Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-04-14
Associates Press Disnatoh bY spooial wlre.

Associated Press Disnatoh by spocial Wires
Washington April 11.-In the presence
ot distinguished assemhlage. with the
President of the United States taking q
prominent part, with the Supreme Court,
the. Senate the House of Representatives
and the Diplomatic Corps as spectators
and before n large concourse OF people.
the cornerstone OF the Office building for
the House of Representatives will be laid
with impressive ceremonies this after
noon. The address of the day will be
made by President Roosevelt who will
speak ON "IhdMan With the Muck Rake. "
lhe official programme follows: Selection.
'star-spangled Banner" United States
Marine Band; laying of the cornerstone,
Grand Master of Masons of the District
OF Columbia, assisted by the officers of
the Grand Lodge vocal selection, octette:
address, Grand Master Walter A. Brown;
cornet solo, Walter +. Smith; address.
Joseph G. Cannon, Speaker of the House
OF Representatives; selection. UnitedStates
Engineer Band; address. Representative
William p. Hepburn of Iowa: selection.
United States Marine Band; address.
James ID. Richardson former Repre-
mander of the Supreme Council of the
Scottish Rite; selection, United States
Engineer Band; address. President of the
United States; selection, United States
Marine Band.
A century and IL years ago George
Washington, then President of the United
states, assisting the acting Grand Master
oi Masons of Virginia and Maryland. laid
the cornerstone of the nations Capitol.
Then the nation had but 1000 900 popu-
lation and the city of Washington but
4 900 inhabitants. Fifty-eight years later
Millard Fillmore, then President of the
United States, laid the cornerstone of the
extension to the Capitol under as impress
sive circumstances as characterized the
laying of the first cornerstone. assisting.
like his illustrous predecessor, the Masonic
fraternity in their solemn rites of conse-
Grating a building "to holy purposes and
lofty ideas. The nation when President
Fillmore laid the cornerstone of the ex-
tension to the Capitol had grown from
100000 souls in 1898 to 2OOOO.OOO in
1851. Today, with even more impressive
ceremonial, the cornerstone of the largest
office building solely devoted to the pri-
mary purposes OF legislation and the com
fort of its Legislators will be laid with the
aAtAAAAAAN AAAAN'AAAlNN az AiAN ANAlNt IAlNltl-
pants, assisted by President Roosevelt
who, like Presidents Washington and Fill
more, is a Mason and who following inn
memorial custom will deliver the prin-
cipal address
In commemoration Of today's event.
the Masonic fraternity of the District OF
Columbia have been ordered into line and
with the Grand Lodge OF Masons. escorted
by the several communicates of knights
Tempar, will march to the building. In
the northeast section of the building ac-
cording to Masonic usage. the corner
stone will be placed. Work on that sec
tion has been held back pending the cere-
monies but the construction of the outer
part of the rest of the edihce has pro-
gressed up to the second story
Previous TO the ceremonies a copper box
two and half feet long and Is inches
wide, will be placed in the stone in the
presence of the Grand Treasurer of the
Grand Lodge. The box contains many
rare articles together with the coins of
the United States and the series of postage
stamps now in use. Unlike other boxes
used for similar occasions, this box, which
was made by one of the employees of the
Capitol. has q series of small compart-
ments, arranged so that envelopes con-
tanning articles may stand upright in
stead of laying fiat, as has been the GUS
tom heretofore This box will be her
meticnlly sealed and in position when
the Grand Master of Masons of the Dis
trict of Columbia begins the ancient ccre-
mony Of placing the cornerstone in posi-
ton
The building dedicated today will be
classic in design. Ii suggests in its general
division of parts the Garde Heuble, on
tho Place de Ia Concorde, Paris, while the
pavilions are modelled on these of the
Colonnade du Luvre. Architecturally,
the front is divided into two parts, the
lower corresponding to the first story of
the building, constituting a rusticated
base, on which. extending through the
second and third stories, is the colonnade,
surmounted bv It's entabature and balus-
trade Some idea Of its size is given by
the following frontages On B street, 476
feet; ON New Jersey avenue, 470 feet; on
First street, ASP feet, and on G street. 34S
feet, making a total frontage OF lao
feet, or approximately one-third of
mile. The building will contain 4l0
rooms for members, together with a multi
phcity OF caucus rooms, audience rooms,
postoffice. restaurant and other features
of q modern office building in any of the
large cities Tho long unbroken cornice
lines of the office building leading up
naturally TO the Capitol and thence TO
the great dome, the crowning and domi-
mating unit i'm the group Of buildings now
on Capitol Plaza. are calculated by its
designers to conduce to the desired effect
of making The Capitol more imposing and
effective
Seats have been provided for 5000
persons, including the members OF the
Senate and House of Representatives.
the Supreme Court tho Diplomatic Corps
and Grand Masters of Masons Of Nir-
ginia, West Nirginia, Maryland, Pennsyl-
vania and New Jersey. A large reserva-
tion is also made for the Masonic Blue
lodges and the several communicates
OF the knights Ttmplar
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