Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-12-08
Report Of the Commissiener Of Public
BuiIdinyo - q. .f.r

Public Buildings, accompanying that Of tns
secretary OF the Interior, notices az some
Iens the progress Of work On the Capitol,
ana makes the following reeemme ndations in
connection therewifh: Ep p
livery person who has been accustomed TO
pass through the Capitol in damp weather
cannot but have noticed the dripping columns
and walls throughout the passages OF the CEN
Ter building. and cannot but have been led to
Ine eoncIusion that persons exposed 70 an at
hosphere sumclently humid 10 produce such
an erect must have their health endangered
There can hardly be q doubt that the cons tant
prevalence OF colds among those whose duties
require them 10 spend much of their time in
the Capitol 10 caused by exposure to this damp
air. This can easily be remedied by the placing
OF heating coils, TO be supplied with steam, as
tne pipes which heat the library are supplied,
IN tne passages, particularly Ia the large pas
sages reading from the western front to the ro-
tunds. These passages once warmed, the
warm AIR would ascend through the stair
ways, ana aiu very materially in keeping the
rotunda and the passages leading from il TO the
TWO halls, comfortable. 1 hope, for their own
comfort and health, that Congress will author
lZe such an Improvement 10 be made.
There is no room in the building worse
heated and ventilated than the Supreme Court
room The heat is supplied entirely by the
burning OF fuel in fire places, and smoky ones
AT tnai-aDd there Is no ventilation except
what is afforded by the open doors and win
dows. The same. me.appiiances that already heat
the two chambers of Congress and the library,
can, Ga q. no very considerable expense. be used
10 heat the Supreme Court room
WHhn another year 1t is probable that tie
exterior OF the Capitol extension will be COM
pieted, and there will be an absolute necessity
OF enclosing the public ground north and so =. th
of it, A bill is now pending in the House OF
Representatives, which has already passed the
Senate, providing for the purchase by the
United States Of squares No. 6s7 and 6ss, and
enclosing them as portion of the Capitol
grounds. 1t Is TO be hoped that the bill will be
passed by the House, and become a law during
the next session. Should this be done, and the
other improvements contem plated nv that bill
be carried out, the grounds around the build.
ing can be permanently completed and beauti-
fled, and finished appearance given to the en-
tire structure, which Is now SO much wanted;
Tor no building, be IL ever so beautiful has a
finished appearance if the grounds around il
are rough, uncouth, and unenclosed
There is on the south side of the Capitol, in
the grounds belonging TO the United States a
large place which Will require to be filled. /
think that, were proposition made public thar
trlfie per load (say ~ cents) would be paid
for every load OF earth that might be placed in
that cavity, II would soon be filed at trifIing
comparative expense, as there are thousands
OF carloads OF earth removed all over the city
that are dumped in places most convenient of
access, which, were a small sum to be realized
for each, would be brought to the place above
mentioned and there deposited.
Large appropriations have been made and
expended IN repairing and furnishing the
PRESIDENTS House, and the lower portion of
it has been completely renovated in a manner
that cannot butgiv satisfaction to every citi-
zen OF the United States who visits it, When
the present incumbent of the presidential chair
took possession OF the house ii was in a state of
destituton and dilapidation. Although it was
partially fitted up and furnished al the incom-
ing of both Mr.. Buchanan and Mr.. Lincoln
1t had not been thoroughly repaired since
General Pierce was President. During the
years 1882 3, S73,i5 was appropriated and eX
pended on the Presidents House, which en-
a6lee those having control of Its expenditure to
place It in thorough repair.
A very great Improvement has been made
under the supervision and direction of A IL
Mullet, Esq, architect of the Treasury. De-
partmsnt, with the appreciation of the Presi-
dent and Secretary OF the Treasury, in the
grounds Immediately east OF the Executiye
MansIon, by the removal of the unsightIy line
of low sheds (for they deserve no more digni-
fed name, although built of stone anu brick)
which extended some one hundred feet east
wardly from the center of the building and
onverting the ground where they stood into a
beautifully ornamented lawn: erecting a stone
portco on the east front of the east room. ma
king very elaborate and substan tial fountain
between the Mansion and Treasury building:
erecting heavy flight of stone steps west OF
the fountain by which TO approach the Man
sion from the 1 Treas ury, and fencing the ground
in with neat but substantial iron fence
In my last annual report 1 called the special
q attention of Congress to the bad condition Of
this great Ihoroughfare through thee entire city.
and recommended the paving Of the same with
the Nicholson, or Belgian pavements Since
that time have procured all the Information
and have found that ii is regarded, where yer
IL has been tried, as the best pavement ever in.
vented. My general superintendent, Mr.. An
gus, in a report to me, which will be anne ndad
to my estimates for the nextfscal year, speaks
as follows of the Nicholson pavement After
that it be laid as an expert
ment. in the neig ghborhOod Of the Presidents
House and departments. he SAYS am sure
that with the pavement laid along the above
line OF streets the appropriation will be well
invested. i have examined the work IN New
H.. -
conversed with many Of the merchants of that
city. and they unanimously pronounce ii q
The avenue cannot well be I'm a
worse condition than It now is, and the meagrs
appropriation OF five thousand dollars, made
at the last session, has hardly enabled me to
make any show in improving It, hope Con-
gress will think proper to take the repair and
Of this avenue into earnest con.
and appropriate liberal sursxo
make IL what the great business street OF the
city should be.
In my annual estimates, L have again asked
for an appropriation to enable me to place new
bydrants along Pennsylvania avenue. There
is nothing more needed than these hydrants
Those now along the avenue never were prop.
erly attached to the water pipes, and nearly
enough has been expended upon them to pur.
chase new ones. They are of an old, ineffi cient
pattern, and completely worn out, so that we
have, most OF the time, TO keep the water
entirely shut Oft from them. Were large fire
TO take place anywhere along the avenue, they
would be OF no service in aiding to subdue it,
hope, for the safety OF the public. as well as
privateproperty,l that Congress will make the
needed appropriation of S25, 600 10 repl lace those
old worn-out hydrants with new and good
ones.
The bridges now in the special care of the
Commissioners are the Potomac or Long Bridge
the Navy Yard, and Upper or Benning's
bridges. across the Eastern Branch, and the
bridge across the Potomac at Little Falls
The Potomac bridge is in a very bad eondi-
ton. An appropriation was made In June
last OF $1,000 for the repair OF this bridge The
southern draw was then IN such a condition
that it could not be used. II had been forced
open and left open for months. entirely stop
ping the travel across the bridge.
As soon as the appropriation was made, in
compliance with the law making it / proceed
ed TO cause the repairs to be commenced l
found the draw so far gone that IL was neces-
sary TO make new one, and the span of the
bridge south OF the draw, over which il ran
when opened, in such a state as to be hardly
Sufficient TO sustain the old draw in its place. a
freshet that occurred last winter having
washed away all the piles which supported it,
The work was commenced, the span in dan
ger was secured, and a new and very strong
and good draw Of the kind was made This
work absorbed all OF the appropriation and left
other parts of the bridge almost impossible
There was small sum left of a former appro-
priatioD. which was used to repair the worst
places on the bridge, and it has been Ike pt pass
nls sk4x. -.