Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-09-29
RESTORING THE ROTUNDA.
Great improvements Being Made on
The Capitol Building at
Washington.

before congress reaSsemDleS IL Will
look as it did nearly half century
ago before the inside was Sn.eared
with blue-gray paint and rendered I'M
attractive to the artistic eye. TIE in
side of the rotunda undeniably needed
cleaning and furnishing up, but 1t
was rather a serious question what
should be done with it. There had
been various suggestions, one for a
mosaic floor and others for mural
decorations, SO that it should rival the
congressional library across the plaza.
But after considering everything Su-
perntendent Woods decided simply to
restore it, and the work which is now
alomst completed seems to amply JUS
tify the decision, says the Washington
Star.
The work began at the great alle-
gorical picture in the roof. That was
thoroughly cleaned and then the in
terror of the dome was painted. This
was a work of several weeks and the
PAINTERS did stunts druing that time
that would have ranked with high
tTapeze work in a circus. There was
not stick of inferior scaffolding put
up for the job, but the iron plates of
built were losened in places, ropes
dropped through the openings and the
swinging scaffolds from which the
painters worked were launched out in
midair from the balconies around the
upper part of the rotunda The paint
ers then drew themselves up to the
inside shell of the dome and worked
as far as they could reach, after which
the swinging scaffolds were let down
and move to fresh spot.
But when it came to treating the in
terror of the rotunda from the great
Brumidi frieze down it was different
proposition and one calling for the
chemist rather than the painter. Py r.
ably many people Of the preseff1oo-
GRAFTON do not ,alaraclsf lent gen.
was orig%"d -Aox that the capitol
ereekst any built of the old Aqua
ana o.Aastone, and one that it was
re dn!ctic sin ever to cover with paint.
the interior of the rotunda is built
+ this stone that is now a soft gray
White. Just the tint to harmonic with
ho dark marble floor when the latter
e cleaned. as it will be when the work
is done.
Az ground the interior are stone
Wreaths and garlands on the
vans and high reliefs over the doors
.epresentinx. scenes from the colonial
lays and the@@early history of the
These carvings, covered as
hey have been for years with heavy
coats of paint of uncertain color, have |
looked like cheap plaster casts and
the whole effect of the interior has
been that Of a makeshites structure
rther than of solid stone.
When it was decided to go back to
the old stone foundation, the problem
was to get the paint off, and good
many renovators and paint remoVers
of different sorts were tried. Finally,
however. Mr.. Woods tried lime, slack
ed with potash. and this did the trick
without injuring the stone. The real
character of the stone carvings only
hegan to show as the paint was gotten
off. They came out In shap outiine
and proved to be really wondertuills ~
fine work for this country at the .
ginning of the century. It was l.ono
a,so that some sections OF tns eos
work had been DESTROYED W. oan;to,
nines were run through
p.p.. .,asa h,emishes hadto De removed
anu 49,. 49, mole work restored. But the
ana .ns ,,arv satisfying and the inter-
,or Of the rotunoa 'niS winter VIII
~, ~ ike what 1T is, solid and ar
.o .,s.;c piece ~ work and not painted
J1beAN <-
sham.
r.here is. however, some excuse for
80 apparent vandalism of painting
me interior, 1t one will only considAl
the conditions with which the house
= keepers of the nation had to deal a
chat time. When the capitol wa
lighted by gas, the amount If smok'
that was generated was simply appall
ing. Everyone knows if you blow
eas fame it will smoke. Now the car
itol is a veritable "Cave of the Winds.
even ignoring the hot air that is cor
stanly emanating from the house an
senate. The hundreds of gas jet
smoked so that is ws impossible t.
keep the interior of the building clean
3 y