The morning times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1897, 1896-12-08
MAGIC LIGHT At CAPITOL
Electricity Reveals the Big Pile
in All Its Beauty.
MILES OF WIRE IN USE
Senators Supplied With Fresh
Air Through the Legs
Of Their Desks.

Itwas from Congress that the order came
for more light and the edict had the
pow err of a ma gle wand. There is light or
a superior sort-electric, brilliant and
beauuful-froIn one end of the ma jestic
Capitol to the other, from base TO summit,
and radiating from the center OF the build
ing To the circumference OF the surround
ing grounds.
1t was likewise commanded that there
should be improved ventilation or the Sen
ate chamber, the committee rooms, the Of
fees and corridors, and the best methods
devised by modern thought and ingenuity
are brought into requisition-
What a test OF genius and skill and pa
tience, and what an eXhauS'less source Of
thought and sleeplessness IL was. to be sure,
to establish the big dynaInos ana the yenti-
Iating apparatus, and afterward To harness
the mighty forces and apply them to their
intended uses.
1t meant days and nights of anxiety ex-
erclse OF the greatest care In the adjust
mcnts of delicate machinery, the stringing
Of miles OF wire within the. walls OF the
massive building, the proper location or
the connections, and the arrangement OF the
circuits. 1t also invoIved the adaptation
paratus, the complete success Of which, one
may be sure, depended upon the perfect
union Of the manyparts Of acomplete whole
The transition from gas TO electric light
at the Capitol has been pretty nearly Coun-
pete. 1t was necessary 10 abolish the gas
on account of the damage II caused to the
ceilings, ana also 10 enable the changes to
he made in the ventilation. y great deal
OF expense was occaSiOned annually by the
injurious effects of the heat upon the fires
Going and paint work in general, and eX-
perience proved that the renewal Of the
artistic embellishments was a matter OF
constant repetition, to MAINTAIN even the
semblance OF decoration.
The substitution of electric for gas illu-
mnation has had the effect naturally TO
materially reduce the gas bills, the extent
OF which is OF course known only 10 the
company and the electrician. In so large an
edIfice, with Uncle Sam as payniaster. and
where light is used without stint, the gas
account must amount monthly to tidy sum,
and it might he matter of interest to the
average citizen 10 be informed OF the exact
sum. 1t would be interesting also to in
stitute a comparison between the cost Of
the illuminating variety and or the other
sort, so common at the Capitol.
THE APPARATUS.
The Improvement To the ventilating
equipment. at present confined to the
| Senate side, was devised by Prof. H.
Woodbridge, of the Massachusetts Instj-
tute of Technology. The apparatus was
installed after plans formulated by him
and under his personal supervision.
The appropriation for ventilation and
heat, made at the last session OF Congress,
was $50 700. The work OF placing the
plant began in August last, and is now
complete; every detail of the stupendOIS
scheme having been successfully carried
out in less than four months.
Five motors, two of eighteen horse
capacity each, and three of less than
half that power, each. are in use BY
means of these big machines. fresh air is
drawn in with fans through immense ducts.
| probably twelve feet iii diameter, which C NJ
municate with the granite tower located
| on the northwestern slope of the Capitol
grounds, several hundred feet from the
building.
When thus compassed. the air is con-
| troIled at Will. 1t is driven here or there.
up, aside, through ''ny-paSSeS.' or straight
from the main duct through hot coils and
| onward to the very presence of the Vice
President as he sits in Judgment upon
| parliamentary points raised by the gen
| IleInen upon the floor
Should you ever conclude TO descend the
| depths, where the big engines and the
| immense fans and the thernoStats are
|
| obtain the services OF good guide; 60
! through the numerous corridors and tn,
| narrow passages; note how much there is
| that you know nothing about, and lister
| to intelligent explanations which you are
| wholly unable to remember. You viii see
| the main ducts, the by-pasSes, the steam
| coils, the big motors, huge fans, the nu.
merous gauges and indicators. and here
| and there a machine by which steam is
| regulated by weight.
| CLIMBING THE LADDERS.
In the course of your excursion you Will
| come upon an obstruction which You will
not know how to pass, but with little as.
| sistance you arrive at an iron ladder, which
maintains an angle of about fOrty-five lie
| grees This will enable you to reach another
that exalts itself perpendicularIy, ;.nC
climbing this you find yourself Immediately
under the Senate floor, with barely room
to assume crouching position
| Here is where the hot and cold air system
is explained by object lesson. Beneath In,
seat OF every Senator on the floor is an in
dependent air chamber, the full width o
| his desk From this chamber the air passes
to the desk leg, and through this duct the
| occupant of each chair is furnished with q
| current of air which can be tempered to mis-
| own liking.
The air is passed through these channel'
which each draft is regulated will be per
nlanently set whenthe whole systemisready
for test, which will be early in the present
week.
1t may be said, metaphorically, that {
Senator's back viii serve as his therm jne
trio indicator and his desk leg the agenc,
| through which is controlled his atuIos
pheric surroundings, He need not heredfte
have cold chills to creep over him
through fear of inconveniencing q neiglIbo
| who is too n OF.
The two eighteen-horse power motors foI
supplying air to the chamber. the commit
tee--ooms and the corridors III the north enc
of the building in connection with the Dy
| passes-meaning branch ducts-are so ar
! ranged that one or both may be operates
upon any given point The two fans, b,
means of which the outside air is brough
through the granite column mentioned, ar
ten feet in diameter, capable of supplyin:
each 10000 cubic feet per minute.
NEEDED ON HOUSE SIDE.
Two of the eight horse power motors ar
employed as eXhausterS for the space owe
the Senate ceiling, one from the corridors