Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-02-18
POINTS OVERLOOKED
COMMENT OF A SoLON ON CAPI-
toll IMPROVEMENT.
Wants Moving Sidewalk in "Under'
ground Passage'-Value Of
Statesman's Time.

1.-THE prospect of having an Office building
all to ourselves naturally makes the men,
bers Of the House feel good" remarked a
leading member of that body this morning
to Star man at the Capitol. There are,
however, two points overlooked one as to
the proposed tunnel, which will in time be-
come famous as an underground passage
and the other one as to the designs of the
proposed building which, has met with
favor, though no decision, as understand
it, has been reached definitely on this point.
This to be famous, tiled, marble
foored, archaeological passage beneath the
earth's surface for the nations solons in
their tramp to and from their forum, ought
to be provided with a moving sidewalk in
order to be strictly up to date. The tunnel
will be several hundred feet in length. The
time consumed by representatives in walking
its stretch will be considerable, and there
are occasions when representative con-
siders his time to be worth 81 ,OO0,0 600 min
ute.
"A moving sidewalk to cost 5000. 900 is
to be built in New York city, and a similar
eontrfvance for our pet tunnel can be put
In for few thousands. The moving side
walk is really moving set of chairs, in
which pedestrians seat themselves and
travel along comfortably al about ten miles
an hour. or any speed agreed upon. Rep
resentatives at the Capitol end Of the tun-
mel would simply descend to its entrance
step on the moving sidewalk, seat them
selves for couple of minutes and step off
at the elevators of the Office building.
ALI Trust Uncle Joe.
''The saving of time, to say nothing of
shoeleather and leg movement, effected by
the moving sidewalk cannot be apprciatd
in mere hasty contemplation Of it's ad-
vantages, and the fat men Of the House all
trust Uncle Joe will give the suggestion 1
make in The Star his earnest consideration.
AS Tor the thin chaps, they will be equally
enthusiastic to preserve from wear and
tear what little flesh they have.
Now as to the design Of the proposed
building. The structure is to be used for
once purposes, and it ought to be desra-
BILE to secure all the light from its windows
as possible. An inspection of the design
while very classic, shows that colonades in
close practically the entire building, and as
an exponent Of the colorado style of archi-
lecture, nothing like it in its profusion of
columns has ever been seen here. Not only
DO the columns rise on the four fronts, but
occupy at least from two-thirds to four
hfths OF the entire exterior of the building.
Treasury Building an Example.
'"The east front Of the treasury building,
while classic, Is the most prominent exam
pie in this city Of the shutting out of light
from the entire three floors on that side
particularly the second and third Stories
making all of the rooms on that entire side
more or less dark, and on the third story
very seriously so, the clerks being obliged
to work for the best part Of the day. and
on dark days, all day, by artificial light.
THE unitarian purposes Of public build
ings to go up in Washington ought not to
be entirely sacrificed to design and to art
distinction should be made and main
tanned in buildings intended for office pur-
poses and those for art galleries and the
like, where, in the latter instance, design and
art can have full play. Where what Is sub
stantially a deep porch supported by heavy
colonades, Is placed around the exterior
walls which contain the apertures for light
in a building, 1t may confidently be expect
ed that the rooms will be poorly lighted
from natural sources, and that artificial
light will be required, as in the case of east
and south fronts of the treasury building
The profuse colonade arrangement at the
four corners Of the proposed structure
might be modified to advantage"