Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-10-19
SENATE CHAMBER.
The Last Of the Fittings Have
Arrived.
A Beautiful Chamber With Perfect
Harmony Throughout.
Governor Powers at the State House. Tuesday
= Other Capitol News.

All the summer and fall IN to the time
the election took place, the people were
| talking about the candidates for the SEN
ators and telling that the candidates were
to fill the senator's chairs when in reality
there We're no senator's chairs at the
time The chairs were in the process of
| being made at the factory, after a design
| that had been chosen as the most becom-
| ing to suit the other fittings of the new
chamber, and of such material as would
be in harmony with the other materials.
| They are pretty chairs, and match ele-
gantly the other furniture. The wood is
| of mahogany and the upholstering is OF
green plush. On the lower part of the
| legs are guards Of brass Their shape is
something different than is usual here as
they are of barrel shape, but they are
| the easiest chairs one ever sat in
While speaking of the chairs, perhaps
| 1t will be well to go over briefly the other
| fittings of the room, for though they have
each been briefly spoken of in the plans,
| and at the time they have each arrived
| they have never been seen all together
| before.
| This new Senate chamber is a gem of
| a room, and is by far richer than any
| other part of the State House, though it
| has all been done at comparatively
small expense. For this beautiful room
and the fine manner that it has been fit
| ted, the senators of the future have Col
onel E. c. Stevens, the superintendent of
public buildings to thank. He has worked
hard and long in getting it to be what it
now is, and with the valuable advice he
has received from the council committee,
| - i
| Marshall he has done even better tnan he
ever expected to do. This chamber is
one that is credit to the State, as well
as to Mr.. Stevens and the decorators. 1t
is one that the senators of this State will,
in future years, be glad to show to the
| visiting delegates from other states.
1 AS one approaches the chamber from
the third house, he is prepared for the
/ artistic feast that is before him, by the
lobby which is being fitted prettier than
| ever. The walls are being tinted to the
| same tint as that on the Senate wall.
Stepping through the door into the cham
| Der one feels as we'll as sees the
changes, for under the feet is soft car
pet of green Wilton velvet, that is as
grateful to the feet as the green velvet
of a we'll kept lawn. None of the visit
tors to the chamber this winter and in
| the winters to come, will disturb the
senators from their debates or maps, for
not one particle of noise is made in walk
| ing about on the carpet.
| Looking about the room in the mellow
| light that comes through the cathedral
glass windows, and is made all the moro
mellow from the combination of the green
| fittings and the cream pink walls, one
sees the contents of the room.
| The furniture is solid mahogany
| throughout. There are two large desks,
one for the president, and one for the
| secretary, occupying nearly the positions
| of the old ones the former being elevated
| three steps above and overlooking its
companion. They are both circular in
| form, paneled and the presidents bears
| on it's swell front the seal of the State.
The secretary's desk is of the same gem
eral form as that of the presiding officer
| but smaller and upon it's front appears
| that seal of the United States. The pres
| idents chair is an affair of state, with
towering back, deliberately carved and
upholstered in plush
The desks which the senators Will oc-
cupy are both nalty and convenient.
| They are of the same style as those in
| the Massachusetts Hall of Representa-
| tives, arranged in circular form and I'M
attached to each other. There are 80 of
| them as against 80 seats under the old
| arrangement when the senator who was
| to be elected presiding officer had to
stand around until after he was sworn in.
| Now he can sit on the floor with his COL
leagues until he is entitled to go higher.
| On each side of the presidents plat
| form is desk for the reporters. They
are located near and opposite the points
| in the wall where the old iireplaces were.
| Two new mahogany sofas some ten feet
| in length with the green plush upholster-
ing complete the furnishings. They take
| the place of the old leather ones, and
| stand next the wall, one on each side of
the main entrance to the chamber.
The cosiest arrangements about the
room to the outsider, are the window
seats There are six windows in the
room, and the broad window seat caused
by the thick walls and the low windows
are each about IS inches deep, and the
width of the broad windows. These
places are now upholstered in green
plush, and they will make charming
place for the visitors this winter.
The one great trouble with the room
for business is the light in the day time.
1t is remarked by the visitors, that it will
be much prettier-i in the evening than in
} the day time, when the thousand and one
lights in the ceiling are lighted and show
up the architecture of the place, making
the cream pink and gold finish brighter.
Governor Powers accompanied by Mrs.
Powers arrived in the city, Monday
! night The Governor was at his desk at
the State House, Tuesday forenoon, max
ing out the nomination list for the month
He had many visitors during the fore.
moor, the greater part of them being rep
: resentative men from Lincoln county who
s were in the city in the interests Of the
{ | three candidates for the county treas
i urer's position which was to be appoint
ed. Among those present were County
Attorney Emerson Hilton of Wiscasset
Hon. r. S. Partridge of Whitefield, d. A
! Campbell and Seth Patterson of Wiscas.
set, and Clerk of Courts Frank A. Cream.
er of that county.
/ Governor and Mrs. Powers left on tt,
. 81, ga, ~,