St. Paul daily globe., 1896-04-09
NEW STATE CAPIYoL HEADQUAR-
TIERS ARE BEING VISITED DAILY
BY Contractors.
LOOKING UP4SPECIFICATI0Ns.
SAMPLES OF STONE FOR SUPER
STRUCTURE ARE BEING SHOWN
NEAR NEW CAPITOL SITE.
SOME STRICTLY TECHNICAL TALK.
For Commercial Reasons People In
the Northwest VIII Not Favor
Marble or Foreign stone.

The capitol commission will not meet again
until Tuesday, May 81, when 1t will open bids
Tor the excavation and foundation of the
structure. Meantime the commissions head
quarters In the Endicott building are daily
accommodating a crowd of contractors who
are Obliged to examine the extensive and com
plleated specifications before they can begin
their estimates. The conditions attached to
the speclncations are such that each bid will
De considered not only with reference to the
cost and the material, but also with regard
to the time fixed by the bidder for the com
pietlon OF his work. The commission has laid
down no time limit. 1t is believed. however
that the foundation will be completed some
time during the fall. The stone used in this
part of the building will be entirely under
ground, so that if it possesses a maximum of
ouraoliity and strength, 1t need rot be thing
OF beauty to be joy forever.
Inc samples of stone for the superstructure
now on public exhibition in monumental form
aI part Oh the capitol site on the east side
Oh WaDasna street, near Central avenue. al
reaoy include several exhibits from st. Cloud
and Rockville. Other samples will be added
later. Many of the notable quarries Of the
state are still unrepresented
The Kasota stone, for instance. is not seen.
nor the brown sandsstones of West Superior
ANY quarry owner In Minnesota is privileged
70 SEND IN samples which will be erected for
display at the expense OF the commission.
10 the uninstrueted the selection of the
Dest stone for. "a large monumental building
might seem almost as easy as to choose the
mcst becoming skirt for a new spring Jacket
with a ripple back. But here, as elsewhere.
knowledge begets an uncertainty that is al
most ignorance. Conversation with persons
VINO see more In the Wabasha' street samples
than "a lovely Frenchl=grey lustre like nv
last years satin, and such cute little crystals
the Judgment OF. a. lady inspecting the sam
pies yesterday-say that the new capitol
should be built of stone viewed as to its
durability, its crushing strength, it's adapt
ability for the carving and cutting. its DOS
siD1lities In the handsEof the poisher, it's
readiness TO absorb moisture, to gather smoke
dust or moss, its color, not merely as a sam
pie, but when carved and placed in large con-
tracing masses under the sunlight, it's sound
ness IN the quarry, and its cost delivered at
the building sitea1GMapya a stone that is other
wise perfect cannot be quarried in sections
that are wholly sound. Such stone, though
having immense crushing strength when
sound is likely to contain invisible cracks, that
render it dangerous in large building. Other
stone may look most attractive in small SAM
pies, but present disagreeable effect in an
extensive edifce. The granite of the con-
gressional library at Washington for ms; ;ance,
is said to look more like sheet-iron than
stone. The material Of the Boston public
library, on the other hand, is repellant in the
sample, but extremely rich in the completed
building. Other excellent stone such as the
jasper found in Southern Minnesota seems
altogether too hard to be carved or cut sue
cessfully, although it is claimed that recently
adopted methods have made these stones more
tractable. Certain dark colors fail to display
carved work with effect 1t is not necessarily
light-colored or even white stone that is
ruined by dust and smoke. Certain dark stone
is thus rendered even more unsightly, while
the light-tinted stone that does not absorb
moisture, that possesses smooth, hard finish,
and Is washed off by the rain, may retain all
its beauty within large city. The ancients,
especially the Greeks, favored white marble
because it is so easily and exactly worked, be-
cause it is so remarkably handsome and
durable, and because it's beauty increases with
the lapse of years. Popular feeling in the
Northwest, however, regards the erection Of
a new capitol too much as commercial op
portunity for the citizens of the common
wealth, to warmly approve the selection Of
marble or Of any stone not quarried within
the North Star state.