Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-07-16

hard wood, ash forming the base and cherry the
ornamentation in the rails and balustrade. 1t is
handsomely frescoed, with beautiful stairway
in the rear leading to the editorial news and tel
egraph departments. The floor is laid in valie-
gated marble. In the rear of the counting room
the private business Office is located. Beyond
this is the private stairway leading to the COM
posing-roOm on the fourth floor, and beyond that
are the paper, press and stereotype rooms The
latter are even arranged with bath and water
closet for the pressnan, stereotyper and their
assistants On the second floor there are five
rooms for the editorial and reportorial force
and telegraph operator. (THE STAR has a
direct wire of its own to New York; These
rooms connect with each other and are supplied
with speaking tubes, dumb walters, electric
bells and all other appliances conducive to accu-
racy and rapidity in the publication Of live
evening paper. On the third floor the rooms
are mostly devoted to a library and to private
use. while those in the 81" are used for the
storage of paper, advertising copy" duplicate
files OF the paper, etc. The fourth floor. which
is occupied as a cOmposing-room, is 100 feet in
depth and 40 feet wide in the 81" part The
ceiling is 16 feet high. thus making it. without
doubt the best lighted and ventilated room of
its kind in the United States Its furniture is
entirely new, including twenty-four iron stands
made by r. Hoe & Co., Of New York, on which
the cases of the cOmpOsitOrsrest and from which
the new fonts of type are set for the paper 1t
is also supplied with Closets tanks and racks,
and, in fact, with every convenience known to a
modern newspaper office. From this floor a
Bates elevator descends to the floor of the press
room, which takes down the forms of type to the
| stereotyper. The basement is assigned to the
newsbOys and is used for nearly the whole
length of the building. The papers are shot
down to it from the press room through shute,
where they are distributed by the counters So
rapidly does this work that three thousand three
hundred papers are counted out and on the
street in eleven minutes.
The work of remodeling the building was
done by Messrs. Deering & Johnson, contractors
and builders; the plumbing by HAYWARD &
Hutchinson; the fresco painting by J. Rakelnan:
the general painting by W. E. Spalding; the gas
| fixtures by Edward Caverly & Co. and E. F.
Brooks; the cabinet work by A. Grasse: the
carpets, etc., were furnished by Singleton &
HOeke and Hooe, Bro. d Co.; the electric bells
| by c. g. Schneider; the granite work bv A.
Bradley & Co.; the engine by Sinclair & Ashen-
pach, (Of fifteen horse power); the boiler by
Petit & Dripps (of twenty horse power); the
shafting by Thos c. Basshor & Co.; the win
dow shades by Richard Henderson; the furni-
ture by H. O. Towles; the paper hanging by
John Markriter; the signs by Chas. Macnichol;
the awnings, flags. ETC., by S. J. Haislett the
brick work by Tom. Lewis, all of Washington.
BRIEF HISTORY OF THE STAR.
THE STAR has nearly completed its thirtieth
year. 1t was first issued as aspecimen number on
December 4, 1852 and began its regular daily
issue on December 10th following, and. except
on Sundays, has continued ever since. Its origi-
nal size was but little in excess of a good sized
letter sheet, and Mr.. Leves one Of the compos-
ltors now in THE STAR office. we'll remembers
when Its edition was only eight hundred and ,cas
| 'oor6ed on hand press! What q contrast be.
tween that and the Scott machine, which has
already printed at half speed one thousand
STARS IN two and One-half minutes! The paper
was nrst issued by Capt. J. 3. Tate. at the cor
ner OF 9th ond streets and was removed the
next year to 9th street and Pennsylvania avenue
where the printing Office of Buell. & Blanchard
then Stood. The counting room was on Penn
syI'ania avenue, near 9th street. In May OF
TIC same year 1t was removed to the second
STORY oi blacksmith shop on street, near 18th
street. northwest, on the site of the present
riailAhn engine-house W. d. Wallach and w
IL. nope purchased the paper of Mr. Tate soor
aiter, ana IN short time Mr.. WaHach bought
ous MS partner. In 1854 the Office was removed
10 Ihe premises corner of Pennsylvania avenue
ana llth street, which have just been vacated
In 1000 y. s. Noyes. the present editor. becam,
connected with The STAR Mr. Wallach roto;prI
his ownership till 1867, when, desiring to retire
ne SOLD out to Messrs. C. S. Noyes, s. H. Kauf1
man, Alex. R. Shepherd, Clarence Baker ant
Geo. W. Adams for $1,000. In 1868 these gen
| uemen were Incorporated into "The Evening
Star Newspaper Company" by special act O
Congress. Some years ago Messrs. Baker ant
Shepherd sold out their interest. With the sin
gle exception Of The National I,ateliqencer, n,
paper has lived SO long in Washington as TIL
EVENING STAR. In a work published by Geo
P. Roweli & Co. during the Centennial exhi
bition, intended to illustrate the s;great news
papers Of America" during the present century