Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-04-27
TUNNELS TO CAPITOL
Underground Passages From
New Congressional Offices.
BIDS SOON TO BE INVITED
House Building Will Be Completed
Next December.
ROOMS TO BE SEVERELY PLAIN
About Two Years Since the Founda-
ton Was Begun-Delay in
Bricklaying.
BIDS SOON TO BE INVITED
ROOMS TO BE SEVERELY PLAIN

Proposals will shortly be called for by
Mr.. elliott Woods, superintendent of the
Capitol, for the construction of tunnels
from the Senate office building to the
Senate end of the Capitol and from the
House of Representatives Office building
to the House end of the building These
tunnels will be planned to be Big enough
to accommodate a double line of tracks
and a foot path. Another project is for
a single track, but it is likely that the
double track will be adopted.
When this plan is adopted senators and
representatives will be able to go from
the Senate and House chambers to their
offices without Drawing any storm that
may be in progress on the outside. The
tunnels will be sufficiently spacious and
will be comfortably heated and brightly
nlighted by electricity.
The House Offices.
Il is now announced that the House office
building will be completed and ready for
occupancy by December /, and the Senate
office building will be ready l. use about
one year later.
The only difficulty that will be encounter
ed, it is believed will be the furnishing of
the building by December /. All the furni-
ture will be mahogany, and most of it will
be manufactured especially for the Offices
1t is questioned whether it will be possible
to get all the desks and tables that will be
necessary for the several hundred Offices
Each member of the House will have one
room, 1G by % feet in dimension, except
those members who will retain offices in
the Capitol building.
No great effort will be made to complete
the conference room by December l. That
room will be one of the show rooms of the
buildings and will be htted out In very
beautiful style. In it will be held various
conferences and caucuses that have formal
ly been held in the hall of the House itself.
1t will be large enough to accommodate
practically the entire House, though, or
course party caucuses will never require
that much space.
The offices in the building will be very
nearly equal in desirability, except that
some will face the Capitol plaza and others
will look out on New Jersey avenue and
list street. while a smaller number will
open on the ample court, which will be so
large as to provide all the light that will
be had by rooms facing the thoroughfares.
The rooms will not have painted or
| frescoed ceilings when members move into
them They will, however, be finished with
buff color for the side walls and with
white ceilings, so that there will be no
| disagreeable glare accompanying white
walls The steam heating. plumbing and
| electric lighting are all far advanced and
| there is no fear of delay on account Of
those accessories.
Removal Of Post Office.
A plan Is under contemplation for NOV
| ing the House post Office from its present
| location in the basement of the southeast
| part of the building to large space i'm
| mediately under the House conference
| room and to forward letters by means of
| pneumatic tubes to the House so that they
| can be delivered rapidly as they are re-
ceived and assorted.
The foundation of the House Office build
| ing was begun in -,-pril. 1905, and between
| that time and July, 1905. practically the
! only work done was in connection with the
! construction of the foundation and the