The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-12-04
HOUSE CLEANING
AT The CAPITOL
IS AN HERcULEAN TASK
THE GREAT WHITE-DOMED BUILD
ING READY FOR CONGRESS.

Four Hundred and Fifty Rooms, 10
Acres of Floors, 700 Windows AMI
$50 Doors Make the Capitol House,
keepers Job Anything But a Lit
tie One-SOme of the Improve
the Nations Lawmakers This
Week-Nothing Too Good for
.BiIIiOn Dollar COngress"-COn-
gressmen VIII Battle in Tubs Cut
From Blocks of Solid Marble.
Washington. Dec. 3.-When Congress
assemblies tomorrow the members
will find their great marble workshop
as spick and span as soap and water
and paint can make it. The annual
housekeeping at the United States
Capitol has been unusually thorough
this year, and it is not too much to
say that the great white-domed build
ing at Washington is just now little
cleaner and more attractive than it
has been at any previous time in his
tory. The legislative headquarters is
more modern, too. for many improve
ments have been made in the big
structure since the national law-mak-
ers went home last spring.
Few persons, not excepting the SEN
ators and representatives themselves,
have any conception of what a hercu-
lean task it is to put the Capitol in
apple pie order for a session of Con-
gress. The huge building has an area
of more than three and one-half acres,
and inasmuch as it is three stories in
hight, there is an aggregate of more
than ten acres of floors to be scrub
bed. There are 450 separate rooms the
walls of which have to be cleaned and
the woodwork touched up, to say
nothing of the renovation of carpets
and upholstered furniture, and during
the past few weeks twenty-eight apart
ments-all committee rooms of good
size-have been completely transform
ed the work embracing the redecora-
ton of walls and ceiling and refurnish-
ing with new carpets and new ma
hogany furniture.
A Big Window Cleaning Job.
Let the average housewife try to
imagine what it would mean to wash
700 windows each twice as large as
any window in an ordinary house, and
to clean the woodwork of $50 doors,
and she may gain a slight conception
of the immensely of house cleaning at
the nations Capitol. And in addition
there is more than an acre of glass
skylights to be washed inside and out;
140 freplaces to be set in order; 260
wash basins to be secured and an in
finite number of other tasks calculated
to keen a large force of workers very
busy for weeks before the date for the
assem- bling of the legislators.
One of the most important improve
ments" which will be disclosed to the
representatives when they assemble
tomorrow, will be found in the res
taurant. For several years past there
has been a great hue and cry regard
ing the meals served to congressman.
The manager of the restaurant, which
is a private enterprise. endeavored to
provide menus in keeping with the dig
nifty of his distinguished patrons, and
owing to the wide fiuctuation in pat
ronage on "dull'' and busy" days,
lost about $4,000 during the last ses-
sion Of Congress.
Kick On the Capitol Restaurant.
The representatives on the other hand
were not at all satisfied with the food
nor the service, and threatened to have
Congress conduct the restaurant. A
committee of Congress wrestled with
the mooted question this past summer
and have solution which they be-
neve will please everybody. Uncle
Sam will not go into the restaurant
business, the establishment remaining
a private enterprise but there will be
abolition of the old-tine elaborate re-
pasts, and instead the nations SER
wants will have an opportunity to en-
JOY simple fare. well cooked. such as
is the delight of the Yankee business
man who must content himself with
q quick lunch"
Electricity in the Capitol.
When the members of Congress come
back to work this week after their long
vacation, they will find that electricity
Is, to a greater extent than ever, king
or the Capitol. The magic current
plays the most important part in heat
ing, lighting and ventilating the mon
ster building, and has lately enabled
marvellous advances in the facilities
Tor quick communication between the
various parts of this official city I'M
DER one roof. Just a hint of the con-
Veniences afforded by the utilization
OF the twentieth century power is
found in the operation of the new cleo
trlc bell system which has been in
stalled throughout the big building for
the benefit of members temporarily alb
sent from the floor while the legisla-
i've body is in session. By means of
one or another of these 100 bells a law
maker, no matter in what part of the
building he may be, is warned when
any important action is to be taken
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