The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-10-01

p4dCC dOO0I ROOAAS i1AC IA
this city revolt les is Parliamen1
Square. Ordina lily, the Parliament
building is a d emitted background
for the legislati e and government
business of the d bminion. But right
now, interest the building it
self is keen, fo the new parlia-
ment building nearing compile
ton. BY next Wear, it will be en-
tirely finished, save for some of
the detail carvings, which may
keep workmen busy for 10 or IL
years longer.
1t was on theA night OF Feb. 5.
1916, you may Remember, that the
Canadian parliar INT building burn
ed. The catastroi lie was thought by
many people to e the work of an
alien enemy, ps haps an empioye
in the building. demonstrations left
the big fire as n UGH of a mystery
as the bomb Ell losion in Wall
street has sincer ecome. The par
lament fire nav have been an &C
cident. but Ottaw recalling the at
tempt on the cap5 ol at Washington
during the war, 81 ii suspects incen-
diary motives.
Congress was s. tfng in night ses-
sion when the f58s broke out at 8
o'clock. The meI bers escaped just
in time. The city water power was
not sufficient to Breach the top of
the tall central tsf $wer of the build
ing and it was gE$tted. What was
left of the great8 building was SO
wrecked and wat Hr-logged that at
tempts to renovat&b it were futile.
So Canada set put to rebuild and
to raise a finer Hedifice over the
ruins of the old he. The first Par
lament building, (which had stood
since 1860, was Eegarded as one
of the most famo3us structures in
North America. and the new one
promises to be even more dlstln-
: guished.
Except that it Ms three stories
taller than before. he building from
the exterior looksS in general the
same, both for sentiment's sake,
] and because il mSRSC "ecHorm to
the east and westm blocks-build-
ings on either sid&h which CORES
| hpond more or less TO our huse and
senate office buildinE gs. 1t il, there
fore, of cream col pred sandstone,
which in time dar kens to rich,
! warm shade.
The building is Hthirteerth cen
tury gothic in style, with all the |
carvings, gargoyles e archeSaEd an !
giles that go with Z this athedral |
type of architecture.
A Great BID Hiding. /
1t is in outli Cd very long
building with low E3wers atthe cor
ners and a verI Etail tower and
spire rising 300 fl in the middle.
This tower is to hVld carlton Of
. 40 bells. In it, toot is to be war
memorial room to 10000 Canadians
who lost their lives in the war.
France, Belgium ard Great Britain j
have sent stone to build this mem I
orial room The floor is black Bel
gian marble The columns are of |
st. Anne's marble. In the center L
: on a dais is TO be Doomsday book ,
inscribed with the names Of Can h
ada's fighters in the war, and in the {
: floor will be a recld of HE Tegi- {
= ments. rs
The whole buihfg is'in many |
ways a war memoeEl. On the eX- '
, terror, for instancl there is ana
| arch in the stone Eecorated by !
. carvings. Letters sit in the stone t
I spell Vimy Ridge, rlcalling one of S
: the big Canadian httories. Vimy {
Ridge, Canadians Regard as the |
place where they fgve -s1e conf {
. dent kaiser his frs II fright So the ]
carving shows on one side of the I
!. arch a tynicai Gel Enal head, cut in
relief with the eyeE bIhdfdded, rep {
resenting the Ger an people at this l
time Opposite is the he'd of the
kaiser with his TnustacIe turned I
: down and an exI5 ession )f dismay {
on his face. And fbove, tie story is I
completed by IRVING Of a very q
vicious looking gft-the zaiser's. 7
: The carvings Bfout the building 7
: are full of interet'E There are num- i
} berless heads al Out the size of a I
small cannon Basin the ornament a
; alton of arches. Eindows and pill 7
: lars. Some aresfeird grotesques, t
; gryphons and gdgoyles. Others t
are human heads One of the stone
: cutters is said ton lave immortalizeti L
J his own featur in one, and d C
: good many are tricatures of the b
leading statesmf4 of Canada. A a
cabinet officer o NJ. P. Of Canada a
is represented byAome distinguish I
ing feature, as recognize the a
Roosevelt smile nd the Lodge O
whiskers. So, lie little stone S
heads are a 500 of delight to s