colored man who opened the
| creaking but heavy door with hig rusty
! iron key, related some history about the
| chamber. 1t was proposed by Congress
many years ago to have the remains of
| George Washington forever lie in state
| therein. In other words, the vault was
! 10 have been q sort of national sepulCher.
| The consummation of this was prevented,
| it is said, by the opposition of the Wash
lngton family. The same Congress that
set aside the chamber for the above pur-
! pose appointed a keeper of the watch to keep
| lonely vigils over the immortal remains.
| 1t is related that this official grew white
haired in the service, drawing his salary
regularly but rendering no equivalent there
| for Finally the act was repealed and
the old man lost his sinecurc. During the
past twenty-five years the sepulcher has
| been the storeroom for the great black
| catafalQue This, too, has an interesting
| history, but q sad one.
FOR DISTINGUISHED MEN.
Whenever a great man is TO be buried
from the Capitol with national honors his
body is laid in state in the rotunda Then
tailor, or perhaps pair of them, are sent
down into the little chamber to recover
the bier with black broadcloth The sew
eral rents in the cloth yesterday at the
! edges Of the catafalque showed that it had
| been recovered not q few times. Every
| layer of cloth told OF some distinguished
American who had passed over TO the
other shore.
After being recovered the bier is removed
| to the rotunda to receive its precious bur
den and be surrounded by guard of honor.
| After all is over, it is again taken down to
! its gloomy home to await the next victim
of the grim reaper. Lincoln, Garfield,
Sumner, Logan, and others have been laid
| upon the breast of the grim old catafalque.
| Leaving the Chamber of death with its
many sad memories, The Times man passed
| through a number of dimly-lghted cor
ridors and finally reached the plumbers
shop under the terrace on the House side.
| The shop is in charge of Mr.. Michael Ryan,
head plumber, who has corps of assistants,
for there are many miles OF gas, steam, and
water pipes to be looked after under the
big white building on the HILL On the
Senate side alone nearly 4 600 feet Of steam
! pipe is employed to keep out the dampness
| and mildew, with an equal amount of duct
under the House terraces. In addition
| there are several thousand feet of iron pipe
employed for conducting gas and water
In the great hallway in which is situated
| the plumbing establishment, are numerous
| large vaults used for storing Congressional
| books and documents. During election
| year there have sometimes been as high as
| 800 900 volumes in these subterranean
| rooms. Around the corner following this
| corridor and going south, is the Congress
| Sional kitchen. the bath rooms, and mlnia-
| ture representation of the Bartholdi statue
| of liberty enlightening the world, the origi-
| nal of which is in New York harbor. Further
| along to the north are the large furnace
| rooms, which furnish the solons with heat
| during the winter months, also many corners
Nnd crevices, including 1.-The tramps rest"
dark depression about six feet deep, which,
, 1t is said, was the sleeping place of an able
bodied hobo during an entire winter ses-
| sion of Congress. The fellow would go
| retire fer the night in his hole and be secure
| from sight or molestation until morning,
when the doors of the building were opened
| for the day.
ON THE SENATE SIDE.
Passing over TO the Senate side again the
big fan was reached. Thisdrives air through
| the vaults to keep them dry and in a measure
purify the thick atmosphere The buzzing
| and roaring OF the fan as it drew great vol
| umes of air through the duct from the outer
| park caused ghOstly sounds and echoes to
| fill the corridors and vaults. The duct,
| which runs out into the west grounds, is
a queer looking affair 1t is built Of bricks,
whitewashed frequently and is kept Scrupu-
| lously clean. A workman is required to
| walk through each duct every morning and
remove any impurities that are liable to
| POISON the air drawn into the big building.
| On numerous occasions he has found dead
/ sparrows in the whitewashed tunnel One
1 morning he discovered dead bat. 1t had
| found its way into the duct through the
| air shaft in the park. and was killed while
| fluttering about in the little tunnel
| Not the leastinteresting place in the region
| of perpetu al gaslght are the dynamo rooms.
| The loud, whirring noises and the almost
| incessant flashes of blue and green electric
| flame from the rapidly revolving machines.
/