Evening star., 1923-05-13
Tricks Of Old Time Capitol Pages

names and initials all over the model.
AS it was covered with dust, it was
some time before it was discovered
that the young vandals had been mu-
tilating it. The architect of the Cap
itol was Edward Clark. a fine old
gentleman with a kindly heart He
reported the boys to the doorkeeper.
who weeded out the guilty. They
were then given CASTLE soap. hot
water sponges and scrub brushes and
spent all one night scrubbing Free
dom. When that little job was done
! they were suspended without pay for
! one week.
About that time the page boys
| worked off some of their animal spir-
it's and love of adventure by making
! explorations of the Capitol building
| from cellar to garret, including all its
| passages. subterranean rooms. alcoyes
and closets. They used to go under
the floor of the House chamber
through tin air ducts, with miners
lamps on the front of their caps. until
they came out back of the Senate
library, down in the basement Of the
Supreme Court.
1t was on one of these expeditions
that Hollingsworth saw model Of
a coal dump with wheels and pulleys
] showing how the cars came up and
automatically dumped. This was all
done in nickel and irresistibly struck
| his fancy He wanted that model
| So the next day he took it and gave
| it to Charlie Hamilton. who was then
working for a phonograph company.
lbetween 9Th and 10th streets on Penn
| sylvania avenue. That was in the
early days of the phonograph. when
one would drop a penny in the slot
and hear the music. Hamilton took
the model to pieces for the wheels.
1t SO happened that that was an
unfortunate experience for Hollings-
worth, because the Supreme Court
the dignity of which he then little
appreciated. had before 1t case in
controversy In which this model was
being used to illustrate a contested
point. The model was very impor-
tant and a hurried search was made
Architect Clark always considered
Hollingsworth moro venturesoms
than the other pages. SO he asked
him what he knew about the model
Hollingsworth confessed that he had
taken 1t and given 1t away. Hamil-
ton was located, the model was re-
assembled and the Supreme Court
proceeded
With the advent of clerks to MEM
bers and later when the House and
Senate office buildings were erected,
the opportunities OF the pages for
getting into trouble were curtailed,
so that the pages OF today do not
have the "thrills' encountered by
their predecessors.
1 Hollingsworth will complete thirty
years service on August Z. and Of these
Il twenty-six were continuously spent
on the floor of the House. He
progressed from page to chief page.
messenger and pair clerk. The pres
ent system of pairing was initiated
by him.
Hollingsworth never expected TO
serve in any other capacity than on
the floor of the House, but he was
drafted by William Tyler Page. chief
clerk of the House, to be his right
| hanQ man, relleVlng MIN OF routine
cares of administering fourteen de-
partments.
When HollingsWorth began look
ing into his new duties the first Job
was to ascertain the property OF the
House, for which he became res,on-
sibie. Personally, with two as
sIstants. he made a survey OF every
room In the House office building
and the Capitol three times between
February % and May 10, looking
over the contents. Such pieces or
furniture as needed repairs were
listed. The extent of this survey
may. be somewhat calculated from
the fact that there are some 12,sy2
pieces of furniture in the House Of
flee building. He also found q great
deal of old furniture stored away in
the crypt. which has been restored
to service.
Hollingsworth set UP a furniture
repair shop to salvage this furniture.
which was of bette basic material
than could be bought today. This
shop has really saved Congress a iot
of money.