The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-02-03
THE HOMELESS HOUSE. |
PennsylVania's Legislature Ae-
eepts Federal Hospitality
Records Saved.

| 81<AINIllS5DO OIAS, d., II GU. D, lo5t.-1uC
homeless House of Representatives met
in the United States District Court room
in the post Office building at II o'clock
this morning. This is a large room re-
Gently furnished with chairs and desks
for the use of the Civil Service Examin-
ing Board and was sufficiently large to
accommodate all the members, who sat
like school boys at their little desks.
Speaker Boyer sat at an elevated table
and on his right and left were long tables
for the use of the clerks and newspaper
correspondents. Around the doors were
crowded the spectators and every avail
able inch of space was utilized. The only
memory of the old chamber in the burned
Capitol was the rather warm coloring in
the decorations and the allegorical paint
ings on the ceiling. A postal card, evil
IDENTIFY written by crank, was laid on the
Speakers desk. 1t was dated PhiladeI-
phia and was addressed to the House. 1t
was as follows:-
dear Sirs-Pity pity. It is retribution
for not being good gentlemen of the gov
ernment. l wrote President and members
of the State Senate
AS Speaker Boyer entered the room he
was greeted with cheers and applause
The members had sort of mock ses-
sion before the House was regularly call
ed to order and there was much merri-
regret over the loss of the splendid quar-
ters in the building destroyed by the fire
yesterday.
All the bills and records of the House
We're preserved, and when regular quar-
ters shall be secured the work of the
session can go on uninterruptedly Speak
er's Clerk Huhn announced that the
Committee on Elections would meet in
the Board of Trade rooms this after
noon at $3.50 O'Clock. Speaker Boyer to-
day used a new hatchet as a gavel. He
disclaimed that it was in any sense a
factional instrument, but 1t was effective
in bringing the body to order
Speaker Boyer referred petitions to COM
mtttees and bills were read in place.
Among the latter was one from Mr.. Farr,
LackaWanna, providing that eight hours
shall constitute q days work for mechan-
ton.
Several leaves of absence were granted
and the regular calendar for the day
which was prepared last night, was TAX
en- up.
MI. Robb, Allegheny, stated that in
business would interfere with the pas
sage of the bill relating to the election
OF assessors in time for the spring cleo
ton he would move postponement of
further consideration for the present It
was agreed to.
Driven from their regular place of
meeting by the destruction of the main
Capitol building yesterday, the members
OF the Senate gathered in the Supreme
Court room in the Internal Affairs De-
partment, this morning, at II o'clock
WolKmen mad been busy placing impro-
vised desks in the room and the arrange
ments were fairly well completed when
the Senators met in the temporary quar-
tsrs ts AZ the desks Of the Judges was
the presiding officer and the Senate
clerks. and 81 Immediately in front Of
them and on either side were the news
paper men. So far as practicable the
Senators were at their desks in the order
in which they occupied seats in the Senate
room The pages and messengers were
there, and in the rear Of the room were a
number of spectators At IL O'Clock the
gavel of the ldeutenant-Governor fell. In
the prayer, Chaplain West referred to the
disastrous coIufiagration of yesterday, re-
ferning to it as a great loss TO the COM
monwealth. After the Chaplain's prayer
Private Secretary Bother was announced
with message from the Governor. A
motion to dispense with the reading of
the journal had been carried, but Mr..
Grady insisted that under the circum-
stances the, document had better be read.
This was done. Prior to the reading of
the journal Chief Clerk Smiley made a
statement in which he said the bills read
IN place yesterday had been destroyed
Most of the documents were saved. On
motion of Mr. Grady a resolution was
adopted providing for an investigation of
the cause of the fire which destroyed the
capitol.
The ruins Of the Capitol were visited
by hundreds of people. today The bare
pillars and the high circular walls of the
dome give the wrecked structure the
appearance OF an ancient fort or castle.
F'iremen worked through the night ex-
tinguishing the blazing tfmbers. blaz-
ing chimney in the Department of Ag-
riculture this morning gave the State
officials another shock, but it was ex-
tinguished by the fremen before any Sc
rious damage was done.
It Is now believed that the large gram
lite church of the Grace Methodist Con-
gregation, on West State street, which
has been rendered by the trustees will
be accented BY the Legislature for the
remainder of the session. 1t has many
rooms, and is well adapted for the meet
ings Of both Houses.