Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-10-19

leries instead of the continuous benches, as
before.
A revelation is also in store for members
when they step into the cloak rooms under
the galleries. The big, old-fashioned wood
HreplaceS have been removed and six small
modern CRATES with marble mantles take
their place. The barber shops which occu-
pied the corner cloak rooms on both the
republican and democratic sides are to be
placed in the basement in the room for
merly used as an employees lunch room
In the new barber shop an eight-foot- high
wooden partition will be all that will sep
arate the members of the two great par
ties as they meekly submit to the pull
of the political razor.
The House pages, who were formerly pro-
vlded with seats and electric enunciators
in the. cloak rooms, will be arranged for in
the two rear corners of the hall. An cleo
trio push button from each members desk
will connect with an enunciator on table
in each corner, from where the boys will
answer the calls.
Present Stage of the Work.
The present stage of the work in the
House is shown by the photograph. The
new floor is complete, but the desks are
not in place. The new desks are of diff
ferent pattern than the old ones, being con-
structed in sections. In the front row two
desks will be joined, and the sections will
increase In length In each row back, until
in the rear row nine desks will be join 3D.
This style of desk has been adopted both
for appearance and economy of space.
The large panels in the walls of the House
have been redone in gray-fgured damask
The ceiling and skylights, which contain
the insignia of the states in water color,
have been washed with soap and water which
has taken off several coats of cigar smoke
and dust and made them as fresh new.
In the lobby back of the hall of the House
many thousand dollars are being spent in
the redecoration of the ceiling. In these
and its lavish use has not been restricted.
Artists are retouching the floral designs
which embellish the corridor between this
lobby and the hall of the House. Several
thousand dollars are being expended In the
decoration of the Speakers private office,
located at the east end of the members
lobby. The decorations are being done I'M
der the direction of Elmer E. Garnsey, who
Is well known for his work in the Library
of Congress.
Rearranging Committee Rooms.
By the use of the new committee rooms
which will be made available at the coming
sessions through the completion of the
work of remodeling the vacant space
left by the removal of the Con-
gressional Library, Encouragement Of the
location of the committees Of the House has
been accomplished. In this reassignment
the two important committees, ways and
means and appropriations, have been pro-
Vided for handsomely. While each one of
these committees remains in it's old location,
additional rooms have been allotted to each.
To do this the office of the sergeant-at-arms
has been removed to the basement floor,
directly under its old quarters. This will
give the ways and means committee the en-
tire suite of three rooms on the east side of
the House.
The removal of the committee on rivers
and harbors to the old quarters of the
committee on coinage, weights and meas
ures gives the appropriation committee
three-room suite on the west side of the
House. Both of these suites WILL be hand
somely decorated and furnished. In fact,
the frescoe work has been completed in
the rooms of the appropriation committee,
and the new furniture has arrived and
occupies a considerable space in the ro-
tunda, awaiting the representative of the
manufacturer to unpack it.
The naval committee Is to have a three
room suite in the new section, as will also
the committee on public buildings and
grounds, into whose old room the sergeant
alarms has moved. The committee on
coinage, weights and measures will have a
new room.
The House committee on the District of
Columbia has been handsomely provided
for in the new quarters, having been as
ed room on the southwest corner of the
new section, with windows commanding
view of Pennsylvania avenue.
The work In the new committee rooms
and also the corroders leading to them
has been done in most lavish style. In
order to harmonic with this new construc-
ton. the main stairway leading into the
rotunda from the west entrance Of the
building, has been reconstructed In white