St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1903-07-08
WASHINGTON LETTER
fspecial correspondence

,be capitol are now pelng maue. Last
l inter 1926, 900 was given Mr. Woods,
.he superintendent of the capitol, with
mhich to make repairs.
, coat of paint will be put on the
virginia free stone with which the
.nin building is built. Much work is
u,so On hand in the dome, the steel
structure of which will all be painted.
considerable decorative work has
,oon done on both the senate and the
pousn sides of the capitol since con-
nress adjourned. Probably $4,000 was
snont or will be spent in such work.
Tba boiler capacity Of the engine room
- the senate will be increased from
savpnty-fve to 127 horse power, as the
facilities in that respect were found to
bp inadequate last winter.
In the galleries of both the senate
and house of representatives mahogany
honches will take the place Of chairs.
Tbe purpose of this change is to in
crease the seating capacity of the two
bouses The change will increase the
seating capacity of the house 400 and
If the senate $50. The floor of the
bouse lobby will be covered with white
marble instead Of the old English tile.
In the near future it is proposed to
have bronze doors on the house side to
correspond with those of the senate.
Allegorical figures on these doors will
renresent agriculture and trade. The
designs have not been finally deter
mined upon.
The White House China.
To those who are influenced by the
old superstition of sitting down to table
thirteen in number, an invitation from
the president to dine at the White
House off the new state service of
china may well be looked at askance.
Whether Intentionally or by accident,
the mystic number is curiously repeat
ed in the crest and even in the transac-
ton by which the service was ordered.
To begin with, there are, Of course,
| thirteen stars and thirteen bars in the
shield representing the original thir-
/ teen states of the Union. In one claw
/ the eagle grasps thirteen bolts, and in
the other an olive branch upon which
are thirteen leaves and thirteen berries.
The pinions of the eagle, too, have thir-
teen feathers, and it will be found that
there are thirteen letters in the motto,
"E Pluribus Unum."
Further, there are thirteen letters In
the Christian names of the president
and his wife-Theodore and Annie
and thirteen letters also in Stafford
shire, the county in England in which
the Wedgwood ware is manufactured,
but perhaps the most significant fact Of
all in this respect is that the service
was delivered on Friday, Feb. 10, Of
this year.
Under these circumstances 1t would
seem to require only a party of thir-
teen to make any one sensitive in such
matters search his mind diligently for
an excuse to absent himself from the
table.
An Exclusive Elevator.
There is perhaps no elevator in the
world more exclusive than that provid-
ed at the capitol for the supreme court
of the United States, That elevator
can be used by exactly eleven people,
and no one else would for moment
consider entering it except as a guest
of one of these eleven privileged gem
tlemen. The fortunate eleven are the
nine justices of the United States SUI
preme court, the clerk and the marshal
Of the court. The elevator goes from
the ground floor of the capitol to the
main floor, on which is located the SUI
preme court of the United States. 1t
is small elevator so that, with its
conductor, three portly forms Of JUS
tees of the supreme court of the Unit
ed States would fill it. 1t is one of the
very latest designs of electric elevators
and is finished in magnificent style.
The interesting thing about this ex-
elusive elevator is the fact that the JUS
tees, welded as they are to past GUS
toms have not yet got out Of their
habit formed before the new elevator
was put in place Of going from the
ground floor to the main floor by means
of the senate elevator.
Ambassadors Coachman Rebuked.
They are laughing in Washington
over a rebuke that sentry of one OF
the departments administered recently
to the Russian ambassadors coachman
The coachman, it appears, wished to
drive his masters carriage along a
roadway that for some reason was
barred. When the sentry refused to lei
the carriage pass the coachman remon
strated
q drive" he said, "ze Russian min
ister."
Il can't help it," returned the sen
try.
Let me trough" persisted the coach
man. "My master is re Count Cas-
sin re ambassador extraordinary an(
minister plenipotentiary of re czar O.
all re Russias."
"Frenchy," said the sentry, Z"
wouldn't let you through even If you
master was a free born American Cit
Gen."
Personals.
Captain John r. Proctor, Jr., of Ken
lucky, One Hundred and Eighth com