The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-04

Gently expect 3 sixty miles. OF road will be com
pltted Iy che lsl OF January next.
. The Western Pacific Railroad Company MED, on !
the 1911 oil last July their accep ance OF the pro-
Y isrons and conditions OF the resolution OF Con. !
gress extending the tmo for the construction OF 'ho
trst section OF twenty lies OF heir road, approved
Ma, q 1866 On the I'd instant this Department
received tie report Of tie Government Commits
siU ners, wing the completion aud equipment OF
dirC cton of Sacramento, TO point in Alameda
county, distance OF twenty miles.
he report OF the President OF the Sioux City and
Pacific Railroad Company, under date OF the 1Gth
instant, sets forth that renewed surveys by their
engmeers, during tue last season justify and COM
fiji m the opinion that the most ulrect ana practca
Bile route from Sioux City to point which they
have selected upon the Union FAC fc Railroad from
a crossing near De Soto, thence via Fish creek TO
the tlaite Valley, ana thence to the point OF con.
necton with the latter road at Fremont, f0rty.six
and one-bali miles west from Omaha. IL is also
stated that the graoIng OF the northern sixty eignt
miles has been placed under contract and a force
already engaged on the work. The company nds
arranged TO construct about SIX miles of road, which
Cedar Ra pids Railroad, at point where 1t is ex-
pected that the latter road will reach the Missouri
River valley few DAYS.
There is nothing on Ie in the department to show
that the Company authorized to construct the At
lannc and Pacific Railroad by the act OF Congress
approved Juy a. 1906 have accepted tne pl lovisons
The work on the wagon road from Nlooraru TO
VIRGINIA City has been continued, though with seri.
GUS annoy ance IRON hostile Inoians The route has
beeu shortened nearly one hundred miles.
Operations on portions of the projected road from
Sioux City 10 the mouth OF the big Cheyenne river
have been prosecuted with great activity and sue
cCs That part betwten the I'M ial point and Yank-
ton, with the exception OF the bridges, is finished
ana IN perfect order The bridge over the Big Sioux
river Is eing built If the construction of 1T does
not absOrb the appropriation on hand, the re-
malnder will be applied to the completion of the
AL prehenCed indian d dficuties bave prevented the
extension of the road from the mouth OF the Big
The superintendent of the road from Virginia
CITY, Montana, to Lewiston, reports that a consue.
Iable force is employed The funds at his COM
nall ,arain %,
loca to ana clear out tIal ten tweve feet vide
from Lewiston to the valley OF the Bitter Root
From thence roads are already open to Virginia
City. lie prefers the roule by the Loo-Loo Ork
though it, IN common with the other, is subject
obstruction from snow during one hal of the year.
From the report OF the architect OF the Capitol
eXtenson 1t appears that the northern and western
porticos OF the north wing are comp eted, and the
columns of the southern.portco are soon to be set
1t is believed that The ensuing year will witness the
compt tion of all the portlcos. Efforts have been
improve the imperfect al obeouonabie ventila-
ton OF the Senate chamber and hall OF the House
| OF Representatives. In order to obtain supply of
that shall at the same time be pure, and, in the
| summer, cool, 1t is proposed to construct from
each hail an underground duct, opening In the
| centre OF q 1ounlaln in the eastern grounds. The
jets and overflow would at once assist IN cooling
the air, ana serve TO releve IL OF all mechanical I'M
! purites.
! The balance on hand of the appropriation for the
! Capitol extension, October 81, 1866, was eiehtY
| thOusanc four hundred and ten dollars aud eighty
three cents. he architect estimates that two hun
dI ed and fifty thousand dollars will be requ red to
|
The appropriation for lighting by means of gall
vanlc electricity, the thousand and eightythree
! gasburners of the DOME has proved a complete
success. rhey can now be lighted in a fe minutes
An interesting report on this subject has been
pared, at he request OF the commissioner OF Pubic
buildings, by tnIee electricians OF reputation, and
| is annexed TO his annual rapolt.
The sum of oIty eight IT, ousand four hundred and
! eipbtJ zone dollars and seventy.n cents was
pended on the dome during the year endInf October
ve
an0 hfiy-Dihe cents, An appropriation OF fifteen
work The belt betv cen the second and third cor.
nicts OF tue roJunda should be ornamenled by a
series OF national pictures or IN some other apPro-
iLvned from eminent artists If Congress confers the
requisite authority.
The extens. on OF the library is nearly completed
The work has been done In the most substantial AID
eeFant Style and the rooms are now an appropriate
setting Tor the rich literary treasures within them.
| 1t is proposed to heat them with steam from the
boilers IN the basement by means OF Gould's appa-
ratus. The Commissioner o1ePubllc Buildings urges,
ON sanitary grounds the cesslty of warming the
passages OIL the centre building and improving the
manner of heating and ventilating the supreme
| Court rooms. The expenditures on the library ex-
tension from Oc.ober 81, 1866, we're one hundred
and thirty seven thousand nine hundred and twenty
six dollars and SIXTY one cents leaving ba ance of
thirty one thousand one hundred and twenly-nlne
! dollars and fifty cents.
IN his preceding report IN favor OF he extension of
the central porticO, IN conformity with the plan
proposed by bis predecessor, thomas U. W alter,
Esq Loud this recommendation be sanctioned by
! Congress, 1t would be advisable to commence the
]
portions OF the edlce are in progress, ana before
/ the ear tern grounds are improved In View of the
anticipated early completion Of the Capitol, should
the central pOrtico moi be eXter ded, it is recon-
mended that Congress authorize enclosing the
public grounds north and south of the building, and
squares numbered six hundred and eighty seven and
six hundred and lightweight, sbou the bill which
passed the Senate at the last session providing for
| the purchase them become law, and improving
the Capitol grounds III style befttlng the magnif-
cent eoitce which crowns their summit.
About three-.Ourths of the material necessary to
complete the northern portco OF this department
on the ground and IL IS expected the work will be
completed next season. An appropriation of
twenty thousand dollars for this object will be
required. -,- -r
ihe appropriations for repairing and furnishing
| the Executive Mansion have been expended in a
judicious ard satisfactory manner, ana the grounds
between it and the Treasury Department have been
| improved and embellisbed. .I.
! l cannot 100 strongly urge upon Congress the
buildings for the Federal courts 1be Department is
/ now compelled, in many instances, to lease pro.
! perry which IS iltaOaptPd tor the purpose, and
| where adequate security rs not provided for the
records and files. Few houses belonging to private
parties have been constructed with reference to judi
cial uses An exorbltant rent is often demanded,
and the Government, in more than one instance,
| has been constrained to submit to unreasonable
exacnOns. Every consideration OF economy and
pIOpriety requires that the United States should
be the proprietor of the buildings where ts courts
are holden, and that the most ample accommoda-
| tons should be furnished the judges and officers
Tor the performance of their highly responsible
duties.
81 am sir, very respectfully, your obed dent servant,
! o. H. BROWNING,
The President Secretary OF the Interior.