The evening times., 1899-10-25
REPAIRS TO THE CAPITOL
Many Important Changes Made for
the Comfort of Congress.

many 1nlQOftamt Cn0m&eS MaOc IOE
the Comfort of Congress.
When the nations lawmakers assemble
at the Capitol on the first Monday in De-
cember they will find that the building has
been thoroughly renovated, the atmosphere
made more pure and wholesome, and the
general appearance Of the halls OF the
House and Senate much improved.
For several weeks Assistant Architect
Woods has had large corps OF men at
work in the structure, and his efforts at
house cleaning have been very successful.
The most notable Improvement has been
made in the ladies' reception room on the
Senate side. and in the ante chamber 10
the Senate galleries. The reception room
has been entirely repainted and frescoed.
The decorations are in the French style,
and of delicate shade OF salmon. terra
Gotta and gold, and the three hues are
blended together in a delightfully."- harmo-
NOUS measure.
The figures of Cupid, Mars, Victory, ARD
Peace on the ceiling have been brought out
from the obscurity that the dark coiors
heretofore hid them in, and have been
brighteneHi up SO that their beauty stands
out in bold relief, adding much to the ap-
pearance OF elegance attached to the room.
Near the entrance two panel pictures,
representing Art and Music, have ceen
painted On the ceiling, and across the ioon
near the north windows are the two COM
panion panels, Architecture and Education
Gold has been used in profusion In the
decorations, but not in such manner as
to merge elegance into an approach TO
vulgarity, Excellent taste prevails In all
the work.
uhic
ception room and also the Senate galleries,
has been treated as generously as the re-
ception room, but the colors are bolder
and trife heavier Gold also has been
lavishly used, but with artistic skill:
The statues of Garibaldi Pulaski, Te-
eumseh Kosciuszko, Thomas Crawford,
the sculptor, and Lincoln, have peen
cleaned by a well-known artist, and they
will be replaced in their former positions
about the ante-room- These WORKS OF art
have long been In need OF thorough
cleaning. The splendid pictures OF the
Monitor and the Merrimac, the Vel
Iowstone Park" and the "Yose:nite VAL
ley" are also being touched up and clean
ed. They will adorn the walls as hereto
fore.
Senators will find, in going to the post
Office. that many additional electric iights
have been placed in the basement corr
doris, which will remedy an evil that has
existed too long. These corridors nave
never beeen sufficiently lighted.
All of the committee rooms VIII nave
been thoroughly cleaned and renovatei ps
December 2 and ready for the committees
who Will use them. The carpets have been
removed from each room, and properly
cleaned. the furniture and uphoistering
has been renovated. the rooms, where 1t
was needed have been painted. New ra-
diators have beeen placed in some or tAes-
rooms. and an additional heating appara
tus has beeeh erected TO make the Su
preme Court room more conIoFtaoie-
Some windows in the Senate and house
wings have been improved by placing IN
them heavy plate glass, and seVerai Ne"
fans have -beeen installed in the basement
and connected with the venulatins ap-
paratus.
The steam pipes throughout the ouiidlns
have been enclosed in cork covering ana
all of the steam heating apparatus has
been carefully overhauled and where nee
essary repaired.
Some repairs have been made to the
roof of the building. which. 1t is bellevea'
will stop further leaking, and every on :
of the elevators has been thoroughly eS-
amined and placed in good condition.
A much needed want for the steam heat
ing apparatus has been supplied by the
erection of a hot water we'll. This VIII
enable the engineers TO get up steam
much quicker than heretofore The not
water is supplied by the exhaust pipes,
and it is pumped into the boilers. Hlth-
erto the boilers were filled with cod water.
The ustal annual renovations have
taken place in the Senate and House
chambers.
The ruinous condition OF the grounds
fonting west caused by the construction
of an intercepting sewer being run through
them. are now being graded and rep altei-
1t is expected that by the time Cong ess
meets the rye which is being sown on
the overturned soil will be sufficiently
high 10 cover the soil with green bright
verdure. The walks leading from Penn
sylvania and Maryland Avenues are also
being reconstructed, in some places, and
repaired in others.
Altogether, the incoming Congress will
have very pleasant and comfoTtab quar-
ters during the next session.