The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1921-10-01

OTTAWA, Canada, Oct. 1.-THE
place about which public life in this
city revolves is Parliament Square.
Ordinarily, the Parliament Building is
a dignifed background for the legisla-
tive and government business of the
Dominion. But right now, interest in
the building itself is keen, for the new
Parliament Building is nearing COM
pletiOn. BY next year, it will BE entire
ly finished, save for some Of the detail
carvings, which may keep workmen
busy for 10 or u years longer.
1t was on the night of February ),
1916, you may remember, that the
Canadian Parliament Building burned.
The catastrophe was thought by many
people to be the work of an alien
enemy, perhaps an employee in the
building. Investigations left the big
fire as much of a mystery as the bomb
explosion in Wall Street has since be
come The Parliament fire may have
been an accident, but Ottawa, recalling
the attempt on the Capitol at Wash
ington during the war, still suspects
incendiary motives.
Congress was sitting in night SEES
sion when the fire broke out at 9
o'clock. The members escaped just in
time The city water power was not
sufficient to reach the top of the tall
central tower of the building and ii
was Quilted. What was left of the
great building was so wrecked and
waterlogged that attempts TO renovate
| it were futile.
! So Canada set out to rebuild and tC
raise a finer edifice. over the ruins Of
| the old ones. The first Parliament
| Building, which had stood since 1860
was regarded as one of the mos
| famous structures in North America
and the new one promises to be ever
more distinguished.
! Except that it is three stories tallel
than before, the building from the eX
terror looks in general the same. boil
I for sentiments sake, and because i
must conform to the East and Yves
Blocks-building on either side whicl
correspond more or less to our HOus
and Senate Office Buildings 1t is
therefore, of cream colored sandstone
which time darkens TO a rich, warn
shade
The building is thirteenth centur.
Gothic in style, with all the carvings
| gargoyles, arches, and angles that g
with this cathedral type of architeC
tuTe.
A Great Building.
It is in outline a very long, buildin
with low towers at the corners and
very tall tower and spire rising 30
feet in the middle. This tower is t
hold carlton of 40 bells. In it, toe
is to be war memorial room to 900
Canadians who lost their lives in tn
war. France, Belgium, and Great Bri
ain have sent stone to build thi
memorial room. TIE floor is blac
Belgian marble. The columns are c
st. Anne's marble. In the center o
: a dais is to be a Doomsday Book il
scribed with the names of Canada
) | fighters in the war, and in the foo
will be a record of the regiments.
The whole building is in many way
war memorial. On the exterior. fo
. instance, there is an arch in the ston'
= decorated by carvings. Letters cut i
r the stone spell Vimy Ridge, recallin
2 enc of the big Canadian victorie
: Fimy Ridge, Canadians regard as tn
place where they gave the confider
s Kaiser his first fright. So the carvin
e shows on one side of the arch a typic;
: German head, cut in relief with III
: eyes blindfolded, representing til
e German people at this time. Opposit
is the head of the Kaiser with h
mustache turned down and an expire
sion of disnay on his face And abov