Evening star., 1932-08-28
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

Some members of Congress have
fair for studying into the records OF
the earlier days in the National Capt.
tai One of those who has been
making a most fair minded study is
Representative Mary T. Norton, chair
man of the House District Committee,
who pledges herself when Congress gets
back on the job that she Is to prepare
definite program of constructive leg
islation for this Federal city.
Her studies have brought out many
interesting little stories of earlier days,
including how there used to be an 60
foot mast guyed onto the Capitol dome
away back in 1847, on which was hung
the lanterns used by James Crutchett
in lighting the grounds by solar gas.
There was also an iron railing erected
around the circular roadway in 1881.
The old watchman locked the gates at
10 o'clock, much to the CONSERVATION
of spooning couples who sought seclu-
sion in the primeval forests south ano
west of the Capitol.
The Capitol building was lighted by
oil and candles and the grounds by
lamps previous to that period: Prior to
1925 there were only 10 lamps In the
Capitol Grounds but in the thirties the
number was increased to "a. In the
forties the old lamplighter, one P.
Kaufman, had increased work, the
number of lamps being increased to 10,
and an assistant was employed|Con-
rad Kaufman. Flint, steel and tlnder
box had given way to the lucifer match.
but the greasy lamp and candle still
continued In use. -,
The substitution Of gas for the oil
lamps in and about the Capitol had
been freely discussed for some time.
AEi1lc orrhitprt Of
the Capitol, according to the records
of the present architect, David Lynn,
through Col. w. holland, then the Com
missioner of Public Buildings, an Of
fee somewhat analogous to that OF
Lieut.. Col. U. S. Grant, Sd, today, made
n report earnestly advocating the
! lighting of the building and grounds by
gas.
Then about 1846 James Crutchett set
tied near the Capitol Grounds. at Nortn
Capitol and G streets. He experlmenteo
with the manufacture Of solar gas In
small way and later enlarged his WORKS
which were located just east OF the Bal
timore g. Ohio depot. Having succeeded
in lighting his home before the clcse
of 1846, he approached committees OF
Congress with proposition to light with
solar gas the Capitol Building and
NOilBlCoc nAo PAO'SA
slow to act. Mr.. Crutchett was Sangune
that a light on the Copitol dcme would
light the area for a mile from that
center.
He secured an appropriation OF $l7,5o0
by act of March 8, 1847, by which the
secretary of the Senate and the clerk
of the House were to make contract
with him. With an expenditure OF
Sll 900 Mr.. Crutchett succeeded SO Well
that his light en- the dome could be seen
many miles down the river and many
persons IL blocks away could tell the
time on their watches by this light.
1t was while this light was on the
dome that John Quincy Adams was
stricken while serving In the House OF
Representatives and died. The building
was draped and piece OF black crepe
tied around Crutchett's light.
The cost of operating the light was
more than Mr.. Crutchett had antici-
pated and he did net renew his apph-
cation, but subsequently established the
Mount Vernon cane factory.
| X y n
For many years in the early political
| history of this country Baltimore was
known as "the City of Conventions" the
| first one having been held there in 1881
running along to the one which nomi-
mated Horace Greeley in 1872, and the
Democratic convention in 1912, which
staged the battle of the giants between
Champ Clark and Woodrow Wilson. But
| in later years local as well as national
questions have entered almost as much
| into the selection of a convention city
as the issues of politics and candidates,
! and they have usually alternated be-
| tween the East and the West every four
years, with Chicago leading all the rest.