The evening times., 1896-11-28
TO |LLUM|NE LAWMAKERS
Electric Circuits Are All Cut in
at the Capitol.
NEW PLANT GIVEN A TEST
National Legislation VIII Now Be
Carried on Under Glare Of Elec-
tricity-Big Engine and Dynamos
Worked SinOOthly-GrOunds to Be
Illuminated Tonight.

AT Just seven minutes of IL this morn
ing Engineer Russell climbed up on the
new engine in the northwest wing of the
Capitol terrace, and with a couple oi
gentle turns of the main valve wheel lei
in steam on the big machine that Will
throw light on national politics all through
the coming season.
The monster gurgled gently as the hot
steam poured into its iron vitais. sneeze
and cuughed once or twice, and then
started off quietly and smoothly as n shiI
froru the ways. The immense coupling and
governor wheels got up speed gradually
and in a few minutes spun along at is
normal speed OF $50 revolutions.
CIRCUITS CUTIN.
One after another the circuits were cut
in on the temporary switchboard, and the
incandescents glowed in the da yii ght, just
for an experiment, all over the building
Later in the evening the 14S arc lights
through the grounds will be thrown into
circuit, and the great machine Will De
staggering along under the full load which
1T will carry all through the present session,
relieved from time TO time by the auxil-
iary plants in the House and Senate wings.
WGrk has been pushed for weeks OH the
new plant which is the biggest and most
complete the Capitol has ever owned.
The mere getting of it into the building
was a Job by itself. The engine bed was
loo big to go through any door in the
place, and the engine room door in the
basement had to be cut out to admit it
The engine and dynamo were taken to
pieces Oil the west front, and lowered over
the terrace wall, section at a time.
by means Of big cranes.
For the benefit OF those technically :n-
clined. IL may be said that the engine is
of. the compound condensing type, directly
connected by a spring coupling with its
dynamo, which rests on the same bed.
This bed is only nineteen feet six inches
long and six wide, but IL is a solid mass
OF iron, weighing 10000 pounds, and an
chored Down with great bolts to cement
foundation seven feet deep, which weighs,
by calculation. ninety eight tons.
A SNUG FIT.
1t all fits snugly into little corner Of
the terrace. but If the plant We're of the
old type with belt connections between en-
gine and dynamo. 1t would IN ke a aroomforty
feet long to accommodate it. As it is,
1t stands nearly fifteen feet nigh to the
top OF the main cylinder. and a large
man looks almost lilse a chicken alongside
either of its big wheels. The engine Itself
weighs nineteen tons. the dynamo twelve
tons and the spring coupling wheel 5000
pounds.
While il only started in on its regular
work this morning, there WIS trial the
other night. and 50 cofnplertely was the
monster under control of its big governor
wheel that there was Bnly variation of
two revolutions minute between the en-
ginc running at full speed with its fun
load ard at full speed with no load at all.
The big marble switch board which will
cover all one end of the engine room when
it / $ put in place. will carry twenty diff
fercnt currents. from which will be COM
trolled al the lights OF the Capitol and
grounds There will be liS arc lights