The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-29

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II has been perpIexing problem to
the Architect how TO crowd the additional
desks in room already orerCrowded
with desks These hitherto used were
twenty-five inches long and twenty inches
wide. with an uplifting lid and very
similar in style and interior arrangement
10 the ordinary schOOlroom desk IL IS
proposed to build the new desks in sec
lions Of from three to eight. giving each
member the same length, but rSd'icl!iS
the width In this way an additional
thirty-6ne new members who Will come
to the bar OF the Fifty-eighth Congress
asking for sittingS will be provided tor-
Il was hobby Of eX-Speai-er Reed, at
ter visiting the British Parliament four
OF five years go. to have the English syS-
TEN of benches. only for members adopt
ed by the House, but the idea dld noS
seem to command very general approval,
and an enlargement of the chamber be
ing imPractiCable the reduction of the
size of the desks seemed to be the only
remaining alternative
1t IS a fun quarter Of a century since
the House chamber has been subjected to
so thorough OVeThaullng as Is now II
progress It may be not without interest
to brieIIy review the events in connection
with the home of the popular branch OF
government from ieS establishment IN
Washington to the present time
Congress met for the first time IN wash
ingtOn November Il 1860. although II was
not until November = that the Senate
could muster 4 quorum ana that fTeSi-
I
was in readiness 10 receive him At That
time both the House and Senate were sit
the Capitol that had tnen been completed
The work was not finished. on the south
wing until October 26, 1907 However, for
some reason. the House lett It's quarters
+ on the Senate side at the close of its first
J session and removed to a low. temporary
brick structure erected upon the site Of
/ the south wing, and known as the oven
/ The room thus occupied is now the law
; library Of the House
/ On account OF lack of funds work of
+ construction dragged along at snail 5
/ pace. and it was not until 1904 that the
walls Of the oven were torn down ne
! CeSSitatiDg another change of base by the
{ House That body again moved to the
/ north wing and the munihcent sum Of 500
Z was appropriated to defray expenses Incl
dent to the diSn2 hitting of the Library of
: Congress TO afford room TO the RrpTeSen-
( tatives to enact legislation. On account
( OF cTampcd quarters and other inCOuven-
fences the House was very anxious 20 get
I into its new hall It appears that the
: walls and ceiling We're N Such shape That
/ on December <, 1SU5. a Representative call
/ ed attention TO the fact that members
: were in danger Of death from falling plas-
! ter. \ resolution was then passed author
T izing the Speaker either to have the plas-
teriug torn off or take measures to Sc
cure II in its present place The south
wing was so far completed as to be nab
. liable for the House at its October ses-
sion in 1901 The hall thus completed is
I what is now Statuary Hall
and south wings until August p. 1874
when the British applied the torch and the
I Capitol was partially destroyed by fire.
This act OF the British Army was de
nCunced even in England rs an act but
! slightly removed from barbarism. Con-
gTess next convened in September IS. 1914.
assembling in an old shell OF a building
! on Seventh Street, known as 'BlOdgett'S, "
( opposite the Patent Office 1t was three
stories high and had been used as the
( aTre and clearinghouse. In addition 10
I both branches of Congress "BiOdgett's
accommodated during the entire winter
/ the Patent Office. the City and General
/ POstoffice. Senate and House. committee
( rooms and the Congressional Library.
! The next summer CiSI5) John Law. fear
I Ing the Capitol would not be rebuilt. and
that the seat OF Government might be re-
moved TO the North, circulated a subSCrip-
ton paper and raised funds with which
was built a large brick building. now
known as the old Capitol. which he
/ offered To Congress until the damaged
Capitol could be rebuilt 4 bill for the
removal OF the seat of Government was
introduced but defeated The repairs
upon the burned building were not com
D!eted so that Congress could occupy il
until December z 1913
The House OF Representatives continued
to occupy the south wing until 1875. al
though during n large portion of these
grounded complaint; in fact this com
plant began as early as IS5I.
when II was first occupied The
objections raised were chiefly on ac-
count of the difficulty experienced in
speaking and hearing. due TO the peculiar
construction OF the roof. The floor is
teSselIdte6 with blocks OF black and white
marble and some of these blocks mark
spots fraught with mysterious acoustic
effects echoes, and yentTilOC uiStiC phe-
GOmeHa- The strange echoes have baf-
fed the most expert architects and their
skill! has been utterly without avail 70
remedy the defects in the roof in fact
the efforts Of the House and the Super
FlSing Architect ana experts from all
parts Of the country to solve the mystery
constitute IN themselves a volume Of
absorbing interest
By reason of these acoustic pecuIiaritfes
the members Of the House experienced
great difficulty IN Carrying on the public
business Members sitting in certain Dor
tons OF the chamber We're unable to hear
the Speaker or members sitting in other
portions Of the hall On the other hand.
Z conversation carried on IN whispers or
low tones was so magnified and thrown
downward in other parts of the hail Is
to seriously disturb members thus unfor-
/ tunately placed.
Committee after committee was ap-
pointed by the Speaker Of the House to
make Investigations with 4 view TO over
I coming the difficulty These committees
called experts to their aid and oftentines
/ the entire vacation between CongreSSe
/ was spent in making experiments. but in
actual operation all theories appeared TO
be al fault. and today the echoes resOund
( throughout the hall. when Conversation
! Is carried on. with all the sepuichraI mys-
! t"Ty Of hali century ago In fact the
Capitol guides. who alone are fam liaT
. with the precise location Of the various
( squares in the floor marking the whisper
ing and shouting echoes, reap q rich h4r-
{ vest from visitors to the Capitol in ex-
! planning and demonstrating the remaFka-
bic acoustic properties Of the hall
/ While II is definitely known that the
strange echo effects are the result of some
I peculiar formation Of the roof. just why
/ this should be cannot be accounted for.
! The roof is patterned almost to the mi
I uBtest detail after the buildings and the
/ atres in Greece and Rome especially fam
i ed for their superior acoustic properties.
! II also closely modelled after the
! French Chamber Of Deputies. an audito-
{ rum noted for ease Of speaking and hear
ing However. the defect is there and
! up 10 this date no man has been able to
/ locate il OF remedy the fault This cham
! Der Is now used as Statuary Han in which
/ each State in the Union is privileged to
place two statues
During the summer new roof VIII be
| placed upon this hall, but the work viii,
/ il IS understood. be performed in such a
| manner as not 10 interfere with the echo
| pecUllarfties Of the chamber, IL being de
! sired now that the hall is no longer used
| as an auditorium, To preserve the interior
/ portion of the roof in its present form
/ The cornerstone for the new House
| wing was laid July 4. 1851. and completed
/ and ready for occupancy. Irg2m Der i6,
/ 1851 The House chamber Is 90 feet in
| length, 80 feet in width, and S6 feet from
| aoor 70 ceiling The first House of Rep
| resentatives consisted of 60 members. The
| new AppOrtiOnment act of 1901, the mem
| bership of the House in the Ffty-eighth
/ Congress will be $50
| PURSUED BY a CoLoRED MOB.