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A SOUVENIR OF THE AMERICAN CAPITAL.
Picturesque
WASHINGTON:
Pen and Pencil Sketches
Of its Scenery, History, Traditions, Public and Social Life, with
Graphic Descriptions of the Capitol and Congress, the
White House, and the Government Departments,
TOGETHER WITH
jKrHsfir ^\M% ef JH^ounf '^ppnon,
A Map of the City of Washington, and Diagrams of the
Halls of Congress.
By Joseph West'Moore.
PROVIDENCE: J. A. & R. A. REID, PUBLISHERS.
1884.
ILLUSTRATIONS
BY THE FOLLOWING ARTISTS :
S. S. KiLBURN,
Frank Myrick,
schell & hogan,
A. B. Shute,
F. B. ScHELL,
R. Sayer,
A. C. Warren,
A. L. BODWELL.
Engraved by S. S. Kilburn, Boston.
Copyright, 1SS3,
By J. A. & R. A. REID, Providence, R. I.
PREFACE.
In the following pages the author has endeavored to narrate
clearly and accurately the interesting story of the capital of the
American Nation — how it has grown in the less than one hundred
years of its existence from an unpromising settlement to be a bright,
delightful, and prosperous city : a capital worthy of the Nation that
has become in about the same length of time one of the grandest
and most powerful in the world.
With the story of the development and present appearance of the
city, it has been the purpose to give the fullest and most authentic
particulars of all the institutions of the government within its borders,
how they were established, how they are now conducted, and numer-
ous details of national affairs, which it is believed will be of interest
and importance to every American. The aim has been to present in
simple, attractive form the information that readers would be most
likely to desire concerning the city of Washington and the great
departments of the government ; to make the volume one of thor-
ough, competent reference, as well as of pleasant reading.
PiCTURESQijE Washington is therefore offered to the public with
the hope that it will prove acceptable to those who know and admire
the National City, and also to those who are desirous of becoming
acquainted with it and its many objects of interest. The illustrations
comprise the prominent features of the city and environs, and the
PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
government edifices. They have been carefully executed, from
special drawings, by a number of the most skillful engravers in the
country.
In preparing this work the best authorities have been consulted,
the writer has visited and thoroughly inspected ever}^ place described,
and has also received most valuable assistance in gathering informa-
tion from many high officials of the government.
More than fifty j^ears ago an eloquent writer penned these lines :
"The Nation has founded a city that bears and will transmit to pos-
terity the name of Washington and his renown. It is a living, in-
telligent monument of glory, and will reflect, as it grows in wealth
and splendor, the inestimable consequences resulting to the country
from his martial qualities and patriotic virtues."
'^^^Jl.m^,
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
THE WASHINGTON OF TO-DAY A BEAUTIFUL CITY OF PARKS
AND PALACES ITS LOCATION ON THE POTOMAC RIVER
THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA EARLY TRADITIONS AND
HISTORICAL STATEMENTS SELECTION OF THE FEDERAL
TERRITORY A REMARKABLE PIECE OF POLITICAL HIS-
TORY, Pages 17-25
CHAPTER II.
FOUNDING THE NATIONAL CAPITAL l'eNFANT's PLAN OF WASH-
INGTON THE ORIGINAL PROPRIETORS OF THE LAND
A LOVELY HEIRESS, AND HER WOOERS REMOVAL OF
THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT TO THE CAPITAL CITY HIS-
TORICAL SKETCHES THE BRITISH INVASION PECULIAR
MANNERS AND CUSTOMS OF THE EARLY DAYS GRADUAL
DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY THE CIVIL WAR, . PaGES 27-47
CHAPTER III.
GROWTH OF WASHINGTON SINCE 187O THE IMPROVEMENTS OF
THE BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS A WONDERFUL TRANS-
FORMATION, CAUSED BY THE EXPENDITURE OF TWENTY
MILLIONS CHARACTERISTICS OF THE QUEENLY POTOMAC
CITY ITS GOVERNMENT, POPULATION, AND BUSINESS
THE SPACIOUS STREETS AND AVENUES, FINE PARKS AND
SQUARES STATUES TO WAR HEROES LONG BRIDGE
THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT, PaGES 49-67
6 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
CHAPTER IV.
THE CAPITOL ADOPTION OF THE PLAN LAYING OF THE COR-
NER-STONE BY PRESIDENT WASHINGTON THE ARCHITECTS
PARTIAL DESTRUCTION OF THE EDIFICE BY BRITISH
TROOPS THE OLD CAPITOL THE PRESENT MAJESTIC
EDIFICE ITS GREAT DOME, STATUE OF FREEDOM, BRONZE
DOORS, AND STATUARY THE EASTERN AND WESTERN
PARKS NAVAL MONUMENT THE BOTANICAL GARDEN
VIEW FROM THE CAPITOL DOME, .... PaGES 69-87
CHAPTER V.
INTERIOR OF THE CAPITOL THE ROTUNDA ITS HISTORICAL
PAINTINGS AND CANOPY THE NATIONAL STATUARY HALL
STATUES CONTRIBUTED BY THE STATES THE SUPREME
COURT OF THE UNITED STATES THE COURT CHAMBER
FAMOUS JUSTICES AND INTERESTING COURT CUSTOMS
THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS DETAILS OF THE VAST NA-
TIONAL COLLECTION OF BOOKS, PaGES 89-IO5
CHAPTER VI.
THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES ITS FIRST SESSION
IN THE CAPITAL CITY THE OLD HALLS OF LEGISLATION
QUAINT CUSTOMS OF BYGONE DAYS GREAT STATES-
MEN AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS ANECDOTES AND PER-
SONALITIES THE PRESENT HOUSES OF CONGRESS SENATE
AND HOUSE EXTENSIONS OF THE CAPITOL, . PaGES IO7-I2I
CHAPTER VII.
CONGRESS CONTINUED MANNER OF LEGISLATION IN BOTH
HOUSES THE ENORMOUS COST OF A SESSION HOW MIL- .
LIONS ARE SPENT SENATORIAL SKETCHES A GLANCE
AT THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES CLAIMANTS AND
LOBBYISTS THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD THE DISTRI-
BUTION OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS, .... PaGES 123-I35
CONTENTS. 7
CHAPTER VIII.
THE WHITE HOUSE HISTORICAL SKETCH DESCRIPTION OF
THE BUILDING AND GROUNDS THE MAGNIFICENT STATE
APARTMENTS LIFE IN THE PRESIDENTIAL MANSION
THE PRESIDENT AND HIS OFFICIALS STATE DINNERS,
FETES, AND RECEPTIONS FORMER PRESIDENTS AND THEIR
WIVES SKETCHES AND ANECDOTES, . . . PaGES I37-I50
CHAPTER IX.
the white house continued sketches of the presidents
and their manner of living the brilliant social
events distinguished women who have presided
over the household scenes and incidents from
the beginning of the century to the present time,
Pages 15 i-i 66
CHAPTER X.
THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE THE SECRETARY OF STATE
AND THE OFFICIALS VARIOUS DIVISIONS OF THE DEPART-
MENT STATE, WAR, AND NAVY BUILDING ANCIENT
RECORDS THE DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR SERVICE
FOREIGN LEGATIONS AT THE CAPITAL THE ORIENTAL
AMBASSADORS DIPLOMATIC FETES, . . . PaGES 167-I74
CHAPTER XI.
THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT THE IMMENSE STOREHOUSE OF
THE GOVERNMENT FUNDS PRINCIPAL SUB-DIVISIONS
SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY AND HIS WORK THE TREAS-
URY " AUTOCRAT " THE MASSIVE MONEY- VAULTS COUNT-
ING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS SINGULAR FACTS OF THE
REDEMPTION DIVISION MANUFACTURING THE NATIONAL
CURRENCY THE SECRET SERVICE — TREASURY TRANSAC-
TIONS, Pages 175-1S8
S PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
CHAPTER XII.
WAR AND NAVY DEPARTMENTS THE VARIOUS DIVISIONS
HEADQUARTERS OF THE ARMY THE MILITARY FORCE
ARMY MEDICAL MUSEUM THE WEATHER BUREAU AND
ITS MODE OF OPERATION THE SOLDIERS' HOME NAVAL
AFFAIRS — THE NAVY YARD THE NATIONAL OBSERVA-
TORY, Pages 189-203
CHAPTER XIII.
the post-office DEPARTMENT ORGANIZATION OF THE POSTAL
SERVICE THE CONTRACT DIVISION BIDDING FOR THE
"star" routes THE DEAD-LETTER OFFICE ITS PECU-
LIAR WORK AND ITS WORKERS MONEY-ORDER OFFICE
POSTAL FACTS AND FIGURES, PaGES 205-2II
CHAPTER XIV.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR THE PATENT-OFFICE AND
MUSEUM OF MODELS THE PENSION OFFICE ITS ENOR-
MOUS EXPENDITURE AND BUSINESS GENERAL LAND OFFICE
HOW THE PUBLIC LANDS ARE DISPOSED OF BUREAU
OF INDIAN AFFAIRS BUREAU OF EDUCATION, . PaGES 213-223
CHAPTER XV.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE UNITED STATES COURTS DEPART-
MENT OF AGRICULTURE THE MUSEUM AND PLANT-HOUSES
THE GROWING AND DISTRIBUTION OF SEEDS EXPERI-
MENTS IN AGRICULTURE THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION .
AND ITS WORK NATIONAL MUSEUM THE GREAT COLLEC-
TIONS OF NATURAL AND INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS GOVERN-
MENT PRINTING-OFFICE, PaGES 225-237
CONTENTS. 9
CHAPTER XVI .
sketches of city life the fashionable quarter
palatial mansions the round of social festivity
official and society etiquette the government
clerks customs of the public service the negro
population odd characters and ways of living,
Pages 239-250
CHAPTER XVII .
city institutions corcoran gallery of art the louise
home prominent churches and schools convent of
the visitation the public markets places of
amusement, hotels, benevolent institutions, etc.
masonic temple odd fellows' building the ceme-
teries general description of city affairs,
Pages 251-266
CHAPTER XVIII .
THE ENVIRONS HOWARD UNIVERSITY COLUMBIAN UNIVER-
SITY WAYLAND SEMINARY NATIONAL DEAF-MUTE COL-
LEGE GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE GEORGE-
TOWN THE COLLEGE OF THE JESUITS GREAT FALLS OF
THE POTOMAC CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL ARLING-
TON THE GREAT NATIONAL MILITARY CEMETERY
ALEXANDRIA, PaGES 267-277
CHAPTER XIX.
MOUNT VERNON PRESENT APPEARANCE OF THE VENERATED
HOME OF GEORGE WASHINGTON THE GROUNDS AND MAN-
SION — Washington's tomb — the chamber in which he
DIED apartments OF THE MANSION THE FIRST PRES-
IDENT'S LIFE ON HIS VIRGINIA PLANTATION HOW THE
MOUNT VERNON ASSOCIATION ACQUIRED THE HISTORIC
PROPERTY, Pages 279-295
1 B
lO
PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
CHAPTER XX.
HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS TO VISITORS TO THE NATIONAL CAP-
ITAL — A GOOD WAY TO SEE AND ENJOY THE PRINCIPAL
OBJECTS OF INTEREST IN A SHORT TIME THE HOURS TO
VISIT THE CAPITOL, THE WHITE HOUSE, AND THE DEPART-
MENTS GENERAL INFORMATION RELATING TO THE CITY
AND ITS CUSTOMS, PaGES 296-302
Index, 305
'^^!^'>^f .,
jJh^
ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE.
Washington, from the State, War, and Navy Building, . i6
Washington, from the Smithsonian Grounds, . . . .16
Pennsylvania Avenue at Vernon Row, . . , . -19
The Davie Burns Cottage, . , . -. . . . .21
Seventh Street northwest, ....... 23
Washington in 1810, ......... 26
The Old Capitol, .......... 26
The Van Ness Mansion, ......... 29
The Duddington House, . . . . . . . . -31
H Street and Connecticut Avenue, showing St. John's Church, 35
Ford's Old Theatre, in which President Lincoln was Shot, 37
A Scene in the Colored Quarter, ...... 39
The Bartholdi Fountain, in the Botanical Garden, . -41
Statue of General Scott, at the Soldiers' Home, . . 41
Mills' Statue of General Washington, . . . . -41
Marble Group on the Portico of the Capitol, . . -41
Statue of General Greene, ....... 41
Mills' Statue of General Jackson, . . . . . '41
The House in which President Lincoln Died, . . . -45
The Center Market, ......... 48
Group of Hucksters, ......... 48
Entrance to Long Bridge, . . . . . . . -51
The District Court House, ........ 53
The Baltimore and Potomac Railroad Depot, . . . -57
Garfield Memorial Tablet in the Baltimore and Potomac
Railroad Depot, ......... 61
12 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
PAGE.
The Washington Monument, . . . . . . .6^
A Few Moments of Leisure, ....... 67
The Capitol — East Front, ........ 68
Main Entrance — Capitol, ........ 73
The Rogers Bronze Doors, ........ 79
Statuary Hall, . 85
The Capitol — West Front, ....... 92
Chamber of the Supreme Court of the United States, . 97
The National Library — Main Division, ..... loi
The National Library — Right Division, ..... loi
The National Library — Left Division, ..... loi
The Senate Chamber, . . . . . . " . . . 106
The Rotunda, .111
The Senate Reception-Room, . . . . . . .115
The President's Room, . . . . . . . . .119
The Hall of the House of Representatives, . . . .122
The Retiring-Room of the House, . . . . . -131
The White House, from Pennsylvania Avenue, . . . 136
The White House, from the South, ...... 141
Statue of General Rawlins, . . . . . . • H5
Ward's Statue of General Thomas, ...... 145
Statue of Emancipation, ........ 145
Statue of General McPherson, ...... 145
Statue of Admiral Farragut, ....... 145
St. Dominick's Roman Catholic Church, . . . . . 150
Blue Room, White House, . . . . . . . . 153
Red Room, White House, . . . • : • • • • ^53
Green Room, White House, ....... 153
East Room, White House, . 153
President's Library, White House, ...... 153
State Dining-Room, White House, ...... 153
The Conservatory of the White House, ..... 153
The White House, from the East, ...... 157
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 13
PAGE.
Statue of Civilization, .....••• 161
The Naval Statue, ok Monument of Peace, .... 161
Greenough's Statue of Washington, 161
Brown's Statue of General Scott, ...... 161
G Street, showing Foundry and Epiphany Churches, . . 166
The State, War, and Navy Building, 168
The French Legation Building, . . . . • • -173
The German Legation Building, ...... i73
Massachusetts Avenue, showing Church of the Ascension, 174
The Treasury Building, . . . • • • • - ^11
The Bureau of Engraving and Printing, i79
The Masonic Temple, .....•••• ^^3
The Young Men's Christian Association Building, . . 187
The Navy Yard, from the Potomac, 19°
The Signal Office, or the Weather Bureau, . • • i95
The Soldiers' Home, ......••• i97
The Naval Observatory, .....••• 201
Along the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, .... 203
The Metropolitan Methodist Episcopal Church, . . . 204
The General Post-Office, ....•••• 209
The New Pension Building, . . . • • • .212
The Patent Office, .....•••• 215
North Hall — Museum of Models, Patent Office, . . .219
South Hall — Museum of Models, Patent Office, . . .221
Section of Frieze Ornamentation on the Pension Building, 223
Pennsylvania Avenue, from the Treasury Building, . . 224
The Department of Justice, ....... 227
The Department of Agriculture, ...... 229
The National Museum, . . . . • • • -231
The Government Printing-Office, ....•• 233
A Landmark on B Street, .....••• 235
Connecticut Avenue at Farragut Square, showing the Rus-
sian Legation Building, .....•• 238
14 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
PAGE.
The James G. Blaine Mansion, ....... 241
The Anthony Pollok Mansion, ....... 245
The Don Cameron Mansion, ......: 249
Tenth and G Streets northwest, showing First Congrega-
tional Church, ......... 250
The Corcoran Gallery of Art, ...... 253
The Windom Mansion, . . . . . . . -257
The Louise Home, ......... 259
Eighth and H Streets northwest, showing Calvary Baptist
Church, ........... 261
All Souls' Unitarian Church, ....... 263
Garfield Memorial Church (Christian Disciples) , . . 265
Chapel at Oak Hill Cemetery, ...... 266
Arlington House (formerly Residence of Gen. R. E. Lee), 269
National Military Cemetery at Arlington, .... 271
Along the Wharves at Georgetown, ..... 273
The College of the Jesuits at Georgetown, . . . . 275
Howard University, . . . . . . . . -277
Mount Vernon, from the Potomac, ...... 278
The Mount Vernon Mansion — the Home of Washington, . 281
The Eastern Portico, Mount Vernon, ..... 283
The Old Tomb at Mount Vernon, ...... 286
The Tomb of Washington, Mount Vernon, .... 287
Washington's Bed-chamber, ....... 290
Martha Washington's Bed-chamber, . . . . . . 291
The Hall at Mount Vernon, ....... 293
Banquet-Hall, or State Parlor, Mount Vernon, . . . 295
The Senator Bayard Mansion, ....... 297
The Smithsonian Institution, ....... 299
The English Legation Building, ...... 301
The Franklin School Building, ....... 302
Statue of Freedom, ...... Front Cover.
PLANS AND MAP.
PAGE.
PLAN OF THE PRINCIPAL STORY OF THE CAPITOL, . . . . SS
PLAN OF THE BASEMENT STORY OF THE CAPITOL, . . . .104
PLAN OF THE SENATE CHAMBER, 117
PLAN OF THE HALL OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, . 127
PLAN OF THE ATTIC STORY OF THE CAPITOL, 134
MAP OF THE CITY OF WASHINGTON, . . .' . •. . .303
fpl
y g
CHAPTER I.
THE WASHINGTON OF TO-DAY — A BEAUTIFUL CITY OF PARKS AND PALACES —
ITS LOCATION ON THE POTOMAC RIVER — THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA —
EARLY TRADITIONS AND HISTORICAL STATEMENTS — SELECTION OF THE
FEDERAL TERRITORY — A REMARKABLE PIECE OF POLITICAL HISTORY.
STANDING upon the lofty, green-clad hills of Virginia which
constitute the historic Arlington estate, a magnificent panorama
is unfolded as the eye sweeps northward and eastward over
the picturesque region of the District of Columbia. Two hun-
dred feet below, the beautiful Potomac River, released from the moun-
tain ranges that have closely restrained its silvery stream for over a
hundred miles, quickly expands into a broad sheet of placid water
and glides onward to the main, bearing many a richly freighted craft.
From the circling heights of the northern part of the District to the
river banks on the south, as far as the eye can reach, are ponderous
domes and majestic spires, countless turrets and roof-tops, emerald-
tinted parks, massive monuments, and all the evidences of a great and
prosperous city. Everywhere palatial edifices, embodying the high-
est architectural genius of the age, meet the gaze, and, grandly tow-
ering over all. Freedom's effigy can be seen resplendent on the huge
white dome of the Nation's Capitol. This is the city of Washington
as it appears to-day — a charming city of parks and palaces, and the
grand seat of government of " Time's noblest offspring," the United
States of America.
It is predicted that Washington is to be " the future Queen City
of the world." Its natural advantages give it a preeminence over
most American cities in picturesqueness. Its site is bordered by a
noble river and sheltered by a series of gradually sloping and thickly
2
i8 PICTURESQLTE WASHINGTON.
wooded hills. Constructed upon an ample plan, with capacity for a
million people, the home of a liberal government whose resources
are almost unlimited, a delightful, salubrious place- of residence, both
winter and summer, now thoroughly imbued with a strong desire for
advancement, for rich adornment and luxurious surroundings, and
fast gathering into its fold the excellent and desirable in science,
art, and literature — the capital of the country, if it continues its Her-
culean strides on the path of progress for a few years longer, can
boldly challenge comparison with any other city in attractiveness
and brilliancy. The growth and development of Washington during
the past ten 3^ears have been wonderful. Nearly all the old land-
marks have disappeared, and out of a rude, unpaved, dilapidated
town has risen a stately city, with most of the resources, the pleas-
ures, the superiority of a metropolis. Once it was called in derision
" the only child of the Nation," but now it has attained to a mag-
nificent manhood, and is entirely worthy of the pride and admiration
of its parents.
There is a tradition that George Washington, when a mere youth,
surveying the Virginia lands of the opulent Lord Fairfax, and little
•dreaming of the remarkable career fate had in store for him, pre-
dicted that some day a great city would be located on the territory
now known as the District of Columbia, as the site was so admirably
adapted for the purpose. And in later years when, serving under the
ill-fated General Braddock, he encamped with the British troops on
the hill at present occupied by the National Observatory, it is related
that he often sat at the door of his tent and gazed at the undulating
plateau on which the city now rests, noted the broad river-front and
the environing hills, and with the eye of a practical surveyor and
sagacious man, traced out the future abode of thousands. It is not
singular, therefore, that when he had reached the summit of human
greatness, and had been, proclaimed the Father of his Country, he
should have exercised his authority to have the National Capital
located on the spot he had been familiar with and admired iVom boy-
hood.
The District of Columbia, known as the Federal Territor}', as
originally laid out by the first commissioners under the direction of
President Washington, embraced one hundred square miles, so located
as to include the thrifty towns of Georgetown in Maryland, and Alex-
andria in Virginia, together with the confluence of the Potomac
River and its Eastern Branch, and the adjacent heights. Maryland
EARLY HISTORY AND TRADITIONS.
19
PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE AT VERNON ROW.
and Virginia ceded to the United States the territory required. In
1846, all that portion of the District lying on the west bank of the
Potomac was retroceded by Congress to the State of Virginia, so
that the Federal Territory at the present time comprises sixty-fom-
square miles, and is bounded on three sides by the State of Mary-
land, having Montgomer}- County on its north. Prince George
County on its east and south, w^ith the Potomac River on its west.
The city of Washington occupies all the lower portion of the Dis-
trict. Georgetown, now known as West Washington, Tennallytown,
and Uniontown are the only other places of any importance. Wash-
ington is situated on the eastern bank of the Potomac, ii6|- miles
above the mouth of the river, and 184I miles from the sea. It is 14
miles in circumference, and covers a little less than 10 square miles.
From the southern part of the city, where the Potomac expands to
the width of a mile, extends backward an irregular plain having a
mean aldtude of 40 feet above the river. This plain carries the city
up to the very borders of a chain of hills. The greatest length of
Washington is 4^ miles ; the greatest breadth, 3| miles. It stretches
along the Potomac a distance of 4 miles, and 3^^ miles along the
Anacostia, or Eastern Branch of the Potomac. The romantic beauty
of the location, the heights surrounding the city, from which extended
views of the country and the windings of the river can be obtained,
20 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
its attractive environs, all combine to render Washington one of the
most picturesque cities in the country.
When Captain John Smith sailed up the Potomac in 1608, he
found the country inhabited by numerous tribes of Indians, continu-
ally at war with each other, and savage and ferocious as wild beasts.
The Manahoacs were known as a powerful tribe, and their favorite
camping-ground was the region now occupied by the city of Wash-
ington. In the spring the tribe assembled at the Potomac to catch
the luscious shad and herring as they "run" in the river, and to
hold their yearly councils. Great feasts were made, and the return
of the vernal season was celebrated with joyous ceremonies. The
tribal councils were held very near the spot where, two centuries
afterward, the people of the free United States established their
council hall. The Manahoacs were constantly fighting with the
Powhatans of Virginia, and their sanguinary conflicts, disease, and
the introduction of spirituous liquors among them, rapidly diminished
their numbers, until at last they were forced to migrate westward and
ally themselves with the Tuscaroras. Where these Indians had their
camping-grounds, archeeological treasures in great abundance have
been recently found, such as pestles, clubs, stone axes and arrow-
heads, clay and soapstone pottery, and numerous articles of utility
and ornament. Many of the specimens of clay pottery and the orna-
mental work exhibit considerable skill and taste, and give evidence
that the aboriginals of the District had attained some degree of civ-
ilization.
In 1623—5 Henry Fleet, the hardy and adventurous English fur
trader, thoroughly explored the Potomac borders. He had many
exciting adventures with the wild tribes, and was often in deadly
peril. At one time he stifTered a long captivity among the Indians,
but he fortimately escaped harm and succeeded in obtaining a large
amount of information concerning the new southern country. He
wrote of the tract around Washington : " This place is without ques-
tion the most healthful and pleasant in all this countr}^ and most con-
venient for habitation ; the air temperate in summer and not violent
in winter. The river aboundeth in all manner of fish, and for deer,
buffaloes, bears and turkeys the woods do swarm with them, and the
soil is exceedingly fertile." Fleet's enthusiastic description of the
country watered by the Potomac was published in England, and may
have influenced many of the emigrants to America at that time to
direct their steps toward Maryland and Virginia. A company of
EARLY HISTORY AND TRADITIONS.
21
Scotch and Irish people from the mother-country made a settlement,
about the close of the seventeenth century, within the limits of what
is now the District of Columbia. The}^ obtained patents for a large
amount of land, divided it into a number of good plantations, and
designated their adopted home " New Scotland." For nearly a
century this colony lived in rural solitude, enjoying the fruits of their
labor. Some of the descendants of these early settlers were among
the original proprietors of the land on which the cit}- of Washington
was eventually built.
It is told of a member of this colony, by the name of Pope, that he
set up his lares and penates on the top of the hill where the Capitol
now stands. He called his plantation "Rome," and a little stream
that meandered along the base of the hill, "the Tiber," believing
that in the course of time a capital city greater than imperial Rome
would arise on the spacious plateau where he cultivated his crops.
To his friends and companions he was known as "Pope of Rome."
This simple farmer was endowed with prophetic vision. Busy streets
THE DAVIE BURNS COTTAGE.
22 PICTURESQLTE WASHINGTON.
now entirely cover the Tiber creek, and above its bank is the majes-
tic legislative building of a vast continental nation, looking down upon
a city that in the near future may be even greater than Rome in its
proudest days.
The laying out of Georgetown was authorized by the Maryland
Assembly in 175 1, and some time later this attractive suburb of
Washington began existence. It soon grew into a town of import-
ance. During the Revolutionary War it was one of the places of
deposit for military stores. The troops of both armies marched
through its streets and encamped on its steep hills. A small ferry
connected it with the Virginia shore. In Suter's tavern, a favorite
resort in those days, the wealthy land-holders of the neighborhood
met on business and for merry-makings, and they made its rude
walls ring with their jovial songs and stories. Whenever Washing-
ton came up the river from his Mount Vernon estate he enjoyed the
good cheer of this ancient hostelry, and in Suter's he held many of
his deliberations with the first commissioners engaged in the la3'ing
out of the Federal city. Small settlements were started on the Mary-
land banks of the Potomac just below Georgetown, and several thriv-
ing plantations tilled by slaves dotted the site of the future capital.
In 1785 Washington made an extended and careful exploration of
the upper Potomac, in order to ascertain if the river could be navigated
above tide-water at Georgetown. A canoe or pirogue was expertly
hollowed out of a large poplar tree, hauled to the river bank and
launched, and Washington with several friends, among whom was
Governor Johnson, of Mar^'land, a gallant soldier of the Revolution,
started on the important survey. The party sailed lor a number of
days in their humble bark amid the sublime scenery of the upper
Potomac, and made a complete exploration, the result of their work
being that a company was finally organized for the improvement of
the river, and nearly a million dollars expended in a series of years.
During this unique voyage the distinguished party would seek quar-
ters for the night at the houses of well-to-do planters who lived near
the river, and evervwhere thev were received as hiofhlv honored guests,
and a most generous hospitality was dispensed. One night they were
compelled to lodge at the house of a planter whose accommodations
were rather scanty, and Washington, Governor Johnson, and another
gentleman were given a room with two small beds. The great chief-
tain with a smile turned to his companions and said, " Come, gentle-
men, who will be my bed-fellow?" They both declined the honor,
EARLY HISTORY AND TRADITIONS.
23
SEVEXTH STREET, NORTHWEST.
however, and the Maryland governor, in relating the incident alter-
ward, said, " Greatlv as I should have felt honored by such distinction,
yet the awe and reverence which I always felt in the presence of that
admirable man prevented me from approaching him so nearly.''''
There was a severe contest over the selection of the Federal Ter-
ritory. In the Congress of the Confederation the question of a per-
manent seat of government was broached, and propositions to estab-
lish a " Federal town, a Federal house for Congress and for the Ex-
ecutive officers," on the banks of the Delaware River near the Lower
Falls, and also at Georgetown on the Potomac, were entertained, but
did not receive special sanction. The matter was somewhat discussed
in the convention held in Philadelphia in 1787, to revise the Federal
system of government, but it was not until the second session of the
First Congress of the United States under the Constitution, held in
New York in the summer of 1790, that it was finally decided. The
discussion was long and earnest, and a strong sectional feeling was
developed. New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Trenton, Harris-
24 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
burg, and many other places urged their claims upon Congress to be
made the capital city, and for a time it seemed as if it would be
impossible to make any selection. Maryland and Virginia had offered
the necessary territory for the Federal District, but the former state
strongly fayored its location at the thriying " Baltimore town." Many
votes were taken, and finally an act was adopted by Congress which
received executive sanction in July, 1790, giving the sole power to
President Washington to select a Federal Territory " not exceeding
ten miles square on the river Potomac at some space between the
mouths of the Eastern Branch and the Conogocheague for the per-
manent seat of the government of the United States." The new ter-
ritory was to be ready for the use of the government in 1800, and in
the mean time the " Federal town " was to be Philadelphia.
The final adoption of the Potomac site for the national territory
was brought about by a stroke of policy contrived by Jefferson and
Hamilton. In an article upon Congress, Garfield speaks of the
matter as follows : "It dampens not a little our enthusiasm for the
superior virtues of the fathers to learn that Hamilton's monument of
statesmanship, the funding bill, which gave life to the public credit
and saved from dishonor the war debts of the states, was for a time
hopelessly defeated by the votes of one section of the Union, and was
carried at last by a legislative bargain which, in the mildest slang of
our day, would be called a ' log-rolling job.' The bill fixing the per-
manent seat of the government on the banks of the Potomac was the
argument which turned the scale and carried the funding bill. The
bargain carried them both through."
Jefferson was appealed to by Hamilton to give his aid to the
scheme for the assumption by the general government of the debts
incurred by the states during the Revolutionar}' War, which amounted
to $20,000,000. The bill had been defeated in the House after an
obstinate struggle, and Hamilton was earnestly seeking to have it re-
considered, believing that the Eastern or creditor states would secede
from the Union if their claims were not allowed. Mr. Jefferson says
in his Ana: "I proposed to him (Hamilton) to dine with me the
next day, and I would invite another friend or two and bring them
into conference together, and I thought it impossible that reasonable
men consulting together coolly could fail, by some mutual sacrifices
of opinion, to form a compromise which was to save the Union. The
discussion took place. It was finally agreed that, whatever import-
ance had been attached to the rejection of the proposition, the pres-
A POLITICAL COMPROMISE.
25
ervation of the Union and of concord among the states was more
important, and that therefore it would be better that the vote of re-
jection should be rescinded, to effect which some members should
change their votes. But it was observed that this pill would be
peculiarly bitter to the Southern States, and that some concomitant
measure should be adopted to sweeten it a little to them. There had
been before, propositions to fix the seat of government either at Phil-
adelphia or at Georgetown on the Potomac ; and it was thought by
giving it to Philadelphia for ten years and to Georgetown perma-
nently afterwards, this might act as an anodyne, and calm in some
measure the ferment which might be excited by the other measure
alone. So two of the Potomac members agreed to change their votes,
and Hamilton undertook to carry the other point. In doing this the
influence he had established over the Eastern members effected his
side of the engagement, and so the Assumption was passed."
Thus it was, that a good dinner and the sagacity of two able men
healed a serious breach in the affairs of the Nation, and placed the
capital city on the banks of the " River of Swans," as the Indians
called the Potomac.
CHAPTER II.
FOUNDING THE NATIONAL CAPITAL — L'ENFANT'S PLAN OF WASHINGTON — THE
ORIGINAL PROPRIETORS OF THE LAND— A LOVELY HEIRESS, AND HER WOO-
ERS—REMOVAL OF THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT TO THE CAPITAL CITY —
HISTORICAL SKETCHES — THE BRITISH INVASION — PECULIAR MANNERS AND
CUSTOMS OF THE EARLY DAYS — GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CITY —
THE CIVIL WAR. .
WHEN President Washington returned from his tour of the
South in the summer of 1791, and the wheels of the
famous cream-colored chariot in which he had taken the
memorable ride of i ,900 miles rolled up to the western
door of the Mount Vernon mansion, he found a visitor awaiting his
coming. The visitor was Maj. Pierre Charles L'Enfant, a skillful
French engineer, who had been chosen to draw the plan of " the new
Federal town." The site of the Federal District had been selected by
Washington in the January previous, after long and careful delibera-
tion, from the 105 miles of territory embraced in the boundary defined
by the act of Congress locating the permanent seat of government.
The act was amended by request of the President so as to include the
city of Alexandria and adjacent country. Three commissioners, Gov.
Thomas Johnson and the Hon. Daniel Carroll, of Maryland, and Dr.
David Stuart, of Virginia, were appointed to have entire charge of the
surveying and laying out of the district, and on April 15, 1791, they
had laid the first boundary stone at Jones' Point on the Virginia side
of the Potomac, with impressive Masonic ceremony, in the presence
of a larcre assemblage. The commissioners had decided to call the
district the "Territory of Columbia," which name it bore for some
years; and the new city to be established on the river bank, "the
city of Washington," in honor of him who was at that time, and who
28 PICTURESQIJE WASHINGTON.
in all time shall be, the " first in the hearts of his countrymen."
Satisfactor}^ terms had been arranged with the proprietors of the land
lying within the bounds of the proposed city, and an agreement had
been signed by the commissioners and the land-holders. All the land
used for streets and squares was to be relinquished to the government
without cost, and all the land taken for public buildings was to be
paid for at the rate of £25 an acre. One-half of the proceeds of all
lots offered at public sale was also to go to the original owners, and
the remainder was to be expended in the erection of the government
edifices.
Major L'Enfant was cordially received by Washington, and re-
mained at Mount Vernon in consultation with him for nearly a week,
during which time the plan of the Federal city was thoroughly ma-
tured. L'Enfant, who was an educated soldier, had come to Amer-
ica in 1777 from Paris, and had commended himself to Washington
by his patriotic zeal while serving as major of engineers during the
Revolutionary War, and a warm friendship had sprung up between
them. He had designed the insignia of the Society of the Cin-
cinnati at Washington's special request, and in various ways had
demonstrated the possession of marked ability. His plan of the city
was very elaborate and magnificent, and it was duly set forth on a
fineh^ drawn map. It is believed he partially followed the work of
Le Notre in Versailles, the seat of the French government buildings.
Broad, transverse streets and avenues, numerous open squares, parks,
circles, and triangular reservations were marked on the plan, the
places for the public buildings were indicated, and everything was
designed upon a spacious scale.
Washington desired that " the Capitol" should occupy the centre
of the city, and it was accordingl}'^ located on the broad plateau in
the eastern section, and the Executive Mansion and the other public
buildings were located in the western section, more than a mile dis-
tant. In one of his letters Washington says that this wide separa-
tion of Congress and the Executive departments was intended to
prevent members of Congress from too frequently visiting the vari-
ous departments. L'Enfant's design meeting the full approval of
Washington, and also of Jefferson, then Secretary of State, of whom
it was said that " he almost monopolized the artistic taste and knowl-
edge of the first administration," it was formally adopted, and the
young Frenchman was engaged to superintend its execution. He
had as assistant, Andrew Ellicott, a bright Pennsylvanian, who with
PLAN OF THE FEDERAL CITY.
29
\'AN NESS -M.
his brother had estabHshed the town of ElHcott Mills, in Maryland.
Ellicott was a competent surveyor, and a young man of remarkable
intelligence. Later in life he became professor of mathematics at
West Point. The streets and squares of the city were chiefly laid out
by him, and under his direction the work progressed quite rapidly.
Before the erection of any building was allowed an exact survey was
made and properly recorded, and all subsequent building operations
had to conform to this survey.
The states of Maryland and Virginia were greatly interested in
the founding of the seat of the national government within their
borders, and generously voted a large sum of money as a gift to
the United States, to aid in the erection of the public edifices. After-
ward, when it was necessary to obtain more money to carry on the
work, and Congress was strangely dilatory in making an appropria-
tion, and European bankers had declined to advance funds to the
commissioners, the legislature of Maryland promptly authorized a
loan of $100,000 in response to the appeal of President Washington.
The most prominent proprietors of the land taken for the city
were Daniel Carroll, David Burns, Notley Young, and Samuel
30 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Davidson. The Carroll estate very nearly covered all that part of
Washington known as Capitol Hill, and was called Duddington
manor. Daniel Carroll was a gentleman of culture and high social
standing in Maryland. He had been a delegate to the Philadelphia
Convention that framed the Federal Constitution, and a member of
the First Congress of the United States. He was a brother of the
Rt. Rev. John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop of Baltimore, who
founded the great college of the Jesuits, at Georgetown, and was a
cousin of Charles Carroll, of Carrollton, one of the signers of the
Declaration of Independence. As the Capitol was to be located
adjacent to his estate, he believed that section would become the
most desirable part of the city, and immediately demanded exorbitant
prices for building-lots. Speculators, possessed with the same idea,
bought a number of his acres, largely with " promises to pay"; and
Stephen Girard, the richest man in Philadelphia in those days, even
offered Carroll $200,000 for a certain portion of his estate, but the
offer was refused, five times the sum being demanded. The high
prices for lots on Capitol Hill compelled many who wished land for
the erection of houses and stores to settle in the northern and western
parts of the city, and the tide of population rapidly turning that way,
forever decided the fate of the eastern quarter. The city developed
on its northwestern side, which to-day is the most populous and
fashionable section.
Carroll's dream of great wealth was never realized. At his death
he was in embarrassed circumstances, and his estate for a long time
after was encumbered with heavy obligations. Recently six acres
of the Carroll tract, upon which his descendants had paid $16,000
in taxes during the past eighty years, keeping its possession so long
in hope of an advantageous sale, was finally disposed of for $3,600.
The spacious " Duddington House," erected in the early days of
Washington for the residence of the Carroll family, still remains on
North Carolina Avenue, southeast, in a good state of preservation.
An interesting story is told of this ancient brick mansion.
Shortly after the streets of the city were marked out strictly in ac-
cordance with L'Enfant's plan, Daniel Carroll, who was one of the
commissioners, assumed the right to begin the erection of his house
in the middle of New Jersey Avenue, near the Capitol grounds.
L'Enfant vigorously protested against its location, as it would close
the avenue and destroy the symmetry of the general plan of the city ;
but his protests not being heeded, he gave orders one morning to
FIRST PROPRIETORS OF THE LAND.
31
his assistant to demolish the structure. Carroll hurried to a magis-
trate, obtained a warrant and stopped the demolition before it had
proceeded very far. That night, when L'Enfant returned to the city
from Acquia Creek, where he was working busily getting out sand-
stone for the new Capitol, he was much chagrined to find his orders
unfulfilled. He vowed the house should come down, and, organizing
a gang of laborers secretly, he took them quietly up the hill after
dark, and set them at work. By sunrise, not a brick of the obnox-
ious dwelling was left standing. Carroll was very indignant at this
arbitrary act, and made complaint to the President, who ordered the
reconstruction of " Duddington House," precisely as it was before,
but, very wisely, not in the middle of New Jersey Avenue. This
house was the first fine one erected in the city. It is surrounded by
a high brick wall, enclosing grounds full of majestic trees, and even
now, in its partially dilapidated condition, shows considerable of its
former elegance.
A very fortunate man was David Burns, another of the original
land-holders. His property was situated largelv in what is now the
THE DUDDINGTON IIOL SE.
32 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
fashionable northwest quarter of the city. Burns — "crusty Davie
Burns," as he was called — was a very bigoted, choleric Scotchman,
fond of controversy, and never known to agree with any one in the
slightest particular. He lived in a rude cottage near the river, and
cultivated a large plantation extending over the spot where the White
House now stands. The demand for his land made him very wealthy,
and his only child, Marcia Burns, was known in all the country
around as " the beautiful heiress of Washington." For some time
Burns was opposed to the projected transfer of land to the govern-
ment, and the President and the commissioners had several confer-
ences with him in his cottage to explain the advantages of the plan.
On one of these occasions, so the tradition runs, the testy old planter
answered one of Washington's arguments by this outburst : "I sup-
pose, Mr. Washington, you think people are going to take every grist
from you as pure grain ; but what w^ould you have been if you hadn't
married the rich widow Custis ! " The usually sedate Washington at
this audacious remark is said to have actually lost his temper, and
left the house in indignation. He afterward spoke of the imperti-
nent Scotchman as "that obstinate Mr. Burns," and would never
meet him again.
Miss Burns was placed by her father in a cultivated Baltimore
family, where she received an excellent social and literary training.
When she returned to Washington after several years' schooling she
became the belle of the embryo city, and attracted many admirers.
She was lovely in person, and gracious and winning in her manners.
Her father could not be induced to leave his old house — a small,
rudely-fashioned structure, with only two rooms on the ground floor,
and but little better than the cabins of the slaves who tilled his plan-
tation — and, with all his great wealth, would not change his plain
way of living. The girl uttered no complaint, but came from the
refined Baltimore home at her father's bidding, and resumed her for-
mer life with the lonely man. Her mother had died when she was a
child, and for years she had been her father's sole intimate companion.
Troops of gallants began to seek the favor of the beautiful heir-
ess. The wooers were generally treated to cutting remarks from
Burns, and promptly shown the door. Dashing young members of
Congress — gay fortune-seekers who saw in Marcia a splendid prize
— picked their way across the marsh to Burns' hut on fine evenings,
craftily allowed the old Scotchman to win their gold at cards, and
awakened good feeling by generous gifts of mellow usquebaugh.
THE VAN NESS MANSION. 33
for which he had a notorious fondness. Gen. John P. Van Ness, a
young, well-born, jovial New Yorker, was a frequent visitor. Of an
ancient Dutch famil}- prominent in politics and society, a congress-
man of some brilliancy, with a very handsome face and agreeable
deportment, ever full of song and story, he soon succeeded in win-
ning Marcia's affection and her father's sanction, and they were mar-
ried. Van Ness became a resident of Washington, living at first
with his bride in the old cottage, and afterward in a costly mansion
erected on the Burns estate. He became mayor of the city, and was
eminent in business and social affairs. Gilbert Stuart painted his
portrait, and it was said of him that he was "well fed, well bred, and
well read." When David Burns died he left his daughter the sole
owner of a great estate, yearly rising in value. On his death-bed
he said to her, " Marcia, you have been a good daughter ; you'll now
be the richest girl in America."
The Van Ness mansion was constructed by the celebrated La-
trobe, one of the architects of the Capitol, and he expended many
thousands of dollars in trying to make it the finest private residence
in the country. The grounds were enclosed with a brick wall, trees
and flowers planted, and fountains and statuary added adornment.
Close to the great house, in the same enclosure, stood the old cottage
of David Burns, and Mrs. Van Ness would never permit her father's
humble home to be taken down. For a number of years the Van Ness
mansion was the resort of the distinguished people of Washington,
and presidents and eminent statesmen were entertained within its
walls. The last acre of the Burns property passed out of the pos-
session of the heirs fifteen years ago, and now all that remain to tell
the story of the Burns and Van Ness families are a great monumental
tomb at Oak Hill Cemetery, and the two houses by the river — father's
and daughter's — decaying, neglected ruins. The tomb was erected
by Van Ness at a cost of over $30,000, and is constructed in imita-
tion of the temple of Vesta. The legend is, that on each anniversary
of the death of Van Ness his favorite "troop of six white horses"
make a ghostly midnight gallop around the old mansion, and that
supernatural sounds are heard within its deserted halls.
The third largest land-holder was Notley Young, who held nearly
all the land in the centre of the city and on the river front between
Seventh and Eleventh streets. Carroll owned the land to the east
and Burns to the west of him. He, too, acquired wealth from sales
and leases of his property, and erected a substantial residence on
34 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
G Street south, overlooking the Potomac. The house was taken
down thirty years ago to give room for the extension of the street.
Of Samuel Davidson, the fourth largest proprietor, scarcely anything
is known.
When the time approached for the first public sale of lots by the
commissioners, a difficulty arose between them and Major L'Enfant.
After the demolition of Carroll's house by L'Enfant, he was not in
good favor, and as he refused to allow his maps of Washington to be
published as a guide to the purchasers of lots, he was dismissed from
the service of the government. L'Enfant claimed that, if his maps
were published, speculators would know all about his plan, and
would build unsightly edifices on the finest streets. He continued to
live in the city, and in his old age became a claimant for compen-
sation for his services as the original designer of Washington —
constantly haunting the committee-rooms of Congress, a poor but
rather courtly, feeble old man, attired in a long blue coat closely but-
toned high on his breast. His claim was never considered, and it
was quite the fashion in those days to laugh and sneer at what was
called " L'Enfant's extravagant plan." He died in 1825, and was
buried by charitable hands on the Digges farm, a short distance from
the city. No stone marks his grave. L'Enfant's design has been
fully vindicated by time, and to-day the beautiful capital city owes
much of its beauty and fascination to the broad streets, the great
squares, the parks, the wide, straight avenues, the location of the
public buildings, for which he contended with the sublime energy of
a liberal, far-sighted man, in an age of restricted views and small
things.
The first public sale of lots was held by the commissioners at
Georgetown, Oct. 17, 1791, and was mainly attended by speculators
from the large cities, who were eager to obtain what they considered
the best lots, in the belief that Washington was to become the great
city of the country. At that time there were less than 60,000 people
in New York ; and predictions were freely made that in ten years
after Congress begun its sessions in Washington, the national city
would have a population of at least 150,000. Even a rumor, indus-
triously circulated at the sale by enemies of the new capital, that
Congress never would remove from Philadelphia, made no impres-
sion on the confident purchasers of the land. The commissioners
executed a number of contracts for the sale of lots in parcels on easy .
terms, on condition that the buyers should erect " brick houses, two
TRANSFER OF THE GOVERNMENT.
35
H STREET AXD CONNECTICUT AVENUE, SHOWING ST. JOHN S CHURCH.
Stories high," on the property within a certain time. These contracts,
entered into with enthusiasm, were mostly repudiated afterward, and
the brick houses were not built. Many lots were sold, and at good
prices, but prior to the removal of the government to the city the
actual residents were few, and the "new national settlement " was
very insignificant.
The formal transfer of the government from Philadelphia to Wash-
ington took place in October, 1800. That it was indeed the day of
small things, is evident when we read that " a single ' packet' sloop
brought all the office furniture of the departments, besides seven
large boxes and five small ones, containing the ' archives * of the
government." The officials numbered fifty-four persons, including
President Adams, the secretaries, and the various clerks. They
came to the city by different conveyances, and as they had left
pleasant, comfortable quarters in Philadelphia, the crudeness and
discomfort of Washington produced a feeling of disgust. Mrs.
Adams spoke of Washington as "this wilderness city"; and Secre-
tary Wolcott in a letter to his wife said, " There are but few houses
in any place, and most of them are small, miserable huts, which pre-
36 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
sent an awful contrast to the public buildings. The people are poor,
and, as far as I can judge, live like fishes, by eating each other."
The best description extant of the city, as it appeared at the time
the government took possession, is found in a letter written by Hon.
John Cotton Smith, then a member of Congress from Connecticut.
He says: " Our approach to the city was accompanied with sensa-
tions not easily described. One wing of the Capitol only had been
erected, which, with the President's house, a mile distant from it,
both constructed with white sandstone, were shining objects in dismal
contrast with the scene around them. Instead of recognizing the
avenues and streets portrayed on the plan of the city, not one was
visible, unless we except a road, with two buildings on each side of
it, called the New Jersey Avenue. The Pennsylvania Avenue, lead-
ing, as laid down on paper, from the Capitol to the Presidential man-
sion, was nearly the whole distance a deep morass covered with
elder bushes, which were cut through to the President's house ; and
near Georgetown a block of houses had been erected which bore
the name of the ' six buildings.' There w^ere also two other blocks
consisting of two or three dwelling-houses in different directions, and
now and then an insulated wooden habitation ; the intervening spaces,
and, indeed, the surface of the city generally, being covered with
scrub oak bushes on the higher grounds, and on the marshy soil
either trees or some sort of shrubbery. The desolate aspect of the
place was not a little augmented by a number of unfinished edifices
at Greenleaf's Point, and on an eminence a short distance from it,
commenced by an individual whose name they bore, but the state of
whose funds compelled him to abandon them. There appeared to
be but two really comfortable habitations in all respects, within the
bounds of the city, one of which belonged to Dudley Carroll and the
other to Notley Young. The roads in every direction were muddy
and unimproved. A sidewalk was attempted in one instance by a
covering formed of the chips hewed for the Capitol. It extended
but a little way and was of little value ; for in dry weather the sharp
fragments cut our shoes, and in wet weather covered them with white
mortar. In short it was a new settlement."
Such was the capital city in which President John Adams, Secre-
tary of State John Marshall, Secretary of the Treasury Oliver Wol-
cott, Jr., Secretary of War Samuel Dexter, Secretary of the Navy
Benjamin Stoddart, and the other officials of the government took up
their abode in the fall of 1800, twenty-four years after the Declaration
OPPOSITION TO THE CAPITAL.
37
of Independence. Congress began its session a few weeks later, and
many and loud were the complaints of the new capital uttered by all
the assembled statesmen.
Newspapers in New York, Philadelphia, and New England, and
satirists everywhere, cracked many amusing jokes at the expense
of the infant city. The Capitol was called "the palace in the wil-
derness," and Pennsylvania Avenue "the great Serbonian Bog."
Georgetown was declared "a city of houses without streets ; Wash-
ington, a city of streets without houses." Only one favorable thing
seems to have been said, and that was, " Washington is the happiest
region of flowers, and a garden here might be made to yield some-
thing for the basket of Flora for nearly three-quarters of the year."
FORD S OLD THEATRE, IN WHICH PRESIDENT LINCOLN WAS SHOT.
{Now the Army Medical Museum.)
38 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Thomas Moore, just coming into prominence as a poet, visited the
city in 1804, ^^<^ ^^^ hospitably entertained. He afterward used
his splendid talent to compose this satire of Washington :
" In fancy now beneath the twilight gloom,
Come, let me lead thee o'er this modern Rome,
Where tribunes rule, where dusky Davi bow,
And what was Goose Creek is Tiber now.
This fam'd metropolis, where fancy sees
Squares in morasses, obelisks in trees ;
Which traveling fools and gazetteers adorn
With shrines unbuilt, and heroes yet unborn."
The Abbe Correa de Serra, the witty Minister from Portugal, bestowed
upon Washington the famous title of "the city of magnificent dis-
tances," referring to the great spaces between the scattered houses.
There was considerable talk of removing the capital, and a motion
to that effect in Congress was lost by only two votes. A clever
Scotch artist made a good deal of fun by drawing a caricature repre-
senting the congressman who had made the motion of removal, with
the Capitol strapped on his back, all ready to start as soon as he should
know which way it was to go. But some wanted it to go north, others
west, and others south.
When we consider the jealousy and opposition displayed toward
the city, it is small wonder that it required the fostering hand of
several kindly administrations before it appeared likely that Wash-
ington would remain the permanent seat of the government. During
the administrations of Adams, Jefferson, and Madison, the city im-
proved considerably. Jefferson- secured money from Congress for
the public buildings, planted poplar trees on Pennsylvania Avenue,
and did wdiat he could to make that " Appian Way of the Republic "
something better than a " slough of despond." He applied his artistic
skill and taste to the work of beautifying the capital. Population
increased at the rate of about eight hundred a year ; and when, after
the invasion by the British in 181 4, the vexed question of removing
the capital was settled by Congress appropriating liberal sums to re-
store the public buildings damaged during the invasion, the city had
nothing to hinder its steady growth.
The invasion of Washington by the British troops under General
Ross, Aug. 24, 1814, was a severe blow^ to the weak and slowly
growing city. It had been apprehended for some weeks that the city
would be attacked, and President Madison had taken various pre-
THE BRITISH INVASION.
A SCENE IN THE COLORED t^UARTER.
ventive measures, which, however, proved futile. The British fleet,
under command of Admiral Cockburn, sailed up Chesapeake Bay, and
4,500 men were landed on the left bank of the Patuxent River on the
2 1 St of August, with orders to march on Washington. The resi-
dents of the city were warned of the approach of the British, and
manv of them hastily left their homes and found refuge in Virginia.
The invaders marched across Maryland to Bladensburg, five miles
from the capital, without hinderance ; but at this place their advance
was stopped by a bod}' of raw militia, organized from residents of
Maryland and the District, under command of General Winder, and
a few hundred seamen with field-pieces under Capt. Joshua Barney,
the celebrated privateersman. The American troops numbered about
seven thousand, but they were so badly handled that almost at the
first fire from the British the militia broke in disorder and could not
be rallied again. Barney's sailors stood their ground and fought
desperately for nearly three hours, but at last were compelled, from
sheer lack of numbers, to abandon their position on the Bladensburg
turnpike, and fall back to Georgetown Heights. President Madison
and other prominent officials of the government had sought safety at
Montgomery Court House, in Mar3'land.
The wa}' to Washington now being open, the British continued
their march, and on the evening of August 24, the}' halted in front
of the unfinished Capitol. Orders were given to burn all the public
edifices, and in a short time the Capitol, the White House, and the
Executive buildings were in flames. The troops dispersed throughout
the city, burning and destroying a large amount of private as well as
public property. They visited the arsenal on Greenleaf's Point and
40 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
attempted to destroy several large cannon left by the garrison in
the haste of their departure, by discharging one against the others.
When the piece was fired, some of the wadding fell into a well in
which a large quantity of powder was secreted, and a tremendous
explosion ensued, killing a number of the British. The records of
the War, Treasury, and Navy Departments were nearly all burned,
and the records of the State Department were only saved by the
energy of several clerks, who packed them into bags and transported
them to a secure place in the country.
While the public buildings were burning a severe storm began,
and the drenching rain fortunately extinguished the fires at the Cap-
itol and White House, and saved them from total destruction. The
enemy left the city late that night, fearing an attack under cover of
the darkness, and in a few days the British fleet, which had come as
far as Alexandria, sailed down the Potomac. The amount of dam-
age done by the invasion was estimated at $1,000,000. About sev-
enty-five Americans were killed and wounded, and the British suf-
fered a loss of several hundred men.
At this period nearly all the field and domestic labor in and around
Washington was performed by slaves. The rich planters employed
hundreds of negroes to cultivate their fertile acres, and the relations
between the slaves and their masters were very different from what
they were in the regions farther south. The slaves were usually
treated with kindness, well clothed and fed, and were apparently as
happy and contented as human beings could be in bondage. They
were very civil and well behaved, and took great pride in ornament-
ing their little cabins, and many of them had ver}^ neat and com-
fortable homes. They were allowed, on many plantations, good pay
for extra labor, and often saved money enough by industr}^ to pur-
chase their freedom. The culture of tobacco made many of the
planters very wealth}^, some of them raising one hundred hogsheads
yearly of the " Indian weed that from the devil doth proceed," as the
quaint old poem has it. The tobacco was largely shipped to Europe.
It was brought to the place of shipment in this way : A hole was bored
in the heads of the hogshead, and an axle placed in it from end to
end. A shaft was attached to the axle like the shaft of a cart, and
horses and mules hitched to it. The tobacco was then drawn along
the streets, up and down the hills, rolling and bumping over the stones.
An ancient register has the following estimate of the yearly ex-
penses of a slave : " His price about $500, which at 6 per cent., the
FAMOUS STATUES.
I . The Bartholdi Fountain in the Botanical Garden. 4. Marble Group on the Portico of the Capitol.
2. Statue of General Scott at the Soldiers' Home. 5. Statue of General Greene.
3. Mills' Statue of General Washington. 6. Mills' Statue of General Jackson.
42 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
lawful interest, is $30 ; for risk or accident, $30 ; for a peck of Indian
meal per week or 13 bushels per 3'ear at 50 cents, $6.50 ; two pounds
of salt meat per week, $7.50 ; a barrel of fish per annum, $4 ; fowls,
vegetables and milk per annum, $5 ; for clothing, $15 — total for the
year, $98 ; or dail}^ expense of 27 cents." The slaves assumed the
names of their masters, and many of these old family names are con-
tinued to-day among the negro population of the city. In April, 1862,
slavery was abolished in the District of Columbia.
It is interesting to learn the rates of free labor in those days. A
shoemaker who could make one good pair of shoes daily was paid
$1.50, and in the other trades wages varied from 75 cents to $1.25 a
day. Laborers obtained 50 cents a day. A seamstress received
$4.50 a month and board; female servants, from $2.00 to $4.00 a
month, with the exception of cooks, who were paid from $15 to $20.
Coachmen who could handle two and four horses expertly, demanded
$10 a month and board. Food was cheap, land easy to obtain, and
houses could be built for little money of brick made from the finest
clay, abundantly found in the city. Gray and blue granite, the brec-
cia marble, or " pudding stone," as it was commonly called, and sand-
stone were also to be had at comparatively little cost for public build-
ings. The so-called "luxuries of life" were not very plenty, with
the exception of " ice and pineapples." Ice could be readily obtained
in summer for fifty cents a bushel, and pineapples from the West In-
dies were sold for twenty-five cents apiece.
An English writer in 1816 gave the following quaint description of
the state of female society in Washington : " The women have been
accused of sacrificing too much to the empire of fashion, but as we have
not been able to verify the truth of this charge, it would be dangerous
to decide on so delicate a subject. They are certainly superior women,
generally highly gifted in mental as they are adorned with personal
endowments. They have hitherto withstood the lamentable ravages
which art and luxur}^ have in the great cities produced upon their
sex. There is an evil, however, which is deeply lamented. It is
natural to love those who are made to love ; and no sooner do the
young ladies of Washington arrive at the nubile state than they give
their hand to some wooing stranger, or member of Congress, who
carries them oft' in triumph to his distant home. The young citizens
who have been daily contemplating the regular advances of these
shoots into perfection, disappointed in their ardent intentions, sigh and
exclaim (not without reason) against the corruption of the times,
PECULIAR MANNERS AND CUSTOMS. 43
against family interests and an unnatural and disheartening prefer-
ence to foreigners. Washington thus resembles a nursery, whose fine
plants are annually transported to a foreign and less congenial soil."
The same author says: "In the Territory of Columbia women
have no reason to complain of the degradation to which they are ex-
posed by the tyrant, man. They go where they please, both before
and after marriage, and have no need to have recourse to dissimula-
tion and cunning for their own repose and that of their husbands.
Any particular attention to a lady is readily construed into an inten-
tion of marriage. At dinner and tea parties the ladies sit together,
and seldom mix with the gentlemen, whose conversation naturally
turns upon political subjects. Gentlemen wear their hats in a car-
riage with a lady, as in England. In almost all houses toddy is of-
fered to guests a few minutes before dinner. In summer, invitations
to tea-parties are made verbally, by a servant, the same da}' the party
is given. In winter the invitation is more ceremonious. The parties
at the house of the President of the United States unite simplicity with
the greatest refinement of manner. The inhabitants are social and
hospitable, and respectable strangers, after the slightest introduction,
are invited to dinner, tea, balls, and evening parties. Tea-parties
have become very expensive, as not only tea, but coffee, negus, cakes,
sweetmeats, iced creams, wines and liquors are often presented : and,
in a sultry summer evening, are found too palatable to be refused. In
winter there is a succession of family balls, where all this species of
luxury is exhibited."
This intelligent Englishman, in speaking of some of the peculiar
customs prevailing in Washington at the time of his visit in 1816,
says : " Both sexes, whether on horseback or on foot, wear an um-
brella in all seasons : in summer, to keep oft the sunbeams ; in win-
ter, as a shelter from the rain and snow ; in spring and autumn, to
intercept the dews of the evening. Persons of all ranks canter their
horses, which movement fatigues the animal, and has an ungraceful
appearance. The barber arrives on horseback to perform the opera-
tion of shaving, and here, as in Europe, he is the organ of all news
and scandal. Boarders in boarding-houses, or in taverns, sometimes
throw oft' the coat during the heat of summer ; and in winter, the
shoes, for the purpose of warming the feet at the fire — customs
which the climate only can excuse."
During the administration of Monroe extensive improvements
were made in all parts of the city, and large sums of money expended
44 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
for public works. Several fine residences were erected by high offi-
cials of the government and wealthy citizens. The sales of gov-
ernment lots realized nearly $500,000. Public spirit began to be
manifested. In a statistical record bearing date of 1821 is this entry :
" Eighty-eight buildings were commenced up to June ; a new bridge
built, the Center Market enlarged, much progress made in the City
Hall, an addition made to the Infirmary, the new theatre finished and
the old one rebuilt for assembly rooms ; Unitarian Church erected
and a Presbyterian Church completed ; and a fountain of water opened
that yields 60 gallons a minute." In 1822 the city contained nearly
fifteen thousand people, and taxes were assessed upon property valued
at $6,668,726. There were 2,229 dwellings, numerous churches,
hotels, and stores, and several large public buildings.
In the fall of 1822 a race between two celebrated Virginia horses,
" Sir Charles" and " Eclipse," was the leading topic of conversation
in Washington for weeks, and ten thousand people assembled at the
trotting-park to witness the contest. President Monroe, and the lead-
ing government officials, were among the spectators. It is said that
more than a million dollars were wagered. Planters staked their
slaves, and in one case eight hundred negroes changed owners after
the race. People of high and of low degree were intensel}^ excited,
and a great amount of money was lost by men " who were unable to
pay their honest debts to mechanics, grocers, and even washer-
women." " Eclipse" easih' distanced " Sir Charles," and its owner
received the stake of $5,000, and in addition made a considerable
fortune from his wagers.
Another odd scrap of history is worthy of mention. In March,
1823, a great excitement was created in the city by the absconding of
the manager of the " Grand National Lottery," after refusing to pay
the principal prize of $100,000, and several smaller ones. The city
corporation, under whose auspices the lottery was carried on, claimed
not to be responsible for the default, and those who held the tickets
for the prizes had to go without their mone}'. An article in the JVa-
tional Intelligencer about the affair was headed in large letters : "So
We Go ! "
During the administration of John Quincy Adams, from 1825 to
1829, Washington had a population of nearly twent}^ thousand, but it
was a slow-going, uninteresting cit}', with very few signs of promise.
Its social life, however, was ver}' agreeable. Society at that time
was said to have " all the hues of manv colored life from the highest
GROWTH OF THE CITY
45
THE HOUSE IN WHICH PRESIDENT LINCOLN DIED.]
polish of polite France to the rude dignity of untutored nature. Par-
ties were numerous in the winter months, and were well attended by
all who were or wished to be thought fashionable." The popular hotel
was the " Indian Qiieen," on Pennsylvania Avenue, and its great
swinging sign, with a highly-colored picture of Pocahontas, was a
conspicuous object. The hotel was noted for its good living, and
^6 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
many members of Congress resided in it. A large part ot" the city
was occupied by market gardens and brick kilns, plentifully inter-
spersed with ponds and marshes. There were no public schools ;
what were known as " Gadsby's Row" and the " Seven Buildings "
were the " architectural palaces," and stray cows and pigs the stat-
uary that adorned the squares and parks. In the sandstone Capitol
with a wooden dome, great statesmen were invoking the Goddess of
Liberty ; and at the slave-pen in the centre of the city, unfeeling auc-
tioneers were selling men, women, and children to the highest bidder.
Even in 1840, M. de Bacourt, the French Minister wrote : " As for
Washington, it is neither a city, nor a village, nor the country : it is
a building-yard placed in a desolate spot, wherein living is unbear-
able." About this time there was a general renewal of the public
buildings, and after 1850 the city began to wear a somewhat brighter,
more enterprising appearance. Population increased about two thou-
sand a year ; many substantial business blocks and private residences
were constructed ; more energy was displayed by the residents ; and,
although it was still a " city of magnificent distances," man}^ of the
unsightly spaces were filled, and the former barren, desolate aspect
had changed to something better. When the Civil War began, in
1861, Washington had 62,000 people, and was described as " a big,
sprawling city, magnificent in some parts, dilapidated and dirty in
others."
During the 3'ears of the Rebellion the city was an extensive mili-
tary encampment. Its streets resounded with the march of troops,
and all its available buildings were used for military purposes. Every-
where " war's stern alarums" were heard. Over Long Bridge thou-
sands of brave men went to battle on the soil of Virginia. Formid-
able lines of defenses enclosed the capital, and apprehensions of an
attack were constantly felt. In July, 1864, General Early made a
demonstration on Washington, hoping thereby to induce General
Grant to raise the siege of Richmond. He crossed the Potomac with
12,000 men, defeated General Wallace at Rockville, sixteen miles
from the city, and marched on Fort Stevens, on the Seventh Street
road. The guns of the fort checked his advance until the Sixth
Corps from Petersburg arrived, when he was driven back across the
Potomac.
On the evening of the loth of April, 1865, Washington was bril-
liantly illuminated in celebration of the close of the war, and there
was great rejoicing among its loyal people. Four nights after, the
THE CIVIL WAR.
47
city heard with palHd cheek and bated breath that President Lincoln
had been stricken down at Ford's Theatre, on Tenth Street, by the
bullet of a cowardly assassin. The rejoicings at the return of peace
were changed to bitter lamentations. The colored people were almost
w^ild "wath grief at the death of the great Emancipator.
President Lincoln was removed from the theatre to the Peterson
house, nearly opposite, where he died early on the morning of April
15. The theatre was purchased by the government in 1866, and
is at present used for the Army Medical Museum and the record
and pension division of the Surgeon General's Department. The in-
terior was entirely reconstructed, and no trace now^ remains of the
scene of the assassination. On the Peterson house a marble tablet
has been placed, bearing the record of Lincoln's death. The small
bed-room in which the President died suggests little now of the sad
scenes of that night. The original furniture has been removed, and
the pretty, flaxen-haired children of the present owner of the house
use the apartment for a play-room. It is proposed that the govern-
ment purchase the house and make it a museum for the exhibition
of articles belonging to President Lincoln.
In May, 1865, the troops under the command of Generals Grant
and Sherman marched in grand review through the streets of Wash-
ington, prior to their disbanding. Two days were taken for the re-
view, which was witnessed by many thousands of people from all
parts of the North and the West. During this final march of " the
largest army of volunteers ever organized in the history of the world,"
the city was full of patriotic enthusiasm. As the various generals
with their divisions, all wearing the actual accoutrements of the war
— the boys in blue stained with the soil of Virginia and of Georgia,
and bearing proudly the tattered banners which had waved on many
hard-fought battle-fields — passed up Pennsylvania Avenue, they were
the recipients of long-continued and enthusiastic cheers, and were
literally covered with garlands.
For a few years after the war Washington continued to be a ver}-
unattractive cit}'. At this time an English tourist wrote of it : " The
whole place looks run up in a night, like the cardboard cities Potem-
kin erected to gratify the eyes of his imperial mistress on her tour
through Russia ; and it is impossible to remove the impression that,
when Congress is over, the place is taken down and packed up till
wanted again."
CHAPTER III.
GROWTH OF WASHINGTON SINCE 1S70-THE IMPROVEMENTS BY THE BOARD OF
PUBLIC WORKS — A WONDERFUL TRANSFORMATION CAUSED BY THE EXPEN-
DITURE OF TWENTY MILLIONS — CHARACTERISTICS OF THE QUEENLY POTO-
MAC CITY— ITS GOVERNMENT, POPULATION, AND BUSINESS— THE SPACIOUS
STREETS AND AVENUES, FINE PARKS AND SQUARES — STATUES TO WAR
HEROES— LONG BRIDGE —THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT.
IN the year 1870 Washington was suddenly aroused from its leth-
argy. After seventy years of existence it had not realized the
expectations of its friends, or greatly lessened the opposition of
its enemies. It was in a critical condition. Its use by the Fed-
eral soldiers in the Civil War had made thousands of intelligent North-
ern men familiar with its discomforts, its shiftlessness, and its entire
lack of the desirable qualities that the seat of government of the
American Nation should possess. There was nothing hopeful or
promising about it. Young cities in the West had grown important
and prosperous by their own exertions ; old cities in the East had
advanced steadily with the enterprise of the age ; but Washington,
wdth the strong aid of the government, and many years" of life, had
failed to be a credit, much less an object of pride, to the American
people.
The project to remove the national capital to St. Louis, vigor-
ously started by a Western man of rare energy and persistency, gave
Washington at this time a great fright. The proposition of removal
received the hearty indorsement of the West, and a large delegation
in Congress was pledged to its advocacy. Prominent newspapers
in New York and elsewhere favored it, and the scheme began to grow
rapidly in public estimation. St. Louis w^as ready to expend millions
to obtain the splendid prize, and the other large Western cities came
50 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
forward with offers of their influence and money, enthusiastic over
the plan to have the capital city located in " the great golden harvest
land," as the West is glowingly described.
At this juncture a strong man came into leadership, and turned
aside the current that was flowing perilously against the city. He
thoroughly believed in Washington, and was determined to aggrandize
it, and at the same time that he improved and built up the city he
proposed to enrich himself. This man was Alexander R. Shepherd,
well known afterward to the country by his sobriquet of " Boss Shep-
herd." General Grant was President, and his friendship for Shep-
herd was marked and enduring. Congress finalh^ disposed of the
question of removing the capital by appropriating $500,000 to begin
the erection of the grand State, War, and Navy Building, which has
■cost $12,000,000; and the city, through the efforts of Shepherd,
began at once to assume a better appearance. Shepherd at that
time was thirty-eight years old. He had realized a fortune of $100-
000 from plumbing contracts, and was known as the leading plumber
of the District. He had a large political friendship, was an alder-
man of the old city government, and was noted for his immense
energy and invincible determination.
In describing Shepherd's career a well-informed writer says : " He
and his friends conceived the idea of making a great and beautiful
city out of the slovenh^ and comfortless Southern town which the cap-
ital of the country then was. They first abolished the old municipal
government, and ended once for all the conservative reghne of the
past. In its place they put a territorial government with a legisla-
ture, which by means of the universal suff^rage in the District, then
recently established, they were easily able to control. The territo-
rial government was merel}^ a cover for the Board of Public Works,
and of this board Shepherd was the head. Eighty miles of the three
hundred miles of half-made streets and avenues were improved, and
nearl}" all the thickly-settled streets of the city were paved with wood
or concrete. A general and very costly system of sewers was begun.
The grades of many of the most populous streets were radically
changed. Scores of new parks were graded, fenced, and set with
trees and fountains. The old Tiber Canal was filled up, and the
greatest nuisance of Washington was thereby shut out of sight.
From $15,000,000 to $20,000,000 were swallowed up in this vast un-
dertaking. Congress appropriated at least $5,000,000 in cash, and
$2,000,000 more in cash were raised on improvement bonds, which
IMPROVING THE CITY.
SI
were put on the market at a very large per cent. The remainder of
this great indebtedness took the shape of sewer bonds, floating loans,
and other securities. Nearly all of this money was disbursed by
Shepherd. It was he who determined to whom all these millions
should fro. He had his circle of friends among the contractors, and
it was charged that he shared in the profits ; but of this charge there
was no evidence, and probably it was not true. Shepherd must be
credited with an ambition which was much more than a merely self-
ish one. It cannot be charged against him that he diverted the funds
of the District to improve his own propert}^ as distinguished from the
property of others. The street improvements were almost universal,
and his building operations extended to every part of the city. When
the Board of Public Works began operations and property rose in
value all over the cit}', his real estate and building enterprises (dating
back to 1865) were largely augmented."
During ten years Shepherd erected over one thousand buildings,
and was the first man to build blocks of dwellings in Washington,
after the plan common in Northern cities. His building operations
exceeded those of an}^ other man in the United States, and comprised
total values of $10,000,000; and in land he handled other millions.
He secured large amounts of money from Northern capitalists, car-
ried heavv financial burdens, and exhibited wonderful capacit}' in ob-
ENTRANCE TO LOXG BRIDGE.
52 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
taining the credit necessary for his innumerable enterprises. In 1873
he became governor of the District, and ruled its affairs with an im-
perious hand. He was, in truth, the "Boss" of "Washington, and
forced the public improvements against all opposition, determined that
the city should no longer be a reproach to its people, and a disgrace
to the Nation. He was the latter-day L'Enfant, with more brains
and more power. In 1876 he became financially embarrassed, and
his audacious, extraordinary business and political career came to an
end.
The queenly Potomac City, secure now from fear of the removal
of the capital, owes its grand renovation largely to this man ; and to-
day in the city he beautified and raised to a prosperous, distinguished
position, thousands of hearts go out in gratitude and well wishes
toward the exile from home, as he labors in far-off Mexico to repair
his shattered fortune — grateful that he compelled them, even by ar-
bitrary acts and extravagant expenditures, to make Washington the
fit place for the seat of government.
In ten years from the time the Board of Public Works began its
improvements, the city was transformed. The streets were covered with
an almost noiseless, smooth pavement. Fifty thousand shade-trees had
been planted ; the old rows of wooden, barrack-like houses had given
place to dwellings of graceful, ornate architecture ; blocks of fine
business buildings lined Pennsylvania Avenue and the other promi-
nent thoroughfares ; blossoming gardens and luxuriant parks were to
be seen on all sides ; the squares and circles were adorned with the
statues of heroes, and bordered with costly and palatial mansions ;
splendid school-houses, churches, market buildings, newspaper offices
had been erected. The water-works and sewer system were une-
qualed in the country. Washington had risen fresh and beautiful,
like the Uranian Venus, from stagnation and decay.
The population of the city in 1880 was 147,293, and with George-
town added, 159,885. It is believed that since the last government
census was taken there has been a large yearly increase in popula-
tion, and that the city now contains quite 200,000 permanent resi-
dents. There is also a floating population estimated at 25,000, which
is composed in part of congressmen and employes of Congress and
their families, and people of wealth from various portions of the
United States, who spend the winter in the city. There is a constant
growth in enterprise and public spirit, and year by year the capital
increases in prosperity and importance.
ELEMENTS OF PROSPERITY.
53
THE DISTRICT COURT HOUSE.
The government business in Washington necessitates the dis-
bursement of a vast amount of money yearly to the residents of the
city. All the great departments of the United States government
are located there, and the number of persons who perform service in
them is estimated at 20,000. The Treasury Department has on its
pay-rolls 3,504 persons who do work in Washington; the Interior
Department, 2,949; the War Department, 1,686; the Post-Office
Department, 544, and the many other departments, divisions, sub-
divisions, and offices of the government employ from 100 to 2,500
persons each in transacting the immense business of the states and
territories included in the American Republic. Many millions of dol-
lars are annually paid as compensation to the government employes
in Washington, and, in good times or bad, these enormous disburse-
ments are made with the regularity of clock-work. The government
is generally a liberal paymaster, as it is obliged to employ the best
talent in all of its difficult and complicated business. Year by year,
as the country increases in population and wealth, the affairs of the
54 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
government greatly increase, and additions to the employes in Wash-
ington have constantly to be made to keep up the work of the de-
partments. In some of the important departments, even with the
large force employed — with every room in a huge building crowded
with clerks attending to their duties with an energy and faithfulness
that the people of the country scarce give government employes
credit for — the business is often many months behind.
The wholesale and retail trade of the cit}^ is steady and flourish-
ing. The vast sums disbursed by the government flow easily and
regularly into the currents of trade, and in addition, Washington has
within a few years developed a very lucrative traffic with the rich
and populous country to the south and west of it, whose people here-
tofore were accustomed to go to Baltimore for goods. The ample
salaries of government employes, the majority of whom receive
larger compensadon than the same class of w^orkers in any other
city, enable them to live well, to purchase many articles of taste
and luxury, to enjoy public entertainments, and to gratify their de-
sires in literature and art. The rates of government pay tend also
to increase, by comparison, the wages of those engaged in private
business. The popular fallacy that when the session of Congress is
over each year, the city becomes dull and depressed, is entirely
groundless. Congress now merely adds so much to the continuous
busy life of Washington — accelerates trade and society in a certain
measure while it remains ; but when Congress is not in session the
streets are lively, trade flourishes, amusements are plentiful and
w^ell supported, and social events are brilliant and numerous. The
old notion that because Washington is the seat of government com-
mercial interests are out of the question, is rapidly fading away, as
the city has advanced a long way in ten years toward that import-
ance to which it is entitied as the centre of a large and flourishing
territory, 3'early increasing in population.
The city^ is also fortunate in the strong attraction it has for stran-
gers. Every day hundreds of tourists from all parts of the world
visit Washington, to enjoy its sights and objects of interest, which
are exceedingly numerous and of great fame ; and every day hun-
dreds of people from all sections of the United States arrive to trans-
act business with the various departments of the government. Thus
the city is constantly full of visitors who spend their money freely,
and consequently add in a large degree to the prosperity of its mer-
chants.
ELEMENTS OF PROSPERITY.
55
The extensive libraries and scientific collections, open to every-
body, attract to the city many students and those engaged in special
researches. The Congressional Library, with 500,000 miscellaneous
books ; the complete Medical and Surgical Library, with 50,000 vol-
umes pertaining to medicine and surgery ; the great Law Library of
the government ; the valuable library of the Patent-Office, for the use
of inventors ; the libraries of the State, War, and Navy Departments,
rich in government records and historical works ; the vast collections
of natural history in the Smithsonian Institution and the National
Museum, — all present to scholars and professional men and women
superior facilities for the prosecution of their studies, and they are
largely used by persons from every part of the United States.
From the census report devoted to the statistics of manufactures
it appears that in the District of Columbia there are at the present
time 971 manufacturing establishments employing 7,145 persons, and
using an aggregate capital of $5,552,526. Of the employes, 5,495.
are males above sixteen years, 1,389 females above fifteen years,
and 261 youths and children, who receive annually in wages $3,924,-
612. The value of material annually consumed is $5,365,400, and
the value of the annual product is $11,882,316. The manufactur-
ing establishments are mainly devoted to the production of various
small wares. There are, however, iron works, brick, marble and
granite companies, lithographic, book-binding, bank-note and other
establishments of considerable importance.
The real and personal property in the District of Columbia is
valued at $197,313,017 ; the taxable property at $101,483,774. In
the city of Washington there is taxable property of the value of
$89,963,239. The property of the United States in the District is val-
ued at $88,537,311. Congress annually appropriates over $3 ,000,000,
for the support of the District, and the government receives in taxes
a little less than $2,000,000. Three commissioners, appointed by
the President, consisting of two resident civilians and one army
officer of the Corps of Engineers, have entire charge under Congress
of the District affairs. They appoint the various officials, and serve
three years. Each commissioner receives $5,000 per year. The
District had formerly a delegate in Congress, but at the present time
has no voice in legislation. It is governed principally by the old
laws of Maryland.
The Constitution of the United States (Art. I., Sec. 8,) gives Con-
gress the authority "to exercise exclusive legislation in all cases
56 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
whatsoever over such district (not exceeding ten miles square) as
may by cession of particular states and the acceptance of Congress,
become the seat of the government of the United States." The legal
jurisdiction of the District of Columbia was assumed by Congress
Feb. 27, 1801, and on May 3, 1802, the city of Washington was in-
corporated. At first a mayor was appointed yearly by the President,
and a city council was elected by the people. After some years the
mayor was chosen by the people. In 187 1 the charter of the city
was repealed by Congress, and a territorial government established,
with a governor and legislature. The present permanent Com-
missioners' government was established in 1878. From 1874 to 1878
there was a provisional government of three commissioners.
Washington, in its general plan, has been called a combination of
ancient Babylon and modern Philadelphia, with much of the grace
and beauty of Versailles. L'Enfant's design has been closely fol-
lowed, and the result is a broad, spacious city, pleasing in all its parts.
Within its boundary are 6,111 acres, and of this amount 3,095 acres
are used for public purposes. There are more than one hundred
streets, and twenty-one avenues, the latter named after the states.
The avenues extend from one end of the city to the other, and those
that lead to principal points are from 130 to 160 feet wide, and have
sidewalks from 20 to 38 feet wide. The streets and avenues in
general are of greater width than those of any other city in the
world. They are mostly paved with concrete or asphalt, and are very
smooth and well kept. Carriage-riding through the centre of the
city and on the principal streets of residences is delightful, because
the smooth, elastic pavements prevent jolting. The heavy traffic is
confined as much as possible to certain streets which have stone
pavements, which prevents the concreted streets from being rapidly
worn out.
The streets are laid out at right angles from the Capitol, which is
located in nearly the centre of the city ; the avenues cross the streets
diagonally. North Capitol, South Capitol, and East Capitol streets,
and the Mall, which extends from the Capitol grounds west to Fif-
teenth Street and takes the place of West Capitol Street, divide
Washington into four cardinal sections. The streets extending north
and south of the Capitol are designated by numerals, and are known
as First Street east. First Street west, etc. Those extending east
and west are lettered, and are known as A Street north, A Street
THE PRINCIPAL AVENUES.
57
THE BALTIMORE AND POTOMAC RAILROAD DEPOT.
south, etc. The aggregate length of streets is 279 miles ; of ave-
nues, 65 miles.
The wide avenues, with their concrete pavement, the principal ones
extending in an almost straight line for several miles, are among the
prominent attractions of Washington. On pleasant days they are
full of gay equipages, and present a very brilliant appearance. They
command extensive prospects, and on many of them the view is un-
broken as far as the eye can reach.
Pennsylvania Avenue is one of the longest in the city, and the
most prominent. It is four and one-half miles in length, but its con-
tinuity is twice broken, once by the White House and Treasury, and
again by the Capitol. It begins at Rock Creek, which separates
Washington from Georgetown, passes the Washington Circle, the
State, War, and Navy Building, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the
White House, Lafayette Park, and the Treasury. From Fifteenth
Street to the Capitol it extends a mile through the finest business
58 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
section. East of the Capitol it continues to the banks of the Ana-
costia River. From Rock Creek to the Treasury, at Fifteenth Street,
the avenue is 130 feet wide; from Fifteenth Street to its terminus at
the Anacostia it is 160 feet. Many of the leading business establish-
ments, several prominent hotels, the Center Market, and the news-
paper offices are located on it, and the theatres are adjacent to it. It
is the fashionable thoroughfare, and during most hours of the day it
is bright and lively with thousands of pedestrians and carriages. A
number of parks are situated on " the avenue," and its broad w^alks
are lined with trees.
The longest unbroken avenue is Massachusetts Avenue, which is
four and one-half miles in length, and 160 feet wide throughout. On
its course through the northwest quarter of the city are many elegant
residences, and several squares and circles. It is finely concreted,
and is shaded by a variety of trees with expansive foliage. New
York, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Rhode Island
avenues also traverse the northwest quarter, and are 130 feet wide,
with the exception of New Hampshire Avenue, which is 120 feet.
They are of great length, and admirably laid out. Maryland Ave-
nue begins at Long Bridge and continues to the Baltimore turnpike ;
New Jersey and Delaware avenues intersect each other at the Capitol.
They are each 160 feet wide.
In addition to the fashionable avenues there are numerous streets
extensively built up with costly dwellings of brick and stone, and
comparing favorably in elegance with the avenues. Seventh, Ninth,
and F streets are thriving business sections, filled with fine buildings.
On both sides of Seventh Street, above Pennsylvania Avenue, are
continuous blocks of business establishments for over a mile, and
there is an enormous daily traffic in this quarter. During the past
ten years many thousands of shade-trees, comprising twenty differ-
ent sorts, selected for their handsome foliage and symmetry, have
been planted on the streets and avenues, and their growth will give
Washington in a few years a distinction as a sylvan city.
The "parking system" is in common use. This system was in-
troduced to lessen the width of the sidewalks, many of which w^ere
much too wide. By it the owner of a house is allowed to enclose,
but not to build upon, all the space in front of his house except t^venty
or thirty feet of the sidewalk. On the majority of the streets the
houses stand from forty to fifty feet back from the curbstone, and by
the parking system each house has about twenty feet of garden in front
THE SQUARES AND CIRCLES. 5^
of it. As the S3'stem is almost universally taken advantage of, the
result is, that in the vernal season Washington is dotted by innumer-
able crardens filled with lovely southern flowers.
When the city was first laid out. President Washington selected
certain districts for public purposes. These government reservations
are used for the buildings of the United States, and for the squares
and circles. The small spaces at the intersection of streets are
termed triangular reservations, and most of them are planted with
trees and shrubs, and ornamented with fountains.
The squares and circles are numerous and exceedingl}^ attractive.
Directly opposite the White House, on Pennsylvania Avenue, is La-
fayette Square, a tract of seven acres laid out as a park, with choice
varieties of shade-trees and flowering plants. Here is Clark Mills^
famous equestrian statue of Gen. Andrew Jackson, which was erected
in 1853 at a cost of $50,000. It was constructed of cannon captured
by the gallant soldier in his various battles. It stands on a white
marble pedestal, around which are field-pieces and piles of cannon-
balls. General Jackson is represented in complete military uniform,
mounted on a rearing horse, which is poised high in the air without
the aid of rods.
The space at the intersection of Massachusetts and Rhode Island
avenues, Sixteenth and N streets, is known as Scott Square. It is
about one acre in extent, and in its centre is an equestrian statue of
Lieut. -Gen. Winfield Scott, which was modeled by H. K. Brown, and
cast of cannon taken during the Mexican campaigns. The figure is
ten feet high, and the total height of the statue is twenty-nine feet.
Five enormous blocks of granite compose the pedestal. The statue
was ordered by Congress, and was erected in 1874. ^^^ ^^^^ was
about $45,000. General Scott appears in the full uniform of his rank,
seated on his favorite war-horse.
Farragut Square is on Connecticut Avenue, between I, K, and
Seventeenth streets. It covers a little more than an acre, and con-
tains a small park in which is a colossal bronze statue of Admiral
David Glasgow Farragut, which was modeled by Mrs. Vinnie Ream
Hoxie, and cast at the Washington Navy Yard of metal taken from
Farragut's flag-ship, the " Hartford." Congress appropriated $20,000
for the purpose. The figure is ten feet high, and the granite pedestal
on which it stands is twenty feet, and has an ornamental base holding
several mortars. Farragut is portrayed in naval uniform, standing
6o PICTURESQLTE WASHINGTON.
with one foot resting on a block, telescope in hand, watching the
enemy's movements. The statue was unveiled on April 25, 1881.
On Vermont Avenue is McPherson Square, which is adorned with
a pretty park, in which is an equestrian statue of Maj.-Gen. James B.
McPherson, modeled by James T. Robisso. It was erected at a cost
of $23,500, by the Society of the Army of the Tennessee, from cannon
allotted by Congress. The pedestal is composed of five massive
blocks of granite appropriately decorated, and cost $25,000. Con-
gress appropriated this amount. The figure is fourteen feet high, and
the horse twelve feet long. General McPherson is represented sur-
veying the field of battle.
In Rawlins Square, on New York Avenue, southwest, is a bronze
statue of Brig. -Gen. John A. Rawlins, Secretary of War in 1869,
which was ordered bv Congress, and cost $10,000. It is in a small
park containing choice plants, evergreens, trees, and rustic fountains.
The figure w-as modeled by J. Bailey, is eight feet high, and weighs
1,400 pounds. It stands on a granite pedestal, twelve feet in height.
General Rawlins is represented in uniform as chief-of-staff' to Gen-
eral Grant.
A mile directlv east of the Capitol is Lincoln Square, formed b}-
the intersection of East Capitol, Eleventh, Twelfth, and Thirteenth
streets and Massachusetts, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Tennes-
see avenues. It is a space of six acres, in the centre of which is
a bronze group called '• Emancipation," which represents Abraham
Lincoln standing at a small pedestal, holding the Proclamation of
Emancipation in one hand, while the other is extended in a protect-
ing manner over the crouching form of a negro with his fetters broken
— a slave no longer. It is a notable work, and clearly expressive of
the momentous event in American history which it commemorates.
The group w^as designed by Thomas Ball, and cast in Munich. It is
twelve feet in height, and stands upon a granite base which rises ten
feet. The statue weighs 3,000 pounds, and cost $17,000. When it
was unveiled, on April 14, 1876. there were imposing ceremonies, and
the Hon. Frederick Douglass was the orator of the occasion. This
memorial was erected from contributions received from the freed peo-
ple of the South, the initial contribution, a five-dollar greenback, com-
ing from an aged colored woman of Virginia.
Northeast of the Capitol, at the intersection of Massachusetts and
Ivlarvland avenues, is Greene Square. Here is an equestrian statue of
Maj.-Gen. Nathaniel Greene, of the Continental Army. It stands in
THE SQUARES AND CIRCLES.
6i
GARFIELD MEMORIAL TABLET IX THE BALTIMORE & POTOMAC R. R. DEPOT.
the centre of a plat of three and one-half acres, and is thirty-three
and one-half feet high. It was modeled by H. K. Brown, and
erected in 1877 by authority of Congress, and its cost, including the
granite pedestal, was $50,000. General Greene is represented as if
issuincf orders on the battle-field.
Between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets west, and I and K
streets north, is Franklin Square and Park, comprising four acres
planted with luxuriant trees and shrubs. The grounds are surrounded
by elegant dwellings, and are charming in their arrangement and
ornamentation.
The largest square in the city is Judiciar}- Square, which contains
nineteen acres. It is located between Louisiana Avenue and G Street
north, and Fourth and Fifth streets west. It contains the new Pen-
sion Building, and the District Court House. In front of the Court
62 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
House is a plain marble column, crowned with a full-length statue of
I^incoln by Lot Flannery.
Washington Circle is at the intersection of Pennsylvania and New
Hampshire avenues. In this circle, within a spacious park, is Clark
Mills' equestrian statue of General George Washington, w^hich was
unveiled in i860. It was ordered by Congress, and cost $50,000.
Washington is clad in continental uniform, and is represented as at
the battle of Princeton.
Thomas Circle is formed by the intersection of Massachusetts and
Vermont avenues and Fourteenth Street. Here, on the 19th of No-
vember, 1879, was unveiled the equestrian statue of Maj.-Gen. George
H. Thomas, which was erected by the Society of the Army of the
Cumberland at a cost of $50,000. The statue is the work of J. Q^
A. Ward, and was cast from new material. It is sixteen feet high,
and the pedestal is also sixteen feet. Congress appropriated $25,000
for the pedestal, which is constructed of Virginia granite, handsomely
designed, and bears bronze tablets representing the badge of the So-
ciety of the Army of the Cumberland. Four bronze lamp-posts,
costing $4,000, surround the base. General Thomas is represented
in field dress, observing the tide of battle.
Dupont Circle is at the intersection of Massachusetts, Connecticut,
and New Hampshire avenues and P and Nineteenth streets. A statue
of Admiral Dupont is to be erected here.
Iowa Circle is at the intersection of Vermont and Rhode Island
avenues and P and Thirteenth streets. It is likely that eventually
a statue of General Grant will be placed in this circle.
Washington is divided into four distinct sections or quarters.
The Northwest quarter has the largest population, and is the most
fashionable. In it are the President's House, the Executive Depart-
ments of the government, the Foreign Legation buildings, the princi-
pal hotels, the theatres, the largest business establishments, and the
majority of the finest residences.
The Southwest quarter is extensive and populous, but it is mainly
occupied b}' small places of business and the residences of persons of
moderate means. Some of the streets are, however, being taken up
for very fine houses, particularly those in the vicinity of the National
Museum. The wharves of the river transportation lines are in this
quarter.
The Northeast quarter is sparsely settled, but it increases yearly
THE \\ ASHINC; TON MONIMENT.
64 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
in population. On some of the .streets there are numerous blocks of
fine dwellings, those located near the Capitol being notable for ele-
gance.
The Southeast quarter, with a portion of the Northeast, is called
Capitol Hill, as the Capitol stands on the western brow of this exten-
sive plateau. Although not as fashionable as the Northwest quarter,
it yet has a numerous population of people of large means, and many
elegant residences, together with blocks of plain, neat houses and
places of business. Within a few years it has developed consider-
ably.
Long Bridge extends from the southwestern terminus of Mary-
land Avenue across the Potomac River to the Virginia shore, and is
a mile in length. It was completed in 1835 at a cost of $100,000,
and, singular as it may seem, only one-third of the money appropri-
ated by Congress to build it was expended. It is doubtful if there is
another case on record of a public work being constructed t'or less
than the original appropriation. President Jackson formaHy dedi-
cated the bridge in the spring of 1836, and, after nearly fifty years
of hard service, it is now in a substantial condition. It is an unsightly
wooden structure ; one side of it is used by the railroads running
south from Washington, and toward the Virginia end is an extensive
draw, to admit of the passage of vessels to Georgetown. Before many
years it will doubtless give way to the march of improvements, and a
bridge better adapted to the needs of the capital will take its place.
During the Civil War thousands of Northern soldiers tramped over
its dusty road, and a large part of the vast quantities of supplies for
the Federal army in the field was transported over it. At present it is
largely used by the farmers of Virginia who bring their produce to
the Washington markets, and daily hundreds of vehicles and several
thousand people cross the old structure.
Many years have passed since the corner-stone of the Washing-
ton Monument was laid with imposing ceremonies on an anniversary
of the Nation's Independence Day ; and the massive white shaft ris-
ing far above the city will certainly require another year for its com-
pletion. This grand memorial to him who was called "The Pride
of our land and glory of our race," has progressed in an exceedingly
tardy manner, but now it is believed that it will be finished to the pyr-
amidian, or roof of the shaft, in the early part of 1885. Already over
THE WASHINGTON MONUMENT. 65
one million dollars have been expended on it, and to complete it will
require the expenditure of $200,000 more.
This monument, which has been called " the world's greatest cen-
otaph," will be a plain p3'ramidal shaft rising to a height of five hun-
dred and fifty feet. Around the base a terrace will be constructed,
with an ornamental wall bearing various national emblems. Robert
Mills' design of a Pantheon or grand colonnade one hundred feet in
height, with a colossal statue over its portico of Washington in a
chariot with six horses driven by Victory, was long since abandoned,
and the plan of a terrace adopted instead. The foundation of the
shaft is eighty feet square, and it is set in solid rock eight feet below
the surface of the earth. The shaft at the base is fift3--five feet square,
and at its top it \^'ill be about thirty feet. The lower portion is con-
structed of blue granite faced with large crystal marble, and the upper
portion is entirely of marble. In the interior lining are set numerous
blocks of marble presented by the states and cities of the United
States, by foreign countries, and by various societies. They are prop-
erly inscribed, and are arranged to be plainly seen in ascending the
monument. An elevator, and also a spiral staircase, will be used for
the ascent, and the interior of the shaft will be brilliantlv illuminated
b}' gas, as the only openings except the entrance doors will be star-
shaped windows at the top.
This shaft will be the loftiest artificial structure in the world. It
will rise many feet above the Capitol, and above an}^ of the cathedral
spires and monuments in Europe or the East. It will be fifteen feet
higher than the main tower of the new city hall in Philadelphia,
forty-four feet higher than the great cathedral at Cologne, and ninety-
five feet higher than St. Peter's at Rome. It is believed that the
prospect from its top will be sublime beyond conception. On the
west the range of vision will probabl}^ extend to the Alleghany Moun-
tains, and on the south to Chesapeake Bay and across it to the ocean.
The prospect on the north and the east will comprise the citv of
"Washington, and far beyond over the District and Maryland hills.
The site of the monument was designated by act of Congress in
1848, and is said to have been originally chosen bv President Wash
ington. It includes twenty acres of the government reservation
bounded by Fourteenth Street west, and the Potomac Ri\er, and now
known as Monument Square. All of this tract is to be included in
the extensive harbor improvements no\^' in progress, and eventually
(^(i PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
will be a portion of a beautiful park, with drives extending a long dis-
tance on the river bank.
The subject of a national memorial to the Father of His Country
was early discussed. The Continental Congress, in 1783, adopted a
resolution for the erection of a statue " in honor of George Washing-
ton, the illustrious Commander-in-Chief of the United States Army
during the war which vindicated and secured their liberty, sover-
eignty and independence " ; but the resolution was not carried into
effect, as it was understood that Washington did not desire a statue
while he was living. After his death one branch of Congress, in
1800, passed an act to erect to his memory " a mausoleum of Ameri-
can o-ranite and marble in a pyramidal form," but it failed of passage
in the other branch. Some years afterward an attempt was made to
erect a national monument by private subscriptions after the plan of the
Timoleonton of Syracuse, but very little was done toward carrying out
this plan, and it was not until 1833 that the monument project assumed
definite form. In September of that year the citizens of Washington
had a meeting and formed the "Washington National Monument
Society," with Chief Justice John Marshall as president. An appeal
was made to the country for subscriptions, and $230,000 were obtained.
The corner-stone of the n.ionument was laid on the 4th of July, 1848,
in accordance wath Masonic rites, the Hon. Robert C. Winthrop deliv-
ering an oration on the lile and character of Washington. The
societv proceeded with the work of construction until 1854, when it
was compelled to suspend operations on account of its inability to
obtain monev. The monument was left but a little way above its
foundation walls until 1878, at which time the government undertook
its completion. The work is now performed under the direction of
officers of the United States Corps of Engineers, with the Washing-
ton Monument Society as an advisory board.
The citv of Washington has passed beyond the possibility of de-
cadence, and doubtless will have, before mam' years, a population ot
half a million people. Sagacious men are of the opinion that event-
ually the vast and unequaled water-power of the upper Potomac will
be utilized for manufacturing purposes, and that the city will then
become the centre of a great industrial district, producing goods for
the southern and southwestern markets. From a city of malaria and
large death rate, it has become, by wise sanitary measures, a salubri-
ous place of residence, and its death rate, despite a large floating pop-
HEALTH OF THE CITY.
67
Illation, is veiy low, averaging about 17.48 per 1,000. Its climate in
winter is usuall}' mild and genial, the spring months are delightful,
and the heat in summer rarely exceeds that in the cities several hun-
dred miles to the northward. There is no reason to believe that it
will not always remain the national capital, and as the country in-
creases in greatness and opulence, this cit}^ the seat of government,
is likely to fully share in the general prosperity.
. \,\^^y
A FEW MOMENTS OF LEISURE.
CHAPTER IV.
THE CAPITOL— ADOPTION OF THE PLAN— LAYING OF THE CORNER-STONE BY
PRESIDENT WASHINGTON — THE ARCHITECTS — PARTIAL DESTRUCTION OF
THE EDIFICE BY BRITISH TROOPS — THE OLD CAPITOL— THE PRESENT MA-
JESTIC EDIFICE— ITS GREAT DOME, STATUE OF FREEDOM, BRONZE DOORS
AND STATUARY — THE EASTERN AND ^VESTERN PARKS — NAVAL MONU-
MENT—THE BOTANICAL GARDEN — VIEW FROM THE CAPITOL DOME.
THE commissioners appointed to lay out the capital city were
directed to "procure suitable buildings for the accommoda-
tion of Congress, and of the President, and for the public
offices of the government of the United States " ; and, shortly
after the city was surveyed, they entered upon this portion of their
duties. On L'Enfant's design the "Federal House for Congress"
was designated as "the Capitol," and this name, meeting with the
approval of President Washington, was adopted. It had been ascer-
tained that the hill in the eastern section w^as " the central point" of
the city, and therefore it was decided to erect the Capitol there, with
its front toward the east, where a spacious level plateau extended for
two miles. It was believed that on this plateau the best houses would
be erected. To the westward were swamps and woods, hillocks and
creeks, and it was apparent that the eastern section was in every way
better adapted for the homes of the cultivated and wealthy people
who were expected to settle in the national city. But the city's growth
was almost entirely toward the west ; and to-day the Capitol stands
wath its back to the populous and fashionable part of Washington.
It has been humorously said that "• the Capitol is like the Irishman's
shanty, which had the front door on the back side." It is proposed
to reconstruct the western facade and make it similar to the eastern,
and doubtless this will be done before many years.
70 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
A premium of $500 and a building-lot was offered by the commis-
sioners for the best design of the Capitol, and in response to their
advertisement sixteen designs were submitted by architects in the prin-
cipal cities. These designs were carefully examined by Mr. Jeffer-
son, the Secretar}^ of State, and promptly rejected by him, being
mostly beneath serious consideration. Mr. Jefferson had early ex-
pressed a preference for " the adoption of some of the models of an-
tiquity, which have had the approbation of thousands of years." In
July, 1792, a French architect residing in New York, named Stephen
L. Hallet, or Hallate, as it was sometimes written, sent a sketch of a
design to the commissioners which met with favor, and he was invited
to come to Washington and examine the locality chosen for the Cap-
itol, in order that he might fully perfect his design, which, in many
particulars, was satisfactory. About this time an amateur draughts-
man, named Dr. William Thornton, an Englishman who had come to
the United States after residing for some years in the West Indies,
presented a highly colored and elaborated design to Washington and
Jefferson, w^hich so greatly pleased them that the President sent a
communication to the commissioners requesting the adoption of
Thornton's design in place of Hallet's, but suggesting that they " do
it with delicacy." It was advised, however, that Hallet be engaged
as supervising architect, as Thornton had no practical knowledge of
architecture.
Hallet was informed of this request, doubtless "with delicacy,"
and immediately began to develop and improve his design. Thorn-
ton also improved his, and for several weeks these aspirants for the
distinguished honor of designing the Capitol of the new and vigor-
ous American Nation, worked with intense rivalry and bitter feeling.
A charge was made by Hallet that Thornton had stolen the major
part of his design from his (Hallet's) rough sketches, and had merely
drawn out in detail the plans he had thus obtained. This charge was
stoutly denied by Thornton, and his denial being satisfactory to the
commissioners, they finally accepted his design, and awarded the pre-
mium to him. Although Hallet demurred at this award, and was
greatly aggrieved by it, he was partially appeased by receiving the
appointment of supervising architect of the Capitol, with a salary of
£400 per year, and began work on the edifice.
On the i8th of September, 1793, the corner-stone was laid in the
southeast corner of what was to be the north wing of the Capitol.
In an ancient account of this event it is stated that " a grand Masonic,
LAYING THE CORNER-STONE. 71
military and civic procession was formed on the square in front of tlie
President's grounds, from whence it proceeded to the Capitol with
martial music and flying colors, attended by an immense concourse
of spectators. The ceremony was grand and imposing, and large
numbers from various parts of the countr}^ attended." On the corner-
stone was placed a large silver plate, which was inscribed as follows :
"This southeast corner-stone of the Capitol of the United States
of America in the City of Washington was laid on the i8th day of
September, 1793, in the 13th year of American Independence, in the
first year of the second term of the Presidenc}' of George Washing-
ton, whose virtues in the civil administration of his country have been
as conspicuous and beneticial as his military valor and prudence have
been useful in establishing her liberties, and in the 3'ear of Masonry
5793' by the President of the United States in concert with the Grand
Lodge of Mar^'land, several Lodges under its jurisdiction, and Lodge
No. 22, from Alexandria, Virginia."
President Washington delivered an oration, it is believed, although
no record of it can be found, and the Grand Master of the Maryland
Masons made an impressive address. After the ceremony "the as-
semblage retired to an extensive booth, where they enjoyed a barbe-
cue feast.''
A few months after the corner-stone had been laid, a serious quar-
rel began between Architect Hallet and Dr. Thornton, who had been
appointed one of the commissioners. Hallet was requested to fur-
nish the commissioners with his various drawincrs and designs, but he
peremptorily- declined, and, in consequence, was dismissed from the
public service. George Hadfield, an Englishman, who came highly
recommended by Benjamin West, and also by James Hoban, the arch-
itect of the White House, was appointed in Hallet's place, and re-
mained until he, too, had a quarrel with the commissioners, and w^as
forced to give up the position. Hoban continued the work, and fin-
ished the north wing in 1800.
In 1803 the construction of the south wing was placed in the hands
of Benjamin H. Latrobe, who had come from London, where he had
thoroughly studied architecture with Cockrell, one of the leading
architects of his day. He arrived in the United States in 1796, and
in Norfolk, Va., w-as introduced to Judge Bushrod Washington, a
nephew of the President, who took him to Mount Vernon to form the
acquaintance of Washington. Latrobe made a favorable impression
72 PICTIRESC^LE WA.SHINGTON.
upon the President, and was tVequently consulted by him in regard to
the pubHc buildings. When he was engaged as the architect of the
Capitol, the commissioners gave him full power to construct the south
wing, and also to remodel the north wing, which had been very poorly
constructed, in accordance with his own plans. He finished the work
in 1811, and then connected the wings by a large wooden scaffolding,
or bridge, which occupied the place of the present Rotunda. The
walls of the wings were constructed of sandstone, quarried on an
island in Acquia Creek, a small stream that .empties into the Poto-
mac River about forty miles below Washington ; and the bricks used
for the interior work were made in kilns, erected on the Capitol
grounds. Congress had occupied the building since 1800, and at the
time the British troops invaded the city, on Aug. 24, 1814, the new
Capitol looked quite imposing on its hill-top.
The British army, commanded jointly by General Ross and Ad-
miral Cockburn, reached Capitol Hill earlv in the evening, flushed
and excited by their victor}' at Bladensburg. As General Ross rode
toward the Capitol his horse was killed b}" a shot fired from a house
in the vicinity. The shot was apparently aimed at the British general,
and it so enraged the troops that, after setting fire to the house con-
taining the sharpshooter, they marched quickly to the Capitol, and
fired several volleys into its windows. A regiment then marched into
the hall of the House of Representatives, '• the drums and fifes plav-
ing 'The British Grenadiers,'" and the soldiers were formed around
the Speaker's chair. Admiral Cockburn was escorted to the post of
honor, and, seating himself, derisively called the excited assemblage
to order. '' Shall this harbor of Yankee Democracv be burned ?
All for it say aye ! " he shouted. There was a tumultuous crv of
afiirmation, and then the order was given to fire the building. The
pitch-pine boards were torn from the passage-way between the wings,
the books and papers of the Library of Congress were pulled from
their shelves and scattered over the floor, valuable paintings in a room
adjoining the Senate Chamber were cut from their frames, and the
torch applied to the combustible mass. Presently clouds of smoke
and columns of fire ascended from the Capitol, and it seemed doomed
to destruction. The soldiers discharged armv rockets through the
roof of each wing, and when the fire was burning furiouslv, left the
building and marched up Pennsvlvania Avenue to fire the other pub-
lic edifices. The wooden passage-wav, and the roofs and interiors of
the wings were burned, but the walls were saved, as the flames were
RESTORING THE CAPITOL.
73
MAIN ENTRANCE, CAPITOL.
extincruished in time by a severe rain which set in within half an hour
after the fire had begun, and continued all the evening.
Congress held its first session after the British invasion in Blodg-
ett's Hotel, which occupied the site of the present Post-Oftice building.
The Capitol was ordered rebuilt, and in December, 1816, Congress
leased a building which the citizens of Washington had erected near
the eastern grounds of the Capitol, and held its sessions in it for sev-
eral years. This building has always been known as the " Old Cap-
itol." In it John C. Calhoun died on the 31st of March, 1850; and
during the Civil War it was used as a prison for Confederates.
Henry Wirz, the keeper of Andersonville prison, was hanged in its
yard on Nov. 10, 1865. It is now standing, and is used for business
purposes and for residences.
At the time the Capitol was burned, Latrobe, its real arciiitect,
was in Pittsburg, aiding in the construction of a steamboat for Robert
Fulton. He was immediately recalled to Washinijton, and, after a
74 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
thorough examination, reported that the Capitol could be easily re-
stored, as its Ibundations and walls were unimpaired. Latrobe was
a man of infinite resource. He could speak five modern languages
fluently, and was also familiar with Latin, Greek, and Hebrew. He
was an inventor, and a discoverer. In the Loudon Hills, in Virginia,
he discovered the beautiful mottled marble, known as "breccia,"
which he used extensivelv in the interior of the Capitol. He invented
what President Madison called " the American order of architecture,"
using designs of Indian corn, the cotton blossom, and the tobacco-leaf
for columns and capitals instead of the acanthus. Until 1817 he
labored assiduouslv to restore and improve the Capitol, and to him
the credit is due for the old hall of the House of Representatives,
now the National Statuary Hall ; the old Senate Chamber, now used
by the Supreme Court ; the Law Librar}' Chamber, and the old lob-
bies. When he resigned, and Charles Bulfinch was engaged as the
architect, the understanding was that the Capitol should be completed
in accordance with the designs he had made.
Bulfinch was a native of Massachusetts. He had constructed the
old State House in Boston, and had performed other notable work.
For ten years he devoted himself to the Capitol, following Latrobe's
plan to a great extent. He completed what w^ere then called the
wings, and connected them by the central Rotunda, with a low dome,
and also built the main hall of the Librar}' of Congress. In 1827
he reported to Congress that the Capitol was finished, and three years
later, resigned the position of architect and returned to Boston. The
edifice was declared "majestic," and "perfect in all its adaptations."
It covered about one and one-half acres, and was three hundred and
fifty-two feet long, and seventy feet high to the top of the balustrade.
To the top of the dome it was one hundred and forty-five feet high.
Its construction had cost $2,433,814.
During the twenty years ensuing, the Capitol was considered suf-
ficient for the use of the Nation. Robert Mills, a Washington archi-
tect, was placed in charge of it, and made sundry small improve-
ments from time to time. In 1850 the necessity for better accommo-
dations for both Houses of Congress, the number of members having
greatly increased, compelled an enlargement of the building. It was
decided to " extend the wings by greater wings, called extensions,"
which were to be constructed of marble, and connected with the
original Capitol by wide corridors. Thomas U. Walter, of Philadel-
EXTENSION OF THE CAPITOL. 75
phia, who had built Girard College, was secured as architect, and he
retained the position until 1865. He arranged a plan for the exten-
sions, and immediately began the work of construction. Gen. Mont-
gomery C. Meigs, the accomplished engineer, was appointed as the
superintendent and inspector.
On the 4th of July, 1851, the corner-stone of the south or House
extension was laid by President Fillmore, assisted by the Grand
Lodge of Masons of the District of Columbia, the Grand Master wear-
ing the regalia worn by President Washington as Master Mason when
he laid the corner-stone of the original edifice, nearly fifty-eight years
before. An eloquent oration was delivered by Daniel Webster, Sec-
retary of State, which was listened to by a vast assemblage. Beneath
the corner-stone this record was deposited :
" On the morning of the first day of the seventy-sixth vear of the
Independence of the United States of America, in the city of Wash-
ington, being the 4th day of July, 185 1, this stone, designated as the
corner-stone of the Extension of the Capitol, according to a plan ap-
proved by the President, in pursuance of an act of Congress, was
laid by Millard Fillmore, President of the United States, assisted by
the Grand Master of the Masonic Lodges, in the presence of many
members of Congress ; of officers of the Executive and Judiciary De-
partments, National, State, and District; of officers of the Army and
Navy ; the corporate authorities of this, and neighboring cities ;
many associations, civil, military, and Masonic ; officers of the Smith-
sonian Institution, and National Institute ; professors of colleges and
teachers of schools of the District of Columbia, with their students
and pupils ; and a vast concourse of people from places near and re-
mote, including a few surviving gentlemen who witnessed the laying
of the corner-stone of the Capitol by President Washington, on the
i8th day of September, 1793. If, therefore, it shall be hereafter the
will of God that this structure shall fall from its base, that its founda-
tions be upturned, and this deposit brought to the eyes of men, be it
known that, on this day, the Union of the United States of America
stands firm ; that their Constitution still exists unimpaired, and with
all its original usefulness and glory, growing every day stronger and
stronger in the affections of the great body of the American people,
and attracting more and more the admiration of the world. And all
here assembled, whether belonging, to public life or to private life,
with hearts devoutly thankful to Almighty God for the preservation
of the liberty and happiness of the country, unite in sincere and fer-
76 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
vent prayers that this deposit, and the walls and arches, the domes
and towers, the columns and entablatures, now to be erected over it,
may endure tbrever ! God save the United States of America !
Daniel Webster,
Secretary of State of the United States.''
The extensions were constructed of white marble, tinged with blue,
from quarries at Lee, Mass. ; and the one hundred massive columns
around them, each consisting of a single block of marble, were quar-
ried in Cockeysville, Md.
It was proposed to construct a new and grander dome to take the
place of " the small wooden thing " that surmounted the Capitol, and
the way in which the first appropriation of $100,000 was obtained for
the purpose is described thus : " Mr. Walter prepared plans for a com-
plete extension of the Capitol — new wings, new dome, and anew
marble front for the middle or sandstone building, and as he knew very
well that Congress would never vote the great sum required in the
most economical way, that is in bulk, he lirst submitted the wings.
Next, as Congress was about adjourning at the end of a session, and
they were all very merr}' at a night session — ladies on the floor, and
everything lively — -the new dome was presented splendidly painted
in a picture, and adopted at once." The money first appropriated was
barely sufficient to remove the old dome, which was constructed of
wood, brick, and stone, with a sheathing of copper. The new dome
required nine years for its construction, and cost $1,250,000.
The extensions were finished in November, 1867, and the Capitol
then presented the stately appearance it has to-day. Nearly $10,-
000,000 had been expended for its reconstruction, which, with the cost
of the original edifice, made the total expenditure a little less than
$13,000,000. General Meigs, the superintendent, made a report to
Congress, in which he said, " I have labored faithfully and diligently
to construct this building in such a manner that it would last for ages
as a creditable monument of the state of the arts ajt this time in this
country."
From 1867 to the present time nothing of consequence has been
done to the exterior of the Capitol. Edward Clark, of Philadelphia,
is the architect in charge. The interior has been variousl}^ adorned,
and the grounds greatly improved. Walter's plan included the exten-
sion of the eastern facade so as to cover the " deep cuts" made by the
Senate and House extensions, which would give an unbroken series
THE MAIN BUILDING. 77
of columns ; and it is proposed to rebuild the front and the back of
the main or original building with marble, to take the place of the
sandstone, which requires very careful painting ever}' year to prevent
it from crumblino;. These changes will doubtless be made, in time.
Ox the brow of a hill which rises ninety feet above the Potomac
River is the majestic Capitol, one of the grandest structures in the
world. It covers an area of six hundred and iifty-two feet, more than
three and one-half acres, and the grounds around it comprise forty-
six acres. Its total length is seven hundred and hfty-one feet four
inches, and its greatest breadth, including the porticoes and the steps,
is three hundred and twenty-four feet. It has a principal stor}-, and
an attic story, which rest upon a rustic basement. The basement
supports an ordonnance of pilasters rising to the top of the two sto-
ries above, on which is the entablature, and a marble balustrade sur-
mounts the whole. The basement story is devoted to committee-
rooms of Congress, the Law Library, the document and folding rooms,
the House post-office, the Senate and House restaurants, and offices.
The principal story contains the Rotimda, the National Statuary Hall,
the Supreme Court Chamber, the National Library or Librar}- of
Congress, and the halls of the Houses of Congress, with various
rooms for the members and the officials. The attic storv contains
committee-rooms .
The main building, or original Capitol, is three hundred and fifty-
two feet four inches long, and one hundred and twenty-one feet six
inches deep. On the eastern facade is a portico one hundred and
sixty feet wide (the grand central portico) ; and on the western facade
is a projection of eight3'-three feet, which forms a recessed portico
of ten coupled columns. The extensions, or north and south wings,
occupied b}' Congress, are connected with the centre building bv cor-
ridors, each forty-four feet long, and fifty-six feet wide. Each wing
is one hundred and forty-two feet eight inches in length, and two
hundred and thirty-eight feet ten inches in width. The wings have
porticoes of twenty-two columns on their eastern fagades, and porti-
coes of ten columns on their ends and western facades. The north
wing is occupied by the Senate, and the south wing bv the House of
Representatives .
On the tympanum of the grand central portico, at the main en-
trance to the Capitol, is a colossal allegorical group representing the
" Genius of America," which was designed by John Qiiincy Adams,
78 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
when Secretary of State, alter he had rejected various designs sub-
mitted in competition tor a premium. It comprises three figures, the
Goddess of Liberty, with Justice and Hope, executed in sandstone by
Persico, an Italian sculptor, at a cost of $1,500. At the sides of the
entrance doors are niches in which are huge statues of Carrara mar-
ble, representing War and Peace, also executed by Persico. They
cost $12,000. War is portra3'ed by the figure of Mars, attired as a
Roman soldier, with sword and shield ; and Peace by the figure of
Ceres, in flowing robes, holding Iruits and an olive-branch in her
hands. Above the door is a bust of Washington, laurel-crowned, cut
in stone by Capellano.
On the top of the broad stone steps of the portico are two huge
groups in marble, designated as "'The Discover}^ of America," and
"Civilization." The first group is the work of Persico, and repre-
sents Columbus holding the globe aloft "in the hollow of his hand,"
while an Indian maiden crouches in alarm and amazement at his side.
This sculpture is said to give a faithful copy of the armor worn by
Columbus when he discovered America. The other group was exe-
cuted by Horatio Greenough. It represents a desperate encounter
betv\reen an American pioneer and an Indian. On one side is the
wife of the pioneer, holding her babe pressed to her bosom, shrink-
ing from the contestants, fearful of the result. These groups cost
$48,000.
The twenty-four massive monolithic columns of sandstone, each
thirty feet high, which constitute the portico, were placed in position
in 1825. They were quarried on an island in Acquia Creek, and
transported to Washington in flat-boats, which were brought to the
foot of Capitol Hill by means of the Tiber Creek. Ropes were then
attached to the columns, and they were dragged up the hill by long
lines of men, and every day many congressmen were to be seen pull-
ing at the ropes, laughing and shouting like school-boys.
On the steps of this grand portico the oath of office has been ad-
ministered by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to all the Pres-
idents of the United States, from Andrew Jackson in 1829 to James
A. Garfield in 1881. Before the portico, in the eastern park, 100,000
people can witness the inauguration ceremony. When the President
has taken the oath, the guns of the Arsenal, the Navy Yard, and the
forts around Washincvton fire the Presidential salute.
The famous Rogers bronze door is placed in the main entrance to
the Capitol. On it are designs in high relief representing events in
THE ROGERS BRONZE DOOR.
8o PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
the life of Columbus, and the discovery of the American continent.
The door is nineteen feet high, and nine feet wide, and is folding or
double. It is within a bronze casing, on which are emblematic fig-
ures of conquest and navigation in the four quarters of the globe. It
is constructed of solid bronze, and weighs 20,000 pounds. There
are nine panels, in which the scenes are arranged in regular order?
beginning with the examination of Columbus before the Council of
Salamanca, and following with his departure from the Convent of La
Rabida to visit the Spanish court. Then are shown the "Audience
at the court of Ferdinand and Isabella" ; the "• Starting of Columbus
from Palos on his first voyage"; the ''First landing of the Spaniards
at San Salvador"; the "'First encounter of the discoverers with the
Indians"; the "Triumphal entry of Columbus into Barcelona";
" Columbus in chains," and his " Death scene." Each scene is very
clearlv and effectively delineated. Between the panels, and on the
sides and the top of the door are sixteen small statues of the emi-
nent contemporaries of Columbus, together with ten projecting heads
of the historians of his voyages ; and on the transom arch is a bust
of the great navigator, beneath which the American eagle spreads
its wings. The door was modeled by Randolph Rogers in Rome,
in 1858, and cast in Munich in i860, by F. von Muller. Its cost was
$30,000.
Broad flights of marble steps lead to the eastern porticoes of the
Senate and House extensions. On the tympanum of the Senate
portico is a group of figures in marble, executed by Thomas Craw-
ford, illustrating "American Civilization and the Decadence of the
Indian races." Fifty thousand dollars were paid for this work.
America is the central figure ; on the left are figures representing
War, Commerce, Education, and the Mechanical Arts ; on the right
are pioneers, Indians, and an Indian grave. Above the Senate door
is a marble group representing History and Justice.
A bronze door, modeled by Thomas Crawford, and cast in Chico-
pee, Mass., by James T. Ames, was placed at the entrance to the
Senate extension in 1868. It was executed at an expense of nearly
$57,000, and is a notable specimen of American art. It portrays
events in the Revolutionary War, and in the early history of the Re-
public. The panels contain representations of the " Battle of Bunker
Hill and death of General Warren"; the "Battle of Monmouth
and rebuke of Gen. Charles Lee, the traitor, 1778"; " Yorktown
— the gallantry of Hamilton, 1781"; a "Hessian soldier in death-
THE GREAT DOME. 8i
struggle with an American"; an allegory of the "Blessings of
Peace" ; the " Ovation to Washington at Trenton, 1789" ; the " First
Inauguration of President Washington, 1789"; and the "Laying of
the Corner-stone of the United States Capitol." The door is the finest
example of bronze-work ever cast in the United States, and compares
favorably with the Rogers door in design and execution.
It IS proposed to place a bronze door at the main entrance to the
House extension, and also to adorn the portico with marble groups.
Designs for a door were made some years ago, but as yet Congress
has taken no action in the matter.
Rising far above the Capitol is the great dome, an object of im-
posing beaut}', to be seen for miles around. No edifice in the world
possesses a dome equal to it in grand, classic S3'mmetry, and in size
it is only equaled by the domes of St. Peter's in Rome, St. Paul's in
London, and the Hotel dcs Invalides in Paris. It was designed by
Thomas U. Walter, and erected by Charles Fowler. The most beau-
tiful forms of classical architecture are embodied in it. It is of cast
iron, and is a vast sphere nearly 3,576 tons in weight. The builder
states that it was constructed on a series of ribs w^hich give support to
the large outer plates, which are bolted together. It is nearly all of one
metal, and the plates are so arranged that they will expand and con-
tract " like the folding and unfolding of a 111}% all moving together."
Any atmospheric change that will rnove one part will also move all
the others — the plates, the bolts, and the other mechanism, and " the
Rocky Mountains will budge as quickly " as this ponderous iron struc-
ture, which is likely to endure for ages. It is prevented from rusting
by covering it yearly with white paint in solid coatings. It rises from
a colossal peristyle, with tall, fluted columns, above which is a balus-
trade, and above this an " attic." On its top is a " lantern," fifteen
feet in diameter, and fifty feet high, which is crowned by a huge bronze
statue of Freedom. This statue stands three hundred and seventy-
seven feet eleven inches above the level of the Potomac River. From
the base line of the eastern front of the Capitol to the top of the
statue it is two hundred and eight3-seven feet eleven inches. Thomas
Crawford modeled the figure, which is that of the Goddess of Lib-
erty, with a " liberty cap " of eagle's feathers, suggested to the sculp-
tor by Jefferson Davis, when Secretary of War. The figure is nine-
teen and one-half feet in height, and weighs 14,985 pounds. It was
cast at a foundry in Bladensburg, Md., and cost nearly $25,000.
82 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
The body of the statue was raised to the lantern on the dome a few
days previous to the 2d of December, 1863, and on that day the head
was placed on the body with patriotic ceremony. All the forts around
Washington fired rapid salutes as the head of the goddess was care-
fully hoisted over the vast iron sphere, and when it had reached the
summit and was securely fastened to the body, flags were dipped on
every public building, and in every encampment in and near the city,
and a hundred guns on the District and Virginia hills rang out deep-
toned salutations to the glorious emblem of liberty.
The grounds of the Capitol comprise an open court on the east-
ern, and a grand terrace on the western side — in all, forty-six acres
of park, laid out in an attractive manner, and planted with a great
variety of luxuriant trees and a wide range of shrubbery, which afford
pleasing contrasts of form and color. The design has been to arrange
the grounds for convenience of business with Congress and the Su-
preme Court, and also to fitly support and present the Capitol to ad-
vantage. When the government first took possession of the tract it
was overgrown with " scrub oaks," and had a soil of stiff clay, dusty
in dry, and like mortar in wet weather. For many years it was merely
an open common, with roads and paths crossing it in all directions.
At the base of the hill, on the west, flowed the Tiber Creek, a little
stream with rugged sycamore trees overhanging its banks. In the
early spring it was not fordable, and the small bridge was often
washed away by freshets. Congressmen in riding to the Capitol were
frequently compelled to secure their horses on the farther side, and to
pick their way across the swollen stream on fallen trees. Ten years
ago the Tiber Creek was utilized for the sewer system of the city, and
now forms a natural sewer much larger than the famous sewers of
Paris. It runs through the city and empties into the Eastern Branch
of the Potomac. Its course is covered by streets, under which the
tide ebbs and flows.
President Washington planted a number of trees in the park on
the north of the Capitol, and one of these, known as the " Washing-
ton Elm," still remains. It is likely to outlive many more Presidents,
as it is well cared for and in a flourishing condition. In 1825 the
grounds were laid out for the first time with some attempt at system.
Rows of trees, flower-beds, grass-plats, and gravel walks were ar-
ranged. A few years later, more land was enclosed, and numerous
trees planted. In the eastern court two "barbecue groves" were
THE STATUE OF WASHINGTON. 83
made, one for the Democrats, and the other for the Whigs, to hold their
meetings and jubilations in. The system of landscape gardening now
in use was begun soon after the Capitol was reconstructed. Around
the building on the western side an architectural terrace is to be con-
structed, which will greatly add to the ornamentation of the grounds.
There are forty-six carriage and foot entrances from the streets on all
sides, well paved with concrete and smooth stone, and the entire park
is enclosed by low walls, with handsomely ornamented coping, posts,
and gateways. Many trees and shrubs from foreign countries are
growing vigorously. They are properly described by means of labels
attached to them, and visitors are thus enabled to gain accurate knowl-
edge of the varieties. The park is largely used as a place of public
resort in spring and summer, and the government has provided prettv
rustic arbors and resting-places, drinking-fountains of pure spring
water, and plenty of wide, comfortable seats under lofty trees for the
use of all who seek this pleasant, sylvan retreat.
In the eastern court, fronting the central portico, is a colossal mar-
ble statue of Washington, by Horatio Greenough. The statue was
executed in Italy, and its cost, including the pedestal and transporta-
tion, was nearly $45,000. Congress ordered it in 1832, and ten years
later it was placed in the centre of the Rotunda of the Capitol. Sub-
sequently it was removed to its present location. Greenough was a
native of Boston, and died near that city in 1852, after a long residence
abroad. In writing of the statue he said, " It is the birth of my thought,
and I have sacrificed to it the flower of my days and the freshness of
my strength ; its every lineament has been moistened with the sweat
of my toil and the tears of my exile. I would not barter away its asso-
ciation with my name for the proudest fortune avarice ever dreamed
of. " Washington is represented seated in a Roman chair adorned
with lions' heads and the acanthus leaf. The ligure is nude to the
waist, with a mantle draped round the lower part and extending over
the right shoulder. The right hand points toward heaven, and the
left holds a sheathed sword. On the sides of the chair are allegories
of Phoebus-Apollo driving the chariot of the sun, and Hercules strang-
ling the serpent. On the back is a Latin inscription, which is freelv
translated, " This statue is for a great example of liberty, nor without
liberty will the example endure." The granite pedestal is inscribed
with the famous eulogy on Washington, uttered b}' Gov. Henrv Lee,
of Virginia: " First in war, first in peace, first in the hearts of his
countryni'en."'
.84 PICTURESQLTE WASHINGTON.
At the foot of Capitol Mill, near the main entrance to the western
park, is the Naval Monument, or Monument of Peace, executed in
Italy by Franklin Simmons. It is inscribed, " In memory of the offi-
cers, seamen, and marines of the United States Navy, who fell in
defence of the Union and liberty of their country, 1861-1865." It is
of pure Italian marble, and rises to a height of forty-four feet, and
rests on an elaborate granite pedestal, which contains a fountain. It
cost $21,000, and the pedestal cost $20,000. At the top are large
figures representing America, and History. America is weeping,
while History holds a tablet on which she has written, '"They died
that their country might live."' A figure portraying Victory stands
below the other figures, holding aloft a WTeath of laurel in her right
hand, and at her feet are miniature images of Mars and Neptune. On
the back of the monument is a figure of Peace bearing an olive-branch,
and surrounding the figure are models of agricultural implements and
products. This fine memorial was erected from funds contributed
by members of the navy, and the pedestal from an appropriation b}'
Congress.
The National Botanical Garden adjoins the Capitol grounds on
the west, and is part of the government reservation, known as the
Mall. It was originally an alder swamp, with the Tiber Creek flow-
ing though it. The first attempt to establish a garden here was made
about fifty years ago. It was begun with a small collection of trees
and plants carelessly brought together, and of no special value, and
it was not until 1850, w^hen the first building was erected, that it began
to claim attention. At that time Congress commenced to make an-
nual appropriations for it, and it was enriched by having placed in it
the extensive and valuable botanical collections brought to Washington
"by the Wilkes Exploring Expedition from southern climes. Nothing
now remains of these collections save a Jujube tree. During the
past twenty years the rarest and most beautiful plants have been
gathered from all parts of the world, and the national garden is at
present the equal in many respects of the famous gardens of Europe.
Within the enclosure of ten acres are small houses for the growing of
plants, and a grand central conservatory three hundred feet in length,
with a huge dome — a veritable palace of glass and iron, with large
transept halls and octagonal pavilions, filled with the choicest floral pro-
ductions. It rivals the great conservatory in the Royal Kew Garden
in London, or that on the Chatsworth estate of the Duke of Devon-
THE BOTANICAL GARDEN.
85
shire, and in its archi-
tectural design and
proportions it is finer
than either. In the
avenues of the <jarden
is an extensive scien-
tific collection of trees,
consisting of the best
American and foreign
varieties, and every-
where about the
grounds the most val-
ued flowers and shrubs are cultivated,
tory is the celebrated Bartholdi fountain, which was exhibited at the
Philadelphia Centennial.
STATUARY HALL.
North of the main conserva-
86 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Visitors throng the garden in winter as well as summer, and it is
regarded as one of the attractions of Washington. It is often jocosely
called the "bouquet garden" for congressmen. During the annual
session of Congress as many as two thousand bouquets are sent from
it to the wives and fair friends of the statesmen, and when the session
is finished, each congressman is entitled to take to his home one large
box of choice plants, which privilege is seldom neglected, particularly
as the government pays the cost of transporting the " botanical speci-
mens" anywhere throughout the United States. The garden is under
the control of the Library Committee of Congress, and a liberal appro-
priation is annually made for it. Its superintendent receives a salary
of $i,8oo, and the employes are paid nearly $10,000 per year.
Up to the present time, good judges have estimated, the Capitol
has had expended upon it not much less than fifty millions of dollars.
Its works of art and the interior decorations and improvements have
cost millions, and an enormous amount of money has been expended
upon the laving out and ornamentation of the grounds. The annual
cost of caring lor the Capitol is very large. Even to light it and the
grounds requires the vearh' expenditure of $25,000; and the yearly
compensation of its engineers, firemen, laborers, and other employes
will aggregate nearly one hundred thousand dollars. The special
Capitol police are paid $36,600 per year. There are thirty police-
men, commanded by a captain and three lieutenants. They preserve
order, protect the public property, and give information to visitors.
The architect of the Capitol receives a salary of $4,500, and his
office is provided with several well-paid employes. The building is
open daily from 9 a. m. until 5 p. m., and in the evening whenever
Congress has a night-session. Then the lantern on the dome is
lighted, and the light can be seen from every part of Washington,
shining like a great brilliant star in the heavens.
A VISIT to the Capitol is not complete without ascending the dome
and taking the wonderful and charming view from the top of this
mighty iron globe. It is a toilsome ascent, and when the balustrade
above the peristyle is reached, many people are content to stop at this
point, where the view is exceedingly beautiful. But here the dome
only really begins, and those who persevere in the ascent, and finally
arrive at the summit just below the lantern on which the figure of lib-
erty rests, will be amply repaid for all their toil. Here is a circular
THE SCENE FROM THE DOME. 87
landing with a strong balustrade, from which can be viewed at an ele-
vation of about three hundred feet, the city of Washington, the Poto-
mac River, and the hills and valleys of the District of Columbia and
the states of Maryland and Virginia for many miles. No words can
express the grandeur of this scene. The city is sharply outlined on all
sides, each prominent building standing out in high relief. Murmurs of
its busy life come faintly to the ear, but on its broad streets, filled with
innumerable moving things, no motion is apparent. You know that
thousands of changes are being made each moment, but you cannot
perceive the slightest movement anywhere, although you can look
from end to end of the thoroughfares. To the west, beyond the city,
the hills of Georgetown and of Arlington rise blue and misty, with fields
beyond fields spreading out to meet the sky. Along the Virginia
shore the silver thread of the Potomac can be seen stretching far to
the southward in sparkling loveliness, till it is hidden by jutting banks.
The green plateau of the Soldiers' Home stands out boldly to the north-
ward, and seemingly within easy distance is Howard University, on
the brow of its high hill. Fertile plains, rising into wooded heights,
are to the east and south, and directly downward are the streets and
buildings of Capitol Hill, the ships of war in the Navy Yard, and the
waters of the Anacostia. It is a sight long to be treasured in the
memory, and ever recalled with delight.
CHAPTER V.
INTERIOR OF THE CAPITOL — THE ROTUNDA — ITS HISTORICAL PAINTINGS ANI>
CANOPY — THE NATIONAL STATUARY HALL — STATUES CONTRIBUTED BY THE
STATES— THE SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES — THE COURT CHAM-
BER— FAMOUS JUSTICES AND INTERESTING COURT CUSTOMS — THE LIBRARY
OF CONGRESS— DETAILS OF THE VAST NATIONAL COLLECTION OF BOOKS.
THE Rotunda, which occupies the centre of the interior of the
Capitol, is a grand circular hall, ninety-five feet six inches in
diameter, and three hundred feet in circumference. From the
floor to the canopy over what is called " the eye of the dome,"
it is one hundred and eight}' feet three inches in height. Looking
upward, you see at first the thirty-six long windows of the peristyle of
the dome, which admit a flood of light, and then the gigantic iron ribs
and frame of the dome itself, gradually curving to the "open eye,"
which is fifty feet in diameter. The canopy suspended directly over-
head appears very small, yet it is an immense sheet of metal and
plaster, covering an area of 4,664 feet, and is two hundred and five
feet four inches in circumference, and sixty-five feet four inches in
diameter. From the base to the top it is over twenty feet.
On this canopv is an allegorical painting by Constantino Brumidi,
designated as " The x\potheosis of Washington." It was executed at
a cost of $39,500, and is a remarkable work in many respects. It
represents Washington seated in majesty, with the Goddess of Liberty
at his right, and Victory at his left hand. Encircling the central
group are thirteen female figures, portraying the thirteen original
states, holdincf a banner on which is inscribed, " E Plu?'ibus Unum.''
Around the border of the canopy are six groups of figures, emblem-
atic of the Fall of Tyranny, Agriculture, Mechanics, Commerce, the
90 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Marine, and the Arts and Sciences. Each tigure is of great size, and
most carefully finished. The artistic merit of this painting cannot, of
course, be appreciated from the floor, but when one ascends the dome
and inspects the canopy from the gallery directly under it, the mas-
sive figures, the glowing colors, and the exceeding beauty of the de-
sign can be seen to advantage. From the gallery a downward view
of the Rotunda can be obtained, almost startling in its effect. The
height and extent of the grand hall will be better realized from this
position than from the floor below. The canopy is a perfect " whis-
pering gallery," fully equal to that in St. Paul's, in London. Per-
sons conversing from opposite sides of the gallery over which the
canopy hangs, can distinctly hear the slightest whisper across the
huge concave.
Eight oil paintings, each eighteen by twelve feet, are set in panels
round the walls of the Rotunda. The first of the series depicts the
" Landing of Columbus at San Salvador," and was painted by John
Vanderlyn at a cost of $10,000. Then follow "-De Soto's Dis-
covery of the Mississippi," painted by William H. Powell at a cost of
$12,000 ; " The Baptism of Pocahontas," by John G. Chapman, and
"■The Embarkation of the Pilgrims from Delft-Haven," by Robert
W. Wier, each costing $10,000.
The four other paintings are by Col. John Trumbull, a son of Gov.
Jonathan Trumbull, of Connecticut, and an aide-de-camp to General
Washington during the Revolutionary War. They faithfully repre-
sent important scenes of the struggle for American independence.
Trumbull studied art in Europe after leaving the army, and was
engaged for nearly thirty years in gathering material and executing
the paintings. Washington gave him several sittings, attired in full
uniform as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army, and many
other distinguished persons represented in the series were painted
from life. The paintings were finished in 1824, Trumbull receiving
$32,000 for them.
The first painting of the Trumbull series is a representation of the
*' Signing of the Declaration of Independence, July 4th, 1776." This
contains life-size figures of the signers, each face being regarded as a
correct likeness. John Hancock is represented sitting at a table on
which rests the Declaration, and standing near him are Jefferson,
Adams, Franklin, Sherman, and Livingston, the committee who had
reported the draft of the instrument. Disposed in chairs about the
room are the members of the Continental Congress.
THE ROTUNDA. 91
The second painting depicts the " Surrender ot' General Burgoyne,
Saratoga, October 17th, 1777." General Gates is represented sur-
rounded by his officers, receiving the defeated British general and his
staff. General Burgoyne tenders his sword, but General Gates de-
clines to take it, and instead invites him and his companions to enter
his tent and partake of refreshments.
The third of the series represents the " Surrender of Lord Corn-
wallis at Yorktown, October 19th, 1781." It shows the principal Brit-
ish officers passing before the American and French generals, and the
troops drawn up in line. It is a spirited delineation, and the canvas
seems to reflect the glory of the great triumph.
The " Resignation of General Washington at Annapolis, Decem-
ber 23d, 1783," is the subject of the fourth picture. Washington is
portrayed as he appeared before Congress to resign his commission
as Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Armv. Many figures are
introduced, and Mrs. Washington and her grandchildren are repre-
sented among the spectators. This painting fitly closes a series dis-
tinguished for exquisite coloring, accuracy and faithfulness of histor-
ical details, and strong efiects.
Above the paintings are arabesque designs executed in low reliet,
and panels containing medallion heads of Columbus, Sir Walter
Raleigh, Cabot, and La Salle. Over the four entrance doors of the
Rotunda, in oblong panels, are alto reliezws cut in stone, representing
"" Penn's Treaty with the Indians," by Gevelot ; "The Landing of
the Pilgrims," and a "Conflict between Daniel Boone and the In-
dians," by Causici, a pupil of Canova ; and "The Preservation ot
Captain John Smith by Pocahontas," by Capellano. The relievos
cost $14,000, and the arabesque designs and heads, $9,500.
Within the sunken space about nine feet wide which encircles the
Rotunda above the architrave, is a series of frescos in light and
shade illustrating the principal epochs of American history. The
work was begun by Brumidi, and after his death was continued by
Castigini. Each fresco is broad in its eflect, and of sufficient size to
be clearly seen from the floor.
The Rotunda has a freestone floor which is supported by brick
arches resting upon peristyles of forty Doric columns. These columns
form the subterranean chamber called the Crypt, in which it was pro-
posed to place the body of Washington when the Rotunda was origin-
allv designed. The plan was to have a galleried opening in the centre
of the floor through which the sarcophagus could be seen. Mrs.
STATUARY HALL.. 93
Washington consented to the proposition, but after her death Washing-
ton's heirs decided that by the terms of his will the body must remain
at Mount Vernon. Henry Clay, DanielWebster, John Quincy Adams,
and other distinguished men endeavored for a long time to secure the
removal of the body to the Crypt, but as the Washington family were
firm in refusal, the project was abandoned in 1832. When the Crypt
was first constructed. Congress appointed a keeper of it, and ordered
a light to be kept burning continuously within it. This light was not
extinguished for over fifty years, and it was not until after the Civil
War that the office of " Keeper of the Crypt" was abolished.
The National Statuary Hall is entered at the south door
from the Rotunda. This beautiful hall was occupied by the House
of Representatives until the new legislative hall, in the House exten-
sion, was completed. It is ninety-five feet long, and sixty feet high
to the top of its magnificently painted dome. It has a colonnade of
twenty-six massive columns and pilasters of the variegated Potomac
marble called '" breccia," and a wide, sweeping arch. It was designed
by Latrobe to resemble the ancient Greek theatres, and for its orna-
mentation he secured the services of a number of prominent Italian
artists, among whom were the Franzoni brothers, and Valperti and
Causici. After the British troops had partially burned the hall, La-
trobe reconstructed it in finer proportions, adding the marble columns
and works of art. It was declared " so perfect and so grand" that a
writer early in the century quaintly said, "• Its defects of construction
with reference to acoustics, is a happy circumstance for the worthy
fellowship of fault-finders, who would otherwise have to hang them-
selves from the galleries in despair." The congressmen who used it
found it was a badly constructed hall for public speaking, as it had
very provoking echoes, and at certain points " a whisper scarcely audi-
ble to the ear into which it was breathed, would resound over the
entire hall." But with all its bad acoustic properties, many of the
most eloquent arfd effective speeches ever heard in the halls of Con-
gress have been delivered in this old legislative chamber, by renowned
statesmen, whose names will live forever in the annals of the Republic.
Under the arch near the dome is a large plaster figure of Liberty,
"by Causici, and beneath it is the American eagle with outspread wings,
sculptured in stone, by Valperti. Over the main entrance is a marble
statue of History recording the events of the Nation, while rolling over
the globe in a winged car, the wheel of which serves as a clock. This
94 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
was executed by Carlo Franzoni, and is known as " Franzoni's His-
torical Clock."
When the House of Representatives removed to its new hall it was
suggested by Senator Morrill, of Vermont, then a member of the
House, that the old hall should be taken for a National Gallery of
Statuary, and that " each state should be permitted to send the effi-
gies of two of her chosen sons, in marble or in bronze, to be placed
permanently here." The suggestion was adopted, and the states were
invited to send contributions of statues.
The first to respond to the invitation was the State of Rhode Island,
which contributed a statue of Roger Williams, her " great Apostle of
Religious Freedom," and a statue of Gen. Nathaniel Greene, a dis-
tinguished soldier of the Revolutionary War. Connecticut followed
with statues of Gov. Jonathan Trumbull, the last colonial governor
of the State, to whom Washington familiarly applied the sobriquet
of " Brother Jonathan"; and Roger Sherman, one of the signers of
the Declaration of Independence. New York sent statues of George
Clinton, Vice-President of the United States in 1804 ; and Robert R.
Livingston, who, as Chancellor of the State of New York, admin-
istered the oath of office to President Washington. Massachusetts
contributed statues of Gov. John Winthrop, of colonial fame, and
Samuel Adams, who was called "The Father of the Revolution."
Vermont is represented by statues of Col. Ethan Allen and Jacob
Collamer ; Maine by a statue of Gov. William King, her first gov-
ernor : and Pennsylvania by a statue of Robert Fulton. Ohio is to
be represented by a statue of Garfield, and doubtless before many
years all the states will be fully represented in this silent assembly of
" chosen sons."
The statues are regarded as fine works of art, and as highly cred-
itable to the states which have placed them in the care of the Nation.
They are supplemented by statuary and portraits purchased by the
government. Prominent in the collection is a plaster copy of Hou-
don's famous statue of Washington, carefully taken from the original
in Richmond, Va. Here also is Mrs. Vinnie Ream Hoxie's statue
of Lincoln.
The Supreme Court of the United States has occupied the old
Senate Chamber, north of the Rotunda, since December, i860. Pre-
vious to that time it held its sessions in what is now the Law Library,
in the basement story of the Capitol. From the second Monday in
THE SUPREME COURT
95
October until the first week in May in each year, with short intermis-
sions, the court sits to hear cases on appeal, and to decide constitu-
tional questions. The court consists of a Chief Justice, with a salary
of $10,500 per year, and eight Associate Justices with salaries of
$10,000. The justices are appointed by the President, and " hold
their offices during good behavior." The court officials include a
clerk and deputy clerk, a marshal, and a reporter. During a portion of
the year the justices act as circuit justices in the nine judicial circuits
of the United States, each justice being assigned to a particular cir-
cuit, in which he receives the assistance of the specially appointed
circuit and district justices. The Federal courts have jurisdiction of
all constitutional questions, and of all offences against the laws of
the United States not within the jurisdiction of the state courts.
The chamber of the Supreme Court was the first portion of the
Capitol that was finished, and in 1800 it was occupied by the Senate.
It was reconstructed by Latrobe after the British invasion, and until
the winter of 1859, when the Senators left the familiar, classic cham-
ber for their new hall, " all gold and buff," it was the place where
some of the most important contests in the history of American leg-
islation occurred. The chamber is semi-circular in form, and of pure
Grecian design. The ceiling is part of a low dome, the greatest
elevation being forty-five feet. The greatest width of the floor is
seventy-five feet. Ionic columns of Potomac marble, with white
marble capitals, form a screen at the back of the long judicial
bench, and around the walls are marble pilasters, and marble busts
of deceased Chief Justices. There is a small gallery over the bench,
with windows through which the daylight streams. The justices
sit with their backs to a large crimson curtain, and in front of them
is a curtained bar with a railing. In the central area are mahogany
chairs and tables for the use of lawyers and others having business
with the honorable court. Outside of the area are rows of comfort-
able seats, cushioned in red velvet, for spectators. The chamber is
a very beautiful example of classical symmetry.
Promptly at noon of each day that the court is in session the crier
requests all persons in the chamber to rise, and then announces in
measured, solemn tone, "The Honorable Chief Justice and the Asso-
ciate Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States." Nine dig-
nified gentlemen, attired in long silken robes, march in from the " with-
drawing-room," and take their places upon the bench with the Chief
Justice in the centre. They bow all together very courteously to the
96 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
members of the bar, who return the pohte salutation, and then seat
themselves in their wide, comfortable chairs. The crier then opens
the session in the usual form: " Oyes ! Oyes ! Oyes ! All persons
having business with the honorable the Supreme Court of the United
States are admonished to draw near and give their attention, as the
Courtis now sitting. God save the United States and this honorable
court."
Usually the decisions of the court are read by one of the justices
at the beginning of the day's session. Until four o'clock in the after-
noon the business continues without intermission. The chamber is
free from disturbing noise. Cases are argued by the lawyers in a low,
conversational tone, save when some legal luminary from the back-
woods, sent to Washington by admiring clients, tries to make an im-
pression on the court by means of artful tricks and mannerisms suc-
cessful with a jury, and declaims at the top of his voice, strides back
and forth, and sets out the merits of his cause with emotional and
gymnastic effect. But usually the counsel who appear before this
high tribunal are gentlemen of skill and discrimination, who know
that solid arguments, stated quietly and easily, are all that is necessary
here. The thick carpet on the floor entirely prevents the sound of
footfalls as people come and go, and a high screen hides the entrance
door from the view of the bench and the bar. Gray-haired colored
attendants guard the door, and inform visitors in a whisper where to
sit. And so all the afternoon the legal stream flows along as placidly
as the w^aters of the Potomac. The chamber gives you a drowsy
feeling. You listen to the " lawyers with their endless tongues," and
in following the droning arguments soon feel so inclined to sleep that
you wonder how the honorable justices manage to keep their eyes
open during the four hours of the sitting. Indeed, members of the
court have said that the room was so " full of repose " that they often
had to struggle to keep from sleeping w'hile a dull argument was
going on.
Some of the justices sit very quiet and appear to pay a great deal
of attention to the lawyers. Others are nervous and uneasy, and twist
about in their chairs constantly. One justice has the habit of getting
up and standing behind his chair to rest himself. They turn over the
pages of the briefs, consult books brought to them by attendants, and
now and then put pertinent questions to the counsel. Sometimes a jus-
tice, by a few keen remarks, will show the matter under consideration
in such a clear light, that the lawyer who is trying to muddle it will
98 PICTURESQIJE WASHINGTON.
become quite embarrassed, and abrupdy close his argument. The jus-
tices are complaisant in manner, and there is no stiffness, no assump-
tion of superiority, often seen in very ordinary tribunals. They
address the lawyers pleasantly, and are patient in hearing even the
most tiresome discussion. The two senior jusdces sit at the right and
left of the Chief Jusdce, and the others are disposed on the bench in
the order of their appointment. In their consultation-room the same
order is observed at the table around which they sit.
The black silk robes worn by the justices are nearlv like those
used by clergymen of the Episcopal church. They reach to the feet,
and have capacious sleeves. Before entering the court chamber the
justices are dressed in their " sheeny gowns," in the robing-room, by
colored attendants. In the first part of the century it was customary
for the members of the court to wear wigs, and to cover their nether
limbs with small-clothes. Lawyers were expected to appear in court
in full suits of black, with ruffled shirts, small-clothes, silk hose, and
low shoes with silver buckles. It is the court custom now for law3''ers
to wear black and a frock coat, but occasionally a "business suit"
will be seen.
There was a great deal of formal ceremon}- in the court some years
ago, most of it, doubtless, taken from the English courts, but it has
been gradually abandoned, and now very little is left. The early
justices were treated with high respect, not unmingled with a certain
amount of awe, and members of the bar seldom attempted to be famil-
iar with them, either on or off the bench, unless they were in intimate
social relations. It is related of Henry Clay, who was noted for
suavity, that he stopped one day when arguing a case before the court,
and advancing to the bench in graceful manner, took a pinch of snufT
from the box of a justice, saying, " I perceive that your honor sticks
to the Scotch," and then resumed his argument. This excited much
astonishment at the time, and Justice Story said, " I do not believe
there is a man in the United States who could have done that but Mr.
Clay."
The first Chief Justice was John Jay, of New York, who was ap-
pointed when the court was organized, in 1789, and sei^v^ed until 1795.
A portrait of him, painted by Gilbert Stuart, hangs in the robing-room.
Following Jay w^ere John Rutledge, of South Carolina, and Oliver
Ellsworth, of Connecticut. Then John Marshall, of Virginia, became
Chief Justice in 1801, and remained on the bench for thirty-four years.
Chief Justice Marshall has been placed in the front rank of Ameri-
EARLY JUSTICES. 99
can magistrates for profound learning, inflexible honesty, and a rare
genius for logical argument. He was called *' the great Chief Jus-
tice." He was dignified, but very kind in manner. He was tall and
ungainly, and noted for wearing very shabby clothes. In the coldest
weather he never wore an overcoat, and was often seen on winter
davs walking at a rapid pace through the streets of Washington, clad
onlv in his rusty, thin black suit. He was ver}" fond of society, was
exceedingly hospitable, and frankly acknowledged he enjoyed the
pleasures of the table. He took inflnite delight in playing billiards
and quoits, and even when over seventy-five 3'^ears old was always
ready, in his leisure moments, to play these games, and whenever he
scored good points he would shout with childish glee. In addition
to his severe labors as Chief Justice, he found time to write a very
excellent life of Washington.
During his time one of the associate justices was Bushrod Wash-
ington, a nephew of President Washington. He was on the bench for
thirty-one 3^ears, and achieved a fine reputation as a learned and in-
dustrious magistrate. He was a small, thin man, of rather insignifi-
cant appearance. Severe study had deprived him of the use of one
eye, but it was commonly remarked that " he could see more with one
eye " than most men with two. He had a great fondness for Vir-
ginia tobacco, and was continually smoking or taking snuff. He was
never known to become tired at the most protracted sittings of the
court, and once greatly astonished the people of a town where he
was holding a circuit court by having a continuous session for six-
teen hours.
The early justices were not allotted to certain circuits, as they are
now, but each in turn traveled over the entire country, often meeting
with very interesting adventures. Justice Wilson alwavs made the
grand tour in a huge lumbering coach and four, with dashing out-
riders ; Justice Todd, in one 3'ear, rode over two thousand miles on
horseback in performing his judicial duty. Some of the justices
traveled in open phaetons with two horses.
From 1835 to the present time there have been three Chief Jus-
tices — Roger B. Taney, Salmon P. Chase, and Morrison R. Waite,
the present incumbent of the office. Chief Justice Taney served
twent}' -eight years, and Chief Justice Chase a little less than ten
years. Chief Justice Waite is of Ohio, and was appointed by Pres-
ident Grant in 1874. There have been fortj'-three associate justices.
Justice Joseph Story was a member of the court for thirt3'-four 3'ears,
lOO PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
and quite a number of the justices served more than twenty years.
By the law of 1869 a justice may retire with full salary when seventy
years old, if he has given ten years of service.
The docket of the court is always crowded with cases, most of
them involving questions of great importance, and suitors are com-
pelled to wait generally for two or three years, and sometimes longer,
before they can have a hearing. Not more than four or five hundred
cases can be disposed of in a year, and as there are usually over
one thousand cases on the docket at each term, the unavoidable "law's
delay" is ver}'- trying to the patience and the purses of litigants.
Several plans of relief have been proposed, but as yet Congress has
considered none of them.
The official etiquette of Washington requires that the Chief Jus-
tice and the associate justices shall pay an official visit to the President
and to the Vice-President annuall}^ on the day of the opening of the
court session. They are also required to call on the President on the
first day of January. During the winter the President entertains the
court at a ceremonious dinner.
A VISIT to the Library of Congress, or, as it is frequently and per-
haps more properly called, the National Library, will enable one to
better realize King Solomon's saying — "Of making many books
there is no end." In the beautifully decorated library halls, occupy-
ing the entire central portion of the western front of the Capitol,
there are 513,000 books and 170,000 pamphlets. They are in many
languages — avast store of literature, representing the researches
and product of the mind in every conceivable field of human knowl-
edge. The library is now one of the five great libraries of the world,
and at its present rate of increase will number a million books and
pamphlets in less than ten years. The halls are crowded to repletion
with publications — books in every available space; closely packed
two deep on the shelves which extend tier after tier through the sto-
ried rooms ; lying in great heaps on the floors ; loading the railings
of the galleries — half a million volumes crammed into quarters
originally designed for less than half that number. It is proposed to
construct a large building adjacent to the Capitol grounds, to cost
about $3,000,000, for the special use of this splendid and inestimable
National Library.
The western door of the Rotunda leads to the main hall of the
librarv. This hall is ninetv-one feet lon<j^. thirty-four feet wide, and
THE NATIONAL LIBRARY.
lOI
thirty-
eight
feet
hio-h. It is flank-
ed by two others,
,_ each about the
same size as the main
one. They are lighted b}^
windows and crystal roofs,
are constructed of iron, with
floois of marble, and are en-
tirely lire proof. They are
painted in light, dehcate col-
ors, and adorned with gold-
leaf, and present an elegant appearance. The book-cases are of
iron, and iron railings protect the alcoves. Small galleries extend
along the stories. It is estimated that the halls contain nearly five
miles of book-shelving, yet the library increases yearly at such an
enormous rate, that these miles of shelving have long since proved
insufficient to hold the literary collections. In the main hall is the
desk of the librarian, at which all applications for books must be
made. Tables and chairs are placed in two of the halls for readers,
and one hall is used almost entirely by the employes engaged in cata-
loguing publications and attending to the copyright business.
THE NATIONAL LIBRARY.
102 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
The library force consists of a librarian, whose title is the " Li-
brarian of Congress," and twent^'-three assistant librarians. The
compensation of the librarian is $4,000 per year, and the assistants
receive $32,640 in all. Congress annually appropriates about $14,-
000 for the purchase of books of reference not published in the United
States, tiles of newspapers, etc. Only members of Congress, and
about forty high officials of the government, have the right to take
books awa}^ from the library, but all persons over sixteen years of age
have the privilege of freely using the collections inside the halls. This
great privilege is taken advantage of by thousands of people from all
portions of the United States, who desire to investigate certain sub-
jects, and every day the halls contain several hundred readers.
So wonderfully complete are the collections in all departments,
that it is often possible to find nearl}^ every book on a certain subject
printed in the English language during the past one hundred years.
In some cases a person seeking the widest intbrmation of a special
matter can have spread before him, within a short time, every printed
page, in book or pamphlet, bearing on the subject, which has come
from American, English, French, and German presses for over a cen-
tury — pages dim and yellow with age, or bright and fresh from the
publisher's hands. The collections are rich in ancient and rare his-
torical works, in books and pamphlets pertaining to the history of
states, counties, and towns, and the files of American and foreign
newspapers and magazines are very extensive. There are complete
files of the principal newspapers printed in New England, New York,
Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and other states, from 1735 to
1800; and from the latter date to the present time the collections of
newspapers and periodicals are unrivaled. Among very rare works
are two great volumes written on vellum, issued in the thirteenth cen-
tury, a copy of Eliot's Indian Bible, and the various volumes written by
Cotton and Increase Mather. The departments of miscellaneous lit-
erature are ver}^ full. Many an old novel, forgotten long ago ; man}'
a poem, many a song or play, dead and buried for two or three score
years, can be exhumed from this vast literary catacomb. The aim
always has been to collect everything published in the United States
that could be obtained, and as much of foreign literature as possible,
in order that the library should be complete in the full meaning of
the term.
By law the Librarian of Congress has charge of the copyright
business, and all applications for copyrights of books, maps, dramatic
THE NATIONAL LIBRARY. 103
or musical compositions, and works of art, have to be made to him.
Copyrights are granted for twenty-eight years, and then may be re-
newed for fourteen years. Some figures of the copyright business
may be interesting, as they show the great mental activity of the peo-
ple of the United States. During the year 1882 there were granted
22,918 copyrights, and the government received in fees the sum of
$18,554. O^ the articles copyrighted there were 7,828 books, 4,612
periodicals, 6,143 musical, and 458 dramatic, compositions. Two
complete copies of each publication copyrighted must be deposited in
the Library of Congress to perfect the copyright. Thus the library
is enabled to possess copies of all printed matter issued in the country
on which a copyright is granted.
The library exchanges many of its spare copies of publications
with the libraries of foreign governments, obtaining much valuable
foreign literature in this way. All the publications and exchanges of
the Smithsonian Institution are deposited here. Many donations of
books are received from institutions and individuals all over the
world, and purchases of thousands of volumes are made. Whenever
.a famous private library is sold, an agent of the government attends
the sale, and the rarest books are purchased. In one recent year
there were added to the library 59,884 books, and 27,310 pamphlets.
In 1800 Congress established this literary treasure-house with a
number of books obtained from London. This was the list: " 212
folios, 164 quartos, 581 octavos, 7 duodecimos, and 9 magazines."
It was the only library of reference the government then possessed.
In 1814 the collection had increased to about 3,000 volumes, which
went to feed the fires started by the British troops in the Capitol.
The next year Congress purchased President Jefferson's private col-
lection of 9,000 books, considered the finest in the countr}^ at that
time, for $23,950, and this was the nucleus of the present Librar}^ of
Congress. In 185 1 there were 55,000 volumes on hand, but in De-
cember of that year nearly 35,000 were destroyed by a fire in the
library hall. The fire also consumed a number of valuable paintings,
including Gilbert Stuart's portraits of the first five Presidents. The
main hall was soon restored, after designs by Walter, and the two
extensions added, the work costing $280,500. Congress yearly ap-
propriated large sums of money for the purchase of books. Through
the eflbrts of ex-President Hayes, then a member of Congress, and
chairman of the Committee on the Library, the invaluable historical
collections belonging to Peter Force, of Washington, were purchased
j a KJ lij a !a y a a a ai[
HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS. 105
for $100,000, and deposited in the library. These collections of
books, pamphlets, prints, etc., pertaining to early American history,
have no equal in the world. They were accumulated during many
years of earnest and enthusiastic antiquarian labor. In 1866 the
library of the Smithsonian Institution was added to the Library of
Congress.
The law department contains nearly 60,000 volumes, and is con-
sidered very complete. Every volume of American, English, Irish,
and Scotch court reports is to be found here, together with the stat-
utes of all countries, from 1649 to the present time. From 4,000 to
5,000 volumes are added yearly.
CHAPTER VI.
THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES — ITS FIRST SESSION IN THE CAPITAL
CITY — THE OLD HALLS OF LEGISLATION — QUAINT CUSTOMS OF BY-GONE
DAYS — GREAT STATESMEN AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS — ANECDOTES AND
PERSONALITIES — THE PRESENT HOUSES OF CONGRESS — SENATE AND HOUSE
EXTENSIONS OF THE CAPITOL.
THE First Congress of the United States, under the Constitu-
tion, began its session in New York on the 4th of March,
1789. In 1790 Congress removed to Philadelphia, and for
ten years thereafter held its sessions in that city. On No-
vember 17, 1800, the Sixth Congress convened in Washington in the
unfinished Capitol, and on the 22d of that month President John
Adams appeared before both houses, in joint session in the Senate
Chamber, and made the customary "annual speech." Vice-Pres-
ident Thomas Jefferson presided over the Senate, and the Hon.
Theodore Sedgwick, of Massachusetts, was the Speaker of the House
of Representatives.
When Congress began its sessions in Washington, only the north
wing of the Capitol Mas finished, and that was badly constructed.
The Senate Chamber was mostly of wood and plaster, and was not
completed in its present substantial, symmetrical manner until after
Latrobe had reconstructed the building in 1815-17. The House of
Representatives at first was crowded into a room intended lor the
Senate officials, but a temporary apartment was soon arranged for it
in the south wing of the Capitol. This apartment was facetiously
called "the oven," and was used until 1804, when the House removed
to another apartment and remained there until it took possession in
1808 of its beautiful, classic hall. When the Capitol rose stately
io8 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
and capacious after the British conflagration, botli Houses of Con-
gress were amply accommodated in fine halls.
Many exciting and important parliamentary battles took place in
these old halls of legislation. The momentous political questions of
the times — the United States Bank, the Missouri Compromise, the
protective tariff', the Mexican War, the annexation of Texas, nullifica-
tion, the fugitive slave bill, and other issues as grave and significant —
were debated by Congress, often with fierce wrangles which aroused
high excitement and wrath. There was malevolent sectional feeling,
and the harmony of the country was frequently disturbed. Indeed it
continually required the greatest efforts of the wisest men to preserve
the union of the states, and it was then that the grand statesmen and
orators — the glory of American legislation — were developed, and
they held the Ship of State firmly and steadily on its course.
The Senate for a time sat with closed doors, after the manner
of the Continental Congress, but as there was decided objection to
this secrecy, the chamber was opened to the public, except during
executive sessions. The House of Representatives always transacted
its business openly. In the earh" sessions the Senators discussed the
matters before them in a colloquial way, and set speeches were rarely
made ; but in the House there was considerable formal speaking.
Many of the early congressmen wore powdered wigs, and retained
the European fashions in dress which had been in vogue in 1700.
Their wigs were curled and powdered every day with great care,
and the barber was an important individual.
It was thought necessary for the Speaker of the House to have
a symbol of authority, and the sergeant-at-arms was directed to
procure the mace, which is "a bundle of ebony rods, fastened
with silver bands, having at its top a silver globe surmounted by a
silver eagle." When the mace was placed on the Speaker's table
it signified that the House was in session and under the authority
of the Speaker ; when it was placed under the table, that the House
was in committee of the whole. The sergeant-at-arms was required
to bear aloft this glittering mace when executing the commands of
the Speaker, and in many of the sessions in the old hall he was
often compelled to brandish it in the flushed faces of angry debaters,
and bid them to "be still." An attempt was made to abolish the
mace, but it was vigorously resisted, and failed, and the time-honored
symbol is placed to-day at the Speaker's right hand whenever the
House is sitting.
For some years there was an official pen-maker in each house
COMPENSATION OF MEMBERS. 109
whose duty it was to mend the goose-quills commonly used. Many
of the congressmen were exceedingly particular as to the "degree
of flexibility and breadth of point" of their quills, and while some
would use nothing but " broad nibs," others required the finest of
" fine points," and the pen-makers had no easy task in trying to suit
the different writers. There were also official sealers, who were en-
trusted with the sealing of letters and packages with red wax. The
" stationery " used in both houses included pen-knives, scissors, razors,
pocket-books, kid gloves, bottles of perfumery and bear's grease, and
numerous other little articles which the officials would purchase " b}^
request " whenever they went to New York to get their supplies. For
a number of sessions " an innocent beverage called swichell, com-
posed of molasses, ginger, and water," was largely consumed by the
Representatives, and it was popularly supposed that among its " inno-
cent " ingredients were good French brand}' and Jamaica rum. It
was always charged in the appropriation for stationer}- under the
head of " syrup."
Previous to 1816 the compensation of members of Congress was
six dollars per day, and when a bill was passed in that year to raise the
compensation to $1,500 a session, a sum barely sufficient to pay the
expenses of a decent living in Washington, it aroused great excite-
ment throughout the country. In an ancient record it is stated that
" the whole Nation was shaken to its centre ; parties were formed and
political armies marshaled, and the patriotism of the country was
aroused to ebullient indignation at the bare proposition that a member
of Congress should dare to take thought for what he should eat and
drink, or wherewithal he should be clothed, and the liberties of the
country were menaced with destruction when Congress ventured to
demand the necessaries of life in payment of its thankless services."
So great was the feeling that Congress, at its next session, repealed
the obnoxious bill, and made the compensation eight dollars per dav.
It was customary for the Representatives to wear their hats in the
House during the sessions, and it was not until 1828 that the practice
was discontinued. Ladies were excluded from the galleries for a
time, but at last, after some discussion of the " momentous question,"
they were admitted, and even had seats reserved for them. As many
congressmen were inveterate snuff-takers, urns filled with "old
Scotch " were placed in each house, and officials were charged with
the duty of keeping them filled. Even to this day in the Senate
/Chamber there is a large box containing choice snuff', which is freely
used by the " most potent, grave, and reverend" Senators.
no PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Duelling was quite common in the early days of Washington, and
the Western and Southern congressmen usually had a case of duel-
ling pistols as an important part of their outfit. In the museum of the
Patent-Ofiice there is a case of pistols owned by Andrew Jackson
while he was in Congress, and the heavy, cruel-looking weapons
bear the appearance of having been frequently used. The " code"
was a matter of general conversation, and was carefully studied.
Truculent congressmen were prompt to resent insulting words spoken
in debate, and occasionally pistols would be drawn in the House
during a session. Then the sergeant-at-arms would seize the mace
and hasten to the contestants, hold the official symbol high over their
heads, and command them to take their seats under penalty of being
arrested for contempt of the House. Henry Clay and John Randolph
once fought a duel. Randolph was always abusive in his remarks
about Clay, and in debate one day referred to him in a very insulting
manner. He declined to apologize for his words, and Clay sent him
a challenge. They fought, but without injury to either.
There were many exciting scenes in the House in those " good
old days." The debates were full of virulence, and the Speaker fre-
quently had to exert his authority to the utmost to check the passion-
ate .members. Those who have looked on the House in these " pip-
ing times of peace," when an animated debate was going on — when
all over the great legislative hall there was a furious din and babble ;
members rising much excited and uttering sarcastic and exceedingly
impertinent remarks, and apparently confusion worse confounded —
can form some idea of how the old House appeared while debating
the vexed questions in the turbulent times of the first part of the cen-
tury, when congressmen had a "■ code of honor" which necessitated
the carrying of pistols, and when there were numerous " crested jay-
hawks of the mountains " threatening violence to those who spoke the
truth too plainly.
Many able men gave strength and character to the national legis-
lation for half a century, and made the old halls of Congress mem-
orable. John Qviincy Adams, who enjoys the distinction of being the
only son of a President of the United States who has ever occupied
the Presidential chair himself, began his congressional career in 1803
as a Senator. After his term as President he was elected to the House
of Representatives in 1831, and became one of its leading members.
He was bold, experienced, and learned, but exceedingl}- frigid in his
THE K(il I. N'J)A.
112 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
manner, and was never on terms of familiarit}' with anv member.
The "old man eloquent," as he was styled, was seldom absent from
his seat in the House, and day after day was fully prepared to discuss
every matter that came up. It was his delight to start a stormy de-
bate, and then he would throw off his frigidity, and become very ex-
cited. One who knew him well wrote as follows of his manner of
speaking: "He rises abruptly, his face reddens, and in a moment
throwing himself into the attitude of a veteran gladiator, he prepares
for the attack : then he becomes full of gesticulation — his body sways
to and fro — self-command seems lost. His head is bent forward in
his earnestness till it almost touches the desk ; his voice frequently
breaks, but he pursues his subject through all its bearings. Nothing
daunts him — the House may ring with the cry of ' Order' ; he stands
amid the tempest, and like an oak that knows its gnarled and knotted
strength, stretches his hand forth and defies the blast."
It is related that when he was canvassing his district in Massa-
chusetts for election to the House, his cold, apathetic wa}^ of dealing
with influential people often created for him a great deal of unpopu-
larit}'-. On one occasion he was introduced to a farmer of consider-
able political influence, who cordially shook his hand and said,
" Mr. Adams, I am very glad to see you. My wafe, when she was
a girl, lived in your father's family ; 3'ou were then a little boy, and
she has often combed your head." " Well," replied Mr. Adams in
a harsh tone, " I suppose she combs yours now."
On the 2ist of Februar}', 1848, Mr. Adams was stricken with
apoplexy while sitting in his seat in the House. He was removed to
the Speaker's room, and in about an hour regained consciousness for
a few moments. Looking at those around him, he said in a whisper,
"This is the last of earth, but I am content." Then he closed his
eyes and never spoke again. He died on February 23.
John Randolph, the " Lord of Roanoke," as he was generally
called, was a member of the House from Virginia before Congress
began its sessions in W^ashington. He served until 1825, and then
was a Senator for two years, but afterward returned to the House for
one term. It was his boast that he had descended from Pocahontas.
He was very tall and thin, and had a small, round head and sallow
face. His eyes were black, keen, and expressive, his nose and chin
long and sharp, and his hair, which was brushed back and tied in a
queue, was as black, straight, and coarse as that of the race from
which he claimed descent. On his daily trips to the Capitol he
GREAT STATESMEN.
113
always rode a tine, high-blooded horse, whose sleek, plump body
was in marked contrast to his own leanness. He was usually
dressed in a long surtout coat of drab English broadcloth, buckskin
knee-breeches and top-boots.
Randolph always attracted great attention in the House, and it
is said that "■ his speeches were reported more fully than any other
member of Congress." His powers of sarcasm and invective were
remarkable, and as he had " a tongue with a tang," his wrath was
avoided as much as possible. He was selfish, exclusive, contempt-
uous ; he had no popular sympathies, and was never known to ap-
prove of anything favored by other men. He was full of " quarrel
and offence," and spared no one from the copious shower of his epi-
thets. Garland, his biographer, says, " He was like an Ishmaelite,
his hand against every man, and every man's hand against him."
In 1806, Henry Clay, the great Kentuckian, began his long career
in Congress. He first served in the Senate for one session to fill a
vacancy, and again in 1809 he became a Senator for two years. He
entered the House of Representatives at a special session on the 4th
of November, 181 1, and " on the very day he made his first appear-
ance on the floor he was elected Speaker bv a vote of 75 out of 128
cast — the only instance on record in which the confidence of Con-
gress has been yielded in so marked a manner to anv person on his
entrance* as a member." He retained the speakership during five
Congresses, and was a member of the House for about fourteen years.
He was elected to the Senate in 1831, and served until 1842, when
he resigned his seat, and retired to private life for seven years. In
1849 ^^^ ^^^ again elected as Senator. His last speech in the Senate
was delivered on the ist of December, 1851, and on the 29th of June,
i8s2, he died in the National Hotel in Washinrrton. His laro-e ex-
perience in state craft, his preeminent intellectual strength, and his
wonderful gift as a popular orator, admirably fitted him to plav an
important part in the legislative arena. He was of commanding
height, and had a pleasant face lighted by sparkling gray eyes. He
was courtly in manner, and thoroughly understood the difficult art of
being easy at all times and in all places.. When he spoke, a winning
smile would give eflect to his words. Few orators of his dav could
so enchant an audience, and his speeches in Congress and on the
platform were listened to with deep interest, and always made a
marked impression. He was the recognized leader of the Whig
party, and ruled its affairs with an iron hand.
114 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Clay was sincere and liberal, and ardent in his devotion to the
things he considered right and just. He was the champion of the
system of protection to American industry, and made many powerful
speeches and assiduously labored for it. Sometimes for weeks when
he was in the Senate he w^ould take very little part in the proceedings,
but would sit quiet in his seat, day after day, eating candy and taking
snuff, and jocosely commenting in a low^ tone on the speeches of
others. He relished a good joke, and nothing pleased him better than
a bright repartee, even if it was against himself. When he was ready
to engage in debate he would spring to his feet and hold his auditors
fascinated by his eloquent language and graceful delivery.
Daniel Webster entered the House of Representatives in 1813, as
a Representative from New Hampshire, his native state, and served
until 181 7. About this time he took up his residence in Boston, and
thereafter Massachusetts claimed him as her foremost orator and
statesman. He w^as elected to the House in 1823, and to the Senate
in 1827. He continued as a Senator until 1841, and then Avent into
President Harrison's Cabinet as Secretary of State, and remained in
the position through the Tyler administration. In 1845 he was again
chosen to the Senate, serving until 1850. He had a massive form,
and his large, finely developed head was covered with hair " as black
as the raven's wing." His face M'^as full of character, and his eyes
were deep set, large, and melancholy in expression. He w'as ahvays
carefully dressed, and, as a writer has said, " in the old Whig colors
of blue and buff." For years he was a leader in the great debates,
and his speeches gave him national fame and influence. Visitors
to the Senate Chamber would eagerly watch his movements, and lis-
ten to his words with rapt interest. Whenever it was announced
that he intended to speak upon any question the crowd to hear him
would fill every part of the chamber, and hundreds would be unable
to gain admission. His speeches were always prepared with great
care, and he would never permit them to be published until he had
thoroughly revised them. Many of his eloquent sentences w-ere com-
posed after days and even w^eeks of study. He had a good deal of
humor, which now and then w^ould be displayed in the Senate,
although generally he was very dignified while engaged in his legis-
lative duties.
Qiiite often in his private hours he would be gloomy and despond-
ent about his political career. At one time when he was feeling de-
pressed a friend said to him that he should not feel so, as his fame
was made.
GREAT STATESMEN.
"5
THE SENATE RECEPTIOX-ROOM
"Fame," replied Mr. Webster; "and"
much for fame ! Let me give you a striking
illustration of this fact. I was travelincr in a railroad car a short time
ago, and it so happened that I was located by the side of a very old
man. I soon found that this old man was from my native town in
New Hampshire. I asked him if he was acquainted with the Webster
family up there. He answered that he and old Mr. Webster, in his
life-time, were great friends. He then went on to speak of the chil-
dren. He said Ezekiel was the most eminent lawyer in New Hamp-
shire, and his sisters, calling each by her christian name, were mar-
ried to most excellent men. I then inquired if there was not another
member of the family. He said he thought not. Was there not
ii6 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
one, I asked him, by the name of Daniel ? Here the old man put on
his thinking-cap for a few moments, and then replied : ' O, I recol-
lect now. There was one by the name of Daniel, but he went down
to Boston, and I have not heard of him since.'"
Thomas Hart Benton, of Missouri, entered the Senate in 182 1,
and served for twenty-nine years and seven months continuously —
the longest continuous service ever given. He was not a pleasing
speaker, being noted for long, bombastic speeches, delivered in a
loud, imperious manner. In debate he was passionate, and would
often "launch thunderbolts of hatred, jealousy, and rage" at the
heads of those who opposed him. His stalwart body w^as always at-
tired in a long, double-breasted frock-coat of antique fashion, and as
he walked to and fro on the floor of the Senate, he would assume a
martial bearing, and his eyes would flash with arrogance. Although
a man of marked abilit}-, his displeasing manner and lack of tact and
grace in speech prevented him from obtaining popularity.
One of the group of great statesmen was John C. Calhoun, of
South Carolina, who began his congressional career in 181 1, as a
member of the House of Representatives, serving for six years in that
body. He was elected Vice-President in 1825, when John Quincy
Adams was President, and in 1831 went into the Senate, where he
remained for twelve years. He took a leading position, and was
fully the peer of the remarkable men who composed the Senate of his
day. In 1843 he became Secretar}- of State, but returned to the
Senate in 1845, and served until his death in 1850. He was tall and
slender, and had a sombre face, on which a smile was rarely seen.
As an orator he was logical and forcible, and in all the prominent
debates his voice was often heard. Very ambitious, with his
" whole mind and soul given to politics," he yet would never descend
to trickery or baseness to accomplish his purpose, and he has gone
into history as one of the purest of public men.
Martin Van Buren, who was President in 1837, was for some time
in the Senate. He was a wily politician — shrewd, capable, and
ingenious. He was rather under medium height, and had a high
forehead and comely features. He was exceedingly courteous, and
made as much study of "deportment" as Mr. Turveydrop, and he
is said to have diligently practiced all his graceful attitudes before a
large mirror in his room.
Then there were Silas Wright, the influential Democrat, who in-
variably carried conviction by his sound logic ; Henry A. Wise, who
A890n Na3±S3M
ABSOT Na3XSV3
lAlOOU NOU.d333ii
.S3iaVT
ii8 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
could startle the House by a perfect hurricane of passionate words ;
Edward Everett, noted for his captivating speech and great learning ;
Charles Sumner, polished and graceful as an orator, sincere and saga-
cious as a statesman ; John Forsyth, a superb debater, and remarkable
for his accomplishments; Tristam Burges, called "the man of the
iron heart" — strong and brave, whose keen wit and eloquent tongue
made even the " Lord of Roanoke" tremble ; David Crockett, from
the mountains of Tennessee, always ready with his rifle to shoot for
prizes, and noted for quaint, common-sense speeches ; George Mc-
Duffie, Thomas Corwin, Lewis Cass, and innumerable others of great
ability and marked individuality.
The present hall of the House of Representatives was occupied on
the i6th of December, 1857, and the present Senate Chamber on the
4th of January, 1859.
The north wing of the Capitol is known as the Senate extension.
The principal story contains the Senate Chamber, the Senate post-
office, the office of the sergeant-at-arms, the reception-room, the
Senators' withdrawing-room, the rooms of the President and Vice-
President of the United States, the office of the secretary of the Senate,
and the offices of the Senate clerks and official reporters. Around
the Senate Chamber is a grand corridor adorned with marble columns
and pilasters. The wing is constructed entirely of marble and iron,
and is ver}' magnificent.
At the back of the Senate Chamber is the Senators' lobby, and
opening from it is the withdrawing-room, or, as it is generally called,
" the marble room," as it is made entirely of marble. Senators use
it for consultation. The President's room is on one side of it, and
the Vice-President's room on the other. Medallion portraits of Wash-
ington and the members of his first Cabinet cover the walls of the
President's room, and it is sumptuously decorated. Here the Presi-
dent comes on the last day of the session of Congress, to sign the bills
passed by both houses. When the Senate is not sitting the various
rooms can be inspected, and the floor of the Senate Chamber is also
open to the public.
The Senate Chamber is one hundred and twelve feet in length,
eighty^ -two feet in width, and thirt}^ feet high. The ceiling is com-
posed of large iron girders and cross-pieces, in which are panels of
glass containing painted emblems representing the Union, Progress,
the Army and Navy, and the Mechanical Arts. At night hundreds
THE SENATE CHAMBER.
119
of gas-jets, arranged back of the ceiling, throw a flood of softened
light into all portions of the chamber. The walls are painted in ex-
quisite tints and decorated in gold, and have buff panels. Arranged
on the floor in concentric semicircles are mahogany desks and chairs
for the Senators. On a dais is the chair of the President of the Senate,
and in front of it is a broad mahogany desk. To the right of the
president's chair is the chair of the sergeant-at-arms, and to the left
that of the assistant door-keeper. In front of the president's desk are
the desks of the Senate clerks and the tables of the official reporters.
Galleries with seats for 1,000 persons extend around the chamber.
Above the president's chair is a gallery for reporters of the press, and
THI-; PRESIDENT S ROOM-
I20 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
directly opposite is one lor the diplomatic corps. The others are for
the public^
Two grand staircases of highly polished marble lead to the Sen-
ate galleries from the public corridor. The eastern staircase is con-
structed of variegated Tennessee marble, with white marble steps.
A stained glass skylight set in a paneled iron frame is placed over-
head. From the main floor a broad flight of sixteen steps leads to
the first landing ; thence the ascent is by a double flight of eighteen
steps. In a niche at the foot of the staircase is a marble statue of
Benjamin Franklin, by Hiram Powers, executed at a cost of $10,000.
On the wall above the first landing is a large painting of " Perrv's
Victory on Lake Erie," Sept. 10, 1813. It was painted by W. H.
Powell, and cost $25,000. Commodore Perry is represented in a
boat, making the perilous transfer of the flag from the disabled " Law-
rence " to the " Niagara," during a tremendous cannonading.
The western staircase is constructed entirely of white marble, and
is similar in design to the eastern. At the foot is a marble statue ol
John Hancock, by Horatio Stone, which cost $5,550. Over the main
landing is a painting of " The Storming of Chapultepec" by Gen-
eral Scott's troops, Sept. 13, 1847. It was painted by James Walker,
from sketches taken on the battle-field, the artist receiving $6,000 for
the work. The staircases, with their massive pillars and balustrades,
are very beautiful.
The south wing of the Capitol, or the House extension, is similar
in design and construction to the Senate extension. It has a grand
corridor or lobby, and a vestibule with fluted columns. In the princi-
pal story is the great hall of the House of Representatives, and sur-
rounding it are the Speaker's room, the retiring-room, the office of
the sergeant-at-arms, the offices of the House clerks, and committee-
rooms. The retiring-room is large and richlv I'urnished, and the
other rooms are of i^ood size and elegant in their ornamentation and
furniture. Opening from the rear of the legislative hall is the mem-
bers' lobby, which is finely decorated and hung with portraits of past
Speakers of the House.
The hall of the House of Representatives is one of the largest and
finest legislative halls in the world. It is one hundred and thirts'-nine
feet in length, ninety-three feet in width, and thirtv-six feet high. The
chairs and desks of the Representatives and Delegates are arranged
on the floor in concentric semicircles. The chair of the Speaker is
THE HALL OF THE HOUSE. 121
placed on a platform three feet from the floor, and in front of it is a
large marble table, and in front of that are marble desks for the House
clerks and official reporters. At the right of the Speaker's chair is a
stand on which the mace is placed when the House is in session,
and close by is the chair of the sergeant-at-arms ; on the left is the
chair of the assistant door-keeper. A portrait of Washington, by
Vanderlyn, hangs on one side of the Speaker's chair, and a portrait
of Lafayette, by Ary Sheffer, on the other. Two paintings by Bier-
stadt, for which he received $20,000, are set in panels near the south
doors. They represent the " Settlement of California," and the " Dis-
covery of the Hudson River." A fresco by Brumidi, of "Washington
at Yorktown," adorns a panel. Over the main entrance door is a large
clock, supported by figures of an Indian and a pioneer, and sur-
mounted by an eagle. The ceiling is similar in construction to that
in the Senate Chamber. It is profusely gilded and ornamented, and
the panels are filled with panes of painted glass bearing the arms of
the states and other emblems. Back of the ceiling are 1,500 gas-jets,
which at night illuminate the hall in a very brilliant manner. The
galleries will seat nearly two thousand people, and they are often filled
during the progress of an important debate. The press gallery, back
of the Speaker's chair, has accommodation for sixty reporters. Two
galleries are reserved for the diplomatic corps and the leading officials
of the government ; the others are open to the public.
The eastern and western orand staircases, leadinij from the corri-
dor of the House to the galleries, are exactlv like those in the Senate
extension. At the foot of the eastern staircase is a marble statue of
Thomas Jefferson, by Hiram Powers, executed in Italy at a cost of
$10,000. On the wall of the landing is Francis B. Carpenter's
famous painting of '" President Lincoln signing the Proclamation of
Emancipation," which was purchased of the artist for $25,000, by
Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Thompson, and presented to the United States
in 1878. While making studies for the work Mr. Carpenter resided
in the White House as the cruest of President Lincoln.
At the foot of the western staircase is a bronze bust of a friendl}'
chief of the Chippewa Indians, called Bee-She-Kee, the Buffalo. The
w^all of the landing is embellished with an immense chromo-silica, by
Emanuel Leutze, representing an emigrant train crossing the Rocky
Mountains. It is bold in drawing and brilliant in color. Leutze re-
ceived $20,000 for the work.
CHAPTER Vll.
CONGRESS CONTINUED —MANNER OF LEGISLATION IN BOTH HOUSES — THE
ENORMOUS COST OF A SESSION — HOW MILLIONS ARE SPENT— SENATORIAL
SKETCHES — A GLANCE AT THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES — CLAIMANTS
AND LOBBYISTS — THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD— THE DISTRIBUTION OF
PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.
THE Congress of the United States is the supreme legislative
body, and has full authorit}^ under the Constitution to make
all laws " which shall be necessary and proper" for carrying
on the national government. It is composed of seventy-six
Senators (two from each state), and three hundred and twenty-five
Representatives, apportioned to the various states according to popu-
lation. There are also eight Delegates who have seats in the House
of Representatives and represent the territories, but who have no
vote. The legislative period of each Congress extends through two
years, and is divided into two regular sessions. The first session is
termed "the long session," as it begins in December and continues
until June or July, or even later, at the option of Congress. The
second session, termed " the short session," begins in December and
ends at noon on the 3d of March. Congress assembles annually on
the first Monday in December. Senators are chosen by the legisla-
tures of the states for a term of six years, and Representatives are
elected by the people for a term of two years. Each member of Con-
gress receives a compensation of $5,000 per year, and is also allowed
mileage at the rate of twenty cents per mile, with $25 annually for
newspapers and stationery. The President -pro tempore of the Sen-
ate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives have an addi-
tional compensation of $3,000 per year each.
124 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
As a matter of reference, the apportionment of Representatives in
Congress is herewith given : Alabama has eight Representatives ;
Arkansas, five ; Cahfornia, six ; Colorado, one ; Connecticut, four ;
Delaware, one ; Florida, two ; Georgia, ten ; Illinois, twenty ; In-
diana, thirteen ; Iowa, eleven ; Kansas, seven ; Kentucky, eleven ;
Louisiana, six ; Maine, four ; Maryland, six ; Massachusetts, twelve ;
Michigan, eleven; Minnesota, five; Mississippi, seven; Missouri,
fourteen ; Nebraska, three ; Nevada, one ; New Hampshire, two ;
■New Jersey, seven ; New York, thirty-four ; North Carolina, nine ;
Ohio, twenty-one ; Oregon, one ; Pennsylvania, twenty-eight ; Rhode
Island, two ; South Carolina, seven ; Tennessee, ten ; Texas, eleven ;
Vermont, tw^o ; Virginia, ten ; West Virginia, four ; Wisconsin, nine.
The two Houses of Congress exercise joint legislation, but all bills
to raise revenue for the government must originate in the House of
Representatives. The Vice-President of the United States acts as
President of the Senate, but has no vote unless the Senate is equally
divided ; then he casts the deciding vote. The Senate elects a presi-
dent _^ro tempore, who, in the absence of the Vice-President, presides
over its sessions. The House elects a Speaker to preside. All the
officials of the Senate and House serve tw^o years, or during the leg-
islative period of each Congress.
The bills introduced in either house are first referred to proper
committees ; they are printed and placed on the files of the committees.
Afterward, when any committee reports a bill for action, it is read by
title and then is assigned a place on a calendar until it is called up for
discussion in what is known as the " committee of the whole," which
is constituted of all the members of either house acting as a committee,
and not as a house. When the Senate, or House, goes into com-
mittee of the whole, the presiding officer calls a member to the chair
to preside. If a bill is adopted by the committee of the whole it is
reported and ordered engrossed. After another reading it is debated,
and then is voted upon, and if it receives a majority of all the votes
cast, it is declared adopted, and is sent to the other house, where it is
referred to the committee of the whole. If the second house adopts
the bill it is transmitted to the President of the United States for his
approval. If he signs the bill it becomes a law, and if he vetoes the
bill it may still become a law if both houses pass it again, over the
veto, by a two-thirds vote. If the bill is retained by the President for
ten days after Congress has presented it to him, it becomes a law
without his signature.
EXPENSES OF THE SENATE.
125
A statement of the cost of the sessions of Congress may be inter-
esting and very astonishing to many readers. As the national legis-
lature is very expensive, the details of its principal expenditures can
be properly given for the information of those who pay the bills —
the people of the United States. In the first place, the annual com-
pensation and mileage of the members amount to $2,188,624. The
Senators receive as compensation $380,000, and the Representatives
and Delegates, $1,665,000. There is appropriated for mileage the
sum of $143,624.
The miscellaneous expenses of the Senate are very large. The
secretary of the Senate has a salary of $4,896 per year, and is also
allowed $1,200 for the hire of a horse and wagon. The chief clerk
and the financial clerk have $3,000 each. Then there are five other
clerks who have $2,592 each, six clerks who have $2,220 each, and
five more clerks who have $2,100 each. The librarian has $2,220,
and the assistant librarian, $1,440. The keeper of the stationery has
$2,102, and two assistant keepers, $1,800 and $1,000. For making
a five minutes' prayer each day in the Senate at the opening of the
session, the chaplain has a salary of $900. The sergeant-at-arms
and door-keeper has $4,320, and his clerk, $2,000. The assistant
door-keeper and the acting assistant door-keeper have $2,592 each,
and three other door-keepers, $1,800 each. The principal book-
keeper has $4,320, and two assistant book-keepers, $2,592 each.
For reporting the proceedings of the Senate in short hand, the four
official reporters are paid $6,250 each. The Senate postmaster has
$2,250, his assistant, $2,088, and five mail-carriers, $1,200 each.
Nor is this all. The secretary to the President of the Senate has
a salary of $2,102, and the messenger to the President's room, $1,440.
There are thirty-six messengers, for various purposes, whose aggre-
gate salaries amount to $50,000 per year ; and there are eighteen
pages who receive $2.50 per day each during the session. The
numerous clerks to committees are paid, some $6 per dav, and others
from $2,220 to $2,500 per year. The other expenses of the Senate
are considerable, and the total yearly expenditure is about $370,000,
exclusive of the compensation and mileage of Senators.
The House of Representatives, being a much larger body than the
Senate, has expenses which swell into an enormous aggregate. In
addition to the great sum of money annually paid as compensation to
the Representatives and Delegates, the salaries of the House officials
and the other expenses will amount to nearly $550,000.
126 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
The chief clerk of the House has a salary of $4,500. To assist
him there are five clerks with salaries of $3,000, one clerk with $2,-'
500, and three clerks with $2,240. These clerks have seven assist-
ants who are paid $2,000 each, and three assistants who are paid
$1,440 each. In addition there are five book-keepers who have sal-
aries of $1,600. The private secretary of the Speaker has $1,800,
the Speaker's clerk $1,600, and the clerk to the Speaker's table $1,-
400. The principal door-keeper has $2,500, with $500 allowed him
for horse hire, and the tw^o assistant door-keepers have $2,000 each.
Forty messengers, some of whom act as door-keepers, receive salaries
aggregating $50,000. There are thirty-two clerks to committees who
are paid $6 per day each, and numerous committee clerks who have
salaries from $2,000 to $2,500. Thirty-one pages are employed at
$2.50 per day each, and in the short session they also receive a gra-
tuity of $75 each. There is an " upholsterer and locksmith," whose
duty it is to keep the chairs and desks of the Representadves in good
order, and for this work he is paid $1,440 per 3'ear.
The sergeant-at-arms, who disburses the funds of the House, has
a salaried force equal to that of some nadonal banks. His salary is
$4,000, and $500 are allowed him for a horse and wagon, and $300
for postage-stamps. He has a deput}^ at $2,000, a cashier at $3,000,
a paying-teller at $2,000, a book-keeper at $1,800, a messenger at
$1,200, a page at $60 per month, and a laborer at $660 per year.
His office is furnished in an elegant and costly manner.
There are five official short-hand reporters who have salaries of
$5,000, and two stenographers for committees, who also receive $5,000
each. The chaplain has $900, the postmaster, $2,500, and the assist-
ant postmaster, $2,000. In the House post-office there are nine
clerks with salaries of $1,200, and two clerks with $800. An em-
ploye known as ' ' the conductor of the elevator " has a salary of
$1,200. The stationery and newspapers for the House cost $47,500
per year ; $10,000 are paid for repairs to the furniture, the expenses of
special committees are $50,000, and condngent expenses many more
thousands. If the amount of the compensation and mileage of the
members is added to the amount expended for miscellaneous expenses,
it will be found that the aggregate yearly cost of the House is more
than $2,300,000.
Each annual session of Congress costs the country all of three
millions of dollars, and if this vast sum is divided by the number of
^ m^mz.f^i > ^ ^;^
128 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
days or weeks of the session it will give a really startling result. For
instance, the short session, deducting the usual holiday recess, is of
less than tw^elve weeks' duration. If the session is estimated at twelve
weeks the cost of it will be $250,000 per week, and, if Congress sits
six days in each week, which is a rare occurrence, very nearly $42-
000 per day. The long session will cost about one-half as much per
day and week as the other.
The daily sessions of Congress begin at noon and continue until
three or four o'clock in the afternoon. During the first weeks of the
annual meeting both houses have short sittings, as there is very little
that can be done until the committees get in working order, and report
bills for action. The last weeks are crowded with business, and it
is generally necessary to hold night-sessions. Much of the w^ork of
legislation is done in the committee-rooms, and some of the commit-
tees are tasked to the utmost with a multiplicity of affairs, while others
seldom have a meeting. Each house is opened daily with prayer by
the chaplain, and after the journal of the previous day's proceedings
has been read, petitions and bills are introduced and referred to appro-
priate committees during what is called " the morning hour." Vari-
ous reports are also made by committees, with accompanying bills,
which are usually placed on a calendar for consideration in regular
order. At the expiration of the morning hour, bills are taken from
one or more of the calendars and considered until the adjournment.
Whenever Congress sits on Saturday it is generally " for debate only."
The appropriation bills, or bills providing money for the support of
the government departments, are usually taken up near the end of the
session, and often occasion very lively debates. There is always a
strong political feeling in both houses, and much of the legislation is
tinged with it.
Whenever the Senate receives a communication from the President
of the United States, it goes into what is called " executive session "
to discuss it. The galleries and floor are cleared of spectators and
reporters, the doors are locked, and the Senators then feel at liberty
to express themselves freely upon the President's communication,
which is usually in reference to appointments which are presented for
confirmation by the Senate.
The Senate is quite a dignified body, and generally adheres to
certain rules of decorum. It is rarely that there is a very noisy de-
bate in this branch of Congress. In fact, the proceedings during the
SENATORIAL HUMOR. 129
greater part of a session might be characterized as " dull." Now and
then a matter will come up which will arouse party feeling, or per-
haps sectional prejudice, and then earnest words will be spoken, and
some flushed faces will be seen. Occasionally rather impertinent re-
marks are made. One Senator, during a debate, said of another
whose speech had proved very irritating, that " It is generally believed
the gentleman from rests his mind while talking " ; to which
saucy remark the Senator alluded to replied, "The gentleman from
reminds me of that sterile tract of land in Virginia which was
said to be poor by nature and exhausted by cultivation." But these
"little pleasantries" are to be expected during the conflicts of the pow-
erful opposing interests represented in the Senate.
The Senators have the right to speak as long as they please on
most matters under consideration, and although long speeches are not
the rule, occasionally one will be delivered of very great length. If
the matter is not particularly interesting, or the speaker gifted as an
orator, the Senators will retire from the chamber, or busy themselves
at their desks over their correspondence or the newspapers, and the
visitors in the galleries will gradually depart until few or none remain.
But the Senator who has the floor goes on entirely regardless of the
lack of listeners, as in most cases the speech is intended tor the coun-
try, and an arrangement has been made with the correspondents of
the press to give it a wide circulation.
One day during a debate a Senator who was known to have
aspirations for the Presidency was addressing the Senate, and in the
course of his remarks shouted in an impressive manner, " I would
rather be right than be President ! " To this remark a Senator quickly
retorted, "The Senator iVom will never be either!" This
retort was so applicable that the Senators burst into roars of laughter,
and the presidential aspirant abruptly concluded his speech in a very
embarrassed manner.
Not. a few of the Senators have risen to eminent position from hum-
ble life, and they are often quite proud of the fact that they fought
their way to prominence by the hard road of poverty and drudgery.
It is related of two Senators of national fame that they worked to-
gether when young men on the same farm for several years. When
they met in the Senate one said to the other, after congratulating him
upon his election as Senator, "Well, John, when we used to drive
old Brown's oxen we never expected to meet in the United States
I30 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Senate." "No, Henry," replied the other, "we didn't know there
was such a place."
In the Senate Chamber are some of the chairs used in the old
chamber by the famous Senators of years ago — Webster, Clay,
Benton, McDuffie, Cass, and others. These historic chairs have been
carefully preserved, and once they were pointed out to visitors, but as
relic hunters began to mutilate them, it was thought best to keep their
identity a close secret, and now only Capt. Isaac Bassett, the venerable
assistant door-keeper, and two or three of the oldest Senators know
which they are. But few of the Senators and officials of the Senate
who served in the old chamber are living. Mr. Bassett is the only
official of those davs at present connected with the Senate. He be-
gan his service in 183 1 as a page, and has continued in various posi-
tions ever since.
Senator Henry B. Anthony, of Rhode Island, has given the
longest continuous service of any Senator since Thomas Hart Benton.
He entered the Senate in 1859, ^^^ ^^^ alread}^ served for twenty-
four consecutive years. His present term expires in 1889.
The House of Representatives, with its great hall and throng of
members, is in marked contrast to the Senate. Apparently the House
cares very little for dignity or decorurh, and sometimes there is con-
siderable confusion on the floor. There are many days when the
proceedings are proper even to extreme dullness, but on other days,
when an important matter is under consideration, the House is brim-
ful of animation. Until one becomes accustomed to its bewildering
noises, its manifold and complicated rules and practices, and its pecu-
liar kind of speech-making, frequently broken by sarcastic retorts and
impertinent interjections, it is very difficult to understand much of its
legislation.
A glance at the House will show members absorbed at their desks
over piles of books and documents ; some are writing letters, others
are reading newspapers. Groups here and there are conversing in
animated tones, and before the cheerful grate fires in the corners of
the hall are other groups comfortably seated, joking and laughing.
Pages are running to and fro with their arms full of papers, and re-
sponding to members as they clap their hands. On the floor there
may be a running fire of debate, with keen, experienced debaters
shouting at the top of their voices, for it is necessary to shout to be
THE HOUSE.
131
heard half-
way across this
huge hall,
while others
are standing in
readiness to
join in the dis-
cussion as soon
as they can
catch the
Speaker's eye.
Cries of "Mr.
Speaker!"
" Mr. Speak-
e r!" "Mr.
Speaker ! " go
up from all
sides. The
Speaker has a
difficult task.
He strikes his
marble table
with the gavel
almost inces-
santly to call
the House to
order, and oc-
casionally is
compelled to
stop all business and to peremptorily command ever}- member to take
his seat or retire from the hall.
One is never at a loss for amusement while watching the House
during a spirited session, and it does not take long to understand why
it is that only a few men, and those the ablest and strongest, ever
attain to any degree of prominence as Representatives. Even to be
heard in the hall requires lungs of iron, and to stand against the free
and often exceedingly insolent comments and personal remarks, the
continual strife for mastery, and the shrewd polidcal manoeuvering, a
member who makes speeches and aims to be prominent must have
THE RETIKING-ROOM Ol' THK HOUSE.
132 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
great courage, much endurance, a ready wit, and a very practical way
of meeting all difficulties. It is little wonder that many men who go
into the House with the belief that they can make a reputation in na-
tional legislation are soon content to remain " mute, inglorious " mem-
bers, ambitious only to obtain the privilege of printing their undeliv-
ered speeches in the Congressional Record, for circulation among
their constituents. The House is no respecter of persons, and a man
to win success in it must be made of sturdy metal.
The business yearl}- brought before Congress is so enormous that it
has become impossible to dispose of a quarter of it. The files of the
principal committees will contain thousands of bills at each session,
and on the calendars of both houses there will be long lists of import-
ant matters waiting consideration. Yet hardly three hundred bills
will be disposed of, and all the rest must go over, greatly to the loss
and injury of many persons in different sections of the country.
In the room of the House Committee on Claims hundreds of claims
are always on file, some of which have been pending for years. One
claim for half a million dollars is twenty years old, and at nearly ever}'-
session during that time something has been done about it. It has
been reported a number of times, but was not reached on the calendar,
and consequently died with the session, and had to be introduced
over again. There are claims for the relief of public officials, for
compensation for damages, and for all sorts of things, many of them
just and proper, but it is found to be impossible to dispose of any con-
siderable number. Claimants throng the lobbies of Congress, and
use all the means in their power to have their claims acted upon, but
the majority have to go away unsuccessful.
As there is great necessity for personal action and influence to ex-
pedite matters before Congress — to persuade the committees to re-
port, and then to persuade either house to act — it naturally follows
that there must be considerable " lobbving." This practice is very
ancient, and from the early Congresses to the present one, the lobby-
ist has been an important factor of legislation, and the Third House
almost a recognized branch of the national legislature. The lobbyists
thrive at each session, and the shrewd, worldly-wise men, and even
women, who make lobbying a business, usually have all the\^ can do
in assisting the reporting and passage of bills. The methods em-
ployed are numerous and diversified, and great care is taken to pre-
vent a knowledge of them coming to the public. Some lobbyists work
on contingencies — that is, they receive so much if the business they
THE CONGRESSIONAL RECORD. 133;
are charged with is accompHshed ; while others will do nothing with-
out money in advance. Great corporations that desire the passage of
certain bills bearing directly and profitably upon their business ; claim-
ants w^ho have become discouraged at the failure of tlieir own efforts-
to advance their claims ; the organizers of "jobs" to take millions out
of the Treasury — seek the lobbyists and make terms with them lor
their peculiar and mysterious services. Stories are told of fortunes-
made b}' the members of the Third House who have been very success-
ful, and it is generally understood that the wily, ingenious, persistent
lobbyists are pretty sure to gather a lucrative harvest.
The official reporters of the Senate and House take down in short
hand the proceedings of each day's session, and they are printed the
following morning in the official publication known as The Congres-
sional Record. The reports are presumed to be verbatim, but they
are far from that. Few, if an}^, of the sarcastic and impertinent re-
marks made b}' members during the debates are ever printed, and
many of the speeches undergo substantial change, passages being
stricken out and new ones added on the proof-slips sent out from the
Government Printincr Office to members who desire to make correc-
tions. There are also very many speeches printed in the Record
which were never delivered. A congressman who wishes to gain in
an easy way the reputation of having " made a great speech in Con-
gress," will obtain " the permission to print,"' and then will have in-
serted in the official publication his so-called speech. This saves
all the trouble of delivering it before an ungracious house, and the
member's constituents, afar off, will not be aware of the fact that the
*' eloquent words " were never uttered in the legislative hall.
Members frequently withhold their speeches from publication in
the Record for a number of days in order to obtain the place of
honor, the conspicuous first page. Each member of Congress is
entitled to twenty-four copies of the Record daily, and can purchase
as many more as he desires. After Congress has finished its annual
session the publication is usually continued for a month to "work
off" all the speeches, previously crowded out, that members had re-
ceived permission to print. The yearly cost of the Record is about
$200,000.
In the basement of the House extension are many committee-
rooms, the House post-office, the restaurants, and the document and
folding rooms. About thirty rooms are used for the enormous busi-
PUBLIC DOCUMENTS. 135
ness connected with public documents. The government issues yearly
nearly three hundred different books — reports of departments and
special reports on home and foreign matters, mostly bulky volumes,
and many of them illustrated in the finest and costliest manner — be-
sides a large number of pamphlets. The Government Printing Office
is constantly engaged in many of its departments in printing and bind-
ing these publications. A large force is employed in the document
and folding rooms in wrapping and addressing the books and pam-
phlets, and nearly every day in the year one hundred large mail-sacks
of public documents are sent out over the country. It is estimated
that the printed matter annually distributed will fill two hundred and
fifty mail-cars, and will weigh six millions of pounds. More than a
million bound volumes are distributed, and an immense number of
pamphlets. Each congressman is entitled to a certain number of
copies of all the works, and he furnishes the list of people to whom
they shall be sent.
CHAPTER VIII
TJIE WHITE HOUSE — HISTORICAL SKETCH — DESCRIPTION OF THE BUILDING
AND GROUNDS— THE MAGNIFICENT STATE APARTMENTS — LIFE IN THE
PRESIDENTIAL MANSION — THE PRESIDENT AND HIS OFFICIALS — STATE
DINNERS, FETES AND RECEPTIONS — FORMER PRESIDENTS AND THEIR
WIVES— SKETCHES AND ANECDOTES.
FROM the beginning of the century to the present time the
Presidents of the United States have resided, during their
official life, in the Executive Mansion, popularly known as
the White House, and as one walks through the rooms of the
ancient mansion recollections of these historic characters throng the
memory. Here the men chosen to guide the affairs of the Nation
have lived from day to day, have had their jo3^s and their sorrows,
their domestic felicity, the honors of high position, and the cares and
burdens which accompany great office. Here have been many bril-
liant scenes of festivity — the joyous nuptial ceremony, the pomp and
glitter of fetes and receptions ; and here, likewise, have been scenes
of anguish — the lights and shades of human existence. Nearly a
hundred 3'ears ago Washington was present at the laying of the cor-
ner-stone, and month by month watched the beautiful structure rise,
and on one day, but a few weeks before his death, he walked through
the house with his beloved wife. It was then the only completed
public building in the new capital city, and its pure classic elegance
won the admiration of the first President and all who looked upon
it. The tradition is that it was called the " White House " out of re-
spect for Martha Washington, whose early home on the Pamulikey
River, in Virginia, was known by that name ; but as its color was
always white, it is more probable that the popular name came into
138 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
use from that. It is always officially styled " The Executive Man-
sion," but this dignified appellation is seldom heard outside of gov-
ernment circles.
The tirst commissioners of the city of Washington advertised on
the 14th of March, 1792, for a design of "The President's House,"
offering a premium of $500 for the best one. Among the number
submitted was one by a talented young architect named James Hoban,
and his design being approved, the premium was aw^arded to him,
and he w^as engaged at a salary of one hundred guineas per year to
superintend the construction of the mansion. Hoban had resided for
some years in Charleston, South Carolina, before he came to Wash-
ington to enter the ranks of the contestants for the honor of designing
the White House, and was considered one of the leading architects in
the country. He had studied in Europe, and was familiar with the
most notable examples of foreign architecture. In his design he fol-
lowed that of the palace of the Duke of Leinster, in Dublin, and the
White House, as it stands to-day, bears a marked resemblance to its
foreign protot3'pe. Hoban resided in Washington until his death in
1831, and accumulated a large estate by the practice of his profes-
sion.
On the 13th of October, 1792, the corner-stone of the White House
was laid, in accordance with the rites of Masonry. It was an import-
ant event to those who were deeply interested in the embryo capital,
and several thousand people assembled to witness the ceremony.
President Washington, the commissioners, the architect, the Masons,
and others formed a procession and solemnly marched to the spot,
and there held formal and impressive exercises. The work of con-
struction w^as begun at once, but on account of some difficulty in rais-
ing money the building was not entirelv completed until 1799. Up
to 1814, when the interior was partially burned by the British troops,
the total cost of construction was $333,207. The reconstruction and
re-furnishing, after the fire, cost about $300,000, and since then many
thousands of dollars have been expended in various improvements,
and in the laying out and ornamentation of the spacious grounds.
When the house was re-opened on the ist of January, 1818, it was
pronounced " a grand edifice" ; and from that day to this it has been
an object of admiration.
The White House is situated on the government reservation
called "The President's Grounds," and fronts on Pennsylvania Ave-
nue at Lafayette Square. It is in the centre of an enclosed plat of
THE STATE PARLORS. 139
twenty acres, and the main entrance is reached by two broad semi-
circular driveways lined with noble trees. The grounds are filled
with flower-beds and well-kept lawns, an4 adorned with marble foun-
tains, and at the back of the house is a park sloping gradually to the
river bank, which opens a far-reaching prospect of the Potomac and
the blue hills of Virginia. Stately oaks, sycamores, and poplars give
the grounds in summer a most beautiful sylvan appearance, and the
official mansion then is almost hidden by expansive foliage. The
building is constructed of Virginia freestone, painted white. It is of
the Grecian order of architecture, has two stories and a basement,
and is surmounted by a wide balustrade. It is one hundred and sev-
enty feet in length and eighty-six feet in width. At the main entrance
is a grand portico of Ionic columns, and at the rear is a semi-circular
colonnade. Adjoining the house on the west is a large conservatory
containing a choice and varied collection of plants.
The state parlors on the first floor are usually accessible to the
public during certain hours of each week-day. The main entrance
door opens into a spacious vestibule which is elegantly frescoed.
From the vestibule the great East Room is reached. This is the
largest apartment in the house, and until 1837 it was used as a ban-
quet hall. It is eighty by forty feet, and is designed in Grecian style
and richly ornamented. Its lofty ceiling is composed of three large
panels, profusely decorated, and in the centre of each panel hangs a
massive crystal chandelier. Eight long, magnificent mirrors, sup-
ported on carved mantels, in white and gold, are placed around the
room, and a costly velvet carpet covers the broad floor. The hang-
ings and upholstery are exceedingly rich and handsome. A full-
length painting of Washington, by Gilbert Stuart, purchased in 1803,
hangs on the walls, and also one of Martha Washington, by E. F.
Andrews, purchased in 1878. When evening receptions are given
by the President, the room is fragrant and beautiful with masses of
flowers. Festoons of smilax encircle the chandeliers, the mantels are
banked with precious roses, and the windows and angles are filled
with tall palms and comely exotic plants, the luxuriant floral display
adding a charming effect to the gay and brilliant surroundings.
Leading from the East Room is the Green Room, in which all the
furniture and decorations are pale green. In this room hangs the life-
size painting of Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes, which was presented to
the government in May, 1881, by the National Temperance Union.
It is by Huntington, and the canvas is over seven feet high, and the
I40 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
elaborately carved oaken frame, made by the Cincinnati School of
Design, is nearly ten feet high. Mrs. Hayes is represented standing
in a graceful attitude, holding a bunch of roses. She is attired in
crimson velvet, and has white lace around her neck and arms.
The Blue Room is the next in the suite. It is here that the Pres-
ident receives his guests at public and private receptions. The room
is oval, and is decorated and furnished in light blue. The walls are
profusely yet very tastefully embellished, and the upholstery, consist-
ing of delicate silk with gilt trimmings, is unique and attractive.
It is in the Red Room, the last of the apartments on the first floor
open to the inspection of the public, that the President sits at night,
and it is furnished and arranged as a family parlor. Here are books
and periodicals, numerous bric-a-brac, a mahogany table over one
hundred years old, a fine portrait of Lincoln above the mantel, and
elegant red plush furniture. The walls and hangings are red, and
the room has a cheerful, cosy appearance — an atmosphere of home
life about it.
The state parlors open into a long corridor, which is used on the
occasion of fetes as a grand promenade for the guests. Paintings or
the Presidents cover the wall of the corridor, and here and there on
the floor are placed tropical plants. The corridor is separated from
the vestibule by a handsome sash screen.
The state dining-room, in which the President gives ceremonious
dinners during the winter to the members of the Cabinet, Senators and
Representatives, the Justices of the Supreme Court, the diplomatic
corps, and other distinguished personages, is at the western end of
the corridor. It is magnificently furnished, and at its table over fifty
persons can dine. When state dinners are given, the White House
is brilliant with lights and flowers, with court costumes and splendid
toilets, with fair women and stately men. The table is set with the
sumptuous state china, on which is finely depicted the fauna and flora
of America, and with masses of silver and delicately cut glass. Gold
and silver candlesticks and mirrored sconces in broad silver frames
contain wax-lights, which brightly illuminate the table, and special
floral designs of exquisite beauty add rich color and perfume to the
banquet. Corsage bouquets are provided for the ladies, and bouton-
nieres for the gentlemen. The President leads the way to the table
at eight o'clock, and the dinner of many courses continues for three
hours, during which time the Marine Band, stationed in the vestibule,,
discourses soft, delicious music.
ROOMS OF THE WHITE HOUSE.
141
THE WHITE HOUSE, 1 RU.M THE SOUTH.
In the second story are the executive offices, the President's re-
ception-room, where he receives those who call during the day on
business or to pay their respects ; the Cabinet room, and the various
family rooms. All the rooms on the east side of the house are used
for the government business, and all on the west are private.
The Cabinet room is spacious and well arranged for the purpose
for which it is intended. Here the President meets the members
of his Cabinet every Tuesday and Friday at noon, and around a long
table, covered with books and documents, they discuss affairs of state.
The President sits at the head of the table, with the Secretary of
State at his right, and the Secretary of the Treasury at his left hand.
The Cabinet meetings usually continue for two hours.
The President's reception-room is a large, finely furnished apart-
ment, oval in shape. The windows are hung with silk curtains, and
the furniture is of mahogany, upholstered in red leather. On each
side of the room are long, low book-cases, filled with richly bound
142 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
volumes, and before these are chairs for persons waiting to be re-
ceived. In front of the windows is the President's desk, a massive
oak structure of historic interest. It was constructed of timber which
formed part of Her Majesty's ship " Resolute," sent to the Arctic Sea
in 1852 by the English government, to search for Sir John Franklin.
The ship was abandoned in the ice, but afterward was discovered and
restored by an American whaler. This souvenir was expressly made
for the White House, and came into it in 1881. The room has a
pleasant appearance : portraits of the first five Presidents look down
from the walls, and disposed in various nooks are bronzes and art
decorations.
It is proper to call on the President on any public business, or
simply to pay respects, and he is " at home" to visitors from ten a. m.
to one p. M. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and at such
hours on other days as suit his convenience. Visitors are shown
into a waiting-room at the head of the stairs leading from the first
story, and their cards taken in to the private secretary. Afterward
they are escorted to the reception-room, where the President receives
each person in turn. The customary form of address is " Mr. Presi-
dent."
The President receives a compensation of $50,000 per year. He
furnishes his personal servants, all household supplies, and horses
and carriages. The government provides the furniture for the White
House, keeps the house and grounds in order, and pays the salaries
of the private secretaries and clerks, and other employes. The pri-
vate secretary has a salary of $3,250 per 3'ear, and the assistant sec-
retary $2,250. Two executive clerks have salaries of $2,000, and
a stenographer is emplo3^ed at a salary of $1,800. There are also six
clerks, a steward, three ushers, five messengers, two door-keepers,
a watchman and a fireman. The total compensation of the house-
hold force provided by the government amounts to $36,000 per year.
There are $8,000 allowed for the contingent expenses of the execu-
tive offices, $15,000 for lighting the house and grounds, which require
considerable illumination every evening; $5,500 for the care of the
conservatory, and $25,000 for the other expenses. Thus it will be
seen that it costs the government $89,500 per year to maintain the
Executive Mansion.
Every morning the private secretar\' examines the enormous mail
which comes to the White House from all parts of the world, selects
the letters which it is necessarv for the President to see, and turns the
THE PRESIDENT'S OFFICE HOURS. 143
others over to the clerks who have charge of the correspondence.
He also arranges the details of the social life which forms no small
part of the duty of the President, especially during the congressional
season, and in many ways relieves him of official burdens. His re-
lations with the President are very confidential. The assistant secre-
tary has charge of all papers concerning Presidential appointments,
and also of all matters between the President and Congress. A com-
plete record is kept of the appointments, the confirmations and rejec-
tions by the Senate, and the removals from office, and the history of
every appointment or removal can be readily ascertained from the
record-books.
A large part of each day's mail consists of letters relating to the
affairs of the various departments of the government. These letters
are recorded, and then are transmitted to the departments to which
they belong, to be answered. From tw^o hundred to three hundred
newspapers are received daily from all sections of the United States
and from Europe. Editors who desire that the President should see
certain political articles send marked copies of their publications, and
man}' others favor him with printed matter. He subscribes for the
leading new^spapers and periodicals. A clerk is specially detailed to
carefully examine all the newspapers, and to cut out the articles he
thinks the President would like to read. The cuttings are put in a
scrap-book, which is laid before the President every morning. He
looks it over, and thus is enabled, in a half-hour, to become familiar
with the good things and the bad things printed of his administration,
and also with the general drift of political affairs.
The President's business day begins at ten o'clock in the morning,
and an hour before he has entered his office, the outer waiting-room
will contain a number of persons seeking an interview with him. He
first reads the many letters on his desk, and to the least important of
them rapidly dictates answers, keeping his private secretary and his
stenographer busy for some time. The letters requiring careful
attention are put aside to be attended to when the stress of business is
over for the day, and he has time to properly consider them. When
the correspondence is disposed of visitors are admitted.
The visitors are always numerous. They come on all sorts of
business, wdth all sorts of stories, from the east and west, from the north
and south, and from lands beyond the sea. As the President has the
appointment of a vast army of office-holders — nearly 100,000, it is es-
timated — much of his time in the morning hours, and for that mat-
144 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
ter in all hours, has to be given up to the seekers for office and their
friends. He has to listen to all the urgent claims, all the requests of
statesmen and politicians, that this or that office shall be awarded to
this or that patriot whose valuable services to the country (that is "the
party") have entitled him to feed at the public crib. Aspirants for
ever}^ office in his gift are at hand — for bureau offices, for first-class
and second-class or any class missions, for judicial offices, for marshal-
ships, for post-offices, for collectorships, for territorial commissions,
for the army and navy, and, in fact, for everything in the long list.
They throng around the President day after day and insist, with many
strong reasons, that their claims shall be allowed — insist with indom-
itable perseverance. Delegations from various states arrive in the
city and hurry to the White House, eager in the hunt of some good
office which has just become vacant, each delegation striving to be in
advance of the other, so as to influence the President in making up his
mind as to the new appointment. Senators and Representatives send
in their cards with requests for ' ' a few minutes' interview on import-
ant business." High officials, diplomats, eminent strangers, seek an
audience, and until the President closes his doors at luncheon-time his
reception-room is constantly full of visitors, and he is entirely occu-
pied in attending to them.
The hours of the afternoon are devoted by the President to study-
ing the questions of state which have been brought to his attention.
As he is charged with the duty of ascertaining if the immense and
important business of the government is properly conducted, it is
necessary for him to continually review the work of the department
officials. Certainly a day of arduous toil at its best. And then there is
the pain of disappointing many whose desires cannot be gratified, and
there is the difficulty in arriving at the exact truth in order that justice
may be done, and withal the need of making momentous decisions
which are likely to be criticised harshl}^ in every section of the coun-
try, howsoever they are made. This is the President's usual routine
of life, commingled with incessant social duties, no portion of which
can be remitted in any way.
The regular dinner hour at the White House is seven o'clock, and
at this meal the President usually has a few intimate friends at his table,
and for a while banishes the cares of his position. He rarely accepts
invitations to dinner, except with the members of his Cabinet, and
never makes ceremonious calls ; but he invites officials and friends to
dine with him, and visits in official circles without ceremony at his
FAMOUS STATUES.
I. Statue of General Rawlins. 2. Ward's Statue of General Thomas. 3. Statue of Emancipation.
4. Statue of General McPherson. 5. Statue of Admiral Farragut.
10 a
146 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
pleasure. An invitation to dine with the President must be always
accepted, unless illness compels declination. No previous engage-
ment has precedence, and when it is absolutely necessary to decline
it is customary to send a full explanation in writing.
The etiquette regulating the social intercourse of the President and
his family with officials and the public has been in vogue since the
administration of Washington, modified more or less by the different
Presidents, but retaining its salient points to the present day. In the
early years of the White House there were many courtly ceremonials,
but they have been long since laid away with the powdered wigs, the
lace ruffs, and all the ancient styles of dress, and the certain polite
forms now prescribed, the careful observance. of which is expected,
are very simple in comparison with the ceremony once prevailing.
The annual series of presidential receptions begins on New Year's
day, and continues until spring. On New Year's day the President
has a public reception. The first to pay their respects to him are the
members of the Cabinet, the Justices of the Supreme Court, the Sena-
tors and Representatives, and the high officials of the government.
Then the diplomatic corps, in court costumes, and the officers of the
army and navy, in full uniform, present themselves. Afterward the
public are admitted. From this time until the season wanes there are
fetes and grand dinners at the White House every week.
The President usually gives a number of public evening receptions
during the winter, which are open to ever3'body of respectabilit}'. Al-
though there is no rule about the matter, it is customary to appear at
these receptions in full evening costume, and the finest of toilets are
always to be seen. On these occasions the White House assumes
a fascinating appearance. The grounds are brightly illuminated, long
lines of carriages fill the great driveways, and throngs of people as-
semble on the walks, and are slowly admitted into the house. The
interior is lavishly adorned with flowers, the state apartments and
the conservatory are open, and are dazzling with a thousand lights.
Ushers conduct the guests to the cloak-rooms, and thence to the Blue
Room, where presentations are made to the President by the Marshal
of the District of Columbia. A brilliant and distinguished group al-
ways surrounds the President — members of the Cabinet, famous gen-
erals and congressmen, diplomats, high officials, wdth their wives
and daughters. After the presentation, which is necessarily brief, the
guests can stroll through the gorgeous rooms and down the floral
pathways of the conservatory, and for two hours enjoy the music, the
gay conversation, and the brightness of the festival.
PUBLIC RECEPTIONS. 147
The ladies of the presidential household have weekly afternoon
receptions during the winter, generally on Saturday, from two to five
o'clock. No invitations are issued, and every one is at liberty to attend.
Prominent societ}^ ladies assist at these receptions, and the President
is often present. The dress is that customary for morning calls.
During the two official terms of the first President he resided in
plain, comfortable, but not over-large houses in New York and Phil-
adelphia, which were rented by the government and furnished in a
suitable manner. In these houses Washington and his wife held what
has been described as a " Republican court," and established the offi-
cial ceremony which, in part, has come down to this age.
When the government removed to the capital citv in October, 1800,
the White House was ready for occupancy, and President John Adams
and famih^ at once took up their residence in it. The first public
reception was given on the ist of January, 1801, and the guests were
received in the room in the second story in which the President now
receives his business callers. The East Room was then unfurnished,
and Mrs. Adams used it as a drying-room, for lack of a good yard,
the grounds of the White House being rough and exposed at that
time, and in this spacious state parlor the presidential linen was hung
on wash-days. In writing to her daughter, Mrs. Adams said of her
new residence : "The house is on a grand and superb scale, requir-
ing about thirty servants to attend and keep the apartments in proper
order and perform the ordinary business of the house and stables.
The lighting of the apartments, from the kitchen to parlors and cham-
bers, is a tax indeed, but the fires we are obliged to keep to secure us
from daily agues are cheering. Bells are wholly wanting ; not one
hung through the whole house, and promises are all we can obtain."
Abigail Adams is credited with a strong intellect and extensive ,
culture. Although in feeble health, she zealously and faithfully per-
formed all her social duties, aided her husband in his official work,
and carefully attended to the household affairs. She is the only
lady of the White House who reared a son to become President.
During President Adams' residence in the official mansion he gave
many splendid state dinners and receptions, but his own way of liv-
ing was very plain. His invariable luncheon consisted of oat-cake
and lemonade, and the family dinners were simple. He was in the
habit of taking long walks, and was quite unassuming in manner. In
fact, his wife, it is said, occasionally had to remind him, when he was
148 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
somewhat free and sportive in his intercourse with people, that he
held a high and dignified office. Like all persons of rank in those
days, he wore richly embroidered coats, silk stockings, huge silver
buckles on his shoes, and a powdered wig, but is said to have pre-
ferred a plainer garb. He was frugal, and went out of office with a
good sum of money saved from his salary.
Thomas Jefferson, the third President, entered the White House
in 1 80 1. When he appeared before Congress to deliver his " annual
speech " every one was astonished at his simple attire, which was in
great contrast to that of his predecessors. He wore a blue coat with
gilt buttons, blue pantaloons, and serviceable American shoes tied
with leather strings. He had entirely discarded the " aristocratic
foppery," as he termed it, of official life. He adopted the plainest
style of living, and appeared in public either on foot or mounted on a
sedate, slow-going horse, instead of in a showy presidential coach
with liveried servants and outriders. Usually he wore a large felt
hat, pulled down nearly over his eyes. With the stiff, formal customs
then in vogue he would have nothing to do, and he set himself to the
pleasant task of making all the callers at the White House " perfectly
at home." He liked to be surrounded by poets and painters, singers
and musicians, and ever}' genial denizen of Bohemia that he could
secure. As his wife had died some time before he became President,
his two daughters, assisted by Mrs. Madison, the wife of the then
Secretary of State, conducted the social affairs of the White House
during his administration.
Jefferson was noted for his exalted ideas of equality. He was
sincere and unaffected, and made it a rule to be courteous and com-
panionable to all men. One day while riding with a grandson, named
after him, an old slave they met in the road raised his cap and bowed
very obsequiously. Jefferson returned the salute in a polite manner,
but his grandson took no notice of it. Turning to the boy he said,
"Thomas, do you permit a poor slave to be more of a gentleman
than yourself? "
On one occasion when Jefferson was returning from a horseback
ride in Virginia, with two of his nephews and a party of gentlemen,
he and the young men rode somewhat in advance of the others, and
coming to a swollen stream they found the water was up to their
saddle-girths. A countr3^man was on the bank, waiting to get across,
and when the young men had ridden over, he stepped up to the Presi-
dent and requested a ride. " Certainly," said Jefferson : and he reined
PUBLIC RECEPTIONS.
149
up to a rock, bade the stranger mount his horse, and then took him
over the stream. The party in the rear noticed the occurrence, and
when shortly after the}^ overtook the pedestrian, one of them asked
him why he did not request one of the young men instead of the eld-
erly gentleman to take him over the water. " Well," he replied, " if
3^ou want to know I'll tell you. I reckon a man carries yes or no in
his face. The young chaps' faces said no ; the old 'un's said yes."
" But it isn't ever}- man that would have asked the President of the
United States for a ride behind him," said the other. "You don't
say that's Tom Jefferson, do you?" cried the astonished country-
man, adding, " He's a fine old fellow, anyway ! " Then he laughed
heartily, and said, "What do you suppose my wife Polly will say
when I get back home and tell her I've ridden behind Jefferson ?
She'll sav I voted tor the rigrht man I "
When James JNIadison became President, in 1809, he restored in
full the stately ceremonies of the White House, disregarded by Jef-
ferson, and court costumes were again seen at the levees. Madison
alwa3's wore his hair powdered, but his dress was usually plain, except
when he gave official receptions and dinners, when he would don a
very magnificent suit. He was a small man, with a mild, pleasant
face, and was quite overshadowed by his tall, elegant wife. At the
inauguration ball "INIrs. Madison 'looked and moved a queen.' She
wore a buff-colored velvet dress with pearl ornaments, and a Paris
turban with a bird of paradise plume." Dolly Madison was a widow
when she married Madison, and was known in Philadelphia society
for her beauty and accomplishments. She had a happy, buoyant
nature, and during her reign of five years filled the great mansion
with merriment and good-cheer. Dancing-parties were frequent, and
innumerable gay social events delighted the fashionable circles of
Washington. At the levees Mrs. Madison is said to have " made a
most magnificent appearance, her stately and Juno-like form tower-
ing above the rest of the ladies." She was often stvled " the queen,"
and the White House was generally called " the palace."
The first marriage which ever took place in the White House was
during Madison's administration. In the winter of 181 1 Miss Todd,
a relative of Mrs. Madison, was married to Congressman Jackson,
of Virginia. The nuptial ceremony was very brilliant, and was at-
tended by nearly all the select societ}' of the capital.
When the British troops entered Washington and fired the Capi-
tol, the inmates of the White House made a hast}^ flight. President
ISO
PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Madison with his Cabinet had retired from the city after the battle
of Bladensburg, but he had left his wife and her companions to fol-
low as soon as it should be necessary. Mrs. Madison had issued in-
vitations for a dinner-party, and as it was not believed that the enemy
would reach the city that evening, she had the preparations for the
dinner go on. When the news was brought that the British were on
Capitol Hill, she collected a few personal articles, cut from its frame
the famous painting of Washington hanging in the East Room, that
it might not fall into the hands of the invaders, and with her friends
fled from the house to a place of safety.
The British soldiers, when they marched into the White House,
found, to their great surprise, a bountiful dinner all spread, with
covers for thirty guests. The meats were ready to be served, and
on the sideboard the wine was cooling. It is almost superfluous to
say that the soldiers made a good meal before they fired the "Yan-
kee palace."
ST. DOMINICK S R. C. CHURCH.
CHAPTER IX.
THE WHITE HOUSE CONTINUED — SKETCHES OF THE PRESIDENTS AND THEIR
MANNER OF LIVING — THE BRILLIANT SOCIAL EVENTS -DISTINGUISHED
WOMEN WHO HAVE PRESIDED OVER THE HOUSEHOLD — SCENES AND INCI-
DENTS FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE CENTURY TO THE PRESENT TIME.
CONGRESS authorized the restoration of the White House in
1815, and Hoban, its architect, had it ready for occupancy
in the early part of James Monroe's administration. When
it was re-opened in 1818 it was more beautiful than before
the British conflagration, and the fifth President, in a short time, made
it quite a splendid court. Washington society at that period was ex-
ceedingly brilliant with lavish displays of wealth. The South sent
its beaut}' and its culture to adorn the capital, and the great sugar
and cotton planters, who had obtained opulence in a few years, used
their means freely, during their residence in Washington, in enter-
taining and living in a gay and costly manner. The State of Vir-
ginia was proud of the fact that four of the five Presidents were from
her people, and claimed the rare distinction of being " the mother of
Presidents." Her lovely women and distinguished men thronged the
city, and invested its society with a refined and courtly tone. The
Northern element was also large, and some of the most intellectual
people of the prominent cities were among the leaders of the social
life.
President Monroe was a stately Virginian, nearly six feet in height.
He was polished in manner, and was always carefully dressed in a
dark blue coat, buff vest, small-clothes, and top-boots. He wore a
cocked hat of Revolutionary style, and he has been called " the last
of the cocked hats," for he was the last of the Presidents to adhere to
152 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
the fashions of the past century. His face was mild and grave, and,
although he was very courteous, he was never faniihar in his inter-
course with men, and was given to a Hking for the strict observance
of official ceremony. He had been in pviblic life from youth, and was
highly esteemed for his true, gentle nature, and it has been recorded
of him that he was " one of the purest public servants that ever lived."
His wife, Elizabeth Kortright Monroe, was a highly accomplished
lady of New York. She had a beautiful face, a tall, graceful per-
son, and elegant manners. She was familiar with fashionable life
abroad, and introduced into the White House many English forms
of etiquette. Her receptions were numerous, and were attended by
the highest and most exclusive classes of the city. She held them
in the East Room, which w^as also used for the state dinners, and
full dress was always required. The fetes w'ere given in a style of
unusual splendor, and the most ceremonious usages w^ere prescribed.
Mrs. Monroe inaugurated the custom of the President's wife return-
ing no calls, which custom has been very generally followed to the
present time. She had several children, and her oldest daughter,
Maria Monroe, w^as married in the White House in 1820, to Samuel
L. Gouverneur, of New York. Monroe's administration was marked
by harmony, his domestic life was happy, and he retired from office
in 1825 with the respect of his countrymen.
When John Qiiincy Adams, of Massachusetts, became President
the sum of $14,000 was appropriated by Congress to refurnish the
White House, and the East Room in particular was fitted up in a
superb manner. President Adams was a perfect host. His long
and varied experience of men and affairs, at home and abroad, ena-
bled him to preside at the state dinners and to conduct the official
ceremonies with infinite grace. To people outside of the highest
circles he w^as apt to be cold and forbidding, and his repellant man-
ner often created hard feeling. No more precise and methodical
man ever occupied the White House. His life was regulated b}" the
clock. He rose at four in summer and at six in winter. After a cold
bath he w^ould take a long walk, generally to the Capitol and around
the Capitol park and back, a distance of nearly four miles. Then
he would read precisely two chapters in the Bible, and then look at
the new^spapers until breakfast, at nine. He went into the executive
office at ten, and remained there absorbed in work until four ; then
would come another walk, and then dinner, at six. In the evening he
attended to public business, unless social duties intervened. He was
THE FAMOUS ROOMS OF THE WHITE HOUSE.
10 B
154 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
an untiring worker, and was ever acquiring information from all
sources, which he carefully stored away for future use. In person he
was short and inclined to corpulency ; his eyes were bright and ex-
pressive ; he always had good health, and his face was full of whole-
some color. At times, with those he dearly loved, he would display a
surprising playfulness, laughing merrily, uttering odd jokes, and even
singing snatches of old songs learned in his youth ; but these sunny
moments were too infrequent. His manner of living was marked by
a certain degree of elegance, but it was not ostentatious. In 1826
his son, John Qidncy Adams, Jr., was married in the White House
to his cousin, Miss Johnson.
It has been declared that the fashionable circle Mrs. Louisa Kath-
arine Adams drew around her was far superior in elegance, refine-
ment, beauty, and worth "to that which has appeared at any period
since." She greatly aided her husband by her fine manners, kindli-
ness, and varied accomplishments, in meeting the requirements of his
position, and often displa3^ed consummate tact in her efforts to make
his administration popular.
A great crowd attended the inauguration of Gen. Andrew Jack-
son, of Tennessee, on the 4th of March, 1829, and the gallant soldier
was lustily cheered as he rode up Pennsylvania Avenue on a spirited
horse after the inaugural .ceremony. The people followed the Presi-
dent into the White House, filling the state parlors to overflowing.
In the East Room a banquet had been spread, and the tables were
laden with choice viands, but no one appearing to serve the guests,
there were many clamors of impatience, and, finally, the crowd,
without ceremony, surrounded the tables and began a tumultuous
attack on the food. In the struggle ice cream was scattered over
the costly carpet, glass and china dishes were broken, coffee was
spilled on the satin furniture, and a great deal of damage was done.
The President at one time was violently pressed against the wall by
the surging mob striving to reach the tables, and was only saved
from injury by some officials who linked their arms, and in this way
formed a living barrier around him. Surely, it was a strange scene
to witness in the White House.
After this occurrence the practice of serving refreshments at pub-
lic .receptions, introduced in Monroe's administration, was speedily
discontinued. Although Jackson was profuse in his hospitalit}' , and
quite willing the public should enjoy good food in the White House,
yet the throngs at his receptions were so great, and generally so un-
THE PRESIDENTS. 155.
mannerly, that he was compelled, after providing refreshments several
times and seeing his guests " rush at and strip the salvers in the cor-
ridor long before they reached the banquet-room," to cease the prac-
tice, and it never has been resumed.
Jackson opened the doors of the White House to everybody, and
visitors of all sorts poured in and roamed through the rooms at will-
The hearty old soldier disliked ceremony even more than Jefferson,
and saw no reason why the presidential abode should be hedged
about with formal etiquette. He was a man of the people, and it has
been said tkat " all his vices were of the popular sort." He went
about the house and grounds smoking a corn-cob pipe, and, as may
be supposed, others availed themselves of the privilege of smoking,
even in the state parlors. He called his friends by their christian
names, and they invariably addressed him as " General" ; he slapped
people on the back familiarly, joked about his position, and would
say, " By the Eternal," whenever he desired to emphasize a sentence.
His hospitality was so bountiful that the proceeds of his " Hermitage"
tarm in Tennessee had to be constantly used to pay the expenses of
his entertainments. At his dinners there was no special ceremony,
and guests were simply expected to be social and meny, and have a
good time. After dinner they did not immediately depart, as had
been customary in Adams' time, but remained to dance or otherwise
enjoy themselves.
Many of his dinners to intimate friends were notable for fun and
frolic at the table. On one occasion Webster and Van Buren were
present, and the latter proposed that Webster should favor the com-
pan}^ with a song. To this he agreed if the President would sing
one first. Nothing loath, Jackson immediately began, in quaint, dis-
cordant notes, his favorite song of " Auld Lang Syne," singing for a
few minutes without interruption ; but the strange discord was too
much for the company, and he was forced to stop by reason of the
uproarious laughter that went round the board, and in which he
heartily joined. Webster and Van Buren then attempted to sing, but
their efforts produced so much merriment that they ceased, and grace-
fully acknowledged that Jackson was the better vocalist.
Jackson was more than six feet in height, but was very slim, not
weighing over one hundred and forty pounds during the time he was
President. He had strongly marked features, bushy, iron-gray hair,
brushed high above his forehead, and dai^k blue eyes, which would
snap and sparkle with peculiar lustre whenever he was excited. He
156 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
was usually plainly and rather negligently dressed, and when out of
doors carried a stout cane, with which he would strike the ground
incessantly when engaged in earnest conversation. He went about
unattended, and liked to talk freel}^ with every one he met. When
saluted by the highest or the humblest a winning smile would light
up his strong face, and he would say in cordial tones, " How do you
do, sir; glad to see you." He was fond of children, and would stop
them on the street and chat familiarly, patting their heads and taking
great delight in their innocent prattle. One day a friend met him
entering the White House grounds carrying a little girl on one arm
and a dog on the other. In explanation he said that the child was
cr3nng because her dog was cold, and he was taking them into the
house to the fire.
His wife, Rachel Donelson Jackson, with whom he had lived hap-
pil}' for nearh^ forty years, died shortly before he became President,
and was laid to rest in the dress she had made to wear at his inaugu-
ration. It is related that "he wore her miniature next his heart day
and night until his death." Her place in the White House was filled
by Mrs. Emily Donelson, the general's niece, who was assisted by
the wdfe of his adopted son, Mrs. Andrew Jackson, Jr. They were
charming women, and performed their duties in a manner winning
universal praise.
When Jackson held his farewell reception, Feb. 22, 1837, ^^ pre-
sented his visitors with a parting gift. Friends and admirers in New
York had sent him a monster cheese, larger than a hogshead in
circumference, and nearly a yard thick. This cheese was cut by
two men with huge knives manufactured from saw-blades, and dis-
tributed in an ante-room, each person receiving a piece weighing
about three pounds. Everybody was very merry over the cheese,
and most of the visitors carried home this remarkable presidential
souvenir.
Martin Van Buren, of New York, who succeeded Jackson as Presi-
dent, had almost lived in the White House before he went there in
1837 ^s master for four 3^ears. He had been Jackson's Secretary of
State, and was alwa^'s believed to be " the power behind the throne."
He had been constantly at Jackson's elbow, and, as a reward for his
valuable services, the gallant commander had worked hard to make
him his successor. Van Buren was a little, dapper gentleman, ele-
gant and refined, the pink of fashion and politeness, but wathal re-
markably shrewd as a politician, and full of tact and practical busi-
THE PRESIDENTS.
157
THE WHITE HOUSE, FROiM THE EAST.
ness capacity in dealing with public affairs. It was customary to call
him the American Talleyrand, and his cleverness in political manage-
ment was much discussed in those days. He was a widower, having
lost his wife nearly twenty years before he became President, and his
household affairs were directed by his son's wife, Angelica Single-
ton Van Buren, a sweet young Southern beauty, whose grace and
amiability won the hearts of all who met her in the White House.
Her social duties were performed in such a pleasant manner that she
gained extensive popularity. No more gracious woman ever has
been at the head of a President's household.
Gen. William Henry Harrison, of Ohio, "the hero of Tippe-
canoe," was only one month in office. He became President in 1841,
with John Tyler as Vice-President. "Old Tip," as he was affec-
tionately called, it is believed, "was worried to death" by importu-
nate office-seekers, not having the faculty of repressing them pos-
sessed by some of the latter-day Presidents. He died on the 4th of
April, and his funeral was the first to occur in the White House.
158 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
He was tall and graceful, and had keen black eyes and a face beam-
ing with good nature. Like Jackson, he was thoroughly conscious
that the White House was the property of the Nation, and one day
when a servant showed a plain, humble caller into a room without a
fire he took him to task for it. "Why did you not show the man
into the other room, where it is warm and comfortable?" he asked.
The servant thought the man might soil the carpet with his muddy
boots. " Never mind the carpet another time," said Harrison ; " the
man is one of the people, and the carpet, and the house, too, belong
to the people."
John Tyler, who succeeded Harrison, was a Virginian — an in-
tellectual, high-bred gentleman, tall and slender, with a light com-
plexion, brown hair, blue eyes, and prominent features. He was
very courteous to all classes, but particularly favored men of learn-
ing and polite letters, and the Executive Mansion was much fre-
quented by this class during his administration. He appointed Ed-
ward Everett Minister to England, Washington Irving to Spain,
Caleb Gushing to China, and made John Howard Payne consul to
Tunis. His tastes were polished, and he had the urbanity of refined
culture and association. His first wife, Letitia Christian Tyler, ap-
peared at but one reception, and that was on the occasion of the mar-
riage of her daughter. She died in Washington in 1842, and Tyler
lived in retirement for some time. Eight months before the expira-
tion of his official term he married Miss Julia Gardiner, of New York,
and the wedding reception was held in the White House. Mrs. Julia
Tyler was the only woman who ever entered the house as a Presi-
dent's bride. Her receptions were notable for elegance and refine-
ment, and her short career as the " first lady of the land " was a very
brilliant one.
James K. Polk, of Tennessee, the eleventh President, was in-
augurated in 1845. He was rather below the medium height, and
excessively thin. He had a large, angular brow, and sharp gray
eyes. His face was grave and sad, and his hair was nearl}^ white.
In regard to his thinness a writer of that date said, " If his clothes
were made to fit he would be but the merest tangible fraction of a
President. He has them, therefore, especially his coat, made two
or three sizes too large in order to hide his spareness." His wife,
Sarah Childress Polk, was an agreeable hostess. Her dress was al-
ways magnificent, and her presence commanding. A gentleman said
to her one day, " Madam, there is a woe pronounced against you
THE PRESIDENTS. 159
in the Bible ; for it is written there, ' Woe unto you when all men
shall speak well of you.'"
In 1849 Gen. Zachary Taylor, of Louisiana, was inaugurated,
but he remained in office only sixteen months and five da3^s. He
died July 9, 1850, of cholera morbus, after a few days' illness. He
was a portly gentleman, with a pleasant face and a well developed
head crowned with pure white hair. He had mild, beautiful eyes,
and a soft, pleasing voice. His manner was kind, and whenever he
appeared in public and was greeted by applause he would wave his
hand and say, "Your humble servant, ladies ; Heaven bless you, gen-
tlemen." His wife, Margaret Ta3dor, took scarcely any part in the
round of ceremonies pertaining to official life, but left everything to
the direction of her daughter, Betty Taylor Bliss, a bright, dainty
little lady who won golden opinions for her performance of the role
of hostess, and the White House was a very attractive place during
her reign.
The Vice-President, Millard Fillmore, became President after the
death of General Taylor, taking the oath of office on the loth of
July, 1850. Fillmore was an eminent lawyer of Buffalo, and had
worked his way to prominence from poverty and obscurity. He was
tall and finely proportioned, and was considered a very handsome
man. He was agreeable in manner, and made friends readily by his
charming simplicity and frankness, and his manifest desire to do
what was right. During his administration he gave many grand en-
tertainments, and in the congressional season always had weekl}^
morning and evening receptions. His wife, Abigail Powers Fillmore,
had a fine, erect figure, a delicate, intellectual face, and silky auburn
hair hanging in ringlets about her head. She was an exemplary
wife and mother, and had been a strong support to her husband when
he was a young lawyer, "to fortune and to fame unknown." She
was rather shy of society, much preferring the companionship of a
few friends and the solace of her books to the ceremonious social
practices of the White House. At President Fillmore's request Con-
gress appropriated considerable money to furnish the oval sitting-
room in the second stor}^ of the mansion as a librar3s and Mrs. Fill-
more selected the books to fill the cases. She was a reader and a
student, and in the librar}^ spent many happy hours.
Franklin Pierce, of New Hampshire, became President in 1853.
He came to Washington in very simple style, and when his baggage
was carried into the White House it was found to consist of " a
i6o PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
couple of old hair trunks, which might have been the property of a
veteran of 1812, and two portmanteaus scarcely less venerable in
appearance." At his first reception a great throng of office-seekers
appeared and pressed their claims on him. " One ambitious fellow
stepped up with the prefatory remark: ' I'm an applicant for office.'
' Glad to see you, sir,' was the reply ; ' good morning,' and ofl' glided
the President. One applicant managed to thrust his memorial into
the President's hands, but it was dropped like a hot coal."
Pierce was nearly six feet in height, and a man of fine presence.
There w^as a keen, bright expression to his face, and his eyes were
dark and penetrating. He delighted in horseback riding, and nearly
every day rode long distances in the country unattended. Mrs. Jane
Appleton Pierce was an invalid, but she faithfully endeavored to per-
form her social duties as the lady of the White House. She was a
highly cultivated woman, and was ardently beloved by her husband.
The fifteenth President was James Buchanan, of Pennsylvania, a
large, muscular man, six feet in height, with light complexion, hair,
and eyes, and a serious face. He was a bachelor, and the first and
only one to occupy the Executive chair. During his administration,
which began in 1857 and condnued to the commencement of the
Civil War, the social life of the White House was very brilliant
under the inspiration of his niece. Miss Harriet Lane. The city was
exceedingly gay, although the black and angry clouds of war were
gathering in the polidcal sky. As one has said, " people danced on
the edge of a volcano, with the crust heaving under their feet." Miss
Lane made the White House more nearly like a Republican court
than it had been since the ancient regime — the days of powdered
wigs, embroidered satins, and " aristocradc foppery." The Presi-
dent was very ceremonious, and largely retained the form and color
of his life among the English nobility while Minister to England.
He exacted strict, formal edquette, and was displeased at familiarity.
Miss Lane was a beaudful woman, and finely educated and accom-
plished. She has been described as " tall and commanding, with a
perfectly molded shape, with a fauldess head, finely poised and
crowned with a mass of golden-brown hair, with large, dark blue
eyes, handsome features, the mouth particularly lovely, and a skin of
milk and roses." Her taste in dress w^as exquisite, and in all social
observances she was perfectly schooled.
Buchanan's last reception w^as given on the 12th of February,
1 861, and was attended by a large number of people. The Presi-
1. Statue of Civilization.
2. The Naval S'atue, or Monument of Peace.
11
FAMOUS STATUES.
3. Greenough's Statue of Washington, j
4. Brown's Statue of Len-r-l L^ott.
i62 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
dent received his guests in a very amiable manner, and Miss Lane,
elegantly arrayed in pure white satin, charmed everybody by her
graciousness. The state parlors were decked with fragrant flowers,
the ladies present made a lavish display of magnificent toilets, bright
uniforms of the army and navy were to be seen, the band played
patriotic airs, and apparently every one was joyous.
In a short time after this night of pleasure the lurid flames of
civil war burst forth, and Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, the six-
teenth President of the United States, was compelled to enter Wash-
ington secretly, like a thief in the night, to assume his place as the
head of the Nation.
At the first evening reception held by President Lincoln there was
a notable gathering. It took place on March 8, 1861, and long be-
fore the doors of the White House were opened, the grounds were
filled with ladies and gentlemen patiently waiting for the hour of the
reception to arrive. From eight until eleven o'clock the state apart-
ments were crowded to overflowing with a brilliant assemblage, com-
prising all the prominent officials of the new administration, the dip-
lomatic corps, the leading officers of the army and navy, the elite
of Washington society, and hundreds of people who had come from
distant states expressly for this occasion. The tall, grave President,
towering above the majority of his guests, was incessantly engaged
in shaking hands and acknowledging the congratulations and prom-
ises of support, and his countenance would brighten now and then
with pleasure as he greeted old friends and heard their fervent " God
bless you, Mr. President." Mrs. Lincoln stood at the side of her
husband, a proud and happy woman, cheerful, smiling, and attrac-
tive to all who sought her acquaintance.
No man was ever more courteous, sympathetic, and considerate
in high office than President Lincoln, and the humblest persons could
approach him with the feeling that he would sympathize with their
troubles, and relieve them if it was possible. The years of war caused
him to have an anxious face, save when he was telling a story or en-
gaged in a frolic " to get the kinks out," as he used to say. He liked
all innocent pleasures, and was occasionally very jolly when he had
dropped his cares for an hour or two and was enjoying himself with
his family and friends. He was never known to speak harshly of
any one, not even of those who were supposed to give him much an-
noyance, and when it was absolutely necessary for him to give a
reprimand he would do so in a sort of serio-comic way, but eflfect-
PRESIDENT LINCOLN. 163
ively. As everybody knows, he was very fond of a good story, and
possessed an inexhaustible fund of anecdotes and apt illustrations,
which he was in the habit of using on many occasions to make his
meaning plain to those who were rather dull of comprehension, or
when he was in a sportive mood among friends. A little story from
him would sometimes have a volume of significance. He was a dili-
gent worker, spending man}^ hours of the day at his desk, and often-
times half the night. Frequently he would sit in profound thought,
completely abstracted from outward things, or he would rise from his
chair and slowly pace the floor while meditating, his lips moving,
and his long, bony hands pointing here and there as his thoughts
prompted. No one was permitted to disturb him, and back and forth
he would walk, back and forth, until suddenly he would seem to wake
from his abstraction, his sombre, rugged face would become almost
beautiful by a tender smile, and he would turn to the person nearest
to him and begin to relate a humorous anecdote.
An old resident of Washington who was an intimate friend of
Lincoln, in speaking of the proclamation of emancipation, has said :
" It is hard to believe now that very nearly half of the Republicans
were opposed to the issue of that proclamation, and that half em-
braced the most active politicians. A strong effort was made to in-
duce the President, to withdraw the proclamation. It was issued in
the summer of 1862, and was to take effect on the ist of January,
1863, provided the rebels did not in the mean time lay down their
arms. I never felt more anxious during the war than at that time,
for fear that Lincoln would be induced to recall the proclamation.
About Christmas time, 1862, a week or so before the proclamation
was to take effect, if not recalled, I called on the President's private
secretary in his room adjoining the President's room. We were sit-
ting conversing before the fire, when Lincoln's door opened, he walked
into the room and took a seat before the fire at my right hand. He
slapped me on the shoulder and said, ' Well, my friend, the import-
ant day draws near.' ' Yes,' I replied, ' and I hope there will be no
backincr out or backing down.' ' Well,' he said, ' I don't know about
that. Peter thought he would not deny his master, but he did.' I
replied, ' I think you will do better than Peter did.' And he did."
Lincoln took great delight in theatricals, and said they rested and
refreshed him more than anything else. Whenever he could leave
his harassing business he would visit the theatre for an hour or two
of recreation. He occasionally went behind the scenes and watched
164 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
the actors at their work, and would seem to greatly enjoy all he saw
in that curious mimic world. He had a box at Ford's old theatre,
and on many evenings sat in it alone, hidden by the curtains, the
audience having no suspicion that he was present. On one evening
"Tad" Lincoln, the President's jolly little boy, whom everybody
loved, accompanied his father to the theatre and went in among the
actors. One of them dressed him in a ragged suit and sent him on the
stage in a certain scene. The President, who was in his box, looked
at the boy in astonishment for a few moments, and then threw up his
hands, leaned back in his chair, and burst into a roar of laughter
which was heard all over the theatre, thus revealing his presence to
the audience. Instantly there was a round of applause, and he was
compelled to acknowledge it. Tad ran off the stage when the ap-
plause began, changed his dress and went to his father's box, and the
President put his arms around him and lovingly kissed him over and
over again.
The mighty concerns of the war interfered with the social life of
the White House, but there were some magnificent fetes, and the oc-
casional public receptions were very agreeable. There was always
a proper amount of etiquette, but none of the " court ceremony" in-
troduced by the former President. At all the entertainments Lincoln
endeavored to make everything pleasant for his guests, and was quite
successful as a host, his manner having a quaint simplicity which was
very charming. He was six feet four inches in height, and his strong,
sinewy body was capable of great endurance. His arms and legs
were very long, and he was awkward in his movements. His face
was thin and sallow, his forehead high and well developed, and his
hair black and abundant. Usually his dark gray eyes had a sad ex-
pression, but now and then they would sparkle with roguish fun.
A sapfacious critic of Lincoln's administration has said that
*' during all the perilous years of civil war he managed the Ship
of State with remarkable skill, prudence, and wisdom." Second
only to Washington in the hearts of his countrymen, his " great
name will flow on with broadening time forever."
Mrs. Mary Todd Lincoln shared the anxieties of the war with
her husband, rejoiced in ever}' success, and was a loving companion
to the great-hearted President. She was a frequent visitor to the
hospitals in which scores of wounded soldiers were lying in pain and
distress, and gladdened their lonely hours by her presence and ten-
der solicitude for their comfort. The conservatory of the White
House was stripped of its flowers, that the " poor sick boys " might
JOHNSON — GRANT — HAYES. 165
have them by their bedsides, and delicacies of all sorts were taken
from the White House kitchen to many a hospital, to tempt the ap-
petites of the soldiers. Day by day the President's carriage, filled
with flowers, fruits, and baskets of delicacies, conveyed the sympa-
thetic, devoted woman to the scenes of suffering. She affectionately
bathed the brows of the hapless ones stricken down in battle, con-
soled them as best she could, wrote letters to parents and friends in
far-off' states, and was indeed a blessed ministering angel at many a
sorrowful couch. For this, if for nothing more, she should be held
in loving remembrance : gentle, compassionate one, whose own bit-
ter sorrows made her after years dark and comfortless.
Vice-President Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee, became President
at the death of Lincoln, and was sworn into office by Chief Justice
Chase on Saturday morning, April 15, 1865, at the Kirkwood House,
in Washington. After a proper period of mourning President John-
son opened the White House to society, and made constant efforts to
dispel the gloom arising from Lincoln's death, believing that "the
new glad days of peace " should be joyously celebrated. During
the greater part of his administration he entertained liberally, and
introduced the pleasing feature of children's parties. The White
House was often filled with little ones enjoying " a real party," with
pretty flowers, fine music, and refreshments, and with the President
to do them honor. Their young, gleeful voices rang through the
ancient halls, and their blithesome games and frolics greatly de-
lighted the elders.
As the President's wife, Mrs. Eliza McCardle Johnson, was an
invalid, the management of the house was given over to her daugh-
ters, Mrs. Patterson and Mrs. Stover, who successfully carried out
the customary social practices. President Johnson was above the
medium height, and rather stout. He had brown hair, and light, ex-
pressive eyes, and a face denoting decision of character.
The White House was completely refurnished when Gen. Ulysses
S. Grant, of Illinois, became President in 1869, and for eight 3^ears it
was the scene of unceasing festivity. President Grant and family
sought in all ways to make the house attractive to the gay society of
" the city of palaces," and the dinners and fetes were upon a splen-
did scale. Mrs. Julia Dent Grant proved an admirable hostess, easily
winning the esteem of all who enjoyed her hospitality.
In 1877 Rutherford B. Hayes, of Ohio, began his term as Presi-
dent. At his first reception there was a very large assemblage.
Mrs. Lucy Webb Hayes " received" in a plain black silk dress, and
1 66
PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
it was said that "Mrs. Madison in her time, in her pink satin and
feathers, commanded hardly more admiration." On the 31st of De-
cember, 1877, President Hayes and wife celebrated the twenty-fifth
anniversary of their marriage — the first " silver wedding " ever held
in the White House. One hundred guests were present, and the
*' happy pair" received many hearty congratulations.
James A. Garfield, of Ohio, assumed the Presidency in 1881.
His interesting family included his venerable mother, Mrs. Eliza
Garfield, who was the first mother of a President to have a residence
in the White House, during the whole period of its existence. She
appeared at all the receptions with the President's wife, Mrs. Lucretia
Mott Garfield, and was always specially honored. It is not neces-
sary to relate the story of the sudden closing of Garfield's promising
career, for it is firmly impressed on the memory of the American
people.
The list of occupants of the White House ends at present with
Chester A. Arthur, of New York, who became President on the 19th
of September, 1881.
G STREET, SHOWING FOUNDRY AND EPIPHANY CHURCHES.
CHAPTER X.
THE DEPARTMENT OF STATE —THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND THE OFFICIALS
— VARIOUS DIVISIONS OF THE DEPARTMENT — STATE, WAR, AND NAVY
BUILDING — ANCIENT RECORDS— THE DIPLOMATIC AND CONSULAR SERVICE
— FOREIGN LEGATIONS AT THE CAPITAL— THE ORIENTAL AMBASSADORS —
DIPLOMATIC FETES.
THE Department of State is the first of the executive depart-
ments of the government. It has the supervision of all for-
eign affairs, and of all affairs concerning the states of the
Union. It directs the diplomatic and consular service, has
charge of all international claims commissions, issues passports, pub-
lishes and preserves all the laws enacted by Congress, and has other
important duties. At first the foreign aff'airs of the government were
■directed by commissioners, but in 1789 Congress passed an act creat-
ing the Department of State, and authorizing the appointment of a
chief official with the title of Secretary of State. For a time the
department issued all patents and copyrights, had charge of the work
of taking the census, and supervised the affairs of the territories. As
now constituted it has a Diplomatic Bureau, a Consular Bureau, a
Bureau of Indexes and Archives, a Bureau of Accounts, a Bureau
■of Statistics, a Bureau of Rolls, and several minor divisions. The
entire business is carried on in a strictlv confidential manner, and all
persons connected with it are required to maintain the closest secrecy
in regard to every matter which comes to their knowledge.
The Secretary of State is the first in rank of the members of the
President's Cabinet, and on account of his office, and from long cus-
tom, his relations with the President are very intimate. His com-
pensation is $8,000 per year. He has the general supervision of the
illllt'lli
THE STATE DEPARTMENT. 169
Department of State, and, under the direction of the President, nego-
tiates treaties with foreign powers, decides the various questions aris-
ing from the relations of the United States with other countries, and
is charged with the execution of all the state business. .There is a
first assistant Secretary of State, who has a compensation of $4,500
per year, and there are two other assistant secretaries who have $3,-
500 each. The assistant secretaries have the supervision of the dip-
lomatic and consular correspondence, and perform other duties as-
signed them by the Secretary of State. There is a chief clerk, with
a salary of $2,750, who is in charge of the employes of the depart-
ment ; and there are six chiefs of the bureaus, with salaries of $2,-
100, and nearly seventy clerks and employes. Congress annually
appropriates $113,000 for the compensation of the officials and others,
and about $20,000 for the miscellaneous expenses of the department.
Since 1875 the department has occupied the southern portion of
the imposing State, War, and Navy Building, which stands directly
west of the White House, on part of the government reservation
called "The President's Grounds." This building, in massive pro-
portions and architectural beaut}^, has few equals in the world. It
was begun in i87i,and has cost very nearly $12,000,000. It was
designed by A. B. Mullett, and was constructed in the style of the
Italian renaissance, the material being Maine and Virginia granite.
Over a sub-basement and basement are four stories, surmounted by a
mansard roof of artistic design. From north to south, including the
projections, the building is five hundred and sixty feet; exclusive
of projections, four hundred and seventy-one feet. From east to
west it is three hundred and forty-two feet; exclusive of projec-
tions, two hundred and fifty-three feet. Its greatest height is one
hundred and twenty-eight feet. There are four fagades, alike in
design and construction, and four grand entrances through lofty
pavilions reached by broad flights of stone steps. Huge blocks of
granite, each over twenty tons in weight, form the platforms to the
entrances. The greatest possible care has been taken in the con-
struction, and the building is entirely fire proof. All the parts are
in harmony, the ornamentation is a tasteful combination of the classic
and modern methods, and the result is an almost perfect specimen of
architecture.
The interior of the building has been constructed in a very mag-
nificent and yet entirely substantial manner. There are wide stair-
cases of granite with bronze balusters, long, spacious corridors, and
I70 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
innumerable apartments, richly frescoed and adorned, and furnished
with every convenience that could be suggested for the transacting
of the business of the three departments for which the building was
erected. The War Department occupies the whole of the northern
and western portion, and the Navy Department the eastern.
Very large and elegant apartments are occupied by the Depart-
ment of State. On the second floor are the apartments of the Sec-
retary of State and his assistants. They are finely painted in dis-
temper, and splendidly furnished.
The diplomatic reception-room, in which the foreign ministers
have audience with the Secretary of State, is sumptuous in its ap-
pointments. It is sixty feet long, and twenty feet wide. A great
mirror in an ebony and gold frame reaches from the floor to the ceil-
ing ; the furniture is of ebony, and the upholstery of bluish-brown
brocade. The walls are painted in Egyptian style, and the floor is
tessellated and partially covered by oriental rugs. Paintings and
busts adorn the walls and mantels, and two large chandeliers hang
from the ceiling. The ante-room is also richly decorated and fur-
nished.
The Bureau of Indexes and Archives occupies large apartments
excellently arranged for its business. This bureau has charge of all
the letters and documents of the department, and hundreds of official
papers are carefully examined and filed every day by its employes.
A most perfect system is used, and although the accumulation of
state documents during the past century is vast almost beyond belief,
anything that is wanted can be produced in a very short time.
Whenever the officials of the department desire certain papers they
apply to this bureau. The demand is constant, and embraces an
extensive range of subjects daily. Papers of the widest variety and
character in reference to every country in the world with which the
government has official relations, and also to all parts of the United
States, are called for to be used in the settlement of the multifarious
questions under consideration. The correspondence with foreign
ministers and consuls is enormous, and the miscellaneous corre-
spondence is also large and important. All the letters are opened
and indexed in this bureau before they are delivered to the chief
officials for their inspection.
Several apartments of the bureau contain many precious archives
of the Nation. The first draft of the Declaration of Independence
and of the Federal Constitution are here carefully preserved. Wash-
THE STATE DEPARTMENT. 171
ington's commission as Commander-in-chief of the American Army,
and a host of documents pertaining to the Revolution and the early-
days of the government, are to be seen. The letters and papers of
Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe, and some of the other
Presidents, are preserved in large volumes, many of the manuscripts
appearing as clear and distinct as if written yesterday. Autograph
Jetters from kings and queens, princes, statesmen, and historical per-
sonages who have flourished during the past one hundred years, are
to be found in these collections. Here are the original copies of all
the laws enacted by Congress, and of all the treaties made by the
United States with foreign nations, from the first, with France in
1778, and the second, with England — the treaty of peace, bearing
•date of Sept. 3, 1783 — down to those of recent years. One treat}'
^vith Turkey is gorgeously embellished with golden letters ; but the
most unique treaty in the collection is one with Japan, which is con-
tained in a costly lacquered case covered with silk. The quaint Jap-
anese characters, covering many pages of fine paper, are clearly and
boldly portrayed. The royal signature appears at the top, and you
read from the bottom. The treaty was brought to Washington by
two officials of high rank, who were charged with its safe delivery
■on peril of their lives. One day they triumphantly marched into the
Department of State bearing aloft on long bamboo poles a queerly-
constructed box, in which was the important document. Glad, in-
deed, were they to have escaped the "disastrous chances" of land
and sea, and when the royal agreement finally passed into the hands
of the Secretary of State they appeared greatly relieved, for their
heads were no longer in danger.
The great seal of the United States is kept in one of the apart-
ments. This seal is affixed to all executive proclamations, to all war-
rants of extradition or pardon, and to all commissions issued to min-
isters and consuls to foreign countries.
The librar}' of the department is in the third story. It is in a
spacious room with three balconies, and is well lighted by a dome
of glass. The room is constructed entirely of iron, wrought in grace-
ful forms, and beautifully decorated in pearl and gold tints. Jef-
ferson established the library, and many of the oldest books con-
tain his autograph. On the shelves are over thirty thousand volumes,
comprising the laws of all the states, and works relating to history,
diplomacy, and international affairs. They are in many languages,
and are extensively used by the members of the foreign legations in
Washington, and by the officials of the department.
172 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
The diplomatic and consular service requires a large force of
officials stationed in the important cities and towns throughout the
world. The expenditure for this service — for what is termed "the
foreign intercourse" — is about $2,500,000 per year. Thirty-three
legations, with ministers, secretaries, and attaches, and more than
nine hundred consular offices, are maintained by the United States.
The ministers at London, Paris, Berlin, and St. Petersburg receive
salaries of $17,500 per year; those at Vienna, Rome, Madrid, Pek-
ing, Rio de Janeiro, Tokei, and the City of Mexico, $12,000 ; those at
Guatemala, Santiago, and Lima, $10,000 ; those in minor countries,
$7,500 and $5,000. The consuls-general at London, Paris, Havana,
and Rio de Janeiro receive $6,000.
There are twenty-five foreign legations in Washington, most of
them occupying large, finely furnished mansions. They represent
all the prominent countries, and have many attaches, and a throng
of servants. Numerous receptions and dinners are given by the
diplomatic corps, and at certain seasons the members are enter-
tained at the White House. Then they wear their gaudy court cos-
tumes, and display their glittering orders and decorations. By the
United States statutes they are exempt from arrest, and no process
of law can reach them. This immunity extends to all the members
of a diplomat's family, and even to the servants, if the}- are not citi-
zens of the United States.
The Chinese Legation occupies a fine mansion, in which there is
ample room for the grand entertainments given b}- the Chinese Min-
ister during the winter. It is furnished entirely in the Mongolian
style of high official life, and its apartments are filled with rare and
curious articles. The walls of the parlors are hung with Chinese
tapestry of delicate texture, elegantly embroidered with the sacred
maxims of Confucius upon the virtues of charity, honesty, and jus-
tice ; and massive oriental vases of peculiar design mingle their
bright colors with the gold and scarlet of the unique and magniticent
furniture. One strangely fashioned vase has been in the possession
of the minister's family for more than two centuries. There are silk-
embroidered screens, worked by Chinese ladies, and in various nooks
are well-filled book-cases with costly volumes of the Chinese classics.
The parlors, sind many of the other apartments, are the very perfec-
tion of bric-a-brac and oriental adornment, and are very attractive
to cruests. The smoking-room is furnished with a varied collection
of Chinese pipes, and has comfortable divans, and, in lact, is a ver-
FOREIGN LEGATIONS.
173
liable smoker's paradise. In the
halls aie gioups of Chinese stat-
iiai\ , some being of a humorous
ehaiacter, modeled with much
skill and fidelity to nature. At
the minister's banquets the
tables are spread in grand
style, \^ith exquisite oriental
waie, silver and gold dishes,
and many unique articles
ol table service. Numer-
ous Eastern delicacies are
FRENCI[ LI \II()N S-S^
furnished,
and fiist chop
Chinese tea,
rarely to be had
in the United
States, IS sei\ed
in quaintwickei-
covered pots.
The minister le-
ceives his guests
attired in his
gorgeous court
dress of colored silks, and the attaches of the legation, numbering
more than a dozen, appear in silken robes of superb quality and bril-
liant hues.
The Japanese Minister has a large residence furnished in the
picturesque fashion of his country, and within its walls are many
quaint and beautiful articles. There are a number of young Jap-
anese gentlemen of good education and refined manners attached to
the legation. The minister gives brilliant receptions and banquets,
and is fond of society.
Fetes are frequently given by the English, French, Spanish,
RESIDENCE OF THE GERMAN LEGATION.
174
PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Russian, and Mexican legations. The residence of the English
Minister was erected by his government, and is one of the notable
mansions of Washington. It has broad halls, a great ball-room
illuminated by three chandeliers, a spacious dining-room, and ele-
o-ant parlors. It is situated on Connecticut Avenue.
Upon their arrival in Washington the members of the diplomatic
corps present themselves to the President and the Secretary of State,
and then make ceremonious calls upon the Vice-President, the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, the members of the Cab-
inet, the Justices of the Supreme Court, and the Senators. The}^
call on the President on New Year's day. During the winter the
Secretary of State gives a series of dinners, at which all the foreign
ambassadors appear.
MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, SHOWING CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION.
CHAPTER XL
THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT —THE IMMENSE STORE-HOUSE OF THE GOVERN-
MENT FUNDS — PRINCIPAL SUB-DIVISIONS — SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY
AND HIS WORK — THE TREASURY "AUTOCRAT " — THE MASSIVE MONEY-
VAULTS — COUNTING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS — SINGULAR FACTS OF THE
REDEMPTION DIVISION — MANUFACTURING THE NATIONAL [CURRENCY —
THE SECRET SERVICE -^TREASURY TRANSACTIONS.
DURING the session of the First Congress under the Con-
stitution, in 1789, an act was passed to establish the Treas-
ury Department, which was to have the entire charge of
the finances of the government. Previous to that time
commissioners had performed the duties appertaining to the collec-
tion of public moneys and the settlement of public accounts, but
there had been no well-regulated and competent system. By the new
act the officials authorized were a Secretary of the Treasury, who
was to be the financial head of the government, and to have a seat
in the President's Cabinet ; an assistant secretary, a comptroller, an
auditor, a treasurer, and a register. When the government removed
to Washington in 1800, a small wooden building was erected for the
Treasury, but it was burned to the ground by the British troops in 1814.
Another building was speedily constructed, and remained until March
31, 1833, when it was entirely destroyed by fire. It was proposed
to locate the present Treasury Building farther down the tract on
which the other buildings had been erected, in order that the White
House might be seen from the Capitol ; but the story is that
President Jackson became impatient at the delay of Robert Mills,
the architect, in selecting a location, and walked over the ground
one morning, planted his'^ cane in the extreme northeastern cor-
176 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
ner, and said, "Here, right here, I want the corner-stone laid!"
And the stone was laid there, and the huge structure was erected
where it breaks the condnuity of Pennsylvania Avenue, and prevents
the President from looking toward Capitol Hill from the windows of
his residence.
In 1841 the Treasury Building was completed. It was constructed
of Vircfinia freestone, and on its eastern fagade a lofty colonnade of
thirty Ionic columns was placed. In 1855 it was found necessary
to add extensions, and designs for these were made by Thomas U.
Walter. The extensions were constructed of Maine granite, and
were finished in 1869. At that time the total cost of the building was
nearly $7,000,000, and since then large sums have been expended
in alterations and interior decorations. The building extends four
hundred and sixty feet on Fifteenth Street, and has a frontage of two
hundred and sixty-four feet on Pennsylvania Avenue. It is Grecian
in architecture, with various modifications. Over a rustic basement
are three stories, surmounted b}^ a balustrade. There are four fa-
cades, those on the north, west, and south having massive pordcoes
of Ionic columns. The walls of the extensions are composed of
pilasters, with belt courses, resting on the basement story. The
massive pilasters, monolithic columns, and blocks of granite were
quarried on Dix Island, near Rockland, Maine, and brought to Wash-
ington in vessels of peculiar construction. Each portico has a broad
flight of steps descending to a spacious platform, on each side of
which is a flower-garden. The northern front is ornamented with a
stone fountain. The building is very substantial, and its great size
and the superb architectural design of its extensions, give it a ma-
jestic appearance. Seemingly, it should be large enough for any
possible business that the Treasury Department might have to do,
but this is not the case. It is far too small, and at present some of
the Treasury bureaus have to be accommodated elsewhere for lack
of room in this vast structure.
If the business of the department continues to increase during the
next ten years as rapidly as it has the past ten, greater extensions to
the Treasury Building will be necessary to accommodate the force
of employes which will be required for the financial service of the
government. The country is growing so fast that, year by year, the
business of the Treasury increases enormously. Fifty years ago a
few men were able to attend to everything connected with the finances
in quite an easy manner ; now an army of officials, clerks, and em-
13
178 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
ployes drive the work to the utmost of their strength, but are unable
to dispose of it promptly, and there are many embarrassing accumu-
lations. The settlement of some public accounts is often delayed for
months from sheer inability to cope with the work. Army paymas-
ters' accounts will average two years in settlement, so that a pay-
master cannot know how he stands on the Treasury books until two
years after he renders his accounts, and neither does the Treasury
Department know until after the same period whether the paymaster
has properly accounted for the thousands of dollars advanced to him
for disbursement.
The Treasury Building contains nearly two hundred rooms, ex-
clusive of the basement. Most of the rooms are spacious and well
arranged, and those occupied by the principal officials are hand-
somely furnished. The halls and corridors are wide and well lighted,
and all of the interior furnishing is substantial and often elegant.
There is such a constant pressure of work, and so much of it is neces-
sarily of a private, confidential nature, that but few of the rooms are
accessible to visitors. Business with the divisions is usually done
through the chief clerks, whose offices are open to the public. To
inspect the money-vaults it is necessary to obtain a permit from the
Treasurer of the United States. The building is crowded with em-
ployes, nearly three thousand persons performing service in it daily.
Stringent rules are enforced for the government of this host of
workers, and a rigid business system prevails in every division.
The rooms occupied by the Secretary of the Treasury, and the
numerous divisions appertaining to what is called "The Secretary's
Office," are large and finely furnished. The Secretary, as a mem-
ber of the Cabinet, has a compensation of $8,000 per year. There
are two assistant secretaries who receive $4,500 each, and in the
Secretary's office are a chief clerk at a salary of $2,700, a stenogra-
pher at $2,000, and several chiefs of divisions at salaries averaging
$2,500. There are also one hundred and thirty clerks, fifty of whom
are women, and a large force of book-keepers, messengers, and
others. The salary list is $495,000 per year. The Secretary's office
may be called "the official division" of the Treasury Department.
It has special duties connected with the Secretary's supervision of
the sub-departments of the Treasury, but it is in a certain sense
independent of them.
The sub-departments are large and important. They occupy
special suites of rooms, and have many officials, clerks, and em-
THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT.
179
ployes, whose total compensation amounts to $2,500,000 per year.
These are the principal divisions : The offices of the First Comp-
troller and Second Comptroller, the Commissioner of Customs, the
Commissioner of Internal Revenue, the Treasurer of the United
States, the Register of the Treasury, the Comptroller of the Cur-
rency, the Director of the Mint, and the First, Second, Third, Fourth,
Fifth, and Sixth Auditors. Then there are the offices of the Super-
vising Architect, who has charge of the erection of public buildings
throughout the country ; the Light-house Board, the Bureau of Sta-
tistics, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, the Life-Saving Ser-
vice, the Secret Service, the Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Rev-
enue Cutter and Marine Hospital Service, the Construction of Stand-
ard Weights and Measures, and the Steamboat Inspection Service.
All the sub-departments are under the general supervision of the
Secretary of the Treasury, and it must be admitted that this distin-
guished official has a great deal to engage his time and attention if
he faithfully performs his duty. If a secretary carefully verifies
everything in the sub-departments ; if he is determined to know all
THE BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING.
i8o PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
about the official acts of his subordinates — and many secretarii-s
have been scrupulously particular in this respect — he must give ali
his time to the work, and even then he can hardly master the full
details of the colossal transactions of the Treasury Department.
There are sub-treasuries in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Bal-
timore, Cincinnati, New Orleans, St. Louis, and San Francisco ; and
mints in Philadelphia, San Francisco, New Orleans, Carson, Ne-
vada ; and Denver, Colorado. Assay offices are also located in New
York, Helena, Montana ; Boise City, Idaho ; Charlotte, North Car-
olina ; and St. Louis. All these financial institutions are under the
supervision of the Secretary of the Treasury. They are of great
importance, and transact a very large business. They are sustained
at a yearly cost of $1,556,000.
The First Comptroller is familiarly called "the autocrat of the
Treasury," as he has been given remarkable power by Congress.
He countersigns all the warrants on the Treasury for the payment
of money, and not a dollar can be obtained unless his signature is
on the warrant. He decides every matter of payment, and even if a
claim has been passed by a department of the government, the claim-
ant, be he the highest official, even the President of the United States,
cannot receive what is due him unless the First Comptroller is satis-
fied that the claim is correct. It is supposed that this official was
created when the Treasury Department was first organized, as a
check upon the officials whose duty it was to audit claims ; and from
time to time additional power has been given him by statute, so that
now he has the final decision in regard to all payments, and can re-
verse the decision of any official, and even refuse his signature to a
warrant signed by the President or the Secretary of the Treasury.
There is no appeal from his decision except to the courts. In fact,
through the laws which give him absolute power, he can stand before
the government money-vaults, and allow only what he thinks is
proper to be paid out of them. The President can remove him from
office, but he would find it difficult to explain why he removed an
official for doing what Congress has authorized him to do, and par-
ticularly as Congress has deemed it necessary to make this official a
check upon the Executive.
The salary of the First Comptroller is $5,000 per year. He has
a deput}^ with a salary of $2,700, four chiefs of divisions with sala-
ries of $2,100, and fifty-one clerks. Eighty-three thousand dollars
are yearly expended for the maintenance of his office. The Second
THE GREAT VAULTS. i8r
Comptroller has a salary of $5,000, and his office is provided with
a large force of clerks.
In the offices of the auditors the accounts of the various depart-
ments of the government are examined, after which they are trans-
mitted, with the vouchers, to the offices of the First Comptroller and
Second Comptroller for final examination and approval. Each au-
ditor examines the accounts of certain departments, and has full au-
thority to approve or reject any account, subject to the final decision
of the First Comptroller. The auditors have salaries of $3,600,
and employ many clerks.
The Treasurer of the United States is in charge of the govern-
ment funds. He receives and disburses all the public moneys, has
the custody of the great money-vaults, holds the bonds deposited by
the national banks to secure their circulating notes, issues new treas-
ury notes and redeems old ones, is the custodian of the Indian trust
funds, pays the interest on the public debt, and has numerous other
duties. His salary is $6,000, and he is required to give a bond for
the faithful performance of his duties in the sum of $150,000. There
is an assistant treasurer with a salary of $3,600, and in the six
divisions of the department there is a large force of accountants,,
cashiers, and clerks.
The money-vaults in which the government keeps its reserve
funds are located in the basement of the Treasurj' Building. They
are massive iron and steel structures, which are faithfully guarded-
night and day. There are other vaults on the first floor, near the
cash-room, which contain the funds for current payments. In the
diffi^rent vaults and safes are millions of dollars in treasury notes,
in gold and silver coins, and in United States bonds — "wealth be-
yond the potential dream of avarice ! " The Treasurer of the United
States is the custodian of this vast sum, is solely responsible for its
safe keeping and proper disbursement ; and it can be truly said of
him, that he can day by day indulge in the sight and touch of a
larger amount of money than any other person in the country. If
we could examine the great piles of bank-notes and bonds, and the
bags of coins in the compartments of the vaults, we should' find that
they represented between four and five hundred millions of dollars.
In the first place, there are bonds held in trust for various purposes
to the amount of about four hundred millions. Then there is national
currency of the value of fifty or sixty millions — to-day more, to-mor-
row less, as the payments and receipts cause the fund to increase or
i82 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
diminish. In the coin sections there are usually from twenty to forty
millions in gold and silver, and this represents but a small fraction
of the specie the government has on hand, as the greater portion is
deposited in the sub-treasuries in other cities. Sometimes the vaults
will contain many tons of the precious metals.
There never has been an attempt made to rob the Treasury, and it
is believed that it would be an impossibility. A guard of sixty men,
nearly all old soldiers, patrol the building day and night. The men
are commanded by a captain and lieutenant, and are armed with re-
volvers of the largest and best variety. When the building is closed
at night, every room is inspected, and if a safe is found unlocked an
officer is placed in charge of it, and the person whose duty it was to
lock it is sent for. After the inspection the guard is set, and a rigid
discipline maintained until morning. The men patrol their beats
every ten or fifteen minutes, and the lieutenant goes the rounds every
two hours.
The redemption and counting division is a busy and interesting
place. Here worn and mutilated bank-notes, retired from service,
are examined and counted, previous to being destroyed. Ever}^ year
national currencv of the value of two hundred millions is counted,
canceled, and destroyed. The counting is done by female clerks,
many of whom acquire marvelous skill, and seldom, if ever, make
a mistake in manipulating the great piles of valuable paper. Some
of the clerks have been at the work for eight or ten years, and in
that time have handled many millions of dollars. They sit at long
tables, on which bank-notes are spread as thick as leaves in a forest.
Package after package is opened, the notes are closely scrutinized
and rapidly counted, and are then turned over to officials who cancel
them by means of machines which punch them full of holes. After-
ward the " dead" currency is placed in water and thoroughly macer-
ated, nothing remaining but a mass of paper-pulp. It is then given
into the hands of a special officer, to be burned. The national cur-
rency received from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and
from government depositories throughout the country, is also care-
fully counted and verified before it is accepted, and the amount cer-
tified to as correct.
In the redemption bureau a great deal of delicate work is done in
verifying currency which has been partially destroyed by fire or
other causes, and which has been sent to the Treasury to be ex-
changed for new notes. Ladies who are expert in this business take
THE REDEMPTION BUREAU.
183
THE MASONIC TEMPLE.
the mass of burned or otherwise damaged currency in hand, and
with long, thin knives and powerful magnifying-glasses slowly and
cautiously separate the pieces, and then endeavor to trace out each
note allecred to be in the collection. Sometimes the entire amount
can be thus verified, even if the notes were badly burned ; but usually
from ten to thirty per cent, is lost to the owner from sheer inability to
distinguish in the mass of debris anything that bears the slightest
resemblance to a bank-note. Hundreds of thousands of dollars — in
fact, an astonishing amount — rendered worthless by various accidents
are received every year, and the greatest of care is taken to redeem
as much of the money as possible. One day a mass of cinders, the
remains of a package of bank-notes of the value of $1,700, was re-
ceived from Missouri for redemption. The money had been placed
in a stove overnight for safe keeping, and was entirely forgotten the
next morning until after the fire was lighted. The charred fragments
were carefully collected, brought to the Treasury, and placed in the
hands of one of the most expert ladies of the redemption bureau.
She succeeded, after ten days of arduous labor, in identifying nearly
184 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
ei<''htv per cent, of the notes, and when their owner received the new
money he was so delighted at his good fortune that he presented the
skillful lady with a brand-new one hundred dollar bill.
A curious case is related of the redemption of notes amounting to
$2,091, which were found in a secret pocket in the undershirt of a
German, who had died in a New York almshouse and had been buried
in a pauper's grave for three months. A relative of the supposed
pauper arrived from Europe and had his body disinterred, when the
money was discovered. The condition of the notes, after they had
been in contact with a decomposing body for such a length of time,
can be imagined, and the lady to whom was assigned the duty of
examining and verifying them was speedily deserted by her compan-
ions, and had the entire end of the apartment to herself. The work,
although verv disagreeable, was satisfactorily accomplished, and clean,
new notes were retm-ned to the German's heir.
The cash-room of the Treasury Is a large apartment on the first
floor, beautifully constructed of polished marbles of a wide variety.
It is a palatial banking-office, all its appurtenances being sumptuous
and ornate. Here are a dozen cashiers who daily disburse great
sums of money in the payment of warrants and checks to the cred-
itors of the government. Usually there are ten or fifteen million dol-
lars in the vaults to meet the requirements of the daily business. The
cashing of a warrant for one million dollars is no unusual thing, and
warrants for several millions are occasionally presented. On one
occasion the pension office presented a warrant for ten millions,
which was promptly cashed. Members of the Secret Service are
constantly in the room to guard the treasure. By ascending to the
second floor, visitors can enter the balcony which extends around the
cash-room, and watch the cashiers make the payments, enjoying, if
only for a few moments, the sight of a great deal of money.
The national currency is manufactured at the Bureau of Engrav-
ing and Printing, which is located in a large brick building on the
Mall at the corner of Fourteenth and B streets southwest. The
building is of the Romanesque style, and was erected at a cost of
$300,000. It has three stories and a high basement, and on the
northeast end is a tall tower of handsome design. The interior is
constructed in a very elaborate and elegant manner. Visitors are
permitted to inspect the different divisions of the bureau, and a guide
is provided to conduct all who apply on "the grand tour" of the
rooms.
BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING. 185
The entire third story is devoted to the printing division. Here
are two hundred and fifty plate-presses, worked by hand, and a lorce
of about five hundred men and women constantly engaged in print-
ing sheets of bank-notes, bonds, and internal revenue stamps. In-
tense activity prevails throughout the long, spacious room. Those
who have the idea that government employes "take things easy,"^
should look at this host of energetic workers who waste not a moment,
but with the untiring movement of a great machine, drive on the work
they have to do. Each employe has to perform a certain fixed
amount of work in a day — and the same is true of the emplo3es in
most of the departments of the public service — and if it is not done
the failure is recorded, and the employe stands in danger of dismis-
sal. Six hundred sheets a day must be printed on each press, and
when it is considered that every time an impression is taken the del-
icate copper and steel plate has to be removed from the press, care-
fully wiped dry, then polished with whiting, then inked, and all the
ink rubbed off save that contained in the minute lines of the enfrrav-
ing, then put on to the press and the fibre paper laid on it expertly,
some idea may be obtained of the labor necessary to print the num-
ber of sheets required each day. There is, indeed, no time allowed
for loitering. To print a bank-note, three impressions are necessarv.
First, the centre picture or design on the back is printed ; then the
border for the back, and then the face of the note. The sheets
printed on each press bear the name of the pressman, and all bad
impressions — those too light or too dark, or defaced in any way —
are thrown out by the examiners, and recorded to the discredit of
the pressman.
In the second story are the examining, lettering and numbering,,
and counting divisions. When the sheets of currency come from
the press-room they are closely inspected by the examiners to detect
imperfections, and those that are imperfect are thrown out and sent
to the redemption bureau of the Treasury to be finally counted and
destroyed. The perfect sheets are passed over to the employes in
charge of the lettering and numbering machines, and the letters and
numbers belonging to the series are printed on each note. When
this process is finished the clean, crisp notes are given into the hands
of a large force of women, who count them with marvelous celerity,
after which they are taken to the basement story, where the red seal
of the government is stamped on them. The new-made paper dol-
lars are then deposited in the vaults of the bureau until they shall be
1 86 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
conveyed to the Treasury in the guarded treasure-wagons. It re-
quires about twenty-eight days to complete a lot of bank-notes of
small denominations, aggregating five million dollars — certainly a
very short time to make so much money. The government is con-
tinually obliged to print new currency with which to redeem the worn-
out notes that are all the time being sent to the Treasury by the
national banks to be exchanged.
While the employes in the several divisions of the bureau are
working, they are under the strict surveillance of officials stationed
here and there throughout the rooms. Around each room is a high,
closely-woven wire screen, completely enclosing the employes, and
rendering it impossible for an}^ of them to pass the sheets of cur-
rency to persons who may come into the corridors, even if they were
so disposed. At the close of working hours no one is permitted to
leave the building until the heads of the divisions have reported to
the chief of the bureau that every printed and unprinted sheet, and
ever}^ stamp, die, and plate have been properly accounted for.
The engraving division, in the basement, is fitted up with the best
appliances for executing the fine plates required. Here is a massive
vault used as a depository for all the plates and rolls, which at night
are securely locked in it. The engravers are guarded by watchmen,
lazily sitting in comfortable arm-chairs a few steps off', who keep their
eves fixed on the blocks of steel and copper being engraved, for
here, as in the other divisions, all the employes are under surveil-
lance verv much as if they were inmates of a prison.
The Register of the Treasury, who has charge of the account-
books wherein all the receipts and expenditures of the government
are recorded, and the Comptroller of the Currency, who has charge
of the national banks and their circulating notes, are important offi-
cials, and their divisions have numerous officials and employes. The
Register has a salary of $4,000 per year, and the assistant register
$2,250; the Comptroller has $5,000, and the deputy-comptroller,
$2,800. The departments of Customs and Internal Revenue are
very extensive. The Commissioner of Customs has a salary of
$4,000, and the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, $6,000. The
Director of the Mint, who has the supervision of the mints and assay
offices, has a salary of $4,500.
A large amount of important and very beneficial work is performed
by the Secret Service Office, which is in charge of a chief with a sal-
ary of $3,500, who reports to the Solicitor of the Treasury. Counter-
THE SECRET SERVICE.
187
HI II IJI\<,
leiting, and the numeious
cunning devices employed to traud-
ulently obtain money and lands
from the 'government, are investigated by the Secret Service agents,
and evidence obtained to convict offenders. The office rooms in the
Treasury Building contain an extensive museum of counterfeit bank-
notes and coins, and the plates, dies, and moulds used by counter-
feiters, and there are also collections of photographs of the fraternity.
The office keeps a thorough record of cases and of men, and it can
furnish the fullest information concerning hundreds of persons who
are ranked among the dangerous classes. It is thought that the
Secret Service does remarkably good work in the suppression of
counterfeiting, when the extent of the country and the wide variety
of the government money are considered. Many of the most skilled
bank-note counterfeiters have been given long terms of imprison-
ment, and those who are at liberty are kept, as far as possible, under
close surveillance. The greatest difficulty the Secret Service now
has to contend with is the counterfeiting of silver coins, which is
largely increasing, and proving very annoying to the government, as
1 88 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
well as a matter of considerable loss to the public. Counterfeiters
of silver money now pay great attention to the mixing of their metals,
and the plating of the coin, and consequently the detection of the coun-
terfeits is very difficult. There are imitations of the silver dollar and
half-dollar in the possession of the Secret Service which are almost as
perfect as the coins made in the United States mints, in weight, size,
ring, and general appearance.
Unceasing efforts are made to discover the counterfeiters who work
so much mischief. Not long since an entire family was captured in
Vermont, — father, mother, sons and daughters, and even the aged
grandsire, — all diligently laboring at the nefarious business. The
coin-testers in the mints, whose duty it is to test each coin received,
furnish a good deal of the information as to the counterfeits, particu-
larly those which deceive bank officials and experts. A coin must
be quite perfect to pass their test. They balance the coin on the
top of the middle linger, and lightly tap its rim with the forefinger.
Thousands of coins are tested by them, and they acquire wonderful
skill, readily detecting the slightest false ring or "rote," as they term
it. Counterfeit coins are also analyzed in the Treasury assay office,
and their qualities given to the Secret Service agents, to aid them in
their work.
The attic of the Treasury Building consists of a series of capa-
cious rooms, halls, and corridors. Many of the rooms are filled with
documents relating to the department and its multifarious transactions
during the past threescore years. There are tons of written and
printed papers — cases reaching to the roof filled with reports, vouch-
ers, letters, books, records, certificates of deposit, some of them yel-
low with age. In this vast documentary museum'^are hundreds of
curious relics of by-gone days.
CHAPTER XII.
WAR AND NAVY DEPARTMENTS - THE VARIOUS DIVISIONS — HEADQUARTERS
OF THE ARMY — THE MILITARY FORCE — ARMY MEDICAL MUSEUM — THE
WEATHER BUREAU AND ITS MODE OF OPERATION —THE SOLDIERS' HOME
— NAVAL AFFAIRS — THE NAVY YARD— THE NATIONAL OBSERVATORY.
THE War Department has charge of the military service of
the government, and is under the direction of the Secretary
of War. It occupies the northern portion of the State, War,
and Navy Building, with several divisions located elsewhere
in Washington. It has been an executive department since 1789.
The divisions are, the office of the Secretary of War, the Headquar-
ters of the Army, the departments of the Adjutant-General, Inspector-
General, Qiiartermaster- General, Commissary -General, Surgeon-
General, and Paymaster-General ; the Corps of Engineers, the Ord-
nance Department, the Bureau of Military Justice, the Signal Office,
the Bureau of War Records, etc. The department, in addition to the
charge of military affairs, has the management and control of numer-
ous matters that are not stricdy warlike. Among the number are
the manifold river and harbor improvements throughout the United
States, the government exploradons and geographical surveys, the
various public works, the gathering and promulgation of the weather
reports, and the national cemeteries and asylums. It is a vast estab-
lishment, requiring a host of workers and an enormous yearly ex-
penditure to maintain it. In some recent years the disbursements
have amounted to about fifty millions of dollars. Every year the
army and its adjuncts require the expenditure of nearly $29,000,000,
the salaries and expenses of the department amount to $2,400,000,
and from ten to twenty millions are expended for public works.
THE WAR DEPARTMENT. 191
The Secretary of War is a Cabinet minister, and receives $8,000
per year. He has a chief clerk with a salary of $2,500, a disburs-
ing clerk with $2,000, a stenographer with $1,800, and three chiefs
of divisions with $2,000 each. His office is provided with fifty- six
clerks and numerous other employes. The chief clerk has the gen-
eral superintendence, is in charge of the correspondence, and acts
as a medium between the Secretary and the heads of the sub-depart-
ments. The several military bureaus have many employes, and are
part of the army establishment, the chiefs being officers of the regu-
lar army.
The old War Department building, so familiar to thousands of
soldiers of the volunteer army during the Rebellion, was demolished
in 1879. ^^ stood where the northern wing of the State, War, and
Navy Building now stands, and had a history going back to Presi-
dent Monroe's time. It was a three-story brick structure with a huge
pordco of marble pillars, and in front of it were a number of grand
old trees, among the largest and finest in Washington. When it was
proposed to cut down these trees there was an earnest protest from
army officers, but the new building required the space, and the
woodman could not " spare the axe."
In the present palatial building the department offices are all very
spacious and magnificent. The apartments used by the Secretary of
War are artistically decorated and richly furnished. They are in the
second story, fronting on Pennsylvania Avenue. The Secretary sits at
a handsomely carved mahogany desk, with his private secretary and
his stenographer near at hand. In the early part of the day he re-
ceives members of Congress, the chiefs of the sub-departments, and
those whose business renders an interview necessar}'. The afternoon
is devoted to an examination of the reports and papers submitted to
him for approval. It is his duty to make a careful study of the public
business pertaining to the important department he controls, and to
ascertain the most correct and efficient methods of doing it. No man,
it is declared, can master the details of this department who does not
give his nights, as well as his days, to their study ; and unless the
details are mastered, a Secretary of War can never fully understand
the questions he has to decide, or be competent to give proper advice
to the President.
In one of the rooms of the Secretary's office is a collection of
portraits of past Secretaries of War, and in other rooms are portraits
of famous soldiers and a series of well-painted battle-scenes. The
192 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
office library is contained in a finely embellished room. It consists
of 3,000 works of reference, and 15,000 miscellaneous works, which
are freely circulated among army officers and the department em-
ployes. In addition to this library, the various sub-departments and
bureaus all have special libraries, consisting of works treating of the
matters they are occupied with, and many of these libraries are large
and valuable.
The rooms used for the headquarters of the army are very hand-
somely furnished. They are occupied by the Lieutenant-General in
command of the army, his aides-de-camp, and clerks. Here reports
are daily received, and the numerous details appertaining to the su-
pervision of the military force are attended to. The regular army
consists of over two thousand commissioned officers, and 23,000 en-
listed men, and is divided into twenty-five regiments of infantry, ten
regiments of cavalry, and five regiments of artillery. Three hundred
:scouts, engaged in Indian warfare on the plains of the far West, are
also part of the army organization. There are nine military depart-
ments throughout the United States. The pay of the Lieutenant-
General is $11,000 per year. Major-generals receive $7,500, brig-
adier-generals $5,500, colonels $3,500, lieutenant-colonels $3,000,
majors $2,500, captains from $1,800 to $2,000, and lieutenants from
$1,400 to $1,600. After five years' service the pay of officers below
the rank of general is increased from ten to forty per cent., accord-
ing to length of service. All commissioned officers are retired from
service on three-quarters pay when they reach the age of sixty-four.
Enlisted men are paid from $13 to $21 per month.
In the army headquarters are portraits of the commanders-in-
chief, from Washington to Sheridan. There have been nineteen
commanders from 1775 to the present time, but Congress has con-
ferred the full title of General on only three of them — Washington,
Grant, and Sherman. General Washington received the honor a
short time before his death, in 1799, when he was placed in command
of the army, in expectation of a war with France ; and in 1866 Con-
gress revived the title as a special honor for General Grant. When
General Sherman became commander he also received the title.
Lieutenant-General Winfield Scott was commander from June, 1841,
to November, 1861, and General William T. Sherman from March,
1869, to November, 1883. These were the longest terms of service.
The department of the Adjutant-General is a very busy place.
Here are five hundred clerks and other employes, for whose salaries
THE WAR DEPARTMENT. 193
the sum of $691,000 is annually appropriated. Two hundred of
the clerks are constantly engaged in preparing reports to expedite
the settlement of pension claims. The muster-rolls and papers relat-
ing to enlistments and discharges are kept in this department. The
Adjutant-General publishes the orders in regard to military affairs,
issues commissions, and has charge of the army discipline. There
are four assistant adjutants-general.
Another large and important department is that of the Quarter-
master-General, which provides the means of transportation by land
and water of troops and the materials of war. It furnishes horses for
the artillery and cavalry, and all the clothing, tents, camp and gar-
rison equipage for the army ; builds barracks, hospitals, store-houses,
bridges, etc., and also has charge of the eighty-one national ceme-
teries in various parts of the country, in which soldiers are buried.
It yearly expends from ten to fifteen millions of dollars.
The Paymaster-General is charged with pa3ang the army and the
military academy. He has an office force of fifty persons, and an-
nually disburses over thirteen millions of dollars.
The Bureau of War Records has published seven volumes of
records of the Civil War, and has other volumes in course of prep-
aration. Records of the Union army, from 1861 to 1865, have been
gathered from all sources with diligent and persevering labor, and a
great collection of records of the Confederate service has also come
into the possession of the bureau. Search is constantly being made
throughout the Southern States, by special agents, for original docu-
ments relating to the war, and frequently very valuable Confederate
papers are discovered.
Carefully preserved in the Bureau of Military Justice are a num-
ber of relics of the Lincoln assassination. They include the pistol
with which the President was shot, the fatal bullet, flattened by con-
tact with his skull, the bowie-knife that the assassin brandished, and
the hat he wore, and other articles associated with the historic event.
The bureau is under the supervision of the Judge-Advocate-General,
and has charge of the proceedings of courts-martial and courts of
inquiry, and furnishes reports on various matters submitted to it by
the Secretary of War.
The department of the Surgeon-General is ver}^ extensive, and
his offices are full of industrious workers. He has over four hundred
clerks, the majority of whom are engaged upon matters concerning
the settlement of pension applications. Besides having the care of
13
194 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
the health of the army — the medical and hospital department — the
Surgeon-General has possession of the enormous collection of records
relating to the disability and the death of soldiers, from the first organ-
ization of the army of the United States to the present time, and from
these records are compiled the reports used by the Commissioner of
Pensions in determining the merits of claims for pensions. There are
nearly nineteen thousand volumes of hospital registers, classified and
indexed ; and thousands of volumes of records containing the names
of deceased soldiers, as well as an immense collection of documents
pertaining to the medical and surgical history of every w^ar that this
country has known. The records of the Civil War are very com-
plete. They were begun during its progress, and were continued
afterward for a number of years, requiring in their compilation re-
markable patience, perseverance, and skillful application to details.
The registers in the possession of the Surgeon-General contain the
names of more than seven millions of sick, wounded, and deceased
soldiers, and nearly half the names are arranged in convenient form
for every-da}' reference.
The record and pension division of the Surgeon-General's depart-
ment is located in the historic building on Tenth Street, formerly
known as Ford's Theatre, and now as the Army Medical INIuseum.
In this building President Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes
Booth, on the evening of April 14, 1865. The government took the
building for its present purpose at the suggestion of the late Surgeon-
General Joseph K. Barnes, who founded the Army Medical Museum,
and began the great Medical and Surgical History of the War of
the Rebellion, three volumes of which have been published. On
the second floor is the library of the department, which is considered
to be the largest and best collection of medical works in the world.
In the cases are over fifty thousand volumes and nearl}- seventy thou-
sand pamphlets, some of them very ancient. The}' are in mau}^ lan-
guages, and constitute a thorough history of medicine and surgery,
from the earliest times. The library can be used gratuitously by
physicians, and is much resorted to, many physicians coming from
distant parts of the country to consult its rare and precious books.
On the third floor is the Army Medical Museum, an institution
which has no counterpart in Europe or America. It has obtained
great celebrity, and is visited by thousands of people every 3'ear.
Visitors are freely allowed to inspect its immense collections, and in
one recent year the names of 13,250 people were registered. The
THE MEDICAL MUSEUM.
195
THE WEATHER BUREAU ,
museum contains thorough illustrations of the diseases of armies, of
the casualties of battle, and of military surgery. The illustrations
comprise over twent}^ thousand specimens taken from life, and arranged
in systematic series. It is a very interesting exhibition, even to the
non- professional, and furnishes many instructive object-lessons.
The display of surgical instruments and appliances is very large,
and includes the ancient as well as the modern ; and there is a large
collection of models of barracks, ambulances, railroad cars for the
sick and wounded, etc. The anatomical divisions are full and finely
arranged. . A great deal of pains is taken with the museum, and
yearly its unsurpassed collections are considerably increased.
In Winder's Building, on Seventeenth Street, opposite the State,
196 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
War, and Navy Building, is the Ordnance Museum, which contains
a large, novel, and interesting exhibit of military articles, including
many relics of the Civil War. Here the instruments of war can be
studied to advantage, and much useful information readily obtained.
The collections of arms comprise everything known to America, with
considerable of foreign manufactuVe, and fully illustrate the various
stages of advancement.
The Signal Office, better known as the "Weather Bureau," is
located on G Street northwest. It occupies a brick edifice, which is
conspicuous by reason of the numerous appliances on its roof, used
for registering the velocity of the wind, for ascertaining the rain-fall,
etc. This bureau is in charge of a chief signal officer, who is a
brigadier-general of the regular army. He has several officers of
the army as assistants, a chief clerk, a force of scientific experts,
draughtsmen, and others, together with many clerks, copyists, mes-
sengers, etc. Throughout the United States there are three hundred
and seventy-six signal stations, in charge of nineteen officers and five
hundred men of the signal corps of the army, and each station is
provided with the best instruments for the "weather service" — for
observing and accurately recording the constant variations of the
weather. From one hundred and thirty-nine of these stations tele-
graphic reports are sent daily to Washington ; the others report by
mail.
The Signal Office receives reports from the trained observers three
times in every twenty-four hours — at 7 a. m., 3 p. m., and at mid-
night. These reports contain full particulars of the weather in the
different districts. Seventeen stations in Canada, one in St. Johns,
Newfoundland, and one in another part of British America, send re-
ports ; and, in the seasons of tropical storms, reports by telegraph are
daily received from six stations in the West Indies. Over three hun-
dred voluntary observers also send reports by mail. The lines of the
regular telegraph companies are used, and besides, various military
and sea-coast telegraph lines owned by the government. The reports
from all the stations in the United States, Canada, and the West Indies,
which give telegraphic service, are received inside of thirty minutes,
Washington time. The first synchronous weather reports were made
on the first of November, 1870, and since then the service has reached
a high state of perfection. The display of cautionary signals at x\mer-
ican ports was begun in October, 1871.
The weather reports are telegraphed from the signal stations to
THE WEATHER BUREAU.
197
Washington by means of a secret code, a few figures conveying a large
amount of information. A " translator" takes the telegrams in hand
and carefully reads them off to eight clerks, each of whom has a
special weather map before him, on which he marks the particular
readings he has been instructed to take. Afterward these eight maps
are combined in one general map, which will fully represent all the
phases of the weather in the United States and Canada at the hour the
reports were sent. This map is closely studied by the assistant sig-
nal officer detailed for the purpose, — the assistants alternating in the
work, each one serving thirty days at a time, — the "• storm-centi^e " is
located, the probable course of storms determined, and finally the
"weather indications" are made up for the East and West, the North
and South, and given to the agent of the associated press for trans-
mission to the newspapers of the country.
The completed weather map, which is the finest of the kind issued
in the world, is lithographed by the Signal Office, and copies of it
THE SOLDIERS HOME.
198 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
are distributed every morning in the sections easily reached from
Washington. In order that the map may have a more extended cir-
culation, certain parties in prominent cities east, west, and south are
also charged with its publication by authority of the War Depart-
ment, and the daily "plan of make-up" is telegraphed to them by an
efficient system, which enables them to issue an exact copy of the map
printed in Washington. Thus it is possible to obtain a weather map
hundreds of miles from the Signal Office, by noon of the day of its
date.
A large amount of meteorological work is done by the Signal
Office, and its records are very precise and voluminous. It publishes
a magazine called The Monthly Weather Review, which contains
papers on meteorology by eminent scientists, and much valuable in-
formation for those interested in "the weather."
The United States Barracks (formerlv know^n as the Arsenal) are
situated on a tract of sixt3'-nine acres in the southerly part of Wash-
ington, at Greenleaf Point, where the waters of the Anacostia flow
into the Potomac River. This military station was established in
1803. The grounds are finely laid out.
A SHORT distance from Washington, on the Rock Creek road, is
the Soldiers' Home, a most beautiful sylvan retreat where the aged
and invalid soldiers of the regular army can pass their days in peace
and comfort. There are few finer rural estates in the land, and it is
often called "the Central Park of Washington," as it is constantly
open to the public, and over its five hundred acres of beautifully
diversified hill and dale, ever}^ one can wander at will, enjoying the
charming views and attractive surroundings. Within the grounds
there are seven miles of drives on broad, well-made roads, shaded in
summer by gigantic oaks with luxuriant leafage ; and there are lakes
with swans, long stretches of meadow-lands, handsome arbors perched
on hills, whence can be obtained delightful prospects of the country
for several miles ; ornate villas, statuary, and various adornments.
It is, indeed, a pleasing spot, with plentiful means for peaceful enjoy-
ment, and, doubtless, many a "weary pilgrim on life's devious course,"
as he strolls through these grounds almost envies the superannuated
warriors their privilege of residing here.
The Soldiers' Home was founded in 1851, not long after the Mex-
ican War, and was suggested by Gen. Winfield Scott. Congress
appropriated $118,719, the balance remaining of the sum General
THE SOLDIERS' HOME.
199
Scott had obtained from the City of Mexico as indemnity for the
violation of the truce, for a fund to estabHsh the institution, and the
fund was further augmented by levying a tax of twelve cents a month
on the pay of the enlisted men of the regular army. The money
received by the government from fines, forfeitures of pay, etc., of the
soldiers was also devoted to the purpose. At present the fund
amounts to over $800,000, and the yearly receipts from all sources
are nearly $150,000. The government also holds more than one
million dollars accruing from forfeitures of pay of deserters from the
army, and from the money of deceased soldiers which has remained
unclaimed for three years, and as soon as the complicated army ac-
counts can be adjusted, this great sum will be turned over to the Home.
Soldiers of the regular army who have served faithfully for twenty
years, or who have been disabled in service, are entitled to a residence
in the Home for the remainder of their lives. There are over six
hundred inmates, who are not subject to any strict regulations, but
are well fed. and clothed, tenderly cared for while sick, and who spend
their time in a very comfortable, pleasant manner. The institution
is directed by a superintendent and various officials, and is under the
supervision of a board of high army officers, at the head of which is
the Lieutenant-General of the Army.
The main building is of white marble, and has a frontage of two
hundred feet, with a wing of sixty feet, and a tall central tower. It is
two stories in height, and is fashioned after the Norman order of archi-
tecture. On the grounds are several elegant marble cottages, occupied
by the officials ; a pretty church of Seneca stone ; a capacious hospital
building with wide piazzas, from which charming views of Washington
and the Potomac (San be had ; a fine library building, well stocked
with books and periodicals, and numerous other structures. On the
brow of one of the hills stands a bronze statue of General Scott by
Launt Thompson, erected in 1874 ^^ ^ ^^^^ ^^ $18,000. The entire
estate is enclosed by a low stone wall, surmounted by a small iron
fence of handsome design. Fifty acres are under cultivation, and fine
crops of fruits and vegetables are raised.
Near the main building is a large cottage used by the Presidents
of the United States as a summer residence. It is surrounded by
noble trees, and has a very attractive appearance. Buchanan w^as the
first President to pass the summer here, and Lincoln, Johnson, Hayes,
and Arthur have lived on this o-rand estate.
200 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
The Navy Department is directed by the Secretary of the Navy,
who is a member of the Cabinet, and is required to execute the com-
mands of the President in regard to the naval estabhshment. Like
the other Cabinet ministers, his compensation is $8,000 per year. He
has a chief clerk at a salary of $2,500, a disbursing clerk at $2,250,
a stenographer at $1,600, and other clerks and employes whose total
salaries amount to $40,000 per year. The department occupies the
eastern portion of the State, War, and Nav}^ Building, and has finely
embellished suites of rooms. The Secretary's office is decorated in
Greek style, and furnished very handsomely. During the customary
business hours the Secretary is to be found at his desk attending to
the many affairs with which he is charged, receiving callers, and
listening to reports from the different bureaus of the department.
These bureaus are as follows : Yards and Docks, Navigation, Ord-
nance, Provision and Clothing, Medicine and Surgery, Construction
and Repairs, Equipment and Recruiting, and Steam Engineering.
Each bureau is in charge of a high officer of the navy, and is pro-
vided with a numerous force of officials and employes.
At present the navy consists of thirty-seven cruising war-vessels,
" creditable in their appearance, well adapted for ordinary naval
exercises, and useful for displaying the national flag upon the seas
and in the harbors of the commercial world." But they are of low
speed and mostly built of wood, and gradually will be replaced by
new iron or steel ships, constructed in the very best manner. There
are also numerous steamers and small craft, and thirteen monitors, or
armored vessels, mostly laid up since their use in the Civil War, but
kept in good condition. In the service at sea and on shore there are
over eighteen hundred naval officers, and there are also over three
hundred officers on the retired list. The seamen number over seven
thousand, and the apprentices 950. The marine corps has 2,077
officers and enlisted men. The pay of the Admiral of the Navy is
$13,000 per year, and of the' Vice-Admiral, $9,000. Rear-admirals
are paid $6,000, commodores $5,000, captains $4,500, commanders
$3,500, and lieutenant-commanders from $2,800 to $3,000. Lieu-
tenants are paid from $2,000 to $2,600, and masters from $1,800 to
$2,000. The pay of seamen is $258, and of ordinary seamen $210.
Over seven million dollars are annually paid to the naval force.
The maintenance of the Navy Department requires the yearly
expenditure of from fifteen to twenty million dollars, the amount de-
pending very much on the construction of new vessels. Provisions
THE NAVY YARD.
20I
THE NAVAL OBSERVATORY.
for the navy cost $2,200,000 per year; coal and various articles of
equipment, $1,000,000, and the expenses of the bureaus of the de-
partment are $250,000.
The hydrographic office, under the direction of the Bureau of
Navigation, supplies the navy with charts, its surveying work cover-
ing all the navigable w^aters of the globe, with the exception of those
of the United States, which are surve^^ed and chartered by the United
States Coast Survey, a bureau of the Treasury Department. It pub-
lishes a series of charts for the benefit of navigators, and also numer-
ous volumes of sailing directions, and other information of great value
to those whose business is on the mighty deep. A large force of
draughtsmen, engravers, and copper-plate printers is employed in
producing the charts and volumes. One of the largest chart printing-
presses in the world is to be found in this office.
In 1855 the Bureau of Navigation began the publication of the
American Ephemcris and JVautical Almanac, which is regarded
as a standard authority, both here and in Europe. It is published
three years in advance of the time for which it is required. An
able staff of scientists devote themselves to the difficult labor of mak-
202 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
ing the computations. The first part of the work is designed for
the use of navigators, and is adapted to the meridian of Greenwich.
It contains ephemerides of the sun, moon, principal planets, and fixed
stars. The second part is for the use of astronomers on land, for
surveyors and scientific men generally, and is adapted to the meridian
of Washington.
The Bureau of Yards and Docks has charge of the navy yards
throughout the United States. There are eight of these yards, the
principal one being at Brooklyn, New York. They have great
docks, work-shops, and store-houses, and the most approved machin-
ery for constructing and repairing ships, and for the manufacture of
ordnance, cordage, and all naval equipments. The yard in Wash-
ington was established in 1804, and for many years some of the best
ships in the navy were constructed in it. Of late, how^ever, it has
been chiefly used for the manufacture of naval supplies. Here are
manufactin-ed all the chain cables and anchors used in the navy, and
all the ordnance, such as rifles, breech-loading guns, howitzers and
boat-guns, and many other articles entering into the construction and"
equipment of vessels of war. The yard is situated at the termination
of Eighth Street east, about a mile from the Capitol, and covers nearly
twenty-eight acres. It lies on the banks of the Anacostia River, and
has a fine water frontage. It is in charge of a commodore, who has
a staff of naval officers as assistants. Visitors will find numerous ob-
jects of interest in the yard. The work-shops, museum, laboratory,
monitors and ships of war can be inspected. The museum contains
many naval relics, and a large collection of arms, torpedoes, and mar-
itime appliances.
The extensive Marine Barracks are situated on Eighth Street, a
short distance from the navy yard. They were constructed at a
cost of $350,000, and are the headquarters of the marine corps,
which is an adjunct to the naval force.
Located on the hill where General Braddock's troops encamped
in 1755, is the United States Naval Observatory, or, as it is also
called, the National Observatory. It is on the government reserva-
tion of nineteen acres bounded by Twentj'-third, Twenty-fourth, and
Twenty-fifth streets and the Potomac River, and stands about ninety-
six feet above tide-water. The structure is surmounted by a large
dome, and has two wings. The observatory is in charge of the Bu-
reau of Navigation, and its superintendent is a vice-admiral of the
NAVAL OBSERVATORY.
203
navy. It was established in 1842, and now ranks among the foremost
observatories in the world. Here is the great twenty-six inch equa-
torial telescope, one of the largest and most powerful ever constructed.
It was mounted in 1S73, and cost $47,000. It rests upon a solid found-
ation of masonry deeply embedded in the earth, and, with its base,
weighs six tons. The dome in which it is placed is forty-one feet in
diameter, and forty feet in height. The observatory has also a nine
and one-half inch equatorial telescope, set in a dome twent}'-three
feet in diameter, and twenty feet high. These far-reaching instru-
ments are used for much of the difficult and important astronomical
work for which this observatory is famous. A transit circle, with an
object-glass of 8.22 inches, is used for observations of the sun and
moon, and some of the planets. The best apparatus is to be found
in the observatory, and from month to month a large amount of labor
is performed in the way of astronomical researches and computa-
tions.
ALONG THE CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL.
THE METROPOLITAN M. E. CHURCH.
CHAPTER XIII.
THE POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT — ORGANIZATION OF THE POSTAL SERVICE —
THE CONTRACT DIVISION — BIDDING FOR THE " STAR" ROUTES — THE DEAD-
LETTER OFFICE — ITS PECULIAR WORK, AND ITS WORKERS — MONEY-ORDER
OFFICE— POSTAL FACTS AND FIGURES.
THE Post-Office Department occupies a marble building sit-
uated on the square between Seventh and Eighth, and E
and F streets northwest. The building is of "the delicate
Corinthian order, and is a notable example of architectural
grace and beauty. Its fagades are ornamented with monolithic col-
umns and pilasters, with beautiful capitals, and the architrave, frieze,
and cornice are designed in pure classic style. It is three hundred
feet from north to south, and two hundred and four feet from east to
west. It has two stories resting upon a rustic basement, with deep,
spacious vaults below. That portion on E Street was erected of New
York marble in 1839, fro^n designs by Robert Mills. In 1855 the
building was extended over the entire square, the extensions being
designed by Thomas U. Walter, and constructed of Marvland mar-
ble. The cost of construction was nearly two million dollars. The
building contains eighty-five apartments excellently arranged for the
postal business, and most of them are elegantly decorated and fur-
nished.
By the Constitution of the United States, Congress was given the
right "to establish post-offices and post-roads." The office of Post-
master-General was created in 1789, and the General Post-Office was
established in 1794. On the 2d of March, 1799, Congress passed an
act to establish the General Post-Office in Washington. The depart-
ment has had a marvelous growth. Fifty years ago there were 10,693
2o6 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
post-offices throughout the country, and the revenue from them was
only $2,823,749. At present there are 47,863 post-offices, and the
yearly revenue of the department is over $45,000,000. To carry
on the postal service requires the assistance of 67,000 persons.
The site of the Post-Office Building was originally occupied in
the early da3^s of Washington by a large brick structure erected for a
hotel by a sanguine speculator, who believed that the new capital
would rapidl}' become a great city. Before the hotel was finished his
funds gave out, and the building was offered as a prize in a lottery,
and drawn by two orphan children to whom the lucky ticket had been
presented b}^ a friend. They were without means to finish it, and it
was suffered to remain in an unfinished state for nearly ten years.
Here the first play ever given in the city was performed by a troupe
of strolling players, some of whom afterward achieved distinction on
the American stage. It was used now and then as a theatre until
i8io,W"hen the government purchased and completed it, using it for
the post-office, and also to store the first collections of patent models
ever made. When the British invaders burned the public buildings
in 1814, this one was spared through the efibrts of Dr. William Thorn-
ton, then in charge of the patent business. He appealed to the
soldiers sent to destroy it, who were his countrymen, and succeeded
in persuading them to stay the work of destruction until the next day.
Then the troops had left the cit}-, and this building was the only pub-
lic one to which the incendiary torch had not been applied. Con-
gress held one session in it after the burning of the Capitol, and the
post-office occupied the first story until Dec. 15, 1836, when a fire
completely destroyed it. In the fire were consumed the collections of
the patent office, stored in the second story, which numbered over
four thousand models, the accumulation of nearly half a centur3^ A
private building was then rented for the post-office, and was used
until the present building was erected.
The Postmaster-General, who has the supervision of the affairs of
the Post-Office Department, is a member of the Cabinet, and receives
$8,000 per year. There are three assistant postmasters-general,
appointed by the President, who receive $4,000 each. The Postmas-
ter-General has a chief clerk at $2,200, a stenographer at $1,800, an
appointment clerk at $1,800, a law clerk at $2,500, and a dozen or so
other employes for the special business of his office. He appoints all
postmasters for offices to which a salar}^ of not more than $1,000
is attached. The other postmasters come within the "Presidential
THE POST-OFFICE DEPARTMENT. 207
classes," and are appointed by the President. They number 2,175,
with total salaries of $3,750,000. The office of the Postmaster-
General is a richly furnished apartment ; near it are the offices of
the assistant postmasters-general — large, elegant apartments.
The bureau of the first assistant postmaster-general has live divis-
ions, viz. : the appointment division, the bond division, the salary- and
allowance division, the free deliver}' division, and the blank agency
division. The bureau acts upon the establishment of new post-offices,
and the appointment of postmasters, postal clerks, agents, and others ;
attends to the bonds required, has the supervision of the free delivery
.system, adjusts the salaries of postmasters, considers allowances for
the various expenditures of post-offices, and furnishes the greater part
of what are called " department supplies." A large amount of busi-
ness is transacted in the different divisions, and seventy-five officials
and clerks are employed. In regard to the free delivery system it
may be said that it is now in use in one hundred and fifty-four cities,
and requires the services of 3,680 letter-carriers, whose 3'earh' salaries
amount to more than $3,000,000. The postmasters of the countrv
are annually paid over $12,000,000, and postal clerks, $4,900,000.
Few persons are aware of the magnitude of the postal business,
parti cularl}^ that portion of it relating to the transportation of the mails.
The transportation service is in charge of the second assistant post-
master-general, and the three divisions of his bureau are known as
the contract division — familiarl}- called the "contract office," — the
inspection division, and the mail equipment division. To transact
the business of this bureau requires one hundred employes.
The " star service," or the " star routes " as they are usually called,
is that portion of the mail transportation not covered by railroads and
steamboats. In the endeavor of the Post-Office Department to furnish
all communities with mail facilities, use is made of private conveyances
in sections of the countr}', particularlv in the far West, where there
are no railroads or steamboats. The mails are carried over these
special or star routes by contractors who make bids for the service,
and furriish the horses and wagons and the persons required. These
routes number very nearly 8,000, and are mostly in the western and
southwestern states and the territories. Their yearly cost is upwards
of five million dollars, and their aggregate length is 226,865 niiles.
By these routes mails are carried to the mining camps, to the interior
villages, and to communities located awa^• from the great highways
of travel. The service is very useful and important, and has largel}''
aided in the settlement of the western countrv.
2o8 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
The contract office attends to all the mail lettings. The country
is divided into four postal sections, and bids are received and con-
tracts made for carrying the mails in one section every year. As
many as 100,000 bids will be received in some years. The depart-
ment has no discretion in the matter of mail lettings, as the law
directs that the routes shall be awarded in all cases to the lowest
bidders, if their bids are in proper form. Contracts for mail trans-
portation, after the acceptance of bids, must be filed in the depart-
ment within a certain time. If an accepted bidder fails to file his
contract by the time specified, he becomes a "failing bidder," and
the route is awarded to the next lowest bidder.
On the day fixed for closing the bids the Postmaster-General as-
signs three officials of the department to open and stamp all those
received. In the basement story of the post-office is a massive vault
in which all the bids are kept, and near at hand is a printing-press.
The three officials, aided by a force of clerks, first assort the bids by
states ; then the bids are opened and passed through the press, and
have imprinted on them the special seal of the department, which
shows the date they were opened. When all the bids have been
opened and stamped they are taken to the room of the chief clerk
of the contract office, where they are examined by clerks detailed
for the purpose, to see if they are proper in form. The amount is
then indorsed on the back of each bid, and then the bids are " listed"
or classified according to the routes, after which they are recorded
in route-books specially prepared.
After all this tedious and laborious work is done, the chief clerk
goes over the route-books and designates the lowest bidder for each
route. An acceptance is then prepared by the Postmaster-General
and sent to each lowest bidder, who executes a contract according to
the terms of the bid. The contracts are made in duplicate, and when
received, one is retained by the Postmaster-General, and the other is
sent to the Sixth Auditor of the Treasury, who has charge of the dis-
bursements of the Post-Office Department.
The railroad mail routes number nearly 1,400, and the yearly ex-
penditure for the transportation of mails over them is $13,000,000.
There are more than one hundred steamboat routes, which cost $625.-
000. The mail messenger service on the railroads is performed at a
cost of $800,000, and the railroad postal clerks are paid $3,700,000.
At present the railroad mail service is 110,208 miles in length.
The third assistant postmaster-general has charge of the follow-
THE DEAD-LETTER OFFICE.
209
THE GENERAL POST-OFFICE.
ing divisions : The division of finance, the division of postage-
stamps and stamped envelopes, the division of registered letters,
and the division of dead letters. It is the duty of this official to
pay the mail contractors, to c-oUect the postal revenues, to issue post-
age-stamps, stamped envelopes, and postal cards to the post-offices,
and to attend to the business connected with registered letters and
dead letters.
The Dead-Letter Office occupies a spacious apartment in the F
Street portion of the department building, and can be inspected by
visitors. The apartment has a wide galler}-, and is well lighted by a
glass roof and high, broad windows. The office has a chief with a
salary of $2,250, and a force of one hundred male and female clerks.
About 15,000 dead letters are received ever}^ day from the post-
offices of the countr}', and a great quantity of other mail-matter. All
the "• dead mail" is first examined by the cliief clerk and his assist-
ants, in order to ascertain if there is anvthing in it which has been
improperly sent to the office. This is a very needful practice, as
every day a number of letters are discovered properly addressed and
14
2IO PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
stamped, and which should have been delivered. By carelessness
on the part of postmasters and postal clerks, a letter plainly addressed
to a place, say in Pennsylvania, will be sent to a place, say in Texas.
The postmaster there, instead of forwarding it to the place to which it
is addressed, will retain it the customary time, and then send it to
the dead-letter office. These letters are taken out of the dead mail
and forwarded by the department to the post-offices to which they
should have gone in the first place, accompanied by an official order
to the postmasters that they shall request the parties claiming the
letters to allow the envelopes to be returned to Washington. The
envelopes thus obtained are put on record, and a reprimand is sent to
the postal officials through whose carelessness the mistakes occurred.
Upon an average, four thousand of these " careless letters" are dis-
covered every year.
When the dead letters have been examined by the chief clerk and
his assistants they are given into the hands of men sitting at long
tables, who deftly cut open each envelope with a sharp, long-bladed
knife, and examine the enclosure to ascertain if it contains any valua-
bles. If anything is found the finder makes a detailed record of it in
a small book lying at his hand, and the letter is put aside. Those
letters which contain nothing of value are passed over to a force of
women in the gallery, who search them to ascertain if they bear an
address by which they can be returned to the writers. If one is found
the department sends the letter back to the writer. The others are
consigned to the waste matter, which is taken at certain intervals to
West Washington, to a government structure, cut up, and thoroughly
reduced to pulp.
If a letter or parcel with anything of value contains an address it
is returned at once, but if there is no address the property is retained
for six months, and then is disposed of at auction, at what are termed
" sales of unclaimed and undeliverable mail-matter." A careful
record is made of the sales, and the amount received for any article
can be recovered upon application any time within four years.
A peculiarity of the dead-letter office is, that the letters are all
opened by elderly men, quite a number of whom are in the " sere
and yellow leaf" time of existence, with hair and beards fully frosted
by many winters. The parcels are all opened by elderly women.
It is only for the other work that young persons are employed. The
reason for this, it is said, comes from a belief that men and women
of mature age will be more conscientious in regard to valuables found
THE MONEY-ORDER OFFICE. 211
in the letters and parcels — that is, will not secrete anything they find.
It would be quite an easy matter for a person opening a letter or parcel
which contained a bank-note, or something else of value, to slyly
pocket it, and in a majority of the cases it would be difficult, if not
impossible, to detect the theft.
Great quantities of money are found. In one recent year 20,000
letters were opened that contained $45,000 in bank-notes. The arti-
cles found are of most every sort, and quite often they are of consid-
erable value. Checks, drafts, and money-orders yearly discovered
represent a value of more than two million dollars. Between thirty
and forty thousand photographs come into the office every year ;
and, strangest of all, nearly ten thousand letters annually appear in
the dead mail which have no address upon their envelopes.
The Money -Order Office is located in a high brick building adja-
cent to the Post-Office. It is in charge of a superintendent who has
a salar}^ of $3,500, and employs numerous clerks. Here the money-
orders that have been paid are received from all the money-order
offices in the United States, and from foreign countries. They are
classified, and then the accounts of postmasters in reference to the
money-order business are verified and audited. As the business is
very extensive and complicated, the accounts require the greatest of
care in their settlement. Over nine millions of American and foreign
money-orders are issued in a year, representing a value of $125,-
000,000.
No department of the government is better managed than that of
the post-office. The details of its immense business are thoroughly
attended to, its expenditures are usually very judicious, and its work-
ing system is constantly being improved to meet the public require-
ment.
CHAPTER XIV.
DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR — THE PATENT OFFICE AND MUSEUM OF
MODELS— THE PENSION OFFICE — ITS ENORMOUS EXPENDITURE AND BUSI-
NESS — GENERAL LAND OFFICE — HOW THE PUBLIC LANDS ARE DISPOSED
OF — BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS — BUREAU OF EDUCATION.
THE Department of the Interior was created b}' act of Con-
gress in 1849. It is an extensive and important branch ot
the pubHc service, and comprises the Patent Office, the Pen-
sion Office, the General Land Office, the Census Office, the
Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Education, the Office of the
Commissioner of Railroads, and the Office of the Geological Sur-
vey. It is under the supervision and control of the Secretary of the
Interior, who is a Cabinet minister, and has a compensation of $8,000
per year. The Secretary has also the general supervision of the
Capitol (through the office of the architect), the Government Print-
ing-Office, the Government Hospital for tlie Insane, and the Colum-
bia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb. Each office and bureau of
the Department of the Interior is managed by a commissioner or
director, who has his own force of otHcials and clerks.
The colossal structure known as the Patent Office, which extends
from Seventh to Ninth streets, and from F to G streets northwest, is
occupied by the Secretary of the Interior, and sundry bureaus of the
department. It stands upon a government reservation of four acres,
which was set apart by L'Enfant in his plan of Washington for a great
national church, and is four hundred and ten feet Irom east to west,
and two hundred and seventy-five feet from north to south. Its erec-
tion was begun in 1837, ^^^ the main division, which was constructed
of Virginia freestone and granite, was completed in 1842. An east
214 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
wing was added in 1853, and north and west wings some years later.
The east and west wings were constructed of marble from Maryland
quarries, and the north wing of granite. The building is of the Doric
order of architecture, has two stories and a rustic basement, and is
nearly seventy-five feet high. The main entrance is on F Street,
through a massive portico of two rows of huge columns, which was
designed after that of the Parthenon in Athens, and is precisely of the
same dimensions. A lofty flight of broad granite steps leads to the
portico. On the Seventh Street side is another great portico, and
smaller ones are on the north and west. There is an interior court-
yard ornamented with fountains and flower-beds. The building con-
tains nearly two hundred apartments, besides the extensive halls of
the Museum of Models. The architects were Robert Mills, who con-
structed the original portion, and Edward Clark, who constructed the
extensions. The cost of construction was $2,700,000.
There is an assistant secretary of the interior, with a salary of
$4,000, and the department oflice is provided with a chief clerk at
$2,750, a superintendent of documents at $2,000, six chiefs of divis-
ions at $2,000 each, and many clerks and employes. The Commis-
sioner of Patents has a salary of $4,500 ; the Commissioner of Pen-
sions, $5,000 ; the Commissioner of the Land Office, $4,000 ; the
Commissioner of Indian Affairs, $4,000 ; the Commissioner of Edu-
cation, $3,000; the Commissioner of Railroads, $4,500, and the Di-
rector of the Geological Survey, $6,000.
The Patent Office occupies many apartments of the build-
ing that bears its name, and employs a host of workers in its enor-
mous and constantly increasing business. It is not only self-sustain-
ing, but it is very profitable. In 1883 its receipts were more than one
million dollars, and the profits exceeded $500,000. There are up-
wards of 21,000 patents issued annually, covering nearly every con-
ceivable thing under the sun, and, in addition, there are hundreds
of caveats filed, and trade-marks and labels registered. The office
is divided into divisions, in each of which are examiners who have
charge of certain classes of inventions. When a patent is applied
for, these examiners make the necessary investigations, carefully ex-
amining the invention claimed to be new, and patiently and labori-
ously comparing it, part by part, with devices already patented, in
order to determine whether or not the application for a patent can be
granted. The principal examiners receive salaries of $2,400, and
THE PATENT OFFICE.
215
THE PATENT OFFICE.
the assistant examiners from $1,200 to $1,800. Three examihers-in-
chief, who supervise and finally decide as to the work of the others,
receive $3,000 each. An examiner in charge of interferences re-
ceives $2,500, and a trade-mark examiner, $2,400. All applications
for patents are classified as soon as received, and are taken up and
disposed of in regular order, as far as practicable. A patent con-
tinues for seventeen years, unless the article patented has been pre-
viously patented in a foreign countr}^ in which case the American
patent expires with the date of the foreign one.
Since 1872 the oflice has issued a weekly publication called The
Official Gazette, which takes the place of the old Patent Office Re-
■po7-t. It contains the claims of every patent issued, including the
reissues, with drawings illustrating the patents, the full list of designs
patented, and the decisions of the commissioner. The copies of the
monthly edition are authenticated by the official seal, and are received
as evidence in the United States courts. One copy of this edition is
sent to each state library, and one copy is deposited in the clerk's
office of each United States district court, for public reference. Sen-
ators and Representatives are also entitled to designate eight public
libraries in their states to which copies will be sent gratuitously.
2i6 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
A tine library is provided tor the use of inventors, and its rooms
on the lirst floor of the patent office are much frequented by that
chiss. Congress annually appropriates $5,000 for the purchase of
books. The library contains about twelve thousand volumes, com-
prising the best works published in all the lines of invention and
mechanics, and the collections of foreign publications are specially
valuable. The librarian has a salary of $2,000.
The numerous rooms used by the patent office are filled with
officials, examiners, draughtsmen, clerks, and copyists, busy as bees
investigating claims, comparing inventions, copying designs and speci-
fications, and otherwise attending to the multifarious business. There
are one hundred and forty-two examiners of patents, and over four
hundred clerks and other employes. Since 1838 the patent office
has accumulated a surplus of $2,700,000, which stands to its credit
on the books of the United States Treasury, and this surplus event-
ually mav be expended in the erection of a new building for its sole
use, as its present quarters are inadequate for the business.
The Museum of Models is contained in four lofty, magnificent
halls, extending throughout the second story of the department build-
ing. Here are to be seen 300,000 models of patented articles, ar-
ranged in classes and subdivisions, and filling hundreds of spacious
cases, all properly labeled and indexed. By means of these models
one can trace the progress of every line of industry, from crude de-
signs to the perfected machine, wonderful in construction and almost
human in action. Here is the result of the profound study of count-
less men diligently working in all the industrial fields through many
years, and it is a marvelous exhibition of human capability, and can
be inspected for hours, and even days, with plentiful profit and enjov-
ment.
The first collections of patent models, comprising everything re-
ceived by the government from 1790 to 1836, were entirely destroved
by fire when the Post-Office Building, in which they were stored, was
burned on Dec. 15, 1836. Shortly after this fire Congress enacted a
law for the better recording of patents, requiring models in every
proper case, and made the patent office a regular branch of the pub-
lic service, placing it in charge of a commissioner. Previous to that
time patents had been issued from the office of the Secretary of State,
under the direction of a clerk, who bore the title of superintendent
of patents. In 1877 a fire in the north and west halls of the present
THE PENSION OFFICE. 217
Museum of Models, originating among a collection of ancient docu-
ments, destroyed 80,000 models. These halls were afterward recon-
structed at a cost of $250,000.
The south hall of the museum is two hundred and forty-two feet
in length, and sixty-three feet in width, and the north, east, and west
halls are of nearly the same size. They are of handsome design,
and present many pleasing architectural features. The museum is
open daily, and visitors are allowed to gratuitously inspect the vast
collections of models contained in it.
The Pension Office is the largest bureau of the Department of
the Interior, and its yearly business is enormous. It is a very diffi-
cult bureau to administer, as it is constantly assailed by thousands of
dishonest people whose ingenious trickery in the invention and sub-
stantiation of claims might deceive the shrewdest and most careful of
officials. Bogus claims for pensions are so numerous that the proper
claims are very much delayed in their settlement, in consequence of
the great amount of time taken to detect the frauds. When it is con-
sidered that 510,938 claims were allowed from 1861 to 1883, and that
during the time the prodigious sum of $621,073,297 was disbursed,
the work of the office will be better appreciated. There are at pres-
ent nearly 304,000 pensioners on the rolls, and every year the names
of from 25,000 to 30,000 are added. Upwards of 275,000 claims are
pending. The Commissioner of Pensions has a large working force,
wliich is making all possible efforts to adjust the claims on file, but
it must be necessarily man}' years before all the rightful claimants for
pensions can receive what the government has directed to be paid.
The claims are now taken up in regular order, and no favoritism is
allowed in their consideration.
A careful estimate has been made by the pension office that there
were no less than 2,063,391 persons who entered the army and navy
during the Civil War. Of this number 304,369 died in battles, hos-
pitals, or otherwise ; 285,545 were discharged for disability, and there
were 128,352 deserters. On the istof May, 1865, the number in the
service was over 1,000,000, and previous to that time 328,187 had
been discharged on account of the expiration of their terms of en-
listment. Of this vast host applications for pensions have been made
by over 500,000 rendered invalids bv the war, and nearly 300,000 ap-
plications also have been made b}' those representing deceased sol-
2i8 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
diers and sailors. At present, it is estimated, that there are about 86,-
ooo of this class who have not yet presented claims, and that there
are nearly 1,000,000 survivors of the war who have never made ap-
plication for pensions — that is, there is this soldier and sailor popula-
tion in the United States out of which thousands of claims may come
in the future.
It will be seen by these figures that the pension office has plenty
of business on hand, and to come ; that it will require a large force
of employes to attend to it, and the expenditure of hundreds of mil-
lions during many future 3^ears to pay all the claims. The office
annually disburses over $30,000,000 for pensions, and as much more
for the arrears of pensions. All this money goes through the hands
of the eighteen pension agents in various sections of the United States
to the persons entitled to it. Each agent is assigned to a certain dis-
trict comprising one or more states, or parts of states. They give
bonds to the amount of $150,000, with justified security to the amount
of $300,000, and are allowed salaries of $4,000 each. They are
tried and trusty officials, and, although handling so many millions
of the government money in the course of a year, their accounts are
invariably exact to a dollar.
The pensions are from one dollar to one hundred dollars per
month, the last-named sum, however, being drawn by only one pen-
sioner. There are seven hundred and forty-five pensioners w^ho draw
seventy-two dollars per month, and four hundred and twenty-five who
draw fifty dollars. Over seven thousand draw tu^enty-four dollars,
and nearly thirteen thousand draw eighteen dollars. A great num-
ber draw from eight to fifteen dollars, and nearly forty-three thousand
only four dollars. There are eighteen thousand who are paid only
two dollars, and about sixteen hundred who have to be content with
one dollar per month.
The pension office has twelve divisions, each in charge of a chief
M'ith a salar}^ of $2,000. Twenty-two surgeons are employed, with
salaries from $1,800 to $2,500, and there are forty-two principal ex-
aminers at $2,000 each, a number of other officials, and about fifteen
hundred clerks and employes. The annual salary list of the office
is $1,945,000.
The pension office at present occupies a large brick building on
Pennsylvania Avenue, corner of Twelfth Street, which is rented b}'
the government, but early in 1885 it will remove to the new Pension
THE GENERAL LAND OFFICE.
219
NORTH IIAI.r., MUSEUM OF MODELS, PATENT OFFICE.
Building now in process of construction on Judiciary Square, near G
Street. The new building will resemble the great Italian palaces,
and will have many unique forms of architecture. It will be con-
structed of fine pressed brick with terra cotta mouldings, and will ex-
tend 400 feet from east to west, and 200 feet from north to south, and
the walls will be seventy-five feet high. The walls will surround a
large interior court-yard, which will have a high roof of iron and
glass, and be crowned with a dome. Two tiers of galleries will ex-
tend around the court-yard, by which access will be gained to the
rooms. On the first story there will be a course of terra cotta extend-
ing entirely around the building, consisting of a band three feet wide,
on which various scenes and incidents of a soldier's life will be repre-
sented in finely sculptured figures. The building will cost about
$500,000.
The General Land Office, which has charge of all the pub-
lic lands in the United States, occupies a suite of apartments in the
2 20 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Patent Office Building. It is a very important bureau, and that its
work is extensive may be inferred from the number of its officials and,
clerks, some four hundred in all, whose salaries amount to nearly;
$500,000 per year. In fact, the pressure of business in this office is'
very great, and double the force could be advantageously employed,
if Congress would provide for the increase and assign larger quarters
lor the work. New business comes in faster than the old can be dis-
posed of, and the accumulation of affairs is very embarrassing. If
the entire force of the office should be devoted to bringing up the work
in arrears, in cases all prepared for final action, it w^ould require at
least two years to accomplish this result. Over two thousand con-
tested homestead cases are pending, and there are fifty thousand
others awaiting settlement. Besides all these cases there are six thou-
sand more in the railroad division, which have to be decided in con-
nection vjith the adjustment of land grants to railroads. There is
also a great accumulation of business in the divisions of the office
which have charge of the preemption claims, the timber culture en-
tries, and the claims for mineral lands, etc. The preemption claims
number over 300,000, and of these about 20,000 are awaiting final
action, and final proof is likely to be offered at any time upon a ma-
jority of the others. The work is disposed of as fast as possible, but
as much of it requires very close examination of a variety of compli-
cated matters, it cannot be done properlv in a hurried manner.
Few people, except those interested in the public lands, have any
definite knowledge as to the territory in the United States still in the
possession and subject to the control of the government. There is a
comfortable feeling that Uncle Sam has plenty of land to furnish a
good farm to all who would like to till the soil, but where this land is,
and how much there is, the generality of people cannot tell. The ac-
tual area of the public domain once amounted to nearly two thousand
millions of acres — verily a goodly property, hardly to be realized by
the simple statement of the number of acres. This land was acquired
by cession from the original states, by the Mexican treaty, by what
is known as the Gadsden purchase, and by purchases from Texas,
Florida, and Alaska. Of this vast public estate, nearly six hundred
million acres have been sold, given to states for internal improvement,
given to railroads, given to colleges and schools, disposed of under
the homestead and bounty laws, and in various other ways have passed
from the holding of the government. Forty-six million acres have
THE PUBLIC LANDS.
221
been awarded to railroads by Congress, to aid in the construction of
the roads, and other corporations have had enormous blocks and
stretches of the public domain awarded them by special acts.
It is estimated that the area of public lands now remaining is
about 1,800,000,000 acres. Taking out of this estimate the lands
held for Indian and militar}" reservations, the unexplored lands in
Alaska, and all lands unsurveyed, etc., there will yet remain, in
round numbers, some 650,000,000 acres to be disposed of by the
government, nearly all of which can be acquired by citizens of the
United States by actual settlement and cultivation. The lands are
located in the states of Ohio, California, Arkansas, Alabama, Colo-
rado, Florida, Louisiana, Kansas, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana,
Michigan, Oregon, Wisconsin, Nevada, Missouri, Nebraska, and
Mississippi, and in all the territories. Any citizen of the United
States is entitled under the homestead laws to enter one hundred and
sixty acres of these lands wherever unappropriated. In six months
from the date of entry he must pay $16 in fees and commissions to
the land office, and must live on the land and cultivate it for five
SOUTH HALL, MUSEUM OF MODELS, PATENT OFFICE.
222 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
continuous years. Then, upon proof of residence and cultivation, a
patent is issued, and he becomes the owner of the land. The soldiers
and sailors of the Civil War who enter homestead lands have the
period of their service in the army and navy deducted from the five
years' residence, provided they live on and culdvate the land for one
year. Under the preemption laws it is necessary to live for one
year on the land preempted, at the expiradon of which time the land
can be purchased for $1.25 per acre, if outside of railroad limits, and
for $2.50 per acre if within railroad limits. There are other ways of
acquiring lands under the timber culture laws and the desert land act.
Up to the present time about seventy million acres have been secured
by homestead settlers.
Connected with the land office are sixteen surveyors -general,
assigned to different states and territories, who have charge of the
surveying of public lands. They have their offices in the districts to
which they are assigned, and employ many clerks. About twenty
million acres of land are disposed of by the government every year
under the various land acts, and from eight to twelve million dollars
are received from sales, fees, and commissions.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs is charged with the care of
those troublesome wards of the Nation, the Indian tribes of the far
West. It has apartments in the Patent Office Building, and employs
about seventy clerks and others in its routine work. All the Indian
agents, inspectors, etc., are under the supervision of the bureau, and
it has many important duties. Clothing, food, agricultural imple-
ments, and many other things are supplied to the tribes, whose res-
ervations extend from Lake Superior to the Pacific Ocean. Six
million dollars are annually paid to the Indians. There are fifty-
nine agencies, which have charge of 246,000 Indians, and outside of
the agencies there are 15,000 Indians. The bureau pays considerable
attention to the education of Indian children, and a number of good
schools for them have been established. In many of the schools
various industries are taught, and it is believed that in time the ex-
periment will be tried on a large scale of educadng the Indian youth
to become intelligent, civilized laborers. If the boys and girls are
educated to manual occupations, it is thought they will cease to have
a desire for a savage life, and will become self-supporting and inde-
pendent of government aid.
THE BUREAU OF EDUCATION,
223
SECTION OF FRIEZE ORNAMENTATION ON THE PENSION BUILDING.
The Bureau of Education has offices in a large brick building
on G Street, opposite the Patent Office. It has a force of forty
persons, many of whom are colkge graduates and practical educa-
tors, and Congress appropriates yearly a little more than $50,000 for
its support. It was established in 1867, and its primary object is to col-
lect information concerning schools and systems of education, not only
in this country but throughout the world, and this information is com-
piled and diffused by means of reports and other publications, which
are extensively circulated. A special feature is made of exhibits of
foreign school systems, which are exceedingly instructive and inter-
esting. The bureau is held in high estimation in Europe, and sev-
eral countries have modeled their educational bureaus upon the
American system. The statistics collected in reference to education
in foreign countries have a wide range, and are of great value. An
extensive correspondence is carried on, and every year thousands of
letters are written in reply to inquiries from all over the country about
the free schools of the South, the education of colored children, the
compulsory school laws of the states, the methods of industrial schools
in England and France, the organization and management of techni-
cal institutes, the normal school and kindergarten systems, the co-
education of the sexes, the best training for teachers, and a host of
other matters. The bureau is doing a beneficial work, the extent and
value of which are hardly realized by the country.
CHAPTER XV.
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE — UNITED STATES COURTS — DEPARTMENT OF AGRI-
CULTURE—THE MUSEUM AND PLANT-HOUSES — THE GROWING AND DISTRI-
BUTION OF SEEDS — EXPERIMENTS IN AGRICULTURE — THE SMITHSONIAN
INSTITUTION AND ITS WORK— NATIONAL MUSEUM— THE GREAT COLLECTIONS
OF NATURAL AND INDUSTRIAL PRODUCTS — GOVERNMENT PRINTING-OFFICE.
THE Department of Justice, under the direction of the At-
torney-General, has charge of all prosecutions by the gov-
ernment, and supervises the United States courts in the judi-
cial districts of the country. The office of Attorney-General
is as old as the present form of government, having been created in
1789 ; but the Department of Justice was not created until 1870, when
Congress thought best to combine all the law-officers, and all the law
business of the government in an executive department, with the At-
torney-General as its head. This official is a member of the Cabinet,
and the law-adviser of the President and the heads of the executive
departments. He has a compensation of $8,000 per year.
The business of the Department of Justice is conducted, under
the supervision of the Attorney-General, by a Solicitor-General, who
has a salary of $7,000, three assistant Attorneys-General with sal-
aries of $5,000 each, a Solicitor of Internal Revenue with $4,500.
and an assistant Attorney-General of the Post-Office Department
with $4,000. There are also an examiner of claims with $3,500,
two assistant attorneys with $3,000 each, three assistant attorneys
with $2,500 each, one assistant attorney with $2,000, a law clerk
and examiner of titles with $2,700, a chief clerk with $2,200, two
law clerks with $2,000 each, a stenographic clerk with $1,800, and
forty other clerks and employes. The salaries of the department
annually amount to $109,590.
15
2 26 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
The office of the Solicitor of the Treasury is also under the su--
pervision of the Attorney-General. The Solicitor has charge of the
legal business of the Treasury Department. He has a salary of
$4,500, and there is an assistant solicitor with a salary of $3,000.
In the Solicitor's office there are fifteen clerks and employes, and
the salary list amounts to $28,000.
The five-story building originally erected by the defunct Freed-
men's Savings and Trust Company, on Pennsylvania Avenue, oppo-
site the northern front of the Treasury Building, is occupied by the
Department of Justice. In the office of the Attorney-General is a
fine collection of portraits of the Attorneys-General of the United
States from 1789 to the present time. The first story is used by the
United States Court of Claims, which hears and determines claims
disputed by the executive departments. The court consists of five
judges, who receive salaries of $4,500.
The District Court House is situated on Judiciary Square. It is
a large freestone structure, painted white, and was erected in 1820,
after designs by George Hadfield. East and west wings were added
in 1826 and 1849. Until 1871 it was used by the municipal govern-
ment as the city hall. All the District covn-ts are held here, with
the exception of the police court, which is held in a building on the
corner of Sixth and D streets northwest, once a Unitarian church.
The Supreme Court of the District is divided into a criminal court,
a District court, a common law court, and an equity court. There
are a Chief Justice and five associate justices, who receive an aggre-
gate compensation of $24,500. Connected with the District judiciary
are the offices of the United States District Attorney, the United
States Marshal, the Register of Wills, and the Recorder of Deeds.
In the District Court House many notable trials have taken place
during the more than half century of its existence. Here Guiteau
was tried, and the notorious "star route cases" were heard. The
District jail formerly stood in the rear of the court house, but it is
now located on the banks of the Anacostia River, at the eastern ter-
mination of Pennsylvania Avenue. It is a large stone building, erec-
ted in 1875, at a '^ost of $400,000.
It has been said that "the government of the United States may
take its stand among the most enterprising and prosperous of those
nations in which departments are provided and supported for every
purpose which can possibly increase the national wealth and intelli-
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
227
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
gence, and stimulate the national enterprise." One of these beneficial,
and it may be called stimulating, departments is the Department of
Agriculture, which is charged with collecting and ditTusing the most
reliable information upon agriculture and the many important indus-
tries which cluster around it, and upon the successful prosecution of
which the country's prosperity depends. It is not a costly department,
as compared with other branches of the public service, its expendi-
ture rarely exceeding $400,000 a 3'ear, but its work is of incalcu-
lable, value. It has diffused definite information concerning the best
methods to be employed in special branches of agriculture ; it has told
the farmers how to protect themselves from pestiferous insects, and
how to guard against the diseases of farm animals ; it has supplied the
best seeds for vegetables and flowers, for cotton, corn, wheat, tobacco,
2 28 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
medicinal herbs, hemp, flax, and jute; it has made many valuable
discoveries, and diffused them so that they may benefit the greatest
number ; and in countless ways has been of vast service in the devel-
opment and improvement of the agricultural interests of the country.
The department is under the direction of an official called the
Commissioner of Agriculture. He is appointed by the President, and
receives a salary of $4,500 per year. A force of talented specialists
is constantly engaged in making careful and thorough investigations
of agricultural matters, and in many of the divisions of the department
invaluable work is done. Thus, in the microscopical division close
examinations are made of food products, and new methods discovered
for the detection of artificial impurities in them. Examinations are
also made to discover the cause of diseases of animals and plants, with
a view of providing remedies. Plants native to the United States are
frequently discovered to have valuable medicinal qualities, and within
a short time several of this sort have been found on the Pacific coast
which have great value for medical purposes. In the division of
entomology special investigations are made of insects which injuri-
ously aftect wheat, corn, rice, sugar-cane, fruit-trees, and many veg-
etables, and important information gained as to their habits, mode of
development, and the means of destroying them. Men are sent to the
districts ravaged by insects, and devote much time to their study, and
the results of their studies are incorporated in special publications,
which are distributed throughout the farming sections of the country.
Careful examinations have been made of insects affecting the cotton
plant, and they have resulted in discoveries by which the cost of pro-
tecting the crop is greatly lessened, and a good part of the loss from
the pests is prevented.
The department has undertaken an extended series of experiments
and investigations in regard to diseases of farm animals, greater than
it has ever attempted before, which will be conducted with the view of
thoroughly ascertaining the origin, cause, and nature of the Texas
cattle-fever, pleuro-pneumonia in cattle, and hog and chicken cholera,
diseases which cause the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars to
farmers ; and it is confidently expected that means will be discovered
by which these destructive diseases can be prevented and cured. An
experimental farm has been established in one of the outlying sections
of Washington, and stocked with animals to be used for the experi-
ments, and all the necessary apparatus for inoculation, autopsies, and
chemical analyses has been provided. Experts will here diligently
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
229
labor to obtain the information so greatly needed, and the tarm will
doubtless become a permanent part of the department, to be used for
many kindred experiments from time to time.
Located throughout the agricultural districts of the United States
are hundreds of reliable and judicious correspondents, who make
simultaneous report to the department on the first of each month, of the
condition of the crops, the results of local agricultural experiments,
and other valuable facts. These reports are constantly verified by
special agents, and the greatest pains taken to secure accuracy. When
the information is all at hand the statistician of the department com-
piles it, and makes out the full monthly crop report, which is an-
nounced through the newspapers and issued in pamphlet form. These
reports have great practical value, especially to those pecuniarily in-
terested in bread-stufts, cotton, and other staples.
Thousands of letters are received requesting information in regard
to the agricultural productions of the western states and the territories ;
and information in regard to strange looking birds and insects, samples
of which are sent — whether or not they are destructive to crops.
Peculiar kinds of grass and plants that have poisoned cattle are for-
THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE.
230 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
warded, with inquiries about them ; and a thousand and one different
requests for practical knowledge continually pour in. Each letter is
promptly answered, and the fullest information it has been possible to
obtain is given. The annual report of the department has a circula-
tion of 300,000 copies, mostly of course among the western farmers,
who prize it highly. It is a bulky volume, with a vast amount of in-
formation of importance to the agricultural interests, and is copiously
illustrated with correct drawings of insects, and various other things
appertaining to agriculture and horticulture, the illustrations costing
in some years as much as $30,000.
The department building is situated on the Mall, facing Thirteenth
Street, and is of tine pressed brick with brown-stone trimmings. It is
of the renaissance order of architecture, and was erected in 1868, after
designs by Adolph Cluss, at a cost of $140,000. It has three stories
and a mansard roof, and is one hundred and seventy feet long, and
sixty-one feet wide. That portion of the Mall on which the building
is situated is beautifully laid out in spacious gardens, in which are
grown over two thousand varieties of plants and flowers, arranged in
strict botanical order. A portion of the ground is laid out as an ar-
boretum, and contains a choice collection of trees and hardy shrubs.
The front gardens are adorned with a low terrace wall, and numerous
rustic vases and statues. About ten acres of the rear gardens are
devoted to the raising of seeds, and the testing of small fruits. From
the front of the building a charming view of the business section of
Washinorton can be obtained.
Great plant-houses of glass and iron are located on the west of the
building. They consist of a centre pavilion with long wings, and are
nearly four hundred feet in length, and very handsomely designed.
The}^ contain all the principal varieties of tropical fruit plants, and an
extensive collection of foreign grapes, and also many medical plants,
and those furnishing dyes, gums, and textile fibres.
Attached to the department building on the east is the seed-house,
used for the storing and distributing of seeds. Here nearly one hun-
dred persons are employed, during the winter and spring, in packing
garden, field, and flower seeds of the most approved varieties for dis-
tribution throughout the country. The department raises great quan-
tities of seeds, and also purchases of reliable firms in Europe and
America many seeds w^iich are strictl}- guaranteed to be of prime
quality. Seeds are sent to districts where the lands have been over-
flowed, and the farmers have lost all they put into the ground, thus
MUSEUM OF AGRICULTURE.
23r
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.
enabling them to start again in the work of cultivation. Choice vari-
eties of foreign seeds are given out in sections where it is believed the
foreign plants can be successfully cultivated. Yearly over two mil-
lion packages of seeds, and from 60,000 to 70,000 plants are dis-
tributed. The plants include many rare and exceedingly valuable
species.
The interior of the department building is excellently arranged
for the purposes of the business, and all the divisions are accommo-
dated in large, well-furnished apartments. A large apartment on the
first floor is used for the library, a collection of 10,000 volumes per-
taining to agriculture, which is considered the most complete of the
kind in the United States. It has a number of very costly and mag-
nificent botanical works of foreign publication.
On the second floor, occupying all the space in the centre of
the building, is a grand Museum of Agriculture, arranged to thor-
oughly illustrate the agricultural productions of the country, and the.
substances manufactured from them. The collections are very ex-
tensive, and include every vegetable grown from Maine to California,,
together with many minerals and woods. There is also a fine
exhibit of the game birds and poultry of the United States. Illus-
trations are given of the effect produced upon vegetation by climate,.
232 PICTURESQIJE WASHINGTON. "
birds, insects, and animals. The vegetables and fruits are skillfully
modeled and colored to imitate nature, and are so perfect in most
cases that they may be easily taken for the genuine.
In the third story is a large botanical museum, containing many
thousand species of plants, properly arranged. Here all the botan-
ical collections obtained by the government exploring expeditions are
deposited.
In 1828 an English gentleman named James Smithson died at
Genoa, leaving an estate valued at half a million dollars. By his will
the estate passed to a relative for life, and afterward descended " To
the United States of America to found at Washington, under the name
of the Smithsonian Institution, an establishment for the increase and
diffusion of knowledge among men." In 1838 this bequest, amounting
to the sum of $515,169, was transferred to the United States by the
Chancery Court of England. The agent of the government in obtain-
ing the money wrote in his report of Smithson that " he was a natural
son of Hugh, first Duke of Northumberland, his mother being of an
ancient familv in Wiltshire of the name of Hungerford. He was born
in London, and was educated at Oxford, where he took an honorary
degree in 1786. He took the name of James Lewis Macie until a few
years after he left the university, when he changed it to Smithson.
He does not appear to have had any fixed home, living in lodgings
when in London, and occasionally, a year or two at a time, in the
cities on the continent — Paris, Berlin, Florence, and Genoa, at which
last place he died. The ample provision made for him by the Duke
of Northumberland, with retired and simple habits, enabled him to
accumulate the fortune which passed to the United States. He inter-
ested himself little in questions of government, being devoted to
science and chiefly to chemistry."
Gentlemen of learning and distinction in the United States w'ere
invited by the government to submit their views as to the best method
of apphdng the Smithson bequest, and many views were submitted.
It was suggested that a national university should be established, to
occupv the place between a college and a professional school, with
public lectures on classical and oriental languages, and the principal
sciences. It was urged that the money should be devoted to teaching
the principles of the useful arts, to the founding of a great botanical
garden, to the creating of a national free library of reference ; and, in
fact, innumerable view^s were presented, all set forth with strong argu-
THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
233
ments. Finally it was decided to make the " Smithsonian Institution "
a general scientific establishment, which should be devoted to investi-
gations and researches in all branches of knowledge ; which should
employ eminent men to study special subjects, and publish the results
to the world.
In 1846 the institution was organized by act of Congress, the
management of its atlairs being placed in the hands of .a Board of
Regents, composed of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the
United States, members of the Senate and House of Representatives,
and sundry private citizens. The President of the United States and
his Cabinet were constituted members eoc-officio of the institution. A
secretary, to have the active management, was to be chosen by the
regents.
The corner-stone of the building was laid by President Polk,
with Masonic rites, on the ist of May, 1847, and the building was
completed in 1856, at a cost of $450,000, the accumulated interest
on the bequest being sufficient to pay for its erection. Prof. Joseph
Henry, of Princeton College, was chosen to be secretar}', and for
many years directed the institution most successfully, retaining the
position until his death. In 1880 Congress appropriated $15,000 for .
the erection of a bronze statue of Professor Henry, and on April 19,
THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING-OFFICE.
234 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
1883, this statue, the work of WilHam W. Story, was publicly un-
veiled with appropriate ceremony. It stands northwest of the Smith-
sonian Building, in a prominent position on the grounds.
The building is located on that part of the Mall, between Seventh
and Twelfth streets, known as " the Smithsonian (xrounds," an area
of fifty-two acres, finely laid out as a public park, with broad drives
and footways, handsome lawns, and groves of luxuriant trees. An-
drew J. Downing, the distinguished landscape gardener and horticul-
turist, designed and partially laid out the grounds, but he died in
1852, before the work was completed. A monumental vase of great
beauty, w^hich stands in the easterly portion of the grounds, was
erected to his memory by the American Pomological Society. The
building is of red sandstone from qiuarries near Washington, on the
upper Potomac, and the style of architecture is that variously de-
scribed as the Norman, the Lombard, and the Byzantine, which pre-
vailed throughout southern Europe toward the close of the twelfth
century. There are nine towers of different forms and heights.
The front extends four hundred and twent3'-six feet, the centre build-
ing being fifty by two hundred feet, and there are two wdngs, the
east one having a vestibule and porch attached, and the west one a
semicircular projection. It was designed by James Renwick, Jr.,
and was the first unecclesiastical edifice of this architectural order
ever erected in the country. The interior is substantially constructed.
The officials and employes of the institution have apartments in the
wings, and the centre structure is mainly used for the exhibition of
objects of natural history.
The institution expends about $70,000 a year in various scientific
investigations conducted by its force of scientists, and publishes a
series of volumes, entitled the Smtthsoman Contrihtitions to Knoivl-
edge, which are sent to the principal scientific societies of the world
in exchange for their publicadons. It carries on an extensive scien-
tific correspondence, and all letters that are received making inquiries
relative to certain branches of knowledge are carefully answ^ered.
It publishes accounts of the latest discoveries in science, and in many
w^a3^s intelligently labors for the "increase and diffusion of knowl-
edge among men."
In 1879 " ^" annex to the Smithsonian Institution " was erected by
the government, and denominated "The Nadonal Museum." Orig-
inally intended to contain the splendid exhibits made by foreign gov-
ernments at the Centennial Exhibition, which w^ere presented to the
THE NATIONAL MUSEUM.
235
A LANDMARK ON B STREET.
United States, its scope has been enlarged, so that now it is the gen-
eral depository of all the geological and industrial collections of the
government, and is rapidly becoming one of the greatest and most
attractive museums in the world. In the course of a few years it
will contain vast collections of the products of industry, ancient and
modern, the useful, the ornamental, and the marvelous ; and, it may
be said, representations of nearly everything of importance that prod-
igal nature furnishes for man's use and benefit.
The building stands directly east of the Smithsonian Institution,
and covers nearly two and one-half acres. It is a fine example ol the
modern Romanesque order of architecture, and has a certain quaint
beauty, with its numerous peaked towers, high central dome, and
pavilions. It is constructed of bricks laid in black mortar, with blue
and buft bricks set in the cornices, which produce a very pleasing
effect. There are seventeen spacious exhibition halls within the build-
ing, and also one hundred and thirty-five rooms for other purposes.
The floors are constructed of tiles laid in artistic forms, the cases are
236 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
all of mahogany, and the decorations are elegant. In the offices and
work-shops in various sections may be found men of extensive reputa-
tion in the w^orld of science, with numerous assistants, prosecuting
researches and preparing material to increase the treasures of the
museum. The secretary of the Smithsonian Institution is the director,
and there are an assistant director, eleven curators, and a large force
of employes. Congress annually makes an appropriation for the
museum.
Already the collections are very interesting and instructive to all
who wander through the lofty and beautiful exhibition halls. The
staple products of the world are shown in their varying qualities, and
the articles manufactured from them are thoroughly represented.
Much that is curious in American and foreign growth and manufac-
ture — much that is specially attractive — can be found in an hour's
inspection, and days can be spent in the profitable study of the
thousands of articles displayed. The ethnological exhibit is par-
ticularly comprehensive and valuable. The fame of these collections
is rapidly extending over the country, and students of natural his-
tory, and of special industrial subjects, are beginning to learn that
the government has provided in the most liberal manner in this
museum a remarkable school wherein object-lessons of the utmost
practical value can be obtained gratuitously.
The Government Printing-Office occupies a four-story brick
building, covering the square at the corner of North Capitol and H
streets. It is interesting to visitors from the fact that it is the largest
printing and binding establishment in the world, having a working
force of from 2,500 to 3,000 persons, and an immense quantity of the
best material known to the " art preservative of arts." This office
executes all the printing required by Congress and the executive and
judicial departments of the government — truly an enormous amount,
which will be realized by the statement that every year very nearly
$3,000,000 are expended for it. An official with the title of Public
Printer is in charge, and he receives a salary of $4,500.
Visitors to this mammoth establishment enter at the main door on
North Capitol Street, and are provided with guides to show them over
the building. It is an interesting though a rather fatiguing journey
through the great halls and apartments occupied by busy men and
women, noisy with the clatter of presses and other machines, and
crowded with thousands of printed volumes and documents. The
THE GOVERNMENT PRINTING-OFFICE.
237
finest and costliest typographical work done in the country may be
seen, and scores of unique machines, found only in the most extensive
printing-offices. The immense press-room, with a hundred large
presses in constant motion ; the type-setting room, three hundred feet
long, filled with compositors ; the great folding and binding rooms
— all excite wonder and admiration, particularly as the vast amount
of work appears to be progressing smoothly and easily, and appar-
ently without a sign of confusion. Every department has a compe-
tent foreman and manager, and there is a fixed standard of work to
which all the employes must conform. The very best service is re-
quired, and a careful record of deficiencies is kept.
Practically the office is unlimited in its productive capacity. It
can also do very rapid work, if so required by Congress or any of
the departments. For instance, the copy of a bill of Congress, or a
report, which will make fift}' or sixty large printed pages, may be
received at ten o'clock in the morning, with orders for immediate
delivery. It will be put in type, the proof read twice and corrected,
and in two or three hours the bill or report, printed and bound, will
be ready to be delivered.
The finest work ever produced by this office was The Medical
and Surgical History of tlie War of the Rebellion. It was printed on
very costly paper, and contained a great number of magnificent illus-
trations, executed at a cost of many thousands of dollars. An edition
of 2,000 copies was first issued, and afterward Congress ordered an-
other edition of 10,000 copies. The work was demanded by all the
principal libraries of the world.
In the bindery can be seen every process known to the trade, in-
cluding marbling, embossing, stamping, and other high branches.
Some of the volumes issued are bound in sumptuous style. In the
foundry, electrotyping and stereotyping are done.
CHAPTER XVI.
SKETCHES OF CITY LIFE— THE FASHIONABLE QUARTER— PALATIAL MANSION
— THE ROUND OF SOCIAL FESTIVITY— OFFICIAL AND SOCIETY ETK^UETTE —
THE GOVERNMENT CLERKS — CUSTOMS OF THE PUBLIC SERVICE — THE
NEGRO POPULATION — ODD CHARACTERS AND WAYS OF LIVING.
THOSE who knew Washington before the Board of Public
Works, under the leadership of Governor Shepherd, began
the remarkable improvements, described elsewhere, and who
have not visited the cit}'' since, can hardly imagine the great
change that has taken place everywhere within its boundary. The
streets once filled with rude specimens of architecture, now contain
very handsome structures, varied and ornate ; and in the popular resi-
dent sections the majority of the houses are notable for their pleasing
and tasteful forms. In the extensive northwest quarter there have
been erected during the past ten years -large numbers of very costly
and magnificent houses, which in variety and elegance of form, in
size, and in luxurious appointments, are unequaled in the country.
What is known as the " West End "is more especially the fashionable
locality, but in other portions of the northwest quarter, and also on
Capitol Hill, are many streets of fine mansions. The city is now
very largely one of brick and stone, there being but few wooden
buildings, except in the sections occupied by the colored people.
The West End comprises about five miles of territory stretching
east and south from the foot of Kalorama Hill, which borders on
Rock Creek and West Washington. It was formerly called "The
Slashes," and was a dreaiy, unhealthy part of the city, covered with
swamps, and mainly occupied by negro squatters. During the Re-
bellion the government erected barracks over it, and it was largely
240 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
used for military purposes. When the Board of Public Works began
its improvements this marsh-land was included in the comprehensive
plan. It was carefully drained and graded, and everything necessary
was done to make it desirable for habitation. Many acres were pur-
chased at a low price by a combination of real estate speculators, who
were shrewd enough to see that the district was likely in a short time
to become the most eligible in the cit}' for the residences of the wealthy
and fashionable class. Their sagacity was well rewarded, for the
acres thev had obtained so cheaply were afterward disposed of at
several dollars per foot, and great fortunes realized. The land in
every part of the West End is now held at very high prices, and is
considered to be the most valuable in Washington.
Connecticut Avenue, with a roadway one hundred and thirty feet
in width, extending from Lafayette Square to the northern boundary
line of the citv, is the principal thoroughfare of this district ; and Mas-
sachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, and Vermont avenues —
broad, beautiful highways — also cross it. There are squares and
circles with parks and statues in various pordons of the district, and
its whole appearance is exceedingly bright and charming.
It is on this spacious plain, but a few years ago an almost value-
less area of swamps, that those paladal mansions, the pride and boast
of the capital, are erected. Here are the residences of the wealthiest
citizens, and those of the millionaires from different secdons of the
United States who make Washington their winter home. Here are
the grand mansions of Blaine, W^indom, Cameron, Cox, Stewart,
Matthews, and a large number of other prominent men, and those of
most of the high government officials, and the leading officers of the
army and navy. Here are the foreign legation buildings, and here
the leaders of society have congregated under splendid roof-trees.
On every side is a dazzling spectacle of luxury and grandeur, and
one can obtain by a stroll through the avenues and streets, a realiza-
tion of the enormous wealth that is centering in W^ashington at the
present time. Those competent to judge express the opinion that in
less than ten years every portion of this district, extensive as it is,
will be covered with magnificent buildings, and that it will be verily
a region of palaces. Before the capital celebrates its centennial, it
is likely that the W^est End will have obtained great fame as one of
the finest resident sections in the world.
Fashion has firmly set its seal upon this district, and all those im-
provements which come with opulence are lavished upon it. The
THE WEST END.
241
THE JAMES G. BLAINE MANSION.
mansions here are constructed of marble, costly greenstone, and fine
pressed brick, and are so arranged as to secure the highest quality of
artistic work. The architecture includes many forms of the antique
and the mediaeval, and the most approved modern styles. The inte-
riors are remarkable for special methods of ornamentation, for mar-
bles and bronzes, for carvings and paintings, and exquisite cabinet
work. Europe and the Orient are searched for designs and sub-
stances, and apparently there is no limit as to cost.
It is a common saying of the citizens that Washington is destined
to be the most popular winter resort of the continent, on account of
its genial climate and the host of attractions it furnishes not to be ob-
tained elsewhere, and that year by year greater numbers of Northern
16
242 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
people of wealth and leisure will take up their residence in it. People
who wish to escape the rigorous northern winter, and at the same
time have the excitement and enjoyments of a large city, will, it is be-
lieved, speedily ascertain that the capital is most desirable as a winter
home. This belief is already partially realized, as every winter dur-
ing the past few years throngs of strangers have sojourned in Wash-
ington, and the demand for costly dwellings has been quite remark-
able.
From its early days the national capital has been noted for being
a gay and pleasure-loving city, and its social life has been usually
brilliant and delightful. Of late it has developed its social qualities
to a very considerable extent, and society now has the claim of cos-
mopolitan characteristics. The city is so admirably adapted for the
homes of people of refinement, culture, and leisure, that many believe
it will become in a few years the social metropolis of the United States.
There are receptions, dinners, balls, germans, afternoon teas, kettle-
drums, and all sorts of entertainments almost without number, from the
beginning of winter until late in the spring, and few American cities
have such an incessant round of gayety. Properly the social season
begins on New Year's day and continues till Ash-Wednesday, but of
late years it has been quite customary to have society entertainments
before January, and even before the session of Congress begins in the
first part of December, and to continue them through Lent. Many
society people do not observe Lent in a strict manner, and some not
at all, and they are willing to give receptions and parties during this
period. The houses of the wealthy are now constructed with special
reference to the giving of grand entertainments, very large drawing-
rooms and dining-rooms being made, and accommodations provided
for a host of guests.
What is called the " official society "includes the President and the
members of his Cabinet, Senators and Representatives, members of
the Supreme Court, and of foreign legations, and persons in eminent
positions in the army and navy, and in the public service generalh^
Retired statesmen, justices, generals, and others once prominently
connected with the government, are also placed in this society. There
are many social organizations, the members of which are government
employes of various ranks, and state associations, which include all
the persons socially inclined from a certain state who are living in the
city. The wealthy residents, not connected with the public service,
have sets and circles, exclusive or not, as it may be ; and there are
SOCIETY ETIQUETTE. 243
numerous literary, musical, and art societies, which have frequent en-
tertainments.
It is said that Washington society people, during th& winter, lunch
in one place, dine in another, dance in several houses of an evening,
and are never at home, except on their reception-days. Each week of
the social season is full of events. Monday is the reception-day of the
wives of the Justices of the Supreme Court, and of the General of the
Army and the Admiral of the Navy. Many of the residents of Capitol
Hill are also " at home" on that day. On Tuesday the prominent
families of the West End have receptions, and on Wednesday the
members of the Cabinet and the Speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatives receive their friends and the public. On Thursday many
receptions are held by Senators and Representatives. Friday and
Saturday are filled out variously. There are very many pleasant
" Saturday evenings" — dinners, card-parties, and meetings of social
organizations. The officers stationed at the United States Barracks,
and at the navy yard, give weekly receptions, at which dancing is
customary.
All the official receptions are announced in the newspapers, and
those in the afternoon are open to the public. The name or card
should be promptly given to the usher upon entering a house, and if
the name is not properly announced it should be mentioned at the
presentation. If cards are left by strangers they are always honored
by return cards, or calls in person, and invitations to evening recep-
tions in official circles usually follow. Small and plain cards are
used, with the name engraved or written, but never printed. The
dress customary in society for morning calls should be worn at after-
noon receptions, and full dress in the evening. The hours for after-
noon receptions are from two to five o'clock ; for evening receptions,
from eight to eleven o'clock.
It is customary for visitors to Washington to call first on the resi-
dents. If the person called upon is "not at home," turn down the
upper right-hand corner of the card, thus indicating that the call was
made in person. If the call is intended for the different members of
the family, either leave several cards, or one with the right side en-
tirely folded over. When making a parting call, previous to leaving
the city, a card should be left with p. p. c. written on the right-hand
lower corner. The time to return calls or cards is within three days.
A call should be made in person after a dinner-party, but after other
entertainments a card may be sent by a servant or by mail.
244 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Invitations to dinner should be promptly accepted or declined, but
with regard to other entertainments, no answer need be sent unless
the letters r. s. v. p. are on the invitation. The customary form of
acceptance to a dinner invitation is as follows : " Mr. R has the
honor to accept Mr. S 's kind invitation to dinner for Wednesday,
the loth of February, at eight o'clock. Feb. 6, i88 — ." The date
and hour of the dinner are mentioned in the acceptance to show that
they are understood. This form, properly adapted, may be used in
accepting other invitations.
People who are unacquainted with department life in Washing-
ton are very apt to believe that government clerks, as a general thing,
are indolent and improvident — a peculiar set who have obtained office
by political favor, who work very little, and spend the liberal salaries
they receive in extravagant living. This is a singular but by no
means uncommon mistake. Of course there are "black sheep"
among the clerks — those who shirk their work, are full of tricks,
and are generally dishonorable — but it can be truly said that the
majority are industrious, sober, economical, and, without doubt, fully
on a par with similar workers in commercial lines. Clerks are re-
quired to perform a certain amount of work each day, and the work,
when done, will compare favorably with that performed in private
business establishments, and may even exceed it in quality and quan-
tity. All of the government work must be done in a methodical,
strictly accurate manner, and every imperfection or short-coming is
recorded and serves as a bar to promotion, and also as a pretext for
dismissal if the position held by the clerk of " bad record" is wanted
for some one else. In some of the departments the standard of work
is set so high, and the quantity required each day is so great, that it
is only by the most diligent efforts, by really exhausting labor, that
the best of clerks can keep their records entirely free from discredit.
The idle and incompetent are constantl}^ being dismissed, unless per-
chance they are able to retain their places by means of " strong in-
fluence," or by cunning devices which may serve for a time in place
of honest, faithful labor.
The department clerks in reality form a solid, intelligent, import-
ant part of the population of Washington, and their influence is
generally for good. Many are householders, over five thousand, it is
estimated, owning comfortable homes of their own, paid for out of
their savings, by the help of the greatly beneficial system of coopera-
GOVERNMENT CLERKS.
245
tive building, and also b}' the installment plan applied to real estate,
which for the past ten years have been much in vogue in Washing-
ton, and which have done a great deal to make it a city of homes
owned by those who live in them, like Philadelphia. They are not
the aliens they have been represented to be, in any sense of the term.
They have aided in the growth of Washington, they take pride in its
beauty and prosperity, and large numbers look upon it as their per-
manent home. If they leave the government service they engage in
general business, and some of the most successful merchants and
professional men of the cit}' were once department clerks.
There are many veteran clerks. In the Treasur}^ Department there
is one who has served since the administration of John Quincy Adams.
A clerk in the Nav}^ Department was appointed in 1843, and has given
continuous service ever since. Here and there may be found those
who can point to a record of ten, twent}^, and even thirt}^ years of
service.
When one goes into the rooms in the department buildings, and
obser^'es the clerks working over great piles of documents with an
THE ANTHONY POLLOK MANSION.
246 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
intense, concentrated energy rarely seen in private business — each
room under the vigihint eye of an official — the impression produced
is that it is not, after all, such "a very fine thing" to be a govern-
ment employe of the subordinate class, even if the compensation is
liberal. Distance, indeed, lends enchantment to the view of service
in the departments. Away from Washington the stories of the large
salaries received by government employes for doing what is popu-
larly supposed to be little work in a short day of labor, have a very
beguiling effect, and thousands of persons long for positions in the
public service, and regard those who obtain them as exceedingly
fortunate. It is evident that there are some department positions
with a compensation very much out of proportion to the work per-
formed — easy and lucrative places; but a careful inspection of the
departments will convince an}'' one that the majority of the clerks
and other employes render a full equivalent for their salaries.
A clerk's life is not an entirely roseate one. Promptly at nine
o'clock each morning he must be at his desk to begin the day's labor.
Until four o'clock in the afternoon the business in each division and
bureau goes on steadily, and frequently very rapidly, as in most of
the departments the affairs are many months behind by reason of the
lack of employes. Officials implore Congress to give them more
clerks, in order that they may dispose of the vast accumulation of
business in their hands, but the appeals are seldom heeded, and the
accumulation continues despite the most earnest efforts to prevent it.
Seven hours' confinement over a desk in a close, stifling room ; the
difficulty very often of executing the daily task to the satisfaction of
a hypercritical official; the "insolence of office," frequently dis-
played; the irritating system of watching and "spotting," common
in many departments, which causes bitter, indignant feelings ; the
rigid, uncompromising adherence to strict rules in one case, and the
unblushing favoritism shown in another ; the demand for hours of
extra work without extra pay ; the promotions, not from merit, but
from ability to fawn and "crook the pregnant hinges of the knee," —
these are some of the thorns on the government rose-
Many men and women thrive in this clerk-life and seem pecu-
liarly adapted to it. They easily shed its irritations and discomforts,
they like the short day of labor, and they quickly discover "where
thrift may follow fawning." By degrees they ascend to the more
lucrative, less restricted positions, and often are able to hold them for
a long time. Others, of a different nature, try the life a while, and
THE COLORED POPULATION. 247
then retire disgusted, quite willing to work more hours, and even for
less salary, in private business, where at least they will be regarded
as something more than mere machines to be entirely regulated by
official caprice.
There are nearly fifty-six hundred classified clerkships in the de-
partments, and many thousands of ungraded positions. Clerks of
the first class receive salaries of $1,200 per year; those of the sec-
ond class, $1,400; those of the third class, $1,600; those of the
fourth class, $1,800. In the ungraded positions the salaries range
from $700 to $1,000. Male clerks usually begin their service for the
government at $800 or $1,000, and female clerks at $700, unless they
are fortunate enough to secure classified clerkships at once. Chief
clerks who rank with officials have salaries from $1,800 to $2,700,
and stenographers and translators of foreign languages, from $1,200
to $2,000. Copyists, who are mainly women, receive from $60 to $75
per month. Thirty days in each year are allowed for vacation, dur-
ing which time the salary is continued, and in case of sickness, cer-
tified to by a ph3''sician, there is no loss of compensation.
Of course in the government service, as in affairs generally, the
majority of the employes have the small places and the burden of
work. Hundreds of well-educated clerks who do a great deal of
drudgery are glad to get $800 or $1,000 per year, and if eventually
they are so fortunate as to be placed on the list of those entitled to
draw $1,200, they are happy indeed. The higher, more lucrative
places are usually out of their reach, unless they are specially favored,
or have distinguished themselves by thoroughly efficient work.
When Washington was first occupied by the government, in
1800, there were over tvvo thousand negroes in the city, and over four
thousand in the entire District of Columbia. They were mainly
slaves engaged in cultivating plantations, and in domestic service.
In 1830 there were 6,512 free negroes, and 6,119 slaves. When sla-
very was abolished in the District, in April, 1862, some nine months
before the general emancipation, there were about 3,000 slaves and
14,316 free negroes. In 1870 the colored population had increased to
43,404, of which number Washington was credited with 35,455. At
the present time the city has nearly 49,000 colored people, and ranks
as third among the cities of the United States in this class of popula-
tion.
It has been said, apparently with a great deal of truth, that the
248 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
capital has more intelligent, cultured, well-to-do colored people than
any other American city. They have many prosperous churches,
and literary, musical, and social organizations, and the thrifty fami-
lies give very pleasant entertainments during the winter. Excellent
public schools, a fine college, opportunities for lucrative government
service, are among the advantages provided for the colored people,
and a certain number, by no means small, carefully and thoughtfully
strive to reach a good position — to become well educated, well dis-
ciplined.
But, looking at the race as it appears on the surface of Washing-
ton life, it must be admitted that many are improvident, unreliable,
careless of the future, and are quite content if they have a ragged
coat to wear, a crust to eat, and plenty of leisure to enjov the sun-
shine. The small, dilapidated cabins occupied by this class in some
sections of East and South Washington are really marvels of shift-
less contrivance. Some of them are scarcely larger than " sugar-
boxes," and yet they will give shelter to a numerous family. About
the doors of these fantastic, wretched abodes a half-dozen little curl}'-
heads usually may be seen playing.
Near Lincoln Park lives a former slave of John Randolph, the
haughty " Lord of Roanoke." His cabin was constructed by his
own hands, and is comfortable in its way, although rudely fashioned
and sparsely furnished. The old man, over whose white head many
winters have swept, is held in high regard by the colored people liv-
ing in his vicinity, and gains a living by telling fortunes and pre-
scribing simple remedies for various ailments. He is an odd charac-
ter, and when in the humor will describe his former life on Ran-
dolph's plantation in quaint, vivid, and intensely interesting language.
His clothes are patched and scarce hold together on his bent and tot-
tering form. Usually he sits crouching before his hearth-stone, rub-
bing his thin hands and muttering to himself, and he leaves his cabin
only at rare intervals to hobble a few squares.
The most ignorant of the colored people are very superstitious,
and have great faith in charms and omens, and all of those singular
things which have come from the South and pass current under the
name of voudooism. There are voudoo doctors of their own race,
who live well, dress fashionably, and apparently make a great deal
of mone3\ They profess to cure everything, from a big wart to a bad
case of what they call " devilish conjuration." They are very mys-
terious in their practice, and use many curiously fashioned articles
THE COLORED POPULATION.
249
THE DON CAMERON MANSION.
which they audaciously claim possess cabalistic and astonishing qual-
ities, and utter many strange words. They impress their patients by
all sorts of tricks, such as manipulating large snakes, whispering in
the ear of a dog and pretending to receive an answer, and other silly
actions. The credulous negroes look with awe on these transparent
frauds, and do many ridiculous things at the bidding of the " doc-
tors."
Around the great markets one will see among the hucksters whose
little stands crowd all the walks, a good representation of colored
people of peculiar characteristics. The colored hucksters offer for
sale twists of tobacco in the natural leaf, warranted to be perfectly
pure Virginia weed ; many herbs, barks, and roots, and large quan-
tities of flowers and "garden sass," and some have coops of live
chickens and ducks. There are numerous women in the groups,
wearing large bandanna handkerchiefs gracefully entwined round
their heads, turban-like, but the colors are not as gorgeous as they
were in the days "befo' the wa'." The gaudy red and yellow ban-
dannas are rarely seen, and it is said that the African dames of the
250
PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
markets have resigned to the aristocratic aesthetes these glowing pri-
mary tints. By their pleasant ways, ready wit and repartee, the huck-
ster women induce you to buy liberally. They call you "honey," in
soft, cajoling tones, but do not take as kindly to the salutation of
"•Aunty" as they did years ago. They are an interesting study, and
give a good deal of picturesqueness to the markets.
On the w^harves where vessels bringing oysters to the cit}' from
the Virginia beds deposit their cargoes, will be found daily through-
out the winter hosts of negroes known as " oyster-shuckers." They
buy oysters from the vessels, and, seated in groups, skillfully
" shuck " or remove the shells, shouting and laughing while at work.
Then taking the bivalves in long tin cans, they go over the city, call-
ing clearly and loudly as they walk, " Oys ! oys ! here's 3xr nice
fresh oys ! " Great quantities of oysters are sold by these vendors
every day during the season.
There are manifold other occupations followed by the black man,
diligently seeking the honest penny. The workers have no fellow-
ship with the idlers to be seen on all the thoroughfares — ragged,
shiftless sons of Ham, who contrive to live in some unknown way,
although they toil not.
TENTH AND G STREETS N. W. , SHOWING FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH.
CHAPTER XVII.
CITY INSTITUTIONS — CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART — THE LOUISE HOME — PROM-
INENT CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS — CONVENT OF THE VISITATION — THE
PUBLIC MARKETS — PLACES OF AMUSEMENT, HOTELS, BENEVOLENT INSTI-
TUTIONS, ETC. — MASONIC TEMPLE — ODD FELLOWS' BUILDING — THE CEME-
TERIES—GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF CITY AFFAIRS.
ONE of the institutions of Washington which attracts a great
deal of attention is the Corcoran Gallery of Art, presented
to the people of the United States by Mr. William W.
Corcoran. It was deeded to trustees on May lo, 1869,
and a year later was incorporated by act of Congress, the building
and grounds being forever exempted from taxation. In his deed of
gift Mr. Corcoran stated that the institution was designed for "the
perpetual establishment and encouragement of painting, sculpture,
and the fine arts generally," and the condition was imposed that it
should be open to the public without charge on certain days of the
week, and " on other days at moderate and reasonable charges, to be
applied to the current expenses of procuring and keeping in order
the building and its contents." The hope was expressed that it
would provide " not only a pure and refined pleasure for residents
and visitors at the national capital," but that it would be useful in the
development of American genius.
The gallery is situated on the northeast corner of Pennsylvania
Avenue and Seventeenth Street, directly opposite the State, War, and
Navy Building. It has a frontage of one hundred and six feet, and
a depth of one hundred and twenty-five feet. It is constructed of
fine pressed brick, with brown-stone facings and ornaments, and is of
the renaissance order of architecture. Ten feet above the ordinary
roof rises a mansard roof, with a central pavilion, and two smaller
252 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
ones. The building is two stories in height, and the front is divided
into recesses by pilasters with capitals representing Indian corn, and
has four niches in which are statues of Phidias, Raphael, Michael
Angelo, and Albert Durer, portraying sculpture, painting, architec-
ture, and engraving. On the front are fine carvings, the Corcoran
monogram, and the inscription, " Dedicated to Art." On the Seven-
teenth Street side are niches containing the statues of Titian, Da
Vinci, Rubens, and Rembrandt, and it is the intention to add those of
Murillo, Canova, and Crawford. The statues are of Carrara mar-
ble, seven feet high, and were executed by M. Ezekiel, an American
sculptor residing in Rome. The building was designed by James
Renwick, of New York, and erected at a cost of $250,000. It is
very attractive in appearance. The gallerj- was opened to the pub-
lic in December, 1874.
Mr. Corcoran gave to it his private collection of paintings and
statuary, valued at $100,000, and an endowment fund of $900,000.
One of the trustees visited Europe and made extensive purchases of
art works, being very successful in procuring a large number of not-
able productions. Many American works of great value were also
obtained. The gallery is open daily, and on Tuesdays, Thursdays,
and Saturdays is free ; on other days there is an admission fee of
twenty -five cents. Under certain regulations persons are allowed to
draw from the casts and to copy the paintings. The annual income
is nearly $80,000, the larger portion of which is used in the purchase
of pictures and statues.
The lower story of the building is entirely devoted to the exhibi-
tion of sculpture, bronzes, and ceramic ware. In spacious halls are
magnificent collections of casts of antique marbles, representing the
best works of the great Greek sculptors. There are also many orig-
inal examples of modern sculpture, including a number of celebrated
works. The collections of bronzes and ceramic ware are very exten-
sive and noteworthy.
In the second story are four galleries of paintings, the main one
being ninety-five feet by forty-four and one-half feet, and thirty-eight
feet high, with a richly frescoed ceiling. These galleries contain
several hundred paintings carefully selected to furnish good examples
of modern art, with something of the ancient. Many well-known
American and European painters are represented on the walls, and
most of the canvases are very valuable originals. The gallery ranks
among the finest in the country, and in some particulars has no equal.
CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART.
253
THE CORCORAN GALLERY OF ART.
With its large income to be devoted to acquiring the best art works,
it must in time possess extraordinary collections.
Mr. Corcoran, the venerable philanthropist, who has given this
superb gallery to the public, and whose long life has been rich in good
works, is a native of Georgetown, but for many years he has been a
resident of Washington. He began his business career as an auc-
tioneer, and afterward established a banking-house, which he con-
ducted very successfully for an extended period. By his financial
operations, and by early investments in city lands which greatly in-
creased in value when Washington developed into a thriving city, he
became a millionaire. The princely fortune he possesses is con-
stantly being used for the benefit of worthy objects.
In 187 1 Mr. Corcoran founded the Louise Home, an institution
designed for impoverished gentlewomen who may need the shelter
of a friendly roof. It was named after his deceased wife and daugh-
254 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
ter. It has an endowment fund of $250,000, and is managed by a
board of lady trustees. The building is situated on Massachusetts
Avenue, between Fifteenth and Sixteenth streets, and cost $200,000.
It is a beautiful brick structure, four stories high, surmounted by a
mansard roof, with a central pavilion, and stands within a spacious
enclosure of lawn and garden, a conspicuous object in the fashion-
able West End. The interior is elegant in its appointments. The
doors of this noble institution are always open to women of refinement
and education who require assistance. Visitors are admitted every
week-day afternoon.
Washington, it may be said, can safely dispute with Brooklyn
the title of "The City of Churches," as there are at present within
its borders no less than one hundred and sixty churches, most of
them apparently in a flourishing condition. There are fifty Metho-
dist churches, forty-six Baptist, seventeen Episcopal, sixteen Presby-
terian, twelve Catholic, six Lutheran, and a variety of other denomi-
nations. Many of the church structures are large and handsome,
and some of them are remarkable for graceful, pleasing architecture.
The oldest Episcopal churches in the city are Christ Church,
erected on G Street, near the navy yard, in 1795 ; and St. John's
Church on H Street, near the White House, which dates from 1816.
The distinguished Latrobe designed St. John's, which is of brick,
covered with stucco, and in the form of a Latin cross. One of its
pews is set apart for the Presidents of the United States, many of
whom, from the time of President Madison, have worshiped in the
venerable edifice. Other prominent Episcopal churches are the As-
cension, corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Twelfth Street ; the
Epiphany, on G Street, betv\^een Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets
northwest; the Incarnation, on N Street, corner of Twelfth north-
west ; St. Andrew's, corner of Fourteenth and Corcoran streets north-
west ; the Holy Cross, on Massachusetts Avenue, corner of Eighteenth
Street ; and Trinity, corner of Third and C streets northwest.
About four miles from Washington is the oldest Episcopal church
in the District of Columbia — St. Paul's Church, of Rock Creek
Parish. It is situated adjacent to the Soldiers' Home, on land given
by the colonial worthy, John Bradford, in 17 19, to be held in perpe-
tuity for church purposes. St. Paul's was erected in 17 19, of brick
imported from England, and although it has been remodeled, the
original walls remain, with every appearance of enduring for a
PROMINENT CHURCHES. 255
number of years longer. An extensive burial-ground surrounds the
church, in which many of the first residents of Washington are
buried, some of the grave-stones bearing dates of the past century.
The New York Avenue Church is the most prominent of the Pres-
byterian churches. It has a large membership, and is attended by
many Presbyterians sojourning in the capital during the winter. The
First Church, on Four and One-half Street ; the Central Church, cor-
ner of Third and I streets northwest; the Fourth Church, on Ninth
Street northwest, and the Metropolitan Church, on Fourth Street,
corner of B southwest, are to be ranked among the prominent houses
of worship.
The First Baptist Church, on Thirteenth Street northwest, began
existence in 1803, and the Second Baptist Church, on Virginia Ave-
nue, in 1810. These were the first of the numerous churches of this
denomination. Calvary Church, corner of Eighth and H streets
northwest; the E Street Church; the Metropolitan Church, corner of
A and Sixth streets northeast, and the North Baptist Church, on Four-
teenth Street northwest, are leading churches. The largest of the
colored Baptist church organizations is the Nineteenth Street Church,
which has a fine edifice in the West End.
There is only one Unitarian church in Washington, the All Souls
Church, corner of Fourteenth and L streets northwest. This church
is attended by a fashionable and distinguished congregation, com-
prising many persons of high official position, and of prominence in
society.
Meetings of Methodists were held in Washington as early as
1805, and in 1815 the Foundry Church (where President Hayes wor-
shiped) was established. Methodism flourishes, there being at pres-
ent more churches of this denomination in the city than of any other.
The principal churches are the Metropolitan Church, on Four and
One-half Street ; the Foundry Church, corner of Fourteenth and G
streets northwest; the McKendree Church, on Massachusetts Ave-
nue ; the Hamline Church, corner of Ninth and P streets northwest,
and the Fourth Street Church. The Asbury Church, corner of
Eleventh and K streets northwest, has a large and influential col-
ored congregation.
There is but one Universalist church in the city — the Church of
Our Father, corner of Thirteenth and L streets northwest. The
church was erected in 1883, at a cost of about $30,000. For some
years the society worshiped in the Masonic Temple.
256 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
The Congregational churches are the First Church, corner of
Tenth and G streets northwest, and the Tabernacle of the Congre-
gation, on Ninth Street, between B Street and Virginia Avenue
southwest. There are also two mission churches.
The Lutheran churches are divided into English and German,
there being more of the latter than the former. The Memorial
Church, on Thomas Circle, at the intersection of Fourteenth Street
and Vermont Avenue, and St. Paul's Church, corner of Eleventh and
H streets northwest, are the principal English ones.
On Vermont Avenue, between N and O streets, is the Church of
the Christian Disciples, generally known as the Garfield Memorial
Church. It is the leading church of the Christian faith in the United
States. In the small chapel which formerly stood on the site of this
church President Garfield worshiped for many years, and the pew
he occupied has been placed in the new church. It is draped in
black, and bears a silver tablet on which is the name of the lamented
President.
There are two Friends' Meeting-Houses in the city : one, the
Hicksite, on I street northwest; and the other, the Orthodox, on
Thirteenth street northwest.
The principal Catholic churches are St. Patrick's, on G Street
northwest ; St. Peter's, on Capitol Hill ; St. Dominick's, cornet of
Sixth and E streets southwest ; St. Matthew's, corner of Fifteenth
and H streets northwest ; St. Aloysius', corner of North Capitol and
I streets northwest ; the Immaculate Conception, corner of Eighth
and N streets northwest; and St. Stephen's, corner of Pennsylvania
Avenue and Twenty-fifth Street northwest. The oldest is St.
Patrick's, which was established in 1804. There are two German
Catholic churches: St. Mary's, on Fifth Street northwest; and St.
Joseph's, on Second Street northeast ; and one church designed for
colored people, St. Augustine's, on Fifteenth Street northwest.
Two Hebrew synagogues have a large attendance. They are
the Congregation Adas Israel (orthodox), corner of Sixth and G
streets northwest ; and the Washington Hebrew Congregation, on
Eighth Street northwest.
Congress annually appropriates about $500,000 for the support
of the public schools of the District of Columbia. The schools are
in charge of trustees, subordinate to whom are two superintendents,
one having the management of the white schools, and the other of
THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
257
the colored schools. The salary of one superintendent is $2,700;
that of the other, $2,250. Five hundred and twenty-five teachers
are employed, their salaries aggregating $349,000 per year. There
are twenty-four prominent school buildings, most of which are in
Washington, and a number of smaller ones. The large buildings
were erected at an expenditure of many thousands of dollars, and
are considered models of school architecture. They have every ap-
proved appliance and convenience, and will accommodate large
numbers of pupils.
The schools of Washington, up to 1864, were very poor and in-
adequate. In that year the Wallach School, a fine, spacious brick
building, was erected on Pennsylvania Avenue, between Seventh and
Eighth streets southeast. It was named after Richard Wallach, who
was mayor of the city from 1862 to 1868. Other large and suitable
buildings followed, and great attention was paid to educational mat-
ters, nothing being left undone which would make the school sj^stem
equal to that of any city of the country. Washingtonians now point
with proper pride to their splendid school buildings and admirable
system of education, which furnishes equal advantages to white and
THE WINDOM MANSION.
258 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
colored children. Nearly thirty thousand pupils are enrolled in the
schools.
The Franklin School is the finest of the school buildings, although
some of the others approximate it in elegance of design. It is a
large brick edifice, with three stories and a basement, and contains
fourteen school-rooms. It stands on the corner of Thirteenth and K
streets northwest, opposite a beautiful park, and in a locality filled
with costly residences.
The High School, on O Street northwest; the Seaton School, on
I Street northwest ; and the Jefferson School, on Sixth Street south-
west, are imposing buildings. The latter is the largest school build-
ing in the city, having ample accommodations for twelve hundred
scholars. There are six prominent colored schools, the most notable
of which are the Sumner School, corner of Seventeenth and M streets
northwest, and the Lincoln School, corner of Second and C streets
southeast. The former was erected at a cost of $70,000, and is a
very fine building.
Among the important Catholic educational institutions is the Con-
vent of the V^isitation, or Visitation Academ}^ which occupies the
entire square on Connecticut Avenue between L and M streets. It
emanated from the famous institution in Georgetown, which is the
" mother" community of the order of Nuns of the Visitation in the
United States, and for twenty-seven 3'ears had its home in the old
convent building on Tenth Street, recently demolished. In 1877 the
communitv removed to the large and beautiful buildingr it now occu-
pies. The convent is surrounded by spacious grounds enclosed by a
brick wall, and is an attractive and prominent object in the section of
the cit}' in which it is located.
On I Street, between North Capitol and First streets northwest,
is the Gonzaga College, conducted by fathers of the Societ}^ of Jesus.
It was incorporated as a university in 1858.
The National Medical College, connected with the Columbian
University, is located on H Street, betvveen Thirteenth and Four-
teenth streets northwest. It was founded in 1824, and the present
building, erected at a cost of $40,000 in 1864, was the gift of Mr.
William W. Corcoran. The Law School of Columbian University',
established in 1826, is located on Fifth Street, opposite Judiciary
Square.
The Medical and Law Schools of Georgetown College are located
in Washington, the former at the corner of Tenth and E streets
THE PUBLIC MARKETS.
259
THE LOUISE HOME.
northwest, and the latter on F Street, between Ninth and Tenth
streets northwest.
The public markets of Washington are among the finest in the
United States, and are objects of considerable interest to strangers.
They consist of the Center Market, on the south side of Pennsylva-
nia Avenue, between Seventh and Ninth streets northwest ; the
Northern Liberty Market, on Fifth Street, between K and L streets
northwest ; the Northern Market, on Seventh Street, between O and
P streets northwest ; the Eastern Market, on Capitol Hill, at the
junction of Seventh Street east, and North Carolina Avenue ; and
the Western Market, on K Street, between Twentieth and Twenty-
first streets northwest. They are supplied with a profusion of fine
26o PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
vegetables and fruits, game, fish, oysters, and the best quahties of
meats. Washington being situated in the centre of a luxuriant agri-
cultural region, and adjacent to the great oyster and fishing-grounds
of the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay, is enabled to have an
abundance of food products in its markets. It has also special facil-
ities for obtaining early vegetables and fruits from the South, and
meats from contiguous districts and from the West.
The Center Market is the largest of the markets, and, in many
particulars, it is considered to be the market far excellence of the
country. The building was begun in 1870, and opened in July, 1873,
its erection having cost $350,000. It is located on one of the most
central squares in Washington, which has been devoted to market
purposes since the foundation of the city, and is surrounded by exten-
sive grounds and wide streets. Here was the well-known " Marsh
Market" of ante-bellum days — a rough, dilapidated building, or
series of buildings, but filled to overflowing with good " marketing,"
and distinguished for its quaint, motley assemblages.
Four capacious brick buildings constitute the Center Market,
those on the Pennsylvania Avenue front being very ornate and pleas-
ing in design. They form a square and are connected, so that in
going through the market they seem very much like one building.
They are four hundred and ten feet in length, and their average
width is eighty-two feet. The total space available for market pur-
poses is 84,818 feet. One building is used exclusively for wholesale
business in meats and produce. It is three stories high and contains
fourteen large stores, with elevators to the upper stories. The other
buildings are two stories in height, and have great arched roofs.
They contain six hundred and sixty-six stalls and stands for the retail
business, and have wide aisles and spaces. There is room for three
hundred wagons around the market, and the covered sidewalks will
accommodate innumerable hucksters' stands. The rents for stalls and
stands are from $5 to $14 per month, and the yearly rent-roll is nearly
$60,000. The market is owned by the Washington Market Com-
pany.
The daily business in and around this splendid structure is enor-
mous. During the morning hours there are throngs of buyers of all
classes of society — fashionable women of the West End, accompa-
nied by negro servants, mingling with people of less opulent sec-
tions, all busily engaged in selecting the day's household supplies. It
is a scene of wonderful variety and animation, and has much of the
THE PUBLIC MARKETS.
261
picturesqueness noticeable in the markets farther south. And on
Saturday evenings, when the market is glowing with myriads of
lights, and is lively and bustling with the excitement of a great traffic,
it has peculiar interest and fascination. An extensive variety of arti-
cles, other than food products, can be purchased. Flowers and
plants of numberless sorts are spread out in tempting array ; tin,
wooden, and crockery ware, and various household utensils; cloth-
ing, jewelry and trinkets, sweet-smelling herbs and barks, pictures
and books, smokers' articles — these, and more, are to be obtained.
Cooked food is offered, such as homin}', smoking hot, sold by the
quart for family use ; and everything in the baker's line is to be
found in abundance. Indeed, the market is a vast, convenient bazar,
where one can be readily supplied with innumerable things in daily
demand.
The Northern Liberty Market is the second in magnitude. It
was erected in 1875 at a cost of $140,000, and is an imposing brick
building, three hundred and twenty-four feet in length, and one hun-
dred and twenty-six in width, and is notable for its great height and
ponderous arched roof, supported by colossal iron girders. The other
markets are substantial brick buildings, excellently arranged, and of
good size.
EIGHTH AND H STREETS N. W. , SITOWIXG CALVARY BAPTIST CHURCH.
262 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
There are two regular theatres in Washington — the National
Theatre and Ford's Opera House. A new theatre, to be called the
Casino, is shortly to be erected. In addition, there are theatres in
w^hich variety performances are given, and summer gardens where
musical entertainments are the rule. The prominent halls for con-
certs and lectures are the National Rifles' Hall, Lincoln Hall, Odd
Fellows' Hall, and the Masonic Temple.
The principal hotels are the Ebbitt House, Riggs' House, Wil-
lard's Hotel, Arlington Hotel, Wormley's Hotel, Metropolitan Hotel,
and National Hotel. There are numerous smaller hotels for the gen-
eral public, as' well as a number of what are called family hotels,
many of which are very elegant in their appointments.
Four daily newspapers are published — The National Republican
and The Daily Post in the morning, and The Star and The Critic
in the evening. The Post and the Star occupy fine buildings of
their own. There are six Sunday newspapers, and several other
weekly publications.
The benevolent institutions of the city are numerous. Among
the prominent ones is the National Soldiers and Sailors Orphan
Home, on G Street, between Seventeenth and Eighteenth streets
northwest. It was established in 1866, and is liberally supported by
the government. Orphans of soldiers and sailors in the Rebellion
are cared for and educated until they are sixteen years old. The
institution is in charge of a board of lady managers, and is open to
the public daily.
The Washington Asylum is located at the terminus of C Street
southeast, on the banks of the Anacostia River. The present build-
ing was erected in 1859. It is an asylum for the paupers of the Dis-
trict, and is also used as a work-house for persons convicted of minor
offences.
The Freedmen's Hospital occupies the square between Fifth, Sev-
enth, Boundar}^ and Pomeroy streets. It has accommodations for
two hundred patients. It is supported by government appropriations,
and, although designed for freedmen, all classes of patients are re-
ceived.
Other prominent benevolent institutions are, the Garfield Memorial
Hospital, at the head of Tenth Street; the Providence General Hos-
pital, corner of Second and D streets southeast ; the City Orphan
Asylum, corner of Fourteenth and S streets northwest; St. John's
Hospital, on H Street, between Nineteenth and Twentieth streets
MASONS AND ODD FELLOWS.
263
northwest ; the Co-
lumbia Hospital for
Women, corner of L
and Twenty-fifth
streets northwest;
and the Home for the
Aged, corner of Third
and H streets north-
east.
In the District of
Columbia there are
twenty lodges of Ma-
sons, with a member-
ship of nearly three
thousand, and the
order is in a ver}-
prosperous condition.
The Masonic Temple
in Washington is an
attractive structure.
It is situated on F
Street, corner of Ninth
northwest, and was
erected in 1868 at a
cost of $200,000. It
is of granite and free-
stone, and is four
stories in height. The
first floor is occupied
by stores, and the sec-
ond floor contains a hall for public entertainments. The third and
fourth floors are occupied by the Masonic lodges, chapters, and
commanderies, the various apartments being furnished in a magnifi-
cent manner.
The Odd Fellows' building, on Seventh Street, between D and E
streets northwest, was originally erected in 1846, but was thoroughly
remodeled in 1874, ^^^ now is a convenient and handsome edifice.
It is of brick, and has iron pilasters and ornaments painted white.
It has three domes, the centre one rising above the others. On the
ALL souls' unitarian CHURCH.
264 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
front of the building is a large balcony. Stores occupy the ground
floor, and on the second floor is a public hall. The lodge and en-
campment rooms are on the third floor, and are finely decorated and
furnished. There are fourteen lodges and four encampments, and
the order numbers about eighteen hundred members, and is rapidly
increasing.
At the foot of E Street southeast, is the Congressional Cemetery,
originally called "Washington Parish Burial Ground." It was laid
out in 1807 by residents of the eastern quarter of the city, and after-
ward came under the control of Christ Episcopal Church. As the
government made liberal donations of money and land to the ceme-
tery, its name was changed to " Congressional," and freestone ceno-
taphs were erected for deceased congressmen. A large vault was
erected by Congress near the centre of the grounds. Among the
men of prominence buried here are Vice-President George Clinton,
of New York ; Elbridge Gerry, of Massachusetts, and Tobias Lear,
lor many years the private secretary and intimate companion of
George Washington. The cemetery contains about forty acres, and
extends along the Anacostia River.
Oak Hill Cemetery is situated on Georgetown Heights, and is
peculiarly arranged on a series of terraces rising from the western
bank of Rock Creek. It is unique and beautiful ; noble oaks cover
its ground, and exquisite taste has been used in its adornment. Here
is the Van Ness mausoleum containing the remains of General Van
Ness and family. Here Lorenzo Dow is buried, and here also John
.Howard Payne rests at last in his native land, no longer an exile
from the " Home, sweet home," he sang of in immortal words.
The sum of $300,000 is annually appropriated for the police
force of Washington. The force is known as the Metropolitan Po-
lice, and consists of a superintendent with the title of Major, who
receives a salary of $2,600; a captain at $1,800, ten lieutenants at
$1,200 each, tw^enty sergeants at $1,140 each, and two hundred and
fifteen privates at salaries from $900 to $1,080. There are also six-
teen station-house keepers who are paid $720 each, and numerous
clerks, messengers, and laborers. There is a mounted force of
twenty-one men. The police duties extend throughout the District
of Columbia.
The fire department is sustained at a yearly expenditure of $100,-
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT, ETC.
265
000. There are eight en-
gines, and other fire ap-
paratus. The chief en-
gineer has a salary of
$1,800, and the assistant
engineer, $1,400. There
is a force of eighty-four
men, who receive from
$720 to $1,000 each.
Connected with the de-
partment is an efficient
telegraph and telephone
service in charge of ex-
pert electricians, the su-
perintendent receiving a
salary of $1,600.
The white military or-
ganizations are the Wash-
ington Light Infantry, of
four companies, the In-
fantry Cadets, the National
Rifles, the Rifles Cadets,
the Washington Light
Guard, and the Union
Veteran Corps. There
are three companies of
colored infantry, and the
Capital City Guard, con-
sisting of two companies
of colored men.
Connecting Washing-
ton with the outer world
are the Baltimore and
Potomac, and Baltimore and Ohio railroads, extending from New
York via the Pennsylvania Railroad, with branches south and west.
In the depot of the Baltimore and Potomac Railroad, President Gar-
field was shot by Charles J. Guiteau on July 2, 1881. On the wall,
directly above the spot where Garfield fell, the railroad company has
placed a marble tablet as a memorial to the martyred President.
There are various steamboat lines on the Potomac River to southern
GARFIELD MEMORIAL CHURCH.
( Christian Disciples.)
266
PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
ports. The city has five distinct street raih'oad companies, whose
lines traverse all the principal sections.
The water supply of Washington is obtained from above the
Great Falls of the Potomac, and the aqueduct which conveys it
to the city has been declared " a triumph of civil engineering."
The aqueduct is nearly twelve miles in length, and on its course
passes over six bridges and through twelve huge tunnels. The
water is received in a reservoir a short distance west of Georgetown,
whence it is conveyed in great mains to Washington, crossing Rock
Creek by an aqueduct bridge. The water-works were constructed
at a cost of about ten million dollars.
CHAPEL AT OAK HILT, CEMETERY.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE ENVIRONS — HOWARD UNIVERSITY — COLUMBIAN UNIVERSITY — WAYLAND
SEMINARY — NATIONAL DEAF MUTE COLLEGE — GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL
FOR THE INSANE — GEORGETOWN — THE COLLEGE OF THE JESUITS — GREAT
FALLS OF THE POTOMAC — CHESAPEAKE AND OHIO CANAL — ARLINGTON —
THE GREAT NATIONAL MILITARY CEMETERY — ALEXANDRIA.
THE environs of Washington have many charming scenes and
interesting objects. From the hills encircling the city one
can obtain extended views of the District and the two neigh-
boring states, spreading out in luxuriant fields and woods ;
of the Potomac, curving gracefully to the southward ; and of the
beautiful capital itself lying for miles along a wide, irregular valley.
On one of these bold eminences stands Howard University, the w^ell-
known institution for the higher education of the colored race. It
has a conspicuous location north of the Capitol, a short distance
above the boundary line of the city, adjacent to the Seventh Street
road, and is on a plateau comprising thirty-five acres, part of which
is laid out as a park.
The university was established by special act of Congress in 1867,
and named after Gen. Oliver O. Howard, who w^as its president for
six years. Although more especially designed for colored students,
it is open to all, without distinction of race or sex, and among its in-
structors and students are white and colored persons of both sexes.
There are four hundred students from all parts of the United States,
and six departments — theological, medical, law, college, normal, and
preparatory, and the courses are from two to four years. The medi-
268 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
cal department is largely attended, the classes having the benefit of
clinical instruction in the Freedmen's Hospital. There is an able
corps of instructors, and tuition is free in its preparatory, normal, and
college departments, and very low in the others. The general man-
agement is vested in a board of trustees. Congress yearly makes an
appropriation for it.
The main building is of brick, is four stories in height, and at-
tractive in design. It has ample accommodations for the lecture and
recitation rooms, the chapel, the library, the museum, and offices.
The library has 8,000 volumes, and in the museum are valuable col-
lections of minerals and curiosities. On the grounds are two large
buildings used as students' dormitories, one known as Miner Hall,
and the other as Clark Hall. The buildings and grounds are valued
at $600,000.
Columbian University is situated on Meridian Hill, near the north-
ern terminus of Fourteenth Street. A new college building is to be
erected in the city on the corner of Fifteenth and H streets northwest,
which will be occupied probably in 1885. This institution was estab-
lished in 1822, and incorporated as a university in 1873. Besides its
collegiate departments, it has those of law and medicine. It is under
the direction of the Baptists, has many students, and is in a prosper-
ous condition.
Wayland Seminary, which was established in 1865 for the educa-
tion of colored preachers, is located near Columbian University. It
has academic, normal, and theological departments, and is supported
by contributions received by the American Baptist Home Mission So-
ciety. It occupies a handsome edifice, erected at a cost of $35,000,
and has accommodations for two hundred students.
The Columbia Institution for the Deaf and Dumb is situated on
Kendall Green, a plot of one hundred acres near the northern terminus
of Seventh Street east. It was established in 1857, and is now con-
ducted under government auspices. Here the deaf-mute children of
the District of Columbia, and those whose parents are connected with
the army and navy, receive free education. Its collegiate branch,
known as the National Deaf Mute College (the only one of the kind
in the world), was established in 1864. Students are admitted to
this college from all parts of the country. It has numerous instruc-
tors, and every necessary appliance for the thorough education in the
higher branches of the unfortunate class for which it was designed.
HOSPITAL FOR THE INSANE.
269
ARLINGTON HOUSE.
{Formerly Residence oj Gen. Robert E. Lee.)
The central building is of Gothic architecture, and all the buildings
are spacious and conveniently arranged.
On high ground on the south side of the Anacostia River, near
the point where it mingles its waters with the Potomac, is the Gov-
ernment Hospital for the Insane, which was erected in 1855, at a cost
of nearly $1,000,000. It has a commanding site, overlooking the
city of Washington, and from its grounds the finest view of the Capi-
tol can be obtained, the majestic edifice showing clearly and fully
from this locality, with nothing to diminish'its grandeur. The grounds
are four hundred and nineteen acres in extent, and the building, with
its buttresses and parapet, has been likened to a great feudal castle.
270 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
It has a four-storied centre, with long, connecting wings, and is seven
hundred and fifty feet in length, and two hundred feet in width, and
has nearly six hundred apartments, with accommodations for one
thousand patients. It ranks among the prominent institutions for the
insane in the world. The insane of the army and navy, and of the
District of Columbia, are treated here.
Georgetown, or West Washington, as it is now called, was in-
corporated as a town in 1789- It is situated on the western border
of Washington, and is separated from it by Rock Creek, a narrow
stream spanned by three bridges. It lies at the base and along the
sides of steep hills, and contains many old family mansions, as well
as many modern residences of people doing business in Washington.
It has a number of fine business blocks, and several large churches
and school-houses. The most important edifice is the Georgetown
College, or College of the Jesuits, which is situated on the crest of a
hill in the western part of the town, its grounds covering an area of
one hundred and seventy acres, comprising heights and valle3's of
rare beauty.
The old or original college building was erected in 1792, and
work on the new one — a palatial structure — was begun in 1877.
The new building is one of the largest devoted to college purposes
in the United States, and is of the type — the Rhenish-Romanesque —
which is usually selected by the Jesuits in Europe for their institu-
tions of learning. The material is gray freestone, finelj^'hewn blue-
stone, and blue gneiss. It has a high central tower, and several
lesser ones, is many storied, with a bold, deep roof, and stands out
upon the bank supporting it with a grand appearance.
This college is the oldest and most prominent of the Jesuit insti-
tutions in the United States, and came into existence through the
efibrts of the Rt. Rev. John Carroll, the first Catholic bishop of Bal-
timore. It began its work in an humble way, and in 18 15 was
raised to the dignity of a university. It has a large number of
students, mostly from the South, a learned corps of instructors, and
bears a high reputation. In its extensive library are many ancient
and rare volumes, and sundry relics of great interest and value, one
being the dining-table of Lord Baltimore, around which he and
the council of the Maryland Colony have often sat discussing ques-
tions of state over the walnuts and wine. The table was originally
THE GREAT FALLS.
271
brought from England, is of solid mahogany, and of enormous
weight.
The Great Falls of the Potomac, some fourteen miles above Wash-
ington, possess an indescribable grandeur. The Potomac rises in a
spur of the Alleghany Mountains, and several streams are combined
with it in its downward course. Forty-seven miles below the gap at
Harper's Ferry, where the river bursts through the mountains, are the
Great Falls, formed by the waters impetuously forcing a passage
through a stupendous ridge of granite which here restrains the cur-
rent from side to side. The river graduall}^ narrows as it approaches
the barrier, until it is only about three hundred feet wide, and then
NATIONAL MILITARY CEMETERY AT ARLINGTON.
272 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
with a mighty effort rushes over the granite walls, making a descent
of forty feet into hollow rocks. It then continues its course with
amazing velocity, dropping foot by foot in a series of cascades, until
its " perpendicular pitch " is eighty feet in a distance of about two
miles. On the Virginia shore huge masses of rock stretch upward
for seventy feet, and on the Maryland shore are ledges and boulders,
over which the waters dash in great billows of foam. Ten miles
below the Great Falls are the Little Falls, a succession of rapids with
a total descent of twenty feet. Leaving these rapids, the river glides
calmly toward Washington with nothing to obstruct its passage.
The scenery around the Great Falls and Little Falls is very wild and
picturesque. Cabin John Bridge, a notable example of bridge build-
ing, crosses the river between the two series of falls. It conveys the
aqueduct of the Washington Water Works. It is four hundred and
twenty feet long, and has an arch of two hundred and twenty feet,
which is said to be the largest in the world. The bridge is con-
structed of massive granite blocks, and cost $237,000.
The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, by means of which immense
quantities of coal are broiught to Georgetown from the mines of West
Virginia and Mar3'land, and grain and produce from the West, ex-
tends to Cumberland, Md., a distance of one hundred and eight}'-
four miles. For the first fifty miles from Georgetown, it is sixty feet
in width ; then it has an average width of fifty feet to its terminus,
with a depth of six feet. On its course are seventy-five capacious
locks, eleven aqueducts, and nearly two hundred culverts. Water is
supplied to it from the Potomac by numerous dams. The canal was
first chartered in 1784, and constructed as far as the Great Falls.
In 1828 another charter was obtained from Congress, with the inten-
tion of extending the course to Pittsburg, a total distance of three
hundred and sixty miles. Work upon the extension was continued
until 1841, when Cumberland was reached, and, for various reasons,
it was made the terminus. The construction was exceedingly diffi-
cult, and cost $13,000,000. Congress appropriated $1,000,000 for
the great enterprise, and Washington subscribed $1,000,000, Mar}^-
land, $5,000,000, and Alexandria and Georgetown, $250,000 each.
From Georgetown a considerable part of the coal and produce re-
ceived b}' the canal is shipped to Southern cities.
At the Georgetown canal terminus is an aqueduct bridge, 1,446
THE NATIONAL MILITARY CEMETERY.
273
ALONG THE WHARVES AT GEORGETOWN.
feet long, connecting with the Virginia shore, which carries the Alex-
andria Canal across the Potomac. The bridge is constructed on
huge granite piers of sufficient strength to resist the shock of the
masses of ice which come sweeping down the river in the early
spring. The canal was incorporated in 1830.
Crossing the aqueduct bridge on to the soil of Virginia, a drive
of a mile southerly will bring one to the National Military Cemetery
at Arlington — a vast field of the Nation's dead. Here, under the
shade of noble oaks, are buried 16,264 soldiers of the Rebellion,
their last resting-place graciously cared for by the government they
died in defence of. The cemetery covers two hundred acres on Ar-
lington Heights, which rise two hundred feet above the Potomac
River, and command a fine prospect. It has an eastern frontage o{
3,500 feet on the Alexandria turnpike, and extends westw^ard for
nearly one-half mile. A handsome rubble-stone wall encloses the
grounds, and near the southern end of the front is the main entrance,
over the gateway of which is a large arch formed of marble pillars
from the portico of the old War Department Building. The larger
portion of the burials are made in the southwest section of the cem-
etery, which is very nearly a level plateau covered with groves of
18 a
274 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
ancient trees. The graves are arranged in long parallel rows, and
each grave of the 11,915 soldiers who were known, bears a small,
white marble head-stone inscribed wdth the name, compan}^, regiment,
and date of death. The graves of the 4,349 unknown soldiers who
lie here are suitably inscribed. These burial-fields have a calm,
mournful beauty ; there is no sound save the song of birds and the
wind sighing through the lofty trees, and one can imagine the long
lines of white head-stones to be a vast, silent encampment — an en-
campment indeed, waiting the final order of the Great Commander.
The main avenue passes by the side of an extensive garden, and
between the avenue and the garden are forty-five graves of Union
officers. To the west of the garden is a large vault containing the
remains of 2,211 unknown Union soldiers gathered after the war
from various battle-fields. Over the vault is a massive granite sar-
cophagus surrounded by four field-pieces on their carriages, with piles
of cannon-balls between them. Here and there on the borders of
the burial-fields iron frames are placed, each one bearing a poetic
inscription in large letters. The following are some of the inscrip-
tions :
" No rumor of the foe's advance
Now sweeps upon the wind,
No troubled thoughts at midnight haunts
Of loved ones left behind."
The neighing troop, the flashing blade,
The bugle's stirring blast.
The charge, the dreadful cannonade.
The din and shout are past."
Rest on, embalmed and sainted dead.
Dear as the blood ye gave :
No impious footstep here shall tread
The herbage of your grave."
No vision of the morrow's strife
The warrior's dream alarms :
No braying horn, no screaming fife,
At dawn shall call to arms."
THE NATIONAL MILITARY CEMETERY.
275
The muffled drum's sad roll has beat
The soldier's last tattoo ;
No more on life's parade shall meet
That brave and fallen few."
" Your own proud land's heroic soil
Must be jour fitter grave;
She claims from war his richest spoil,
The ashes of the brave."
The entire Arlington estate consists of 1,160 acres. It was origi-
nally part of the vast landed possessions of Edmund Scarburgh, who
was surveyor-general of Virginia in the early colonial period. Later
it came into the possession of John Custis, a wealthy planter, whose
only son, Daniel Parke Custis, married "the beauty and belle of
Williamsburg," Martha Dandridge, and inherited the estate. Martha
1
_.'■';. i'r^.r:\
^\^^\^
THE COLLEGE OF THE JESUITS, AT GEORGETOWN.
276 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Dandridge Custis, after a few years of happy married life, was left a
widow with two children, and in 1759 ^"^'^^ wedded to George Wash-
ington, then a colonel in the Virginia militia. The widow Custis
" was fair to behold, of fascinating manners, and splendidly endowed
with worldly benefits." She held the Arlington property for her son,
and eventually her grandson, George Washington Parke Custis, be-
came the owner of it. He erected the fine mansion now standing
on the eastern portion of the grounds, and lived in it until his death,
in 1857. Arlington passed to his daughter, Mrs. Lee, the wife of
Gen. Robert E. Lee, for life, and afterward was to descend to her
son, George Washington Custis Lee. The Lee family lived on the
estate until the beginning of the Rebellion, leaving it forever in April,
1861, when General Lee removed to Richmond.
The L^nited States took possession of the estate soon after the war
began, and under the direct tax act of 1862 a tax was assessed
against it. As the tax was not paid, a sale was ordered, and Presi-
dent Lincoln directed that the estate should be bid in for the use of the
government, which was accordingly done. It was decided to take
part of the land for a military cemetery, and the first interments were
made in Ma}^ 1864. Arlington was subsequently claimed by George
Washington Custis Lee, on the ground that the tax sale was defec-
tive, as a tender of the tax might have been made but for a rule of
the tax commissioners which required that the tender should be made
in person. He brought a suit of ejectment against the United States
officers in charge of the estate, and judgment was given in his favor.
A writ of error was taken to the Supreme Court of the United States,
which court affirmed his judgment. He then offered the estate to
the government for the sum of $150,000, which offer was accepted
by Congress, and Arlington is now in undisputed possession of the
Nation.
Arlington House consists of a large centre building with two
wings, the whole having a frontage of one hundred and forty feet.
It is constructed of brick covered with stucco, resembling freestone.
There is a central portico, the pediment of which is supported by
eight ponderous columns. The house is occupied by the superintend-
ent of the cemetery, and the lower story can be inspected by visitors.
About seven miles from Washington, down the Potomac, is the
ancient city of Alexandria, which was founded in 1748, and tor
THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA.
277
'44®
dr^
r nuot
4sn
r5>^ /,v.
iU
^
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HOWARD UNIVERSITY.
some years was called Bellhaven. In its early days it was a thriving
port and had a large foreign trade. The Virginia planters shipped
great quantities of tobacco and flour from its wharves, and received
supplies for their plantations. Its warehouses, most of which are
now empty and dilapidated, were then filled with goods, and for a
time it was an important commercial rival of Baltimore. So thrifty
and enterprising was the town, so promising seemed its future, that it
was even proposed to locate the national capital in it. But the prom-
ise of its youth was never fulfilled, and to-day it is chiefly notable for
what " mifjlit have been."
The city lies on the sides of a range of hills, and is in the centre
of a fertile agricultural district. It has nearly fifteen thousand inhab-
itants, one-third of whom are colored. The city hall is in a fine
building used in part as a public market, and there are a number of
large business structures. An object of interest is Christ Episcopal
Church, erected in 1765, which was attended by General Washington,
who was a member of its vestry.
CHAPTER XIX.
MOUNT VERNON — PRESENT APPEARANCE OF THE VENERATED HOME OF
GEORGE WASHINGTON — THE GROUNDS AND MANSION — WASHINGTON'S
TOMB —THE CHAMBER IN WHICH HE DIED — APARTMENTS OF THE MANSION
— THE FIRST PRESIDENT'S LIFE ON HIS VIRGINIA PLANTATION — HOW THE
MOUNT VERNON ASSOCIATION ACQUIRED THE HISTORIC PROPERTY.
WHILE the homes of most of the ilhistrioiis men who
founded the American Republic have been suffered to
decay, and finally to disappear from the earth, the home
of George Washington has been fortunately preserved.
That home to which he brought his lovely bride in the blithesome
days of youth — those days of pleasant company, of country merry-
makings, of riding to hounds and the sports of the field, of sweet
domestic bhss ; that home whence he departed to fight the batdes for
his country's freedom and independence, and to which he returned
crowned with more than the laurels of Miltiades ; that home whence
again he departed to guide the Ship of State on its untried course, and
to which he returned when he had relinquished his great office, never
more to depart from undl death claimed him — that beaudful Mount
Vernon is to-day in almost as substantial a condidon as it was when
the First President sat under the venerable trees, or walked the broad
piazza of the commodious mansion a hundred years ago.
This cherished spot, the home of Washington, is situated on the
western bank of the Potomac River, in Fairfax County, Virginia,
and is sixteen miles from the city that bears his name. A steam-
boat makes dail}^ trips from the capital, and visitors are permitted
to explore all portions of the historic estate, and to wander at will
over the mansion. The association in whose charge it is provides
28o PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
a guide, and the various objects of interest are explained in an
telligent manner. Thousands of people from every section of the
United States, and even from foreign lands, visit Mount Vernon
yearly. In 1876, the centennial year, there were forty-five thousand
visitors. As the river steamers approach the hallowed grounds
they slacken speed, toll their bells, and go " slowly sailing, slowly
sailing, past the tomb of Washington."
The Mount Vernon mansion stands near the brow of a sloping
hill which rises one hundred and twenty-four feet above the river,
and can be seen from a great distance. A spacious lawn extending
to the river, and majestic trees, give it a setting of rare beauty. At
this point the Potomac is two miles in width, and its course is west-
erly until it borders the estate ; then it makes a sudden, sweeping
bend to the southward, displaying a long stretch of glittering waters.
The mansion overlooks the river as it flows south, and the thickly
wooded Maryland hills on the opposite bank, for many miles, and
the prospect from its piazza and upper windows is most charming and
picturesque. The grounds adjacent to the mansion are covered with
an extensive variety of shade-trees, most of which were planted by
Washington, and many of them have remarkably luxuriant foliage.
In one flourishing thicket are hemlocks, lindens, chestnuts, and
beeches, all of which Washington planted when a 3'oung man, and
carefully nourished. The estate in his time comprised eight thousand
acres — a princely domain, even in those days of vast landed posses-
sions. More than one-half of it was w^ood land, and the remainder
was divided into five farms tilled by several hundred negroes. Each
farm was devoted to special crops, the principal ones being wheat,
Indian corn, and tobacco, and was in charge of an overseer who made
weekly report to a general superintendent, who in turn reported to
Washington. After the death of Washington the lands were sold by
his heirs, from time to time, nothing being retained except the home-
stead or "mansion-house farm," which now consists of two hundred
acres.
Around the mansion is a lawn of ten acres, laid out in the olden
style of English landscape gardening, and on one side is an orchard
of about twenty acres, filled with peach, nectarine, apricot, plum,
cherry, and apple trees. Twenty acres are devoted to grains and
vegetables, and the remainder are wood and pasture lands. The
farm is considered one of the best in that section of Virginia, and is
very skillfully managed by its superintendent. Adjacent to it quite
MOUNT VERNON.
281
THE MANSION HOUSE AT MOUNT VERNON.
a village has grown up, and a post-office for the residents is located
on the Mount Vernon grounds.
The main portion of the wharf at the river-landing was con-
structed by Washington, but within a few years additions have been
made. Here vessels were laden with great quantities of tobacco,
and also with flour ground in the Mount Vernon mill, each barrel
bearing the widely-known brand, "George Washington, Mount
Vernon." The old flour-mill is located about three miles from the
landing, but it is now only a heap of ruins. A short distance above
the wharf, on the path to the mansion, is the decaying stump of
the once magnificent and famous " Washington Oak, " in the grate-
ful shade of which the illustrious farmer was accustomed to rest
18 B
282 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
when returning from directing his shipments. The tree was twelve
feet in circumference, and was supposed to be more than two hun-
dred years old. It was blown down during a severe storm on the
8th of August, 1882. Pieces of it have been taken as relics to most
every part of the world.
The mansion fronts to the northwest, and that portion of it seen
from the river is the rear, or, as it may be called, the southeastern
front. It is constructed of wood, cut in blocks and painted in imita-
tion of stone, is ninety-six feet in length and thirty feet in width, and
has colonnades at its sides. It has two stories and an attic with dor-
mer windows, and on its peaked roof is an octagonal cupola crowned
with an ancient weather-cock. On the river front is a piazza extend-
ing the entire length of the mansion, and which is fifteen feet wide
and twenty-five feet high, with a roof supported by eight pillars and
surmounted by an ornamental balustrade. The piazza has a paving
of well-worn flag-stones imported from the Isle of Wight. When the
weather in winter prevented Washington from taking his habitual
horse-back rides over the plantations, he would frequently walk on
this piazza for an hour or two at a time. The central portion of the
mansion was built by Lawrence Washington, the half-brother of the
General, and the first to reside on the. " Hunting Creek Estate," as
Mount Vernon was then called. When the estate descended to
George Washington he re-named it in honor of Admiral Edward
Vernon, of the British Navy, in whose fleet Lawrence Washington
had performed service in the West Indies. After the Revolutionary
War he added north and south extensions to the mansion, thoroughly
refitted its rooms, erected out-buildings, and greatly improved the
estate.
Extending from the northwestern front of the mansion is a half-
mile circular drive-way, which terminates at an arched gate opening
into the high road. In 1759, ^ ^^^^ weeks after their marriage,
Washington brought his wife through this gate to her future home ;
and in 1799, forty years afterward, his funeral cortege solemnly passed
through it. On the line of the drive-way is a luxuriant flower-garden
and a new conservatory, and the ruins of the original brick con-
servatory, constructed by Washington, which was destroyed by fire
on Dec. 16, 1835. There are also the old brick " cook-house, "^
or family kitchen, in which the food for the family was prepared ;
the butler's house, and servants' quarters. On the south is a barn
with a long slanting roof, erected by Lawrence Washington in 1733,
of English brick. The mansion and out-buildings appear in a good
MOUNT VERNON.
283
state of preservation, and, as great care is taken of them, are likely
to stand for many more years.
A few yards from the mansion, down the sloping southern bank, is
the old family tomb in which the body of Washington was deposited
for nearly thirty-one years, or until the new tomb was constructed.
It is a small sandstone vault about four feet under ground, with a high
rounded top covered with sods, and has a narrow wooden door. Here
the bodies of Washington and his wife, and those of other members of
the family, rested until April 19, 1831, when they were conveyed to
the new tomb. In 1825, when General Lafayette made his last visit
to Mount Vernon, he went into this old vault, and lovingly kissed the
coffin of the hero who had been almost as a father to him in his youth.
'^\\<^\v^N -
THE EASTERN PORTICO,
MOUNT VERNON.
284 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
The present tomb of Washington is situated on the road from the
river-landing, a short distance south of the mansion. In his will
Washington stated that " the family vault at Mount Vernon requiring
repairs, and being improperl}- situated, I desire that a new one, of
brick, and upon a larger scale, may be built at the foot of what is
called the Vinevard Inclosure, on the ground which is marked out,
in which mv remains and those of my deceased relatives (now in the
old vault) , and such others of my family as may choose to be en-
tombed there, may be deposited." But his heirs, strangely tardy,
allowed more than thirty years to pass awa}' before they erected the
new tomb.
The tomb consists of a large vault, extending into a bank in a
thickly wooded dell. It is enclosed by a brick structure with a high,
arched entrance, in which is a gate fashioned of iron bars. Within
the enclosure, and plainly to be seen through the gate, is a massive
marble sarcophagus, impenetrably sealed, containing the coffin of
Washington, and bearing on its top only the coat of arms of the
United States upon a draped flag, and the name, "Washington." At
the side of this sarcophagus is another, similar in construcdon, which
contains the coffin of Mrs. Washington, and which is inscribed :
" Martha, consort of Washington. Died May 21st, 1801 ; aged 71
3'ears." Above the door of the tomb are the words : "Within this en-
closure rest the remains of Gen. George AVashington." The sarcoph-
agi are covered with choice flowers, which are continually renewed.
The vault at the rear of the enclosure contains the remains of
Judge Bushrod Washington, and other members of the Washington
family. It is closed with a solid iron door, over which is inscribed :
" I am the Resurrection and the Life. He that believeth in Me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live." In front of the tomb are
two marble monuments erected in memory of Judge Washington, and
John Augustine Washington.
In a small room in the second story of the Mount Vernon mansion
which he had used for a bed-chamber for many years, the Father of
His Country died on the 14th of December, 1799, between the hours
of ten and eleven at night. After his death the room was closed for a
long dme. The bedstead on which he lay in his last hours has been
preserved, and the room is now arranged in much the same manner as
it was on that sorrowful night. The bedstead is of mahogany, dark
with age, is six feet square, and has four high posts. It was manu-
factured in New York in 1789, and was used by Washington during
MOUNT VERNON. 285
the eight years he served as President. It stands between two long
windows opening on to a balcony from which a delightful view of the
Potomac can be obtained. The room has a spacious fire-place, in
which are the andirons in use on the night of Washington's death.
Several small pieces of furniture then in the room also have been pre-
served. There is a closet containing various articles of the o-reat
soldier's campaigns, and placed here and there are other mementoes.
After her husband's death, Martha Washington occupied a room
in the attic, from the narrow dormer-window of which she could view
the old tomb. The tradition is that she never left this room during
the eighteen months of her widowhood, and that she would see no
one except her two grandchildren and a favorite serving-woman. This
gracious gentlewoman is said to have spent the time in gazing at the
tomb containing her husband's body, and in lamenting her loss. For
forty years man and wife, loving, tender, and true, the peerless couple
were not long separated by death. Mrs. Washington's room now con-
tains but one article of furniture she used — a mahogany wash-stand ;
but the bed, the bed-hangings, the carpet, etc., have been carefully
reproduced in close imitation of the originals.
The interior of the mansion is constructed in a strong yet ele-
gant manner. It is wainscoted in the style prevailing at that
period, and has elaborately carved cornices, and heavy shafts. It
is nearly as substantial as it was when occupied by the Washing-
ton family, the decaying parts having been thoroughly repaired
within a few years. A wide central hall extends from the front
door to the rear, and there is a spacious staircase to the story
above. On the front door is the huge brass knocker used b}^ the
guests of Washington to announce their arrival. A prominent
object in the hall is the Key of the Bastile, presented to Wash-
ington by Lafayette in 1789, soon after the famous French prison
was destroyed. There are six apartments on the ground floor,
namely : the banquet-hall, the music-room, the w^est parlor, the family
dining-room, Martha Washington's sitting-room, and the library-
room. The Mount Vernon Association has furnished the rooms with
ancient pictures, tables and chairs, and other articles, some of w^hich
were the property of Washington.
The banquet-hall, or the state-parlor, as it was frequently called,
is a fine large apartment in the north extension, which in its day was
richly adorned and furnished. It has a high ceiling with designs in
stucco, and its walls are painted gray and have a wide frieze. At
286
PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
THE OLD TOMB AT MOUNT VERNON.
one side is a fire-place, around which is a beautifully carved mantel of
Carrara marble, wrought in Italy, it is supposed by Canova. It has
three panels in which are scenes of agricultural life. It was presented
to Washington by an English gentleman, and it is related that the
vessel bringing it to the United States was captured by pirates. When
they learned that the mantel, was intended for Washington they for-
warded it to him uninjured. Extending across the western end of
the apartment is a colossal painting by Rembrandt Peale, entitled
" Washington at Yorktown," which was presented to the Mount Ver-
non Association in 1873. In a glass case is a model of the Bastile,
the gift of Lafayette ; and in the apartment is also the celebrated
arm-chair which " came over in the ' Mayflower.'" In this old slat-
back oaken chair more than 100,000 visitors to Mount Vernon have
sat. One short sitting is usually enough, as the chair is very hard
and uncomfortable. Several pieces of antique furniture, portraits,
MOUNT VERNON.
287
3* — ^Hi. 1 ^^
THE TOMB OF WASHINGTON, MOUNT VERNON.
and the military equipments used by Washington while serving in
General Braddock's army, are disposed about the apartment.
In this grand hall Washington gave his state dinners when enter-
taining the distinguished men and women who visited him ; and many
a brilliant reception, followed by a ball, also has been held here by
Martha Washington. If the old walls could speak, what interesting
tales they might tell of the scenes they have enclosed — the entertain-
ment of Lafayette, Rochambeau, and the French officers ; of the
illustrious American generals of the Revolution ; of Franklin, of Jef-
ferson, of Hamilton ; of the heroic men and the stately dames of the
Old Dominion in those far-off days when the mansion was bright
and cheerful with the highest social life.
There still remains in the music-room the harpsichord Washing-
288 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
ton gave his charming adopted daughter, Eleanor Parke Custis, on
her wedding-day. It is a line instrument, with two banks of one
hundred and tw^enty keys, and cost $i,ooo. The furnishing of this
room is a faithful reproduction.
The library is a square room in the south extension, with windows
opening on to the portico. It has a large fire-place with a wide
hearth-stone, and on three sides are many small closets, some of them
mere panels, in which silver-plate and china, valuable papers, etc.,
were kept. When it was used by Washington it contained numerous
fire-arms, swords, and military accoutrements, and his private collec-
tion of books. These books were all stamped with his book-plate,
and also bore his autograph. Many of them were purchased in
1849 by the Boston Athenaeum. Here Washington was accustomed
to sit in the afternoon, attending to his correspondence and business
afl:airs, and often of a winter evening the family gathered around the
glowing fire-place. None of the original furniture is now here.
In the second story, and in the attic, are numerous chambers fur-
nished by the Mount Vernon Association with antique articles and
revolutionar}^ relics, and mostly named after diflerent states. The
one known as " Lafayette's room," at the head of the first landing,
was always occupied by the gallant Frenchman whenever he passed
a night at Mount Vernon. The only original piece of furniture it
now contains is the bureau, but it has been reproduced nearly as it
was when he used it. Near this room is the one occupied by Miss
Custis, all the furniture of which is a reproduction. One of the
rooms has a case of relics of Washington.
The mansion contains little of the original furniture, from the fact
that there was a sale by the heirs of the entire household effects, not
disposed of by will, soon after the death of Mrs. Washington. The
most notable articles were purchased by George Washington Parke
Custis, and taken to his mansion at Arlington, but a good part of the
ordinary furniture was scattered throughout Virginia and Maryland,
and is doubtless now in the possession of old families in those states.
Mr. Custis presented a number of relics to the government, some of
which are in the National Museum, and those he retained were in-
herited by his daughter, Mrs. Lee. When the Lee family departed
from Arlington at the beginning of the Civil War, they had the val-
ued memorials conveyed to a place of safety. Afterward, members
of the Lee and Lewis families contributed the Washington articles
at present in the Mount Vernon mansion.
The title to the Mount Vernon estate originated from a patent
MOUNT VERNON. 289
issued by Lord Culpepper in 1670, to John Washington, the founder
of the Washington family in America. He was of English parent-
age, and had settled in Virginia in 1657. His son, Augustine, mar-
ried two wives : the first, Jane Butler, bearing two sons, Lawrence and
Augustine ; and the second, Mary Ball, a member of one of the
prominent families of Virginia, bearing five children, of whom George
Washington was the oldest. At the death of the father in 1743,
Mount Vernon descended to Lawrence Washington, and at his death
to his only child, an infant daughter. George Washington was the
guardian of this child, and at its death he inherited the estate. He
was born Feb. 22, 1732, and when he had barely reached his
twenty-first year, became the owner of Mount Vernon, and also of a
fine estate on the Rappahannock, and took a position among the opu-
lent landholders of the Old Dominion.
Until 175S, when he closed his service with General Braddock,
Washington was constantly engaged in military campaigns, and
passed but little time on his plantation. When the young soldier was
freed from the toilsome duty of camp and field, he became a member
of the Virginia House of Burgesses, and for a number of years per-
formed legislative work. On Jan. 17, 1759, he was married to Martha
Dandridge Custis, a widow with two children. She was young, beau-
tiful, and accomplished, and the possessor of $75,000 in her own
right, as well as the guardian of a large fortune for her children.
Then began a gladsome domestic life at Mount Vernon, extending
through sixteen tranquil years — Washington as the lover and atten-
tive husband, as the farmer profitably engaged in crops, as the fox-
hunter and fisherman in his hours of leisure, as the gay, liberal host
in a social community, his "bruised arms hung up for monuments,"
as he thought, forever.
But it was not so to be, for in 1775 the war for American Inde-
pendence began, and Washington was appointed as the Commander-
in-Chief of the Continental army. During the war he seldom visited
Mount Vernon, but when it was over he resumed his life on the estate,
and for five years the mansion was continually full of distinguished
guests, who came to pay homage to the patriot and soldier who had
achieved the liberty of his country. He became once more the active
farmer and the profuse Virginia host. In a letter written to Lafayette
in 1784, Washington said: "I am become a private citizen on the
banks of the Potomac, and under the shade of my own vine and fig-
tree, free from the bustle of a camp and the busy scenes of public
19 A
290
PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
1^
life, I am solacing myself
with those tranquil enjoyments
of which the soldier, who is
ever in pursuit of fame, the statesman,
whose watchful days and sleepless nights
are spent in devising schemes to promote the welfare of his own, per-
haps the ruin of other countries, can have very little conception. I
have not only retired from all public employments, but I am retiring
within myself, and shall be able to view the solitary walk and tread
the paths of private life, with a heartfelt satisfaction. Envious of
none, I am determined to be pleased with all, and this, my dear friend,
being the order of my march, I will move gently down the stream of
life until I sleep with my fathers."
But again it was not so to be, for on the 14th of April, 1789, a
messenger rode up to the door of the Mount Vernon mansion, bear-
ing the official intelligence that Washington had been unanimously
elected as the First President of the United States, and that he was
requested by Congress to immediately assume the office. Two days
later, Washington departed for New York to be inaugurated as Presi-
dent, and on his journey thither he was the recipient of ovations in
MOUNT VERNON.
2QI
MARTHA Washington's bed-chamber.
the towns and cities through which he passed, and his entry into the
metropoHs was made the occasion of a grand jubilee. He took the
oath of office on the 30th of April.
Then followed eicjht vears of the honors and duties of the Presi-
dency, relieved now and then by short visits to the Virginia home.
A few days before he finished his official career he celebrated his
sixty-fifth birthday, and on the 4th of March, 1797, he attended
the inauguration of John Adams as President, and soon after de-
parted from Philadelphia for Mount Vernon. Throughout his long
public life he had been faithful to the trusts confided to him, and no
taint of dishonor had ever sullied his character.
During the two years and nine months which passed between his
retirement from office and his death, Washington never went twenty
miles from home. Occasionally the cream-colored chariot he had
used while President would be brought out, six blooded horses
attached to it, and, with servants in livery, away would go the hero
and his wife to pay ceremonious visits in the neighborhood, or to
292 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Alexandria, or to the new capital city slowly and toilsomely being
prepared for the use of the government. But usually, day by day he
was busy with his farming operations, with improving his property, and
putting his long-neglected affairs in order. He had a host of farm
hands, and their little cabins dotted the estate ; he had nearly one hun-
dred horses and mules for heavy work, and a stable full of steeds in
whose blood and beauty he took considerable pride. He had more
than three hundred head of cattle, and great numbers of sheep and
swine, and raised bountiful crops of the staples. He relinquished
the field-sports of his earlier life, saw less company, and was very
methodical in the disposition of his time.
His habits and tastes were simple. It was his custom to rise
early, to shave and dress himself unattended, and after a frugal
breakfast of Indian cake and tea, to mount his horse for a long ride
round his plantations. He would closely inspect the work of his la-
borers, consult with his managers, and be entirely absorbed in the ex-
tensive agricultural operations. Dinner was served at three o'clock,
after which he would employ himself in the library with his private
secretary for two or three hours. The evenings were devoted to
amusements with the family. He was free and kindly in his man-
ner, was always in a cheerful mood, and frequently laughed heartily
at the jokes and pleasantries of his adopted children and relatives ;
and, as his nephew has said, " was so agreeable to all that it was
hard to realize that he was the same Washington whose dignity had
awed all who approached him." On his cheeks was a clear, healthy
flush, and he had retained much of the grace and comeliness of
3'outh. In height he was two inches over six feet, and was slim
and straight, and he had remarkable muscular power and endurance.
Thus, in congenial occupation, and by the side of that sweet and
affectionate woman who had been his constant companion for two-
score years, the last days of the eventful life of this greatest of Vir-
ginia planters glided peacefully awa}'.
A circumstantial account of the death of Washington, written by
Tobias Lear, who was his private secretary for nearly fifteen years,
is preserved. It appears from this account that on the afternoon of
the 13th of December, 1799, Washington was engaged in survej'ing
the lawn round the mansion, and marking some trees he wished felled.
He had taken a slight cold the day previous while riding in a storm
of sleet and snow, and had remained in-doors on the morning of the
13th, but as the sun shone warm in the afternoon, he went about the
surveying. That evening he complained of hoarseness, but sat up
MOUNT VERNON.
293
later than usual, reading the newspapers that had just arrived, fre-
quently reading aloud to the lamily, in spite of his hoarseness. About
two o'clock the next morning he woke his wife, saying that he felt ill,
but would not allow her to rise and attend to him for fear she should
catch a cold. At daybreak, w^hen the servant came into the chamber to
build the fire, she was sent to arouse Mr. Lear, who immediately re-
sponded to the call. Horses were saddled and servants dispatched
at once to Alexandria and Port Tobacco for physicians, as it was seen
that Washington was seriously ill. He was bled, and when the phy-
sicians arrived they repeated the bleeding, and used their utmost skill
to relieve him, but he lay in pain and distress all day, breathing with
great difficulty, and scarcely able to speak at times. Toward night
he said to his attendants: "I feel myself going; I thank you for
your attentions, but I pray you take no more trouble about me.
Let me go off quietly ; I cannot last long."
Mr. Lear says: "About ten o'clock he said to me, ' I am fast
THE HALL AT MOU^T VERKON.
294 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
going. Have me decently interred, but do not let my body be put
into the vault in less than three days after I am dead.' I bowed as-
sent. He then looked at me again and said : ' Do you understand?'
I replied, ' Yes.' ' 'Tis well,' said he. About ten minutes before he
expired (which was between ten and eleven o'clock) his breathing
became easier. He lay quietly ; he withdrew his hand from mine
and felt his own pulse. I saw his countenance change. I spoke to
Dr. Craik, who sat by the fire. He came to the bedside. The
General's hand fell from his wrist. I took it in mine and pressed it
to my bosom. Dr. Craik put his hands over his eyes, and he expired
without a struggle or a sigh."
"While we were fixed in silent grief," continues Mr. Lear, " Mrs.
Washington, who was sitting at the foot of the bed, asked with a firm,
collected voice, ' Is he gone?' I could not speak, but held up my
hand as a signal that he was no more. ' 'Tis well,' said she in the
same voice ; ' all is over now. I shall soon follow him. I have no
more trials to pass through.'"
In this manner passed from earth this pure spirit, this patriot and
sage, before he had completed his sixty-eighth year. The cause of
his death was acute laryngitis.
Washington never had a child of his own, but at the death of
Major John Parke Custis, the eldest son of Mrs. Washington by her
first husband, he adopted his two younger children, Eleanor Parke
Custis, afterward Mrs. Lawrence Lewis, and George Washington
Parke Custis, and they Ji.ved at Mount Vernon until after the death
of their grandmother. As his wife was amply provided for, having
a fortune of her own, and as the Custis children inherited their
father's large estate, Washington bequeathed Mount Vernon to his
nephew, Judge Bushrod Washington. He also made bequests to all
his relatives, and directed that his slaves should be liberated and
provided with the means of obtaining their livelihood. Some of the
descendants of these slaves still live in that portion of Virginia.
After the death of Judge Washington in 1826, Mount Vernon de-
scended to his nephew, John Augustine Washington. He died in
1832, and his widow, Jane Washington, was the next heir. In 1855
her son, John A. Washington, was the last of the family to hold pos-
session of the estate. He had not the means to keep it in proper
order, and in i860 disposed of it through the State of Virginia to the
Mount Vernon Association for the sum of $200,000. This associa-
tion was incorporated for the sole purpose of acquiring Mount Ver-
non, and by the terms of 'its charter the estate can never pass from its
MOUNT VERNON.
295
possession. Virginia retains a super-
vision over it, and appoints a board of
visitors whose duty it is to examine the
property annually and report if the char- ^^ ^ ^^
ter conditions have been faithfully observed.
The project to purchase Mount Vernon, and preserve the home of
Washington from decay, originated with a Southern woman named
Pamelia Cunningham. When its last proprietor announced his in-
tention of selling the estate, this devoted woman quickly obtained the
refusal of it for a certain time. She first appealed to Congress for
the purchase-money, but without success, and then, under the title of
" The Southern Matron," caused to be circulated a strong appeal to
the women of America for aid in the patriotic work. She secured a
charter from the Virginia Legislature, organized an association, of
which she became the Regent, appointed vice-regents in the various
states, and began to collect the funds. Contributions, large and
small, were received from all parts of the United States. Edward
Everett, by his writings and lectures, contributed over $68,000, the
largest single contribution. In one way and another the full amount
was obtained, and Mount Vernon was saved to the Nation.
CHAPTER XX.
HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS TO VISITORS TO THE NATIONAL CAPITAL — A GOOD
WAY TO SEE AND ENJOY THE PRINCIPAL OBJECTS OF INTEREST IN A SHORT
TIME — THE HOURS TO VISIT THE CAPITOL, THE WHITE HOUSE, AND THE
DEPARTMENTS — GENERAL INFORMATION RELATING TO THE CITY AND ITS
CUSTOMS.
TO become well acquainted with the National Capital, and to
thoroughly enjoy its many distinctive features, an extended
visit is necessary. It is a spacious city, branching out in all
directions, and ever3^where within it are numerous objects of
interest and beautiful localities which will repay careful and repeated
inspection. But as hundreds of visitors are pressed for time, and yet
desire to see as much as possible, and the most interesting things, a few
hints and suggestions may be of service. A good way to begin sight-
seeing when limited as to time, and perhaps when not limited, is to
take a carriage with an intelligent driver, or one of the man}" hansom
cabs, and leisurely ride through the centre of the city — the northwest
quarter. A ride like this will enable a stranger to obtain a general
view of the prominent localities in a short time, and serve to fix them
in the memory. The route should be taken through the central por-
tions of Pennsylvania Avenue, and Seventh, Ninth, and F streets,
and afterward through the fashionable West End. Bv ridino- the
entire length of Connecticut Avenue from Lafa3^ette Park to Dupont
Circle, and then returning through Massachusetts Avenue, much of
the "palatial section" will be traversed. Then, by extending the
ride on Seventh Street, below Pennsylvania Avenue, the grounds of
the Mall can be inspected, with the Smithsonian Institution, the Na-
tional Museum, the Department of Agriculture Building, the Bureau
HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS.
of Printing and En-
graving, and the
Washington Monu-
ment. In fact, a ride
over such a route will
enable one to see in
rapid succession the
White House, the
Treasury Building,
all the department
buildings, and many
of the finest churches,
mansions, institu-
tions, parks, squares
and circles, and busi-
ness structures. Af-
terward the ride might
be continued to the
Capitol and through
its grounds, and then
down East Capitol
Street as far as the
statue of Emancipa-
tion, returning by way
of North Carolina and
Pennsylvania ave-
nues. A good view
of Capitol Hill can
thus be obtained.
The Capitol should
be thoroughly inspec-
ted, even if other ob-
jects of interest are
THE SENATOR BAYARD MANSION.
slighted. It is the
grandest edifice in America, and in many particulars in the world.
No picture can do it justice ; no hasty inspection will reveal its mani-
fold wonders. The time taken to carefully examine its massive and
^ splendid architectural features, and its interesting special depart-
298 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
ments, will be well spent, and the intimate knowledge gained will
be much appreciated afterw^ard. The Halls of Congress should be
closely studied, and if an opportunity is afforded to attend a night-
session of Congress, it should be improved. By no means fail to
ascend the dome of the Capitol, even if it does require rather severe
exercise. A guide can be profitably employed in the building, as it
is one to easily " get lost" in.
The White House is open to visitors from 10 a. m. to 2 p. m.,
every w^eek-day. The East Room can be entered at any time dur-
ing these hours, and at short intervals an attendant escorts visitors
through the other state parlors. The President is usually " at home"
to those who desire to pay their respects to him, but being a man of
many important affairs, he frequently keeps his visitors waiting for an
hour or tw^o before he can receive them. While calling on him it
would be well to bear in mind the old adage about " short visits."
The department buildings are all open to visitors from 9 a. m. to
4 p. M. The State, War, and Navy Building has innumerable finely
furnished apartments, but few^ objects of special interest. When a
visitor has w^alked through one long corridor, and looked into two or
three of the apartments, particularly those occupied by the Depart-
ment of State, and taken perhaps a glance at some of the ancient
historical documents in this department, the building wdll be " done "
well enough for ordinary, hasty sight-seeing. Of course if a visitor
has plenty- of time an entire day might be spent in this great building,
and the luxurious appointments of the three departments carefully in-
spected. In the Treasury Building the cash-room, the money-vaults,
the counting division, and the Secret Service office, are about all the
places worth paying much attention to. In the Patent Office the Model
Museum, and in the Post-Office Department the Dead-Letter Office,
are of interest, but the remainder of these buildings can be very
quickly disposed of. The National Museum should be thoroughly
examined, as it is a great " world's fair," and full of attractions.
The museum in the Department of Agriculture, and the Army Med-
ical Museum are replete with interest. An hour or two may be
agreeably spent in the Government Printing-Office, and in the Bureau
of Printing and Engraving, where the government currency is printed.
Visitors will find the department employes very courteous as a rule,
and there need be no hesitation in applying to those stationed in the
HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS.
-99
corridors of the buildings for information, as in most cases it is part
of their duty to attend to persons seeking information.
The Navy Yard is open daily from nine to four. Visitors, by
applying at the office of the commodore in charge of the yard, can
obtain a permit to inspect the naval museum, the monitors and ships
of war, and the great work-shops. The cars of the Washington and
Georgetown street railroad, and the herdics running on Pennsvlvania
Avenue, will conve}^ visitors directly to the Navy Yard entrance.
The Marine Barracks and the United States Barracks are open
to public inspection every day. The cars of the Seventh Street line
go to the entrance to the grounds of the United States Barracks.
In the Smithsonian Institution will be found manv curious and
interesting objects. The institution is open daily from nine to four,
and its collections of natural history can be freelv inspected.
,THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION.
300 PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Persons are frequently allowed to ascend to the top of the Wash-
ington Monument. Application for a permit should be made to the
official in charge at the monument. The view from the top is exceed-
ingly beautiful. At the time of making our engraving, the monu-
ment was 410 feet high.
The best time to visit the great Center Market is early in the
morning, or on Saturday evening. The Northern Liberty Market
is also worth a visit.
On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays there is no charge for
admission to the Corcoran Gallery of Art. On other days tickets of
admission are twenty-five cents. The gallery is open from 10 a. m.
to 4 p. M.
It wull be necessary to take a carriage to the Soldiers' Home, and
to the Arlington Military Cemetery, as there are no regular convey-
ances. They can both be visited in a morning's ride, and ought to
be included in the list of things worth seeing. On the way to the
Soldiers' Home an inspection can be made of Howard University ^
and on the way to Arlington the Georgetowm College and Oak Hill
Cemetery can be inspected.
The Government Hospital for the Insane is open to visitors only
on Wednesdays from 2 to 6 p. m. A private conveyance will be ne-
cessary.
No one should leave Washington without visiting Mount Vernon.
The steamboat leaves the wharf, foot of Seventh Street, every morn-
ing at ten o'clock, and returns to the city at 3.30. The fare is one
dollar, which includes admission to the grounds and mansion. Visi-
tors have little more than two hours in which to inspect this most
famous of America's historic treasures.
The fare in the two-horse street cars and the herdics is five cents ;
six tickets for twenty-five cents. In the one-horse cars on Pennsyl-
vania x\venue the fare is three cents. Cab rates are from seventy-
five cents to $1.12, and hack rates are nearly the same. Special
rates are made for excursions.
The city post-office is located on Louisiana Avenue, near Penn-
HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS.
301
THE ENGLISH LEGATION BUILDING.
sylvania Avenue and Seventh Street. The money-order office is in
the second story.
The two regular theatres, the National Theatre and Ford's Opera
House, furnish excellent entertainments during the dramatic season.
They are conducted in a first-class manner.
There are many hotels in the city, and visitors can easily suit
themselves as to prices, etc. Persons intending to remain for sev-
eral weeks can secure pleasant rooms in private families, with or
without_^board, at reasonable prices. There are many good restau-
rants throughout the centre of the city.
Washington is a progressive city, and is likel}^ to have a great
development during the next ten years. It will develop in art, in
taste, in business facilities, and in all those things which make a
302
PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
city really prosperous and delightful. Beautiful and attractive as it is
at present, its beauty and attractions are likely to be greatly enhanced.
No one is jealous of its growth and increasing prosperity — no one
would stay its progress ; for it is the Nation's city, and reflects the
grandeur and importance of the American people.
THE FRANKLIN SCHOOL BUILDING.
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INDEX.
Adams, John, 147.
John Quincy, no, 152.
Agriculture, Department of, 327.
Commissioner of, 228.
Museum of, 231.
Alexandria, 276.
Ancient Archives (Department of State), 170.
Architects of the Capitol, 70, 71, 74.
Patent Office, 214.
Post-Office, 305.
Treasury, 175, 176.
Architect of the White House, 13S.
State, War, and Navy Building, 169.
Department of Agriculture Building, 230.
Arlington Military Cemetery, 273.
History of, 275.
House, 276.
A.rmy Headquarters, 192.
Generals of the, 192.
Medical Museum, 194.
Pay of Officers of the, 192.
Arthur, Chester A., 166.
Attorney-General, The, 225.
Auditors of the Treasury, iSi.
Barracks, United States, 19S.
Marine, 202.
Benton, Thomas Hart, 116.
Benevolent Institutions, 26S.
Board of Public Works, 50.
Botanical Garden, 84.
British Invasion, The, 3S.
Burning of the Capitol, 72.
Model Museum, 216.
Post-Office, 206.
Treasury, 175.
White House, 149.
Buchanan, James, i6a.
Bureau of Education, 222.
Kngraving and Printing. 1S4.
Indian Affairs, 222.
Military Justice, 193.
Navigation, 201.
War Records, 193.
Yards and Docks, 202.
20
Buren, Martin Van, 116, 156.
Burns, David, 31.
Marcia, ^2.
Cabin John Bridge, 272.
Canal, Alexandria, 373.
' Chesapeake and Ohio, 272.
Calhouo, John C, 116.
Capitol, The, History of, 69.
Design of, 70.
Corner-stone of, 71, 75.
Architects of, 70, 71, 74.
Burning of, 72.
Extension of, 74.
Description of, 77.
Bronze Doors of, 78, So.
Central Portico of, 7S.
Statuary Hall of, 93.
Dome of. Si.
Grand Staircases of, 120, 121.
Statuary of, 77, So, S3, 84. 93, 120, 121.
Grounds of, 82.
Rotunda of, 89.
Historical Paintings of, 90, 120, 121.
Cost of, 74, 86.
Crypt in, 91.
Carroll, Daniel, 30.
Center Market, 260.
Chinese Legation, 173.
Churches, 254.
Circles, 62.
Civil War, The, 46.
Soldiers and Sailors in, 217.
Classified Clerkships, 247.
Clay, Henry, 113.
Colored Population, The, 347.
College of the Jesuits, 270.
Columbian University, 268.
Columbia Institution for Deaf and Dumb, 268.
Commissioner of Agriculture, 22S.
Customs, 1S6.
Education, 214.
Indian Affairs, 214.
Internal Revenue, 1S6.
I-and Office, 214.
3o6
PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Commissioner of Patents, 214.
Pensions, 214.
Railroads, 214.
Comptroller of the Currency, 186.
Connecticut Avenue, 58.
Congress of the United States, The, 123.
Representativfes in, 124.
Cost of Sessions of, 125.
Methods of Legislation in, 124, 12S. "
First Session in Washington of, 107.
Early Customs of, loS.
Lobbyists and Claimants in, 132.
Halls of the Houses of, 118, 120.
Record of, 133.
Famous Members of, iio.
Library of, 100.
Congressional Cemetery, 264.
Convent of the Visitation, 258.
Corcoran Gallery of Art, 251.
Cottage of David Burns, 32.
Crawford Bronze Door, So.
Death of Lincoln, 47.
Washington, 294.
Department of Agriculture, 227.
The Interior, 213.
Justice, 225.
State, 167.
Diplomatic and Consular Service, 172.
Director of the Mint, 186.
District of Columbia, The, iS.
Indians of, 20.
Explorations of, 20.
Settlement of, 21.
First Commissioners of, 27.
Boundary stone of, 27.
Manufactures of, 55.
Government of, 55.
District Court House, 226.
Distribution of Seeds (Dept, of .Vgrieulture), 230.
Duddington House, 30.
Dupont Circle, 62.
Ellicott, Andrew, 28.
English Legation, 174.
Etiquette, Official and Social, 100,
Explorations of Upper Potomac, :
142, 146, 174, 243.
Farr.igut Square (Statue of Farragut), 59.
Federal Territory, The, Selection of, 23.
Fillmore, Millard, 159.
Fire Department, The, 264.
First Comptroller of Treasury, 180.
First Proprietors Washington land, 29.
Fleet, Henry, Explorations by, 20.
Foreign Legations, 172.
Franklin Square, 61.
Garfield, James A., 166.
Memorial Tablet to, 265.
Memorial Church, 256.
General Land Office, 219.
Post-Office, 206.
Georgetown. 270.
Laying out of, 22.
College, 270.
Gonzaga College, 25S.
Government Clerks, 244.
Employes, Number of, 53.
Hospital for Insane, 269.
Printing-Office, 236.
Grand Review of \'olunteer Army. 47.
Grant, Ulysses S.. 165.
Great Statesmen, no.
Great Falls of the Potomac, 271.
Greene Square (Statue of Gen. Greene), 60.
Growth of Washington, 38, 43, 44, 46, 50, 52.
Harrison. William Henry, 157.
Hayes, Rutherford B., 165.
Hints to Visitors. 297.
Hotels, 262.
House of Representatives, 130.
Hall of, 120.
Howard University, 267.
Hydrographic Office (Navy Department), 201 ■
Interior, Department of the, 213.
Secretary of the, 213.
Iowa Circle, 62.
Jackson, Andrew, 154.
Statue of, 59.
Jefferson, Thomas, 148.
Statue of, 121.
Johnson, Andrew, 165.
Judiciary Square, 61.
Justice, Department of. 226.
Lafayette Square (Statue of Jackson), 59.
Land taken for Washington, 28.
L'Enfant, Pierre Charles, 27, 2S, 34.
Library of Congress, 100.
Lincoln, Abraham, 162.
Death of. 47.
Square (Statue of Emancipation), 60
Statue, 63, 94.
Lobbyists. 132.
Long Bridge, 64.
Louise Home, The, 253.
Mace, The, in House of Representatives, lo.'s.
Madison, James, 149.
Manners and Customs in Early Days, 43.
Market Hucksters, The, 249.
Marshall, John, Chief Justice, 9S.
Masonic Temple, 263.
Massachusetts Avenue, 58.
McPherson Square (Statue of General [McPher-
son), 60.
Monroe, James, iji.
Mount Vernon, 279.
Mansion at, 2S0.
Rooms in Mansion at, 2S5.
Old Tomb at, 283.
Tomb of Washington at, 284.
INDEX.
307
Mount Vernon, Washington's Chamber at, 2S4.
Martha Washington's Chamber at, 285.
Washington's Life at, 2S9.
Washington's Death at, 293.
History of, 2S9.
Possessors of, 294.
Project to Purchase, 295.
National Deaf Mute College, 26S.
Library, 100.
Museum, 234.
Naval Monument, 84.
Observatory, 202.
Navy Department, The, 200.
Secretary of the, 200.
Pay of Officers of the, 300.
Yard, 202.
Newspapers, 262.
Oak Hill Cemetery, 264.
Odd Fellows' Building, 263.
Official Society, 242.
Old Capitol, The, 73.
Old War Department Building, lyi.
Oldest Senator, The, 130.
Opposition to the Capital. 37.
Ordnance Museum, 196.
Original Landholders, 29, 34.
Painting, Perry's Victory on Lake Erie, 120.
Proclamation of Emancipation, 121.
Palatial Mansions, 240.
Parking System, 5S.
Parks, References to, 59, 62, 66, S2, 84, 139, 230, 234.
Patent Office, The, 214.
Museum of Models of, 216.
Official Gazette of, 315
Pennsylvania Avenue. 37.
Pension Office, The, 217.
New Building of, 218
Pensioners, Number of, 217.
Pierce, Franklin, 159.
Plan of Washington, 28, 56.
Polk, James K., 158.
Police Force, 264.
Population of Wasliington, 44, 46, 5a
Colored, 247.
Post-Office Department, The, 205.
Divisions of. 207.
Dead-Letter Office of, 209.
Money-Order Office of, 211.
Star Service of, 207.
Contract Office of, 208.
Postmaster General, The, 206.
Presidents of the United States, The, 147 to 166.
President's Room, Capitol, iiS.
Project to remove the Capital, 49.
Property Valuation, 55.
Public Documents, 135.
Lands, 220.
Markets, 259.
Schools, 256.
Quarters of Wnshington, 62.
Railroads, 265.
Randolpli. John, 112.
Rawlins Square (Statue of General Rawlins), 60.
Register of th» Treasury, 1S6.
Rogers Bronze Door, 78.
Sale of Lots, First Public. 34.
Schools, Public, 256.
Scott Square (Statue of General Scott), 59.
Selection of Federal Territorv. 33.
Senate Chamber, iiS.
In Session, 12S.
Shepherd, Alexander R., 50.
Signal Office, or Weather Bureau, 106.
Situation of Washington. 19.
Slave and Free Labor, 40.
Smithsonian Institution, 232.
Social Season, The, 242.
Soldiers' Home, 19S.
Soldiers and Sailors in Civil Way, 217.
Solicitor of the Treasury. 236.
Squares, 59.
Statues in Squares and Circles, 59. 62.
Statue of Freedom, Capitol Dome, 81.
Washington, by Greenough, S3.
Mills, 62.
Houdon, g4.
Lincoln, 60, 62, 94.
Jackson, 59.
Scott, 59.
Farragut, 59.
Greene, 60.
Thomas, 62.
McPherson, 60.
Rawlins, 60.
Franklin, 120.
Jefferson, 121.
Columbus, 7S.
Civilization. 78.
Statuary Hall, Capitol, 93.
Statues from States in, 94.
State, Department of, 167.
Secretary of, 167.
War, and Navy Building, 169.
Star Routes (Post-Office Department), 207.
Streets and Avenues, 56.
Supreme Court of the United States, 94.
Chief Justices of the, 9S.
District of Columbia, 226.
Taylor, Zachary, 159.
Thomas Circle (Statue of General Thomas), 63.
Theatres, 262.
Tomb of Washington, 2S4.
Trade of Washington, 54.
Transformation of Washington, 52.
Transfer of Government to Washington, 35.
Treasury Department, The, 175.
Divisions of, 179.
Money- Vaults of, 181.
Officials of, 178, i8o, 181, 186.
Cash-Room of, 184.
Bureau of Printing and Engraving of, 1S4.
Redemption Division of, iSa.
3o8
PICTURESQUE WASHINGTON.
Treasury Department, Secret Service of, i86.
Secretary of the, 17S.
Tyler John, ijS.
Van Ness, John P., 33.
Mansion, 33.
View^from Capitol Dome, S6.
Washington, Situation of, 10.
Plan of, 2S, 56.
Designer of, 27, 2S, 34.
Growth of, 3S, 43, 44, 46, so. 52.
Trade of, 54.
Transformation of, 5,;.
Streets of, 56.
Transfer of Government to, 35.
Government of, 55.
Government Employes in, 53.
History of, 27 to 52.
Value of Property in, 55.
Population of, 44, 46, 52.
Colored People in, 247.
Early Customs of, 43.
Original Landholders of, 29, 34.
British Invasion of, 38.
Washington Monument, The, 64.
Circle (Statue of Washington), 62.
Bushrod, Justice, 99.
War Department, The, 1S9.
Divisions of, 1S9, 192 to 198.
Secretary of, 191.
Water Works, 266.
Wayland Seminary, 26S.
Weather Bureau, The, 196.
Webster, Daniel, :i4.
West End, The, 239.
White House, The, 137.
Architect of, 13S.
Rooms of, 139.
Employes of, 142.
Description of, 13S.
Cost of, 138, 142.
Routine of Business at, 143.
Receptions at. 146.
Burning of, by British, 149.
Marriages at, 149, 153, 154.
" Silver Wedding " at, 166.
Occupants r>f, 147 to 166.
Young, Notley, 33.
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