Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-07-22


 ward to the day when her splendid capitol building will be completed and her lawmakers will once more have 8 place they can call home. Not since the fire several years ago which de stroyed the state have have the mem. bers of the legislature and other state officers ceased planning to provide a structure which would not only be adequate to the needs and convenient in its appointments, but that from an architectural point of view would be a credit to the great state and in har- mony with the magnificent site pro. vided on the commanding heights at Madison. And the fruition of the planning is to be found in the stately building now being reared out of the tons upon tons of steel and the noun tains of stone and cement The work of setting the pure white Vermont granite of the exterior walls has be. gun and 1t is expected that the west wing of the six-million-dollar capitol will be up and enclosed by next Janu- ary, and the architect promises to have this portion of the building, which is about one-flfth of the entire structure, completed and ready for oc- cupancv by the time the next legisla- ture convenes two years hence.
 It is expected that when the new capitol is completed, which will con. sufhe about ten years. Wisconsin will have the handsomest and most con venient state house of any common wealth in the United States. Archi- tecturally 1t will be massive and mod estly ornate. The exterior walls will be of white granite quarried at Bethel. yt.. and generally considered by ex- perts as being the best building stone in the world. It is the hardest and whitest granite known, qualities which prevent it from absorbing much moisture and becoming discolored and dirty like most building stones. An other of its good qualities is its fine texture, which makes 1t an excellent stone for the carver and sculptor.
 The granite will be cut and filled at the quarries, each block being marked as it is finished so that the workmen will know just where 1t be- longs. The granite will be about one foot in thickness and will be backed by two-foot wall of brick. The courses or layers of granite will be 20 inches wide. The back walls will be built simultaneously with the gran ite facing. The total weight of the granite to be used will be 99.000,000 pounds or 1850 tons. At 40 tons to a carload, 1t will require 1,212 cars to transport the granite from Bethel to Madison. The cost of the freight and the cutting of the granite will. 1t is estimated, be about six times the value of the granite in the rough at the quarries.
 The largest pieces of granite will be used in what are known as the "pediments'' or gable ends of the building, where the ornamental sculp- turing will be. The sculpturing will be done after the pieces have been set It is estimated that these pieces will probably weigh 15 tons each. The pillars and columns will consist of round blocks 20 inches thick. the same as the course in the walls.
 The most notable building con. structed of the Bethel white granite so far is the new Pennsylvania rail road station at Washington, D. c.
 The foundation walls for the west wing of the new Wisconsin capitol are now ready for the superstructure. The foundation walls are built of con crete reinforced with steel. The out. CT walls have been finished and the interior walls and supporting pillars are being put in.
 In form the new capitol will be much like the old one. consisting of a large circular part bearing the huge dome and four large wings extending out toward the cardinal points of the compass. The wings will be 120 feet in width and the distance from the entrance to one to that of the op- posite one will be 40 feet Their height will be four stories exclusive of the basement. The central point of the new building will be just 2s feet west of that of the old one. this being necessary to make 1t core spond with the central point of the capitol park. Just why the old capitol was not built SO that its center cor responded with that of the park is not known, but 1t is said that the first capitol was located little to the east of the center of the park because that location afforded a better founda- tion and when the legislature provid. cd for the erection of the present capitol it through oversight or error required 1t to be placed In the same relative position as the old building. This at least Is the explanation of the matter given by Secretary Porter The main entrance of fha ueur r,rstor