The daily morning journal and courier., 1902-03-24

During heavy rain storm in 1893 se-
 rious damage was caused to the trescQ
 work around the rotunda of the capitol,
 particularly from the scene of the Dis
 eovery by Columbus to the Burial of De
 Soto in the Mississippi River. The
 storm was at it's height about 4'3O
 o'clock in the afternoon, closing time
 at the capitol The heavy northwest
 wind drove the rain under the portico
 surrounding the first landing of the
 dome. The main water pipe became
 clogged by lady's coat, which had 1 been blown from her by puff cf wind
 while she was on top of the dome. This completely damned the water, which
 flowed into the rotunda in great vol
 umes. The damage to the pictures has
 never been repaired.
 Referring to other queer happenings
 under the great white dome, an old em-
 ployee of the capitol told of an insane
 man who several years ago performed a hair-raising feat in full view of num- Der of persons in the rotunda. While ascending the stairway to the dome he spied a painters ladder leading from
 landing to a narrows ledge immediate
 ly below the frescoes, and extending entirely around the rotunda, at height
 of about eighty feet from the floor, Ar
 ter descending to the ledge, which is about two feet wide. the demented in- dividual began to make the circuit. stopping now and then to inspect the pictures Each of the spectators below held his breath, expecting every mo- ment to see the man dashed to death on the stone flooring of the rotunda. Sev- eraI capitol policemen ran to the bal cony just above the dizzy ledge and tried to persuade the man to ascend the ladder to safety. He was obdurate at first, but finally consented and return ed to the balcony above. When asked why he went upon the narrow ledge, the man replied that he Nas inspecting the frescoes with the view of having them completed at an early day. He was turned over to the city police, and later was sent to the Government Asy- | lum for the Insane.
 The only instance in the memory of | the oldest capitol cmploye of any per- son committing suicide by leaping from | the dome is that of young man who | was studying for the priesthood and | who took the fatal leap about thirty | years ago. Ifs mind had been weaken ed by overstudy, and his friends had kept close watch over his movements. On the day in question he euded their vigilance and climbed to the top of the capitol dome When first seen he had the railing and was walking around. Upon reaching that portion above the east front of the capitol he halted, remained as if lost in for few moments, and then sprang into the air. In it's rapid descent his body struck the side of the dome rebounded and was Whirled over and over until it struck the copper roof ng near the foot of the flagstaff over the .main east entrance, where it's further descent was stopped,
 The knees of the unfortunate man truck first with such force that they made deep indentations in the thick copper sheating. These indentations 'emain to-day and are pointed out 10 yisitors by the capitol guides as they eate the details of the tragedy in mid ir The body of the jumper was SO ,adly crushed-every bone being brok- n-that it was necessary to strap the emains on a wide board in order to re- nove them from the building
 During the great storm in October, S93, when it was blowing big guns utside uprooting giant trees, unroof- ng houses and doing other damage, not
 sound of the roaring gale could be card inside the main part of the cap ol so thick is the surrounding ma Onry, Several years ago the inventor of 0 O-called life saving parachute an ounced his intention of dropping the 30 feet from the panoramic canopy | yer the rotunda to the floor below, as | test of his invention, He had made 2 Il arrangements for the test when he C as informed thst his programme / ould not be carried out. The same a an was later refused permission to ake a parachute descent from the top Il the Washington Monument. D The great white dome which towers S oove the city has long been a stand t g temptation to the owners of adver- g sing novelties to display their schemes a
 the citizens of Washington and the ?