The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-07
NEW YORK STATEHOUSE
1T HAS ALREADY COST s22.25O,O 900,
AND Is FAR FROM COMPLETE.
Thirty Years in Course of Construc-
ton, and Prolific of Many Scan
dals and Investigations.


tenance is quite another item, costing up
ward of 100000 year. This building. with
It's porticos, occupies an area of three acres.
The national Capitol building at Washing
ton covers an area of four acres and cost
only $13 100000.
Governor Black had announced his inten-
ton of pushing the work on the Capitol and
of having 1t finished before the term of his
office expires, The Governor is an able man
and one who generally carries out his plans,
but New York people who have seen what it
IS possible not TO do in the matter of the
Statehouse smile with pity when they fancy
Mr. Black or any other Governor turning
over theS building to the people in a COM
pleted condition. In fact, most of the peo-
pie of New, York who pay any attention
whatever to the big lob" are reconciled
to the chronic demands for more money
for the work and have made up their
minds to be robbedt until they die and to
die without ever seeing the building fin
ished. Protests are regarded as a mere
waste of time.
Seldom does the Legislature of New York
adjourn without appropriating a sum Of
money ranging from 100000 to 81 200, 600. for
the carrying forward of the work Into this
Unsuitable vortex of jobbery enough money
-NNN~
statehouses Of magnificent design and ma,
terial
The match for this Capitol project cannot
be found among the historic churches and
palaces of Europe, and it is doubtful wheth-
er the tombs of the Rameses dynasty con-
structed to preserve the memory of Egypt's
kings, cost as much as it has cost the people
of the Empire State to have a headquarters
for their business
The statehouse was begun in 1867. Since
that time nine Governors have sat in the
chair of New York. Nine Governors have
attempted to do something with the in
cubus, and nine Governors have failed. In
designations have been made of charges OF
fraud Legislators have come to Albany
fuH OF enthusiastic purpose TO do some
thing and have left it hopeless and
crushed in heart. Contractors have grown
rich out of the enterprise died and left
great fortunes to their children. A genera
ton has passed away, and no one knows
to-day when or how the capitol will be fin
ished, if ever. Indeed its unfinished condi-
ton has come to be regarded as the normal
one, and New York would not feel natural
IL there We're no more work to be done and
no more appropriations to be made. The
Legislature which recently adjourned made
an appropriation of 81 10000 for the capitol
but expressly on the condition that it
should suffice to finish the structure OF
this amount $4,000 is to be expended this
year. All this is only repetition of what
has gone before. There is no reason now to
suppose that the end is any nearer than it
ever
The size and cost of the capitol are not its
sole claims to notoriety. No public insti-
tuition in the country has been so prolific
of scandals. From the very outset politics
has figured largely in the construction Of
the building. 1t has always been the same
whether Democrats or Republicans have
been in charge of the State administration.
The patronage connected with the immense
work has been the undoing of more than
one public official. In the early days of the
buildings construction contractors grew
wealthy at the expense of the taxpayers.
All sorts of impositionS were practiced in
order to get money from the State without
rendering an adequate return. The original
plans of the structure were juggled with,
with the result that they bear only par
tial resemblance to those used in the final
stages Of the capitol work. OCCASIONALLY
into the way in which the work was being
pushed ahead, apd then another scandal
was almost sure to be added to the list Of
those with which the history of the building
is checkered.
Some years ago the discovery was made
that the foundations of the great eastern
staircase on the assembly side were set
Ting. An examination disclosed the fact
that an unequal distribution of weight had
caused some of the enormous stones and
pillars to crack. The defect was remedied
by means of some delicate .ngineering
work at a cost to the State of steven hun
dred thousand dollars. When the assembly
chamber was completed its ceiling was or
sandstone, and four great pillars. four feet
in diameter, sustained the largest Sroned
arch in the world, the Keystone being ttty-
six feet from the floor. The dimensions OF
the, chamber are 81 by lto :eet. IN oroGF
to keep the keystone .ecarely N rlt &c 1t
was weighted down with tons of stone,
making the total weight Of the celllng
something enormous. Despite the protesta-
lions of the architect that everything was
safe enough the assemblynen VINO had TO
sit beneath the ceiling never felt at their
ease and their feelings were cften har-
rOwed UP by scare stories in the local
newspapers about the threatened collapse
of the big/arch overhead.
After few years it was found that the
pressure on the ceiling was too great for
its component parts to withstand; Pieces
of stone were frequently being Clipped OFT,
and before long Ii became dangerous 10
occupy the chamber. Chen It was declaea
to replace the stone ceiling w one oL
uuarteTed oak. The work WAS d"ne curing
the legislative recess. 10 al appearances
the oak ceiling was great success one
of the newspaperimen, however, discovered
that the new ceiling, whlcn had cost a
small fortune, was lot Cak at all. l was
nothing but papier mache .,,uo
gave the politicians of both parties great
shaking-up. 4 protracted legIsI Al an IA
gury dsclosee the PHnelpa aaye III I'M members
of the assembly, ana NUMBER OF state
Department attaches were known 70 nave
been mere or less implicated In the loD.
Their only punishment was peihs rellred 10
private lie. Ct ,,,.;5 ,,
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 inner court. rms corrldOr was
gorgeous with it's brilliant frescoes, and cost
thousands of dollars. Now II is but MEM
ory In its place are Legislative committee
rooms handsomely furnished, but in no re-
snect eouaIing' the famous corridor. Its
heautv lasted but short time, as the pom
derous wallis soon began settling and their
frescoed surface became grotesquely marred
as a consequence. Nothing remained but
ing the Capitol 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 constant
pulling down of walls erected at great out
lay and other changes in construction, all
of which has served TO waste money with
wanton disregard of the peoples interests;
A good deal of work still remains 10 be
done before the Capitol can be considered IN
any sense completed. The beautiful west
ern staircase while well advanced, mas sun
to undergo much carving. The big eastern
tower with it's base 40 feet square. mas
only just been fairly begun. The mignlii-
cent eastern approach. TO cost nearly mill
lion dollars, is probably half finished. me
same Is true of the entrance 70 the soutn
The Northern entrance has not been COM
menced.
The Foundation of the Capitol Is a wonder
in itself Ii extends down 10 a depth OF
nearly sixteen feet. The subbasement eX-
tends down over nineteen feet and contains
1885, 600 cubic feet of stone, while the brick
walls some of them five feet in thickness,
contain eleven million bricks. In the sub
basement are no less than IA dlHerent
apartments. used for heating, storing ana
ventilating purposes.
Inasmuch as some half dozen architects
have had to do with the construction Or the
Capitol down to the present time. ii Is not
~ hos hoo