The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-05
New York States Big
New Capitol SWimdle.
1T Has Cost S22, 2,25O, 900 to Date and |
Yet Far from Finished.

meter, sustained the largest groined
arch in the world, the keystone being
fifty-six feet from the floor. The di-
mensions of the chamber are "a by 100
feet. In order to keep the keystone
securely in place 1t was weighted down
with tons of stone, making the total
weight of the ceiling something enor-
nous. Despite the protestations of the
architect that everything was safe
enough, the assemblymen who had to
sit beneath the calling never felt at
their ease, and their feelings were Of
ten narrowed up by scare" stories
in the local newspapers about the
threatened collapse of the big arch
overhead.
After a few years it was found that
the pressure on the ceiling was too
great for it's component parts to with
stand. Pieces of stone were frequently
being Clipped off, and before long it
became dangerous to occupy the cham
Der. Then it was decided to replace the
stone ceiling with one of quartered
oak.
The work was done during the legis-
lative recess. To all appearances tho
oak ceiling was a great success. One
of the newspaper men, however, dis
covered that the new ceiling, which
had cost a small fortune, was not oak
at all. 1t was nothing but papier
mache.
PROMINENT MEN ACCUSED.
The scandal that followed this expos
ure gave the politicians of both par
ties a great shaking-up. A protracted
legislative inquiry disclosed the prin-
cipals in the fraud. The speaker of the
house, several members of the assem-
bly,, and a number Of state department
attaches were shown to have been more
or less implicated in the job. Their
only punishment was being retired to
private life.
When the capitol was first occupied,
early in the winter of 1879, one of it's
features was what was styled the
golden corridor" which was on the
second floor looking out upon the in
ner court. This corridor was gorgeous
with it's brilliant frescoes, and cost
thousands of dollars. Now 1t is but a
memory. In it's place are legislative
committee rooms, handsomely fur
nished, but in no respect equaling the
famous corridor. Its beauty lasted but
short time, as the ponderous walls
soon began settling and their frescoed
surface became grotesquely marred as
consequence. Nothing remained but
to pull 1t apart.
No doubt the cost Of building the cap
itol would have been several millions
of dollars less had the original plans
been adhered to. AS matters have
gone on, however, there has been a con-
stant pulling down of walls erected at
| great outlay, and other changes in con-
struction, all of which has served to
waste money with a wanton disregard
Of the peoples interests.
| FAR FROM COMPLETION,
A good deal of work still remains to
be done before the capitol can be con-
| sldered in any sense completed. The
beautiful western staircase, while well
| advanced, has still to undergo much
| carving. The big eastern tower, with
| its base 40 feet square, has only Just
| been fairly begun. The magnificent
| eastern approach, to cost nearly a mil
| lion dollars, is probably half finished
| The same is true of the entrance to the
south. The northern entrance has not
| been commenced.
| The foundation of the capitol is a
wonder in itself. 1t extends down tc
a depth of nearly 1G feet. The subbase-
ment extends down over 10 feet and
contains 7S5,OO0 cubic feet of stone
while the brick walls, some of them
0 feet in thickness, contain IL 900 900
tricks. In the subbasement are no less
than l44 different apartments used fol-
heating, storing and ventilating pur.
| poses.
Inasmuch as some half a dozen ar.
chitects have had to do with the con,
struction of the capitol down to the
| present time, it is not at all surpris.
ing that the result has been a mixture
of ideas that makes it difficult to deter
mine just what particular style of ar,
chitecture is most in evidence. Fol
want of something better, 1t has beer
dubbed the free renaissance, although
some experts claim that there is q
pronounced French touch to the plans
as now agreed upon.
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