The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-11-10

The Patent once Building.

Congress at its last session, the motion of the
Hon j. w Farrelly, chairman of the Committee
Patents Of the House of Representatives inserted
in the civil and diplomatic appropriation bill the
! following item: Towards the erection of the
wings of the Patent Office building, according To
the original plan fifty thousand dollars, 10 be paid
out Of the Patent fund" 1t supposed at the
/ time by The Committee on Patents, and the then
Commissioner of Patents, Mr.. Burke, that that sum
would be sufficient 10 the amount of work
which could be done by the session, when
| Congress would of course make further appropra-
tons Such, however, has been the energy and
ability of the contractors and mechanics employed
| that the foundations have not only been laid, Gall
| that was expected but handsome story of mar
| bic has been put up, the workmanship of which is
fully equal to that of any other public building in
the United States, and already reflects the highest
credit upon the superintendent and contractors.
The extent to which the work has been executed
| has nearly exhausted the amount appropriated.
| The immediate discharge of the mechanics in the
face of winter, and the leaving of the work unpro
| tected Is now spoken Of unless the responsibility
be taken by the Government to order its contnu
ance, the faith of the annual appropriation to be
made for such Objects and which faith the me-
cbanics will cheerfully accept for their labor. Nor
can we conceive the slightest objection to such
| course, we have precedent in the case of the
Treasury building in 1887, when the work was
| continued for three months such terms by order
of General jackson and another, in the case OF the
| General Post Office building in 1889, when the
| work was continued four months by the direction
| Of President Van Buren,, after the appropriations
| were exhausted, and until Congress furnished the
| necessary means. In these cases, the mechanics
and laborers paid by certificates from the
Commissioner of Public Buildings which readily
| E,II, thn rratc
redeemed upon the passage ofthe appropriations.
| 1t is much preferable, suggest, to adopt that
course at the present time in reference TO the Pat
| ent Office building, thus affording employment to
the laborers and mechanics at a season when 1t Is
most needed, and to subservc the interests OF the
| Government by protecting the unfinished building
from the inclemency of the winter, than TO leave it
| in its present unguarded state, and turn the men
adrift-who may, perhaps, as in times past, knock
at the doors of Congress, and demand and receiue
pay for the very time they arc thus thrown idle by
| the action of the Government.
! As the money for this building comes exclusively
from the Patent fund, and is in fact part Of the
treasury of the United States, the much
stronger why a building designed for patentees
and inventors by whose funds it will be exclusively
erected should not suffer to lag or be delayed; but
that the small required until the passage Of
| the appropriation should be hindrance TO its
progress, on the faith of the Government and Of
| the Patent Office fund, amounting to three
| hundred thousand dollars.
| We trust that the Secretary of the Interior,
der whose department this matter belongs, will
| give the subject attentive consideration, and,
as he is emphatically working man himself, and
a known friend to the laborer and son of toll, we
have no doubt that the public interest and the
wishes of the mechanics and citizens will be
| .laJ lla h,,l, Tho ,f;n,
ance of the Patent Office building.
BREwER's PASoRAMA.-Thc grand moving pa
noramas of the Mammoth Cave of Kentucky, the
Falls Of Niagara, &C., really grand and beau
tiful, and attracting crowds of visiters. They
have been exhibited in other cities with the great
est success, and the press speak in the highest
terms Of the by the artist from one
of which, the Pit6burg Journal, we copy the fol
lowing notice
"Thc Falls of Niagara arc brought before the
spectator just faithfully the great marvel pre-
itself to the startled eye of the gazer the
bank Of the river. This is saying much for mere
copy of natural wonder overwhelming
! Niagara is, but the spectator who has seen the
original will agree with that 1t Is no more than
just.
"The representation of the Mammoth Cave, we
have the warrant of those who have rambed
through its fairy like and magical depths, gives
exact picture OF its singular and striking features.
Rivers, halls, grottoes cascades, fretted and fres
coed roofs, presented in wonderful grandeur
and variety. The praries, too are wildly brought
before us, in reposc and beauty, in moonlight,
quiet, and startled into frenzy and animation by
| raging and sweeping fires. In brief, few exhibit
tons inviting public patronage present so strong
claims, in point of intrinsic merit those paint
| ings which make up Brewers Panorama"
CRUELTY TO HoRsE.--A black fellow, named
John Lee, beat horse yesterday afternoon on Penn
sylvania so numerically as to cause his
! death in n few minutes The horse beonpcd To n