The morning times., 1896-02-07
SENATE ROOF HIS HOLES
Rain Game Through and Leaked
Down Gn the Carpet.
PLACED TIN PANS AROUND
Sergean mt -at-Arms and His Force
Hustled as They Did I'm Boyhood
Days-Many Panes of Glass Broken
Caused by the Intense Gas Heat.
Light Cost So an Hour

a ieaky roof was the great attraction at
the senate yesterday.
DRIP. drip, came the rain from one of the
pointed gi9ss circles, that make up the
beautiful ceiling OF the Senate chamber.
Inch by inch the wet spot in the center
aisle spread on Col. Bright's green carpet
until IL sVsss larger that Senator Stewards
big slouch hat.
Then il was that the entire force of the
Sergeaa;-lt-arIns office turned themselves
into housewives. They didn't roll up their
trousers ana hunt up brooms. but they
did The icxt best thing, they skirInished
for tin pans.
They found them. too. One by one they
we've placed on the upper side of the
ceiling. and coon they We're scattered
around on all sides. Had it not been for
the heal one would have thought a dairy
WAS AEing started up on that roof, and
would have begun a search for the pretty
miiSfndid. =
FIXING THE TIN PANS.
After the tin pans had been properly
arranged. the drippings of water in the
chamber ceased. Mr.. Allison was able to
20 ahead with his speech, and the idea of
= country debating club meeting in the
old shingiod schoolhouse was removed from
the inihds of many.
But fewgIe opse noticed the annoyance,
hecacsc lie rainy day kept everyone from
the Capitol who hadn't business there.
The roCrTt.Cn-room was empty nearly all
the day, ard there were hut the fewest
kind OF PEOPLE in tie galleries. Halls
4 ana stalrWays were damp, and in places
.l'ddd'cs Of water had formed. The barom-
elcr was Tie lowest in tie history of the
Weather Bureau, and everyone was as
| unhappy as nan can well lie and remain
out OF sick room.
These rainy days cost Uncle Sam some
/ thing For every hour the gas in the
! Senate burns the government must pay
{ out IS. And this is the cause OF the leaks
/ Not that Tie bills are so great that they
lreak the glass ceilings, but that the heat
is so great.
CRACKED BY EXPANSION.
Above the flat glass ceiling. with its
twenty-four circular glasses, each contain
ing tie coat-of-arms Of one OF the first
twentg-foGr States OF the Union, is an
| other glass loof. II siants 10 each side,
and tie ridge Inc is fifteen feet above the
ceiling. Immediately ever tie ceiling are
the gas burners which light the chamber
When the gas is lighted IN this loft the
| temperature is about that of the chamber,
| say 40 degrees. In thirty minutes il has
run up TO 40 degrees, and i'm an -FOUR, from
| 167 TO $50 degrees. In this way the
glass on tie UPPER Ioof is expanded, and
when the gas is oxtinguished the quick
contraction cracks the panes. They are
placed in in lead, and have TO he looked
after all The time.
An unusually large number of panes are
cracked now because there has been more
gas burned for the first two months of the
long session than ever before known
Besides costing $S an hour it has beer
responsible for the tin pans. Even long
session means money because the chamber
has TO be lighted up for the swecpers.
ANOTHER RAINY DAY.
Once before this session there has been a
hard rain TIE roof did not leak that time
but The rain made so much noise that the
Senate had to adjourn. Some one asked
Vice-Presldent Stevenson what the nois.
reminded him OF and be smiled as he nodded
his head.
twas duplicate Of theday the Democrat:
at the Chicago convention nominated hin
for Vice-President Then there We're band
to play, but this time the music came from
different instr uments. The Vice -Presi
dent smiled again as the recollection cam
back and seemingly wished he could liv
that day over.
Some of these days the Capitol Will b
lighted by electricity. The present plan
furnishes enough, but no one can agre
Oh the light TO be used. When that is don
it will make difference of from ten TO four
teen degrees in the temperature.