The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1885-09-25
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
from our Regular Correspondent.

From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Sept 22d 1885.
The appearance about Washington of the
familiar faces of public men, who, through
modern pictorial art are known almost as well In
itself, indicates the not remote approach of the
fall political opening. The city is alert with pre-
paration. Hotels and boarding houses, private
residences and shops, streets and side walks. are
receiving the touches of renovation, and are hav-
ing their youth and freshness renewed with such
cosmetics as paint, white-wash wallpaper and
paving stones.
The most conspicuous improvement is that
which has been made in the Capitol Marble
terraces have been built about the north and the
west wings with the result of improving the
symmetrical effect of the building by reducing the
disproportion of the dome.
Between forty and fifty workmen are now en-
gagged in the .work-sheds opposite the south side
blocks for the terraces. This work is being push
ed along rapidly. The terrace work has advance
ed so far as to enable one to see the beauty and
value of the improvement. There are $50 men en-
brick-layers and well dggers. The latter are
employed in sinking wells down some twenty
five feet below the present surface of the ground
These wells are filled up with concrete and stone
masonry, and between the walls massive brick
arches are constructed to support the walls. This
method Is adopted to save expense, time, and to
secure solid foundation. To excavate the
tire foundation would be dangerous The con-
tractor feels assured that he can finish the north
and south parts of the terrace before the close of
the present building season. Preparations are
now being made to lay the tagging of the north
terrace. which also forms the roofs Of the vaults.
There will be twenty large rooms on the north
side. Some of them will be ready for occupation
In about two weeks time. These rooms will re-
lieve the interior part of the Capitol of vast
number of documents.
In the building itself much is being done to
prepare for the coming Congress. Some of the
committee rooms, particularly that of commerce,
claims and library on the House side, and privi-
leges and elections on the Senate, are being
handsomely fitted up and the ceilings and walls
frescoed;, The paintings, THE Battle Of the
Thames; and the "Capitulation of the "City Of
Mexico" have been finished and will soon be
placed in position in the rotunda. Such is the
pressure for committee rooms in the building that
the document room had to be removed to an in
terror part where there is but little ventilation,
and the room surrendered to the Committee on
Foreign Affairs. The Secretary of the State
when comforting with this committee does so in
secret. The clerks. therefore, to carry on their
work are required to seek desk room in other
places. The document room was seized upon to
obviate this difficulty.
A large force of men are painting the interior
of the dome. Preparations will soon be made to
lay the carpets in the Senate and House cham
beers. The Supreme Court chamber has been
painted and the marble cleaned down. On all
sides the busy workman is seen lending his hand
to beautify the building before Congress con-
venes.
The east front of the building has been holy.
stoned to wilderness, all marks of the melowing
hand of time being obliterated by removing a thin
layer of the surface of the marble in the wings,
face of the old portion of the building.
The new Pension building has been almost COM
pleted and is already occupied by the Commits
sioner of Pensions and his vast army of assistants
and clerks The Pension building is ugly in the
extreme, and think that it will be used as
warning, and end the brick era in National
Architecture. For building 80 vast, and so
enduring, no worse design or material could
have been adopted. 1t looks like a factory or
mammoth prison and it is so unfortunately situat-
ed as to be CONSPICUOUS from all parts of the CITY,