The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-09-26
Capitol Building at Madison

u
Madison, how the new Capitol is
coming on. If it please you. will
tell you some things | see day bv
dav as look at the work. Some
body may be interested
The old west wing was torn down
last year, and the stone and other
material sold at as good advan tage
as practicable. Then the basement
for the new wing was dug and the
foundation walls-of rein forced
concrete constructed. What is re-
inforced concrete? Well, in the
building of those walls many iron
rods were placed lengthwise in the
material before it hardened, and
they helped make it strong. Tn y
bind the mass together. as hair did
when it was used in plaster on the
walls of room. (For aught | know
it is still thus used.) Then in many
places in the ground of the base
ment strong iron foundations were
laid for the inside iron framework
to stand upon. a.
In the meantime, the gentlemen
of the Capitol commission, Governor
Davidson for one, were taking great
pains in the selection of building
stone. They went down to Georgia
and examined the stone in various
quarries there, and then journeyed
northward studying different kinds
of building material till they deci-
ded upon what is known as Bethel
granite, in Vermont.
This st one is white. with small
dark specks of mica scattered thru
it. At a distance it looks almost
pure white and makes a most beau
tiful wall. Ia fact, it is whittier
than most marble. It is said TO
keep its color to remarkable de-
gree. AS the heating plant for the
new building is to be placed half
mile away, there will be little cause
for the stone to be blackened by
smoke. One of the, workmen has
told me that this is the fourth
state house he has helped build, and
that this stone is much finer than
that of amp OF the others. The wall
surface is cut smooth. but not polish
ed. i
Every stone is cut into it's pro-
per shape in the quarry and so num-
bered as to show just what position
it is tc occupy; also, it is Grated be-
fore being shipped so that it may
not be damaged in transit. All
that has to be done here is to take
eff the board covering and. with a
derl lex, hoist it carefully to its
place in thu wall. 1t is something
like the building of Solomons Tenn
pile: "And the house, when it was in
building was built of stone made
ready before it was brought thither
| so that there was neither hammer
nor axe, nor any tool Of Iron. heard
in the house while it was In build
ing. II Kings 6:7. Also there is
SO little talk that it is not easy to
tell which of the men are bossing
the job. In fact, it is very quiet
place; yet the work goes on.
Fine tier of stone, about 80 inches
thick, has been laid nearly all the
way around the foundation wall, yet
a part of the way the work has gone
up ten or twelve feet. On the
whole. good progress is being made.
Mr.. Porter, Supervising architect,
S avs that more than half the stone
for this wing is already cut in the
quarry, where about 200 men are at
work. Only about 80 or 40 are en-
ployed here.
The foundation wall. where the
stone is being placed upon it, is four
and a half feet thick. The stone
part of the WALL, the facing, is from
one foot to two feet thick, the re-
naming two and half or three feet
being brink. AS the wall goes up it
will gradually decrease in thickness
to the top, where it will be three
and a half feet.
While the walls are thus going up
the iron framework is being put into
place, posts, beams, braces, etc.
The pieces have all been fitted for
their places and are hoisted by
team derricks into position and
then fastened bp strong iron bolts.
Nearly all the framework for the
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