The Tupelo journal., 1903-06-12
THE NEW CAPITOL.

Williams, grand sword bearer; A. NJ.
Hicks, grand lecturer; Frederick
Speed, grand secretary; Thos. B.
Franklin, grand treasurer; w. B.
Boyd, grand PURSUANT; w. d. Den
ton. grand marshal; J. A. B. Jones,
grand chaplain.
Spread out in front Of the big build
ing was a perfect sea of humanity,
only a small portion of whom could
view the exercises.
Those Who Spoke.
After the cornerstone ceremonies
were concluded the vast assemblage
was addressed by Hon. J. F.. McCool,
who spoke on behalf of the Masons Of
Mississippi; Bishop Charles B. Gallo
way, who turned back the pages of
history and reviewed the wonderful
progress of the State; Chief Justice
Whitfield, of the Supreme Court, who,
with poetic grace, paid a charming
tribute to the women of the South;
Rabbi Brill, of Greenville, who pre-
sented the portrait Of Judah P. Ben
jamin to adorn the walls of the capt.
tol, which was accepted on the part
of the State by Dunbar Rowland, in
we'll chosen words.
After this the immense c~oncourse
was dismissed, and the o auspi-
cious event of Mississippi's existence
rs a State passed into history.
Description of the New Building.
No adequate conception of the mag
nificence and the completeness of Mis-
sissippi's new capitol can be formed
without a personal inspection or study
of the photograph of the structure,
and after all, the exterior view does
not begin to do justice to the elegance
of the interior design. The plans and
the specifications were drawn by Mr..
Theodore Link, of st. Louis, the ar
chitect who designed the magnificent
Illinois Central depot at st. Louis, and
who has prepared the plans for some
Of the handsomest buildings being
erected on the exposition grounds of
that city. They were passed upon by
Mr.. Barnard Green, the famous on
sulting architect of Washington, who
was here today, and who made few
suggestions Of changes, save such as
were needed to bring the cost within
the reach Of the appropriation of one
million dollars, wherefore the build
ing is practically as Mr.. Link planned,
and has been built under his direction.
The building occupies the highest
point in the city of Jackson, and can
be seen from all the railroads entering
the town. The material is Bedford
stone, brought here from the quarries
in Indiana, but millions of brick, man.
ufactured at Fernwood, La, also enter
into it's composition, and these are
welded with sand taken from the bars
along the silvery Pearl-R stream that
has been immortalized in story and in
song. The site is that upon which
was located some sixty years ago the
State penitentiary, and to get rid of
which the citizens Of Jackson contend
ed for a decade with the legislatures,
but Intellectually until it was decided
to pitch the new capitol there. The
location is four blocks from the old
capitol; right in the heart Of the pref
test and most desirable section of the
city, it is convenient to the electric
car lines, the depots and the business
districts.
The structure is not only the most
expensive, but the most imposing in
the State. The entire length is 400
feet by about 200 feet wide, three sto-
ries and a basement, the whole being
~surmounted by a central dome on
which Is perched a monster gilded
eagle, with wings outstretched, and
though fifteen feet from tip to tip, so
great is the elevation-175 feet above
the level-that at a short distance 1t
seems a very ordinary bird. Each OF
the two wings of the building are sur
mounted by smaller domes, from