New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-06-19

any desire for return of government by suffrage III
the district. among either whites or negroesP
sNone. Several years ago there was large num-
her of contractors local politicians and others pro
fling by annual elections in the District but they
are pretty we'll starved out have lost ther locai
Importance with time. We have brought prices ior
materials and work down to a business lgure, anu
il il not profitable for that set to do WORK VIII" Va,
Tho people not only prefer the present repOseiul
administration Of their affairs but they have gen
eray sustained the Board and it's present compost
ton Not having 10 60 around To look up woes OF
ask favors. We have time To hear every BODY Win
reasonable proposition or complaint. Inc on race
of harpes has become accustomed TO obscurity' anu
all persons having business dealings with the Dstrct
Government find that we are no rcspectcr OF PERSONS
neither nmica to any rational interest VIII give
YOU an instance Of that" continued the Major
One Of the principal articles of Use about the cty
of Washington is cement which is employed III tue
composition Of concrete pavements and the sewers
and i'm masonry and construction. That cement
was for some time furnished from the upper parts OF
the Potomac River about Shcphcrdstown ana MAI
tinsburg We found we could not rely upon u,
because It was 80 unequal. one barrel being soou
and another barrel unfit, and finally We threw TIC
whole lot out and would not approve OF any OF IL
being used by the contractors under u.s. The people
of those regions said Well We can do nothing hl
Washington any more There rs the only market TOY
our cement and it is too bad After we no"
thrown it ont however. We set our chrmr" :
work 10 examine the specimens furnished u' any
make analyses Of them. and when these ere rn-
isbed we turned about to the people on the upper
Potomac and said Now We will show you ho" 70
mako your cement. You have got inst as good ma
terals as they have in the State Of New-lork. but
Won have not known how 20 mix them. Some OIL
your cement will not set ~ all and ~ cannot Use IT,
because it will hold nothing together. Here arc
the prescriptions by which you can make IL Hen'
Previously they had been burning it little more, or
little less to try tn get II up 90 some standard pu'
were without the chemical knowledge necessary
Being instructed they are now making as go"n &C.
mcnt as there is in the world and we probably use
from 2j 900 TO 10000 barrels OF II year. ana Il
gives the best results
WAsHiNGTON's MONUMENT.
asked Major Twining if he had anything to do
with the Washington Monument
"Nothing" he said "That is n separate matter
mt by Congress into other hands. The monn-
| ment is rising however, slowly. and presume VIII
be finished according TO the design. / don't ap-
prove however. of the design, ana don't believe II
will be durable monument because 1t Is composed
of too many small stones. Large structures IKE
that REQUIRE to be in more solid mass. AT Con-
stantinope there stood an obclisk made of massive
materials. and it stands to-day it was put upmore
than two thousand years ago. while opposite II was
much larger shaft of smaller stones, which has
entirely disappeared, though hundreds of years
later in time than the obclisk"
@Will the Washington Monument last two or
three hundred years, Major, built of marble as 1t
now is
"Oh yes. it will last five hundred TO six hundred
wears. | am not speaking of time within the COM
pass of a century or two. But work like that,
which is designed to carry the memory of Washing
ton down the thousands Of years will fail Of that
purpose 1t will not stand like the Obelisks OF
Egypt
The Major also said that il the appropriations
were little larger, the bridges in the District Of
Columbia over the brooks and creeks would he
made of stone arches Around capital like that
il is respectable 10 throw arch Of stone over
creek which would be durable and picturesque.
rather than TO build merely practical bridges Of
wood or iron"
What IL to become Of the city Of AleNandriaT
AT present it ism q state OF comparative decay.
The inhabitants think regret the act of rctroces-
SION 10 Virginia. which they solicited more than
forty years ago Had they remained ln the District
Of Columbia they would have shared in It's inn
provenents. would have had better access 70 the
Maryland side and the superior roads laid ia the
present District would have been continued 10
Arlington and toward Mount Vernon and Bull Rum
JOHNNY BOUQUET