The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1901-09-21
WILL SOON BE COMPLETED.
Montana Capitol Building Ready in a
Few Months,

Few Months.
The Montana state capitol is rapid
ly nearing completion. and II the work
is rushed as it has been 1t will be but
q matter of few months when the
building will be ready for occupancy.
The outside of the building is finish
ed. save for three doors for the main
entrances. Several of the inside
rooms are already completed. while
many more of them need but the
wainscoating to make them ready for
the state public servants. The filing
is down on all the floors except rho
rolunda Here the thing will not be
put down until the plastering is com.
pleted in this part of the building.
which will be several days yet.
On the main floor. much OF the fin
ishing work has been do:e. The gov
ernor's Office and reception rooms are
waiting for the oaE whic.. is to be
used in wainscoatlng, and this ma er-
ial Is expected to arrive today and in
few days those rooms will be fin
ished. as are many others on this floor.
including the secretary Of states
Office, ana the quarters of the state
treasurer. In the main hallway of the
first floor, a conception of the finish
ed appearance of the building can be
had. Here the polished thing is all
down. the marble wainscoating is be-
ing put in place. and the imitation
marble columns. massive in size and
as beautiful as the genuine article. are
all in place and ready for their caps.
The house and senate chambers are
all completed save for the flooring
OF ~ No frnCnninU no
mittee and cloak rooms of the house
have been finished and the galleries,
in which spectators will listen to the
oratory of the future Montana legis-
latOrs, are ready for occupancy. or
they will be when brass railing is
put around them. The senate cham
Der is much more elaborate than that
of the house. Here the wainscOating
is to be of Tennessee marble. while
the roof to the galleries will be sup
ported by imitation marble columns.
The reporters gallery in the senate.
which is located directly above the
presidents desk. will be set off from
the quarters of the common herd by
brass railing, and a slightly raised
marble slab will take the place of the
railing in shutting them off from the
floor of the senate, IL feet below. The
arrangement of the galleries of the
house is little different. save that pill
lars and arches take the place of col
umns in the support of the roof
No marble is used in the finishing of
this part of the building.
Many of the smaller rooms in the
building are all finished. and are wait
| ing for the decorator to put them in at
! tractive appearance. This is true of
| many of the committee rooms on the
third floor and the rooms to be used
by the appointive officers on the
ground floor.
In the rotunia the plasterers are
adding the finishing touches. and
while tier upon tier of scaffolding
! greatly obstructs the view of this part
of the building enough can be seen to
give an idea of it's final beauty.
When the building is completed. one
can stand on the first floor in the cen.
ter of the building. and view an open
space above extending to almost the
top of the dome, a distance of 15C
feet. For the first 60 feet the rotunda
is surrounded with ratings located or
the various floors of the capitol
Above the floors the massive dome be
gins to curve inward. and on this
heavy cornices and panels have been
worked. At night this dome will pre-
sent beautiful sight from the in
side. On each of the three heaviest
cornices are 60 electric lights. while
on the fourth, way up in the top of the
rOtunda. just few yards underneath
the feet of the goddess of liberty
which stands on top of the dome. is
another collection of lights, 20 in
number.
The electric elevators are being put
in place, two men representing the
Otis Elevator company having arrived
Wednesday to put in the elevator
fixtures. Many other smaller jobs
which indicate that the building i:
nearing completion, are being takeI
up. The frescoers and DECORATORS
will be at work within week. O
course the frescOing is big job
will take perhaps two months and ;
half or more to finnish it-but whel
the frescoing is completed, the build
ing will be done, the floors will b.
swept. the carpets laid and the stat
officials will move in. Hence, not
withstanding the fact that the fires
Going is no small task. there is SOM
satisfaction in seeing the men begil
the last chapter of the big unwrittel
book which makes the history of tn
building of the Montana capitol.
The grounds around the building
have been graded, and several team
are busy putting on the eight inche
of heavy soil which is to form the Sec
ond stratum of the earth on whic
the state house grass is to grow
When this soil is put on, another fou
inches Of black dirt will be added an
the lawn will be ready for seeding
The architecture OF the building e,
cites favorable comment from all VIII
see it. Three massive columns are a
the main entrance, each column bein
: 30 feet in height and about three fee
in diameter. Leading up to the Ell
trance is long flight of granite step!
on each side Of which is heavy ston
!, work, some of which is of quite els
. borate design. On the big stOn
: which caps the columns is cut in gian
!, letters MONTANA" while consit
: erably above this is another set {
!, inscriptions of raised letters. Begil
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