National Republican., 1883-09-24
TO BE SOLD FOR A SONG.
A Useless Structure Built by the Fellows Who
We're Turned Out Twenty Years Ago.
A Marine Hospital Big Enough to Accom-
nodate the Sick sailors OF the World.

Mr.. Samuel II. Buck, ono Of the principal
cotton dealers of New Orleans, has been in
the city several days in the interest of the
worlds cotton exposition, which is to be held
IN New Orleans next year. He made appli-
cation for the old, unfinished, and never used
marine hospital at New Orleans for the pur-
poses Of tho exposition. Surgeon General
Hamilton, of the marine hospital service,
recommended that the use of the building
be granted, and Secretary Folger ooncurrcd
in the recommendation. Tho building will
bo rented at u nominal price, or put up at
auction at an upset price of $4,000 for the ex-.
position managers to buy, as they may choose
Mr.. Buck left for home yesterday. His visit
awakens some remin SCIENCES of q healthy,
well developed and quite successful Job" of
thirty years ago.
Tho first marine hospital of New Orleans
happened to be on ground so low that seamon,
sick or we'll, were able to sail through its
doors in their small boats. On this ac-
count IL was abandoned for hospital pur-
poses and anew building was projected Tho
plans were prepared in 1851, during President
Pierces administration. James Guthrie, of
Kentucky, was secretary of the treasury,
and the war department, which had charge
the construction, was under tho care of Sec
retary Jefferson Davis. Parties interested in
the iron trade were permitted to prepare the
plans, and they thoughtfully decided that it
should be built entirely of cast iron. While
they were putting in iron they proposed to
put in enough of il. They planned build
ing 100 by 81 feet and three stories in height,
with two wings, each 1s3 by 6i feet, and two
stories in height There were never enough
sailors sick in America at any one time to fill
it. The erection was begun in 1856, and work
was suspended in 1860, while tho structure
was still unfinished, and after moro than
S5O0,0O0 had been expended upon it..
The tremendous weight of the walls drove the
foundations down two feet, and thoy had to
be entirely rebuilt. Tho building has never
been used for hospital.
at is cast iron hog pen," said DR.. Hamil-
ton to REPUBLICAN reporter. zone wing
of it has been used for insane paupers from
New Orleans. The rest of it is inhabited by
| tramps, hogs and rats. 1t stands alone. half
mile from any other building, and in a
| plain that is overfowed twice year. | saw
| the water marks two feet above the level of
the ground on the porch. Iron is good for
some purposes, but not for making the walls
of building in that climate. The heat has
warped the structure out of shape"
| Can it ever be used for the purpose for
| which it was built?"
81 reported three years ago that it would
take at least 100000 to make it fit for use
| that it was altogether out of proportion TO
the needs of the service that its location was
unhealthy, and that 1T would be better to use
the money necessary to finish it for tho erec-
tion of a new building on a healthy Site The
appropriation for q new building was made in
accordance with that recommendation. The
old building cost more than $500,00O
it was never used, and all the gov.
ernment got out of it was $4,000. d. G.
Roy nOlds contracted to buy it ten years ago
but afterward forfeited the contract and
! $1,000 which he had deposited when the
contract was made. This is all the return
there has ever been from the investment
Last year we tried to sell it mt auction, and
the highest bid we could get was $4,000. The
bidder wanted it to break up for old iron"
Have you got any more of the same kind ?
"a good many more were built at the same
timo and under the same administration
Some of them are good, in the right place
and we use them now. Some others were
sold after the war which we would like t.
get back, and others were built then in place
where they were and always will be perfect,
useless for tho marine hospital service. TIL
supervising architect reported in 1879 tina
from the location of tho buildings there ap
peared to be no other reason for putting then
up than the desire to spend money in those
localities"