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Show TUX CCHOC3 CF GTATUAP.Y HALU Tbe Cailnns I'rnpettles or tlie Ota ltep-resentatlTvs ltep-resentatlTvs Chitmbre. Stnltinry hall waa for ninny yenra occupied by tho hou-w of ix'irocntn-tlvco ix'irocntn-tlvco previous to tho completion of tho grrut south wine: of tho C'npltol wlicro tho rcprcscntatlrcs now meet cumi.illy. It is a srniiclicular room, Is this old luil! of representative, nnd a very jiecullur plucc. Tor doiiio lc.ison wlticli no 0110 hex beciinblo to explain it it an echo hall, ixxs-cnsul of remarknblo itcotistlo iiropcrtlce. Thcionrorcrtula blocKs on tho tiled floor which echo to either blocks, no Hint when n Capitol (riildo fnmilinr v ith tliceo blocks is Btaiiiling seven-ty seven-ty flvb feet from you ho will nddresa you in nn ordinary tono of voice, nnd tho sound will como from tho floor beneath you or seemingly from tho air nbovo your head. Under tho caglo thcro is nn exit, and any oao standing In tho door back of lliofco marble pillars can tnlk nway across tho hall to tho opiraaito cntranco uud Etarllu strangera ns thoy enter tho room. Somo of tho newspaper men lmvo learned tho location lo-cation of theso echo stones and tako great delight in puzzling visiting friend. or now incu on Nowojiaper row. 1 ffho natural telephono is ono of tho wonders of this wonderful ball. Away over lit tho comer you can stand and whisper, whilo your friends may bo at a similar comer on tho opposite bldo of tho room nnd hear overy syllnblo as plainly ns though you wero standing fnco to faco. Tho sound goes upward presumably, pre-sumably, and comes down on tho other bldo, but how it is connected no ono knows. Tliis is tho most wondorftil acoustio puzzlo lu America Amer-ica n great deal mora inavplicnblo than tho well known echo nt tho top ot tho domo. I It was not tho intention of tho architect to inako nu echo hall. It was to build n room in which siieeeh-making siieeeh-making would bo easy and agreeable. Instead, ho bulldcd 11 beautiful hnll in which all conversation win vcri-tablo vcri-tablo jargon. How tho gentlemen over managed to makotheirBpocches nnd continue their debates 110 ono now can imagino. Yet Ihnlcl Webster, Web-ster, Henry Clay, John C. Calhoun and Hayno, of South Carolina,, delivered deliv-ered somo of their finest oratorical olToria beneath this roof. Thcro isono block nbontthotcnth ouo 011 tho floor from tho baso of tho column over which tho caglo pro-sides pro-sides which Is called by tho guldo "tho central bloclc," That is becnuso it doos not cany ite echo lonuy other block in tho room, but brings back to whoover stands upon it his own vo'ce. If you wero to stand upon tho central block and utter your name you would hear tho Ico ringing in your eats your own volco liko tho roaring of it thousand jwoplo shouting shout-ing in unison nnd calling you. It seems that this block is tuoncnustle center ot tho hall, und ovrty sound modo upon it is tcllected back from overy trniniy of tho room. Whatn tcnlblo placo it would 1k for nn orator to stiind and listen to his own words as they camo bound lug bad: nnd lovcrhcrnting with thunderous mockoryl It is stated, lionovur, by tho "oldest inhabitant" that when tho floors wero cni-jicted tho echoes wero not so pronounced, but nevertheless tho inomben of tht houso complalnod constantly of tlu biltl nqoustlo i'rppcrtlca of tho halh,- wsoscitpsfltMBHraanrjassBs-- -wnntftfTTJiuttaai |
