The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-05-30
CLIMBING THE BIG DOME.
III FAToRITE AMUSEMENT OF
LOVERS IN WASHINGTON,
nut the Walls Have Ears. and Occasionally
They eeetn TO Have RIouihs A Point ss
TO the Selection or q FIT Chaperone,
From m, 81. pa,i nail, clo,,

huty u HAVE MONTHS "A Point aA
TO the Selection or n FIT Chaperone.
From the ST. Paul Daily Globe.
WASHINGTON, May e2.-There Is no elevator
In the dome Of the Capitol. the outside and in.
side are devoid OF stairs, and visitors are puzzled
to know how the people get to the top OF the
dome. In the little dark circular passage north
of the rotunda, between the rotunda and tho
Supreme Court room, are two little swinging
doors covered with green baize, looking very
rusty, dirty. and old; small doors which nobody
would notice unless they were pointed out by a
guide or some one familiar with the Capitol
building. Whoever opens these doors, how
ever, looks upon a narrow stone landing from
which there leads a circular, well.worn stone
staircase, with iron railing. upward into
the darkness. Even when started up here by
one Of the Capitol guides, the visitor Is generally
puzzled very much TO know which way to go.
After climbing three or four steep stairways ono
comes to q door which Is barred, and so much
of the climb has been for nothing. Retracing
ones steps half way down a swinging door 10
reached. which yields readily TO the touch, and
the visitor steps out into the open air. Above
and all around him Is iron framework, while,
after passing along a narrow iron portico, mors
winding iron stairs are reached. By twists and
turns this leads UP through the rough iron
braces among the rafters and then into the dome
itself. II has been stimate that 500 peopld
climb the dome every day throughout the year.
On some days there are not less than 500. and
occasionally there are q thousand people going
up by twos and threes, and sometimes in larger
groups. Neither the hot weather Of summer
nor the chilling winds OF winter can prevent tho
tourists, male or female. from winding their
laborious way up the narrow staircase. which
lead 9 bv these spiral twists through dark pas
sages; a mysterious way into that mysterious
egg shell. The people who have heart disease,
wooden legs. apopleSy. or who weigh
over 400 pounds, especially fat femininity
Of the chaperon order. are the only
tourists who do not climb the dome. They come
from every State in the Union, from almost all
talking and laughing make strange sounds,
some Of them very startling indeed to any quiet,
thoQghtfpl person who ascends the stairway for
The only people, who climb the dome and do
aiterward are the young lovers or brida couples.
They take their time, too, in summer and stop
on every landing to whisper those things which
knows by heart, When these. dearly beloved
brothers and sisters have reached the tip-top,
ing sixty feet in diameter. and lean over
the railing looking down at The pig;
startled by. soft voices OF spirits in the air.
are as.onished to be addressed by name in the
most familiar way by a voice from one OF the al.
ltEDElSdi pictures painted on Inc canopy ABOVE
them. The fact OF the matter is, this great cir
cular painting is one OF the finest sound conduc-
feet whispering gallery. A man mar sitting on the e
opposite side OF the gallery can listen to the
meRtIonins people at ZONE, until he can become
sufficiently familiar with them and their sur
foundtngs to almost scare them ont OF their
boots by some whispered remark. Whatever Is
said on one side Of the painting is carried right
across and sounds likea whisper in the ear OF
the person to whom 1t Is addressed.
on one occasion there was a young couple here
from Fostoria, o., who remained on one OF tho
til the old man who sells pictures up there
learned their entire family history. Finally h.
Come up here on top Of this picture and see me.
We keep lunch up here for all Ohio folks. e-
man was frightened almost to death, but his
CIR! actually tainted in his arms. The surprise
man did not dare to tell them anything about
it. nor explain 10 them the whisper gallery as no
used to do with visitors, after he had played
Another story is told concerning two colored
men who had climbed the dome and were stand
jake, saIIie and the rest Of the people would
they were startled to hear a voice sounding in
their ears as though from a spirit in the air
presence in this city, and you will be captured
as soon as you go down stairs. That was t.
Lynchbnrg. and you need not expect 10 escape.
You will be taken back and you will be hanged"
BOtn these ClrkleS went tCElDllnR down inc
winding stairs and disappeared from the Capt.
tl in a very few minutes. They were probably
the worst frightened fellows who ever climbed
the dome.
In addition to the regular policemen who
patrol, the main floor OF the Capitol building
and who take note OF the fact every time any
person or couples or groups Of people go up to
the dome and when they come down, there are
starr RSHS whieh pi% eads TO az the rn'e dome, to s5o pfot ths
visitors and see that nothing improper occurs.
in the last twenty years, because their presence
prevents wrongdoing. Before the stairway
leading to the dome was properly guarded by tho
watches were sna5ehed and stolen from visitors.
Phs Rrtn is 10 d pFSve St 1 Visitors 9liG fr1@ 5 a.
facing the dome by writing their names upon
I, tbe or e4fIbp PIP rGsf, on Top pi1 Essx 10 is sa a5go SS9y with .Ia
SO that it was really difficult 70 keep The domc
do but sit siill and watch the people and STUDY
the various phases of humanity. One OF them
come a celebrated philosopher. He can tell
c ah@Fs ter Who have passed in there. p and tSs
many foslish questions they ask, as well Us the
self, Importance OF some OF them.
some OF the people insist upon going out on
the balcony where there IS no railing, and such
ResTEnS ' aSS trouSls s.'i lie e" say " e that on aeo one ot oc sa.
sion there was a very stylish and dudish fellow
came folni, there s.pfaI Insisted sisS upon b going out on the
right as " a distinguished citizen He said so
many times that he was n distinguished citizen.
and had a right to 20 wherever he pleased. thao
finally the policeman said: The most dis
tinguished man IN this country Is not permitted
not 60. I have here a picture OF the most dis
tinguishcd man in the country, and / have
again and again refused him permission to go
ont on that balcony, Just rs | have you. Here is
n picture OF the most distinguished man in the
country" said the policeman. and no took a
hand mirror and held it in front OF the poiupou0
visitor. The stranger swore a little, while his
wife laughed until she almost died.
/ saw a very handsome elderly lady sitting
upon one OF the settees In the Totunda one after
noon last week, and ascertained from one OF the
Capitol guides that she was a chaperon for a
young couple from Baltimore. She eat Their.
alone for about two hours. while the younu,
couple climbed the dome. The chaperon
weighed about two hundred pounds. was a
very fat and good-natured lady, and was prob-
ably selected by the young lady for her immense
avoIrdupois. That is the kind OF c~haperon to
have. Whenever any girl comes to Washington
with a lover In the party, the lady who Ia seIcrt-