The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-12-09

contract 10 DullO the SOuln WIZ. GtSiSncO
this hall to resemble an ancient Greek the
alter. After the removal OF the House to
these chambers its temporary quarters In
the north wing were converted into the
first Congressional Library.
ALL SENATE SESSIONS SECRET.
During the first years OF Congress the
Senate sat with closed doors and admitted
no spectators to its galleries. The sena-
tors transacted business in a purely in
formal manner. The House of Representa-
tives always held open sessions. Its trans
actions were formal. Continental dress
was in vogue in both houses. The wigs
of members were carefully curled and pow
dered every day. Hats were worn by rep
resentatives during sessions even until 1873.
Ladies were excluded from the galleries
for some years.
The first Supreme Court session held In
the Capitol began Feb. 2, 1901, I'm one of
the Senate committee rooms on the west
side of the north wings basement floor.
When the British army marched into
Washington IN 1914 the Capitol was still I'M
finished Only the ~ wings were stand
ing. and these were Still connected by the
sheltered bridge of rough boards con-
structed across the foundation OF the
rotunda The British troops on reaching
the Capitol first fired several volleys into
the windows. A regiment marched into the
House of Representatives. Pine boards
torn from the bridge between the wings
were piled upon the floor and strewn over
with valuable books and papers taken from
the congressional library. Army rockets
were discharged through the roof OF each
wing. The soldiers then marched upon the
White House and committed similar depre-
dations there. y heavy rainstorm setting
in an hour later extinguished the flames
before the walls of the Capitol had been
destroyed.
Congress held its session in Blodgett's
Hotel, at Seventh and 4 streets, after the
burning of the Capitol. In 1916 a building
at the southeast corner Of Maryland ave-
nue. and First street, northeast, was
leased. Meanwhile the rebuilding of the
Capitol had commenced under the direction
Of Architect Latrobe, who, however. was
succeeded by Charles Bulinch, of Massa-
chusetts, in 1917. Bulinch remained archi-
tect OF the Capitol until 1897, when La
trobe's plans had been carried out by him.
The Senate floor, which. before the fire,
had been level with the basement, was,
in the course of these repairs, elevated ID
the height Of the main floor. The base
rnent space thus provided beneath it, and
now the law library, was t~hereupon oc-
cupied by the Supreme Court. The House
OF Representatives, now Statuary Hall.
was reconstructed along finer lines. Tho
peculiar acoustic properties which carry
the faintest whispers across its entire
length soon developed TO an embarrassing
extent. The political secrets Of factions
silently conspiring in remote corners Of
the hall could be distinctly overheard by
innocent rivals sitting at respectful dis
tances.
The two wings were connected for the
first time by the central rotunda. sur
mounted by a low dome las feet high, con-
structed of brick, stone and wood, and
sheathed with copper. The main hall OF
the Library OF Congress was erected west
OF the rotunda. Thus, not until 1897 was
the original Capitol, at a total cost OF
81. 4SS.S1i, actually completed.
THE CRYPT.
Beneath the center of the rotunda was
built the crypt, a subterranean chamber,
in which, when the rotunda was designed,
it was proposed to place the body of Wash
ington. n galleried opening was TO De
Itll III int CSllltI VI ne IOluIl1d AOOls dit3
through this the ~sarcophagus containing
the sacred remains was to be viewed in
the crypt. Mrs. Washington, who had
consented to the removal of the remains
from Mount Vernon, died before the prop
osition was carried out. 8 W~ashington's
heirs then entered objection and the pro-
ject was abandoned in 1882. a Keeper
OF the crypt" by order of Congress, kept
q light burning in the vault until the civil
war. Up to that period it had not been
extinguished for fifty years.
A larger Capitol became necessary in
the middle of the century. 1t was there
upon decided to add greater wings to
those already built. Thomas L.. Walter,
who had built Girard College, Philadel-
phia, was appointed architect. On indie
pendence day, 1851, President Fillmore laid
the cornerstone of the extension and DAN
iel Webster delivered an eloquent grafton.
The material for the walls of the new
wings was white marble, slightly varie-
gated with blue. 1t was quarried at Lee,
Mass. The columns adjoining the wings
were cut from single blocks of marble
quarried i'm Cockeysville, Md. In 1856 the
old low dome was removed and the con-
u 0NtiO VI bhC AOW OAC OtSO III II d
ter, made of iron castings bolted together
and painted white, required nine years for
construction and cost $780, 600. 1t weighs
1916 tons. TIL bronze statue of Freedom
surrounding it was modelled by Thomas
Crawford and cost nearly $4,000. 1t is nine
teen and a half feet high and weighs 14,9S;
pounds. Its topmost point towers 2Ss feet
above ground. When the larger Capitol
was completed. in November. 1867, the to-
tai cost, including the original building and
extension. amounted to nearly S13. 000, 600.
In 1850 the Supreme Court removed to
the hall which the Senate had just va
Gated for its new chambers in the north
marble wing. The court has since re-
tanned these quarters, those which it va
Gated being occupied by the law library
of Congress, as stated.
Architect Walter having resigned in 1866,
his former assistant, Edward Clark, OF
Philadelphia, succeeded him and completed
the ~porticos Of the new wings, the grand
stairways. and the imposing marble ter
races approaching the west front. Mr..
Clark, at a venerable old age, still retains
his important Office. When Congress as
sembled last Monday IL discovered the
most recent OF his Improvements upon the