The Senate’s computer servers lost power Tuesday morning due to an outage at the Postal Square Building at 2 Massachusetts Ave. NE, where the machines are housed. [IMGCAP(1)]

Meanwhile, a suspicious powdery substance was found on the eighth floor of the Hart Senate Office Building. The Capitol Police’s Hazardous Device Unit determined the substance to be harmless.

According to Webster, the Senate’s internal Web site, power was restored around 11:30 a.m. Central computing services were restored soon thereafter.

The chamber’s computer systems are managed by the Sergeant-at-Arms. According to a spokeswoman, the “uninterruptible power supply” line, which feeds the servers on the sixth floor of Postal Square, failed.

“This failure affected the network, which controls the interoffice [and external] e-mail, but people could send intraoffice e-mail” during the outage, she said.

“The current status is that everything is back up and running. They did that by bypassing this piece of equipment” that failed, she added.

Reprinting History. Members will need to clear some space on their bookshelves pending Congressional approval of a new edition of Glenn Brown’s “History of the United States Capitol.”

Approximately 7,000 copies would be distributed to House and Senate lawmakers under H. Con. Res 358, sponsored by Reps. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and John Larson (D-Conn.), who serve as chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the House Administration Committee. Costs for the project would be capped at $182,000.

The printing would be prepared by the Architect of the Capitol, in conjunction with the U.S. Capitol Preservation Commission and the U.S. Capitol Historical Society. A vote on the resolution was expected Tuesday night.

Stars and Dollar Signs. A new program offered by the House Chief Administrative Officer aims to make the sale of Capitol flags easier on Congressional staff.

The new “e-Flag calculator,” developed by House Information Resources, determines shipping fees and lists current flag prices on Members’ Web sites.

In a Feb. 5 “Dear Colleague” letter, Ney wrote that e-Flag makes “ordering United States flags through your Web site more accurate, easier to use, and administer.”

To obtain the program, staff should contact the HIR call center at (202) 225-6002.

— Suzanne Nelson and Jennifer Yachnin