The Daily Tombstone., 1885-11-20
gyA.iE-1sTDS LETTER,
WAsHIEgrOs. Nov. lG. loC5.

TAX. LDIIOt-- V i'.. V tNE Icse CDi+- venes and the members who have been absent iron Washington during the summer return, they will dOub, less he surprised st the change which has taken place hoth upon the interior and the surroundings Of the Capitol. Congress, ct its last session, made Q very liberal appropriation to be used in the construction Of marble terraces at the ends cf the building and for commencing W TX upon tho grand staircase at the wes: front. Work was commenced in March, and has con tinucd without intermission during the entire season. The terraces are being built of white marble, and will be about fifteen feet in height, sur mounted Ky a substantial marble rail ing, and when completed will add greatly to the appearance of the building. as seen from the vest front The terrace upon the north end is nearly finished, while work upon that at the south end is well un ler way, and ground has been broken upon the site of the staircase. The interior of the building has been thoroughly reno vated, and many of the rooms have been repain;ed aud frescoed
 As the se"sol is drawing to q close the contractors in charge of the work upon various government buillilgs in course of construction are availing themselves of the advantages afforded by the fine autumnal weather, and work Is being pushed rapidly forward.
 The new State, War and Navy De- partmcnt building, the corner stone of which WAS laid in March, 1872, is rapidly approaching confl lction. With the exception of short delays occa- stoned by lack of granite in sufficient quantities 70 keep the workm-n busy, the work has progressed steadily since its commencement. The south wing was completed in 1875, and was at once occupied by the officials Of the State Department. When the cast wing was finished it was occupied by the Navy Departm mt, as Was also the north wing by the War Department, when two years later it Was declared ready for occupancy. When com pleted the building will have cost a very large sum, the appropriations toward it having already amounted 10 several millions of dollars The build- ing is 12S feet in height, 3ii2 fec: in width and 5S7 feet in length. The basement and lower portion have been constructed of granite from Fox Is land, Maine, while the superStructUr" is of granite from the quarrics upon the James river, six miles above Rich mond, Va When finished 1t will without doubt be the handsomest off ciai building in the world.
 An effort i6 being made by the War Department to have the various mili-
 tary companies Of the District organ ized into one command. There are eight distinct military companies here, four of which are white and the others colortd, and tnc difficulty met with Is due mainly to the fact that the white and colored soldiers do not work well together. The colorod companies are
 as much opposed 10 the proposed con solidation as are the white orGan;za-
 tons.
 Serious charges have been preferred against the management of the train ing school of the Signal Corps at Fort
 Myer, and an investigation has been
 ordered, which may result in the
 abolition of the station, or in the transfer of its management from the ! War to the civil authorities.
 The annual report of the Board of { Commissioners of the Soldiers Home
 has just been given to the public.
 According to this report there has
 been a very great increase Tn drunken
 ness among the inmates during the
 year, the cause for which is said to be 1 ( T