The Washington critic., 1886-09-16
THE VISITORS GUIDE.
Objects of Interest in and About the
National Capital.
THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS.
Squares, Statues, Gardens and
Other Points of Attraction.
THE WAY TO REACH THEM.


Washington Is fast becoming the
most attractive city of the country. As
the Capital of the Nation 1t presents
more objects Of interest to the visitor
than any other on the continent, and
brief directory of It's prominent points
will be of service to the vast number Of
persons who annually resort to the po-
litical metropolis. For II Is estimated
that over three hundred thousand
strangers pay visit every year TO this
city to behold the varied objects of in.
terest which SO thickly stud the his
toric "Ten Miles Square"
The system OF Numbering Houses.
Numbers are displayed over the entrances to
all houses, and the decimal system, as
adopted in Philadelphia, Is uscd-one hun
dred numbers being allotted to each square
or bloCk-COmmoncing at First street west,
running west, First street east, running
east, A street north, running north, and A
street south, running south The odd num-
bers are always on tho tight-hand side go.
ing from the Capitol, and the even numbers
on the lUfthand side. The city Is divided
into four quarters or sections, northeast and
northwest southeast and southwest, tho
streets being designated accordingly; those
running north and south numerically, and
those running east and west by the letters
of the alphabet, the dividing lines being
North and South Capitol streets, running
on a line due north aud south from the Cap
itol and East Capitol street, and a continua
tion on the same west of the Capitol, run
ming due east and west.
The Capitol.
This great building Is the central point of the
original District and Is the largest edtce
in the country, It's centre marks the Me-
rldian of Washington. The middle portion,
Immediately under the dome, Is the part
first built. II was partially destroyed by the
British In 1914, but was completely restored
by lS!i. IL iucloses the "Crypt'-where the
remains of Washington We're intended to be
placed, the Library, the Rotunda, the old
Representatives. Hall, now the Gallery of
Statuary, and the old Senate Chamber, now
the Supreme Courtroom. The old Supreme
Courtroom, in the first story, is now occu
pied by the Law Branch of the Library.
The cornerstone of the Capitol extension
the north and south wings-was laid July l.,
1851, Daniel Webster delivering the oratlon
of the occasion from the balcony of the
Library. The south wing contains the
House of Representatives. and the north
wing the Senate Chamber. The rotunda Is dis
tnguished for its historic paintings, for the
famous bronze doors, with their alto
reliefs, and for Drumidi's frescoings. In the
Hall of Statuary are the natural pictures in
Potomac marble, representing faces of GER
tain American statesmen-a picturesque
Immediately north of the great rotunda, the
staircase to the top Of the dome begins its
winding-way. From the top of the dome, or
as far as the visitor can ascend, the view
OF the surrounding. country Is magnificent.
The Capitol grounds, which formerly were
homely and formal In appearance, have
been transformed into beautiful
park and are now most cXquisitely beauti-
ful. The east base of the Capitol Is S9lf
feet above ordinary low tide in the Potomac.
The total height from east base to the top
of the temple covering the dome is 2SS feet
flp pf thp f,plIpql al TIpprty 1Ol6
feet, making the total height to the crest OF
the statue S0i19 feet. This crest IS $50 feet
higher than the west gate of the grounds,
and $50 feet above low tide in the Potomac,
or 23S feet lower than the apex of the Wash
ington Monument, which is Immediately
west The building is 75i feet long by 3Si
hd wdde and @ SSny STs It n e 5s the nr nG
and in many respects the costliest and
handsomest. 1t Is moreover the growth OF
less than contury-a fact which adds &c
tol, or centre building, Is an imitation
though not u slavish one, of the Maisor
Cariee at Hismes. The view from the ives
portico at night, when, the lamps are lit IL
the public grounds and the lights of the cit!
illuminate the darkness Is one OF the mos
beautiful and picturesque Ia the world ana
Is well worth IA journey of thousand mile
The White House.
| From the west balcony oil the capitol, lookin.
| down Pennsylvania avenue, tho Whit
| House Is scon rearing Its snowy hued wall
| above the dense mass of foliage that EN-
bowers II, like gigantic Gala lily springlnl
| up amid its onfolding green blades. Wer'
| itnot for the partly intervening Treasur!
| building the view of the White House from
| the Capitol would be full and complete. Tn,
| White Iiouse il the center OF "ITp.town,m a
the Capitol Is the center of Down town.
| 1t IS beautifully located, the view from tht
| south windows covering the whole southern
| front ofthc city as the view from the nortl
up Sixteenth street west exhibits the bes
| part of the Northwest section TO the gaze
| The White House Is copy of the palace o
| the Duke of Leinster at Dublin with tn
addition of Il large porch on the north front
| which was added during Andrew jackson
administration. The reservation In whicl
| II stands embraces nearly 81 acres. IN
main entrance Is on the north, reached b.
the Pennsylvania avenue cars. 1t is tw'
stories high on the north, Is built of whit
fee.stonc, 40 feet long by So wide. u con
tains on the first floor the famous Green
| Red, Blue and East rooms, the state Dinin.
| Room and the great cOnserYatores. Tn
Blue Room Is the Presidents official reccr
| tionroom and the drawingroom of the !adie
| OF his family. The East Room, originall
designed for banquet hall and so used a
late as 1887, and in the latter part OF tn
century used as a drying-room for clothe
most noted room in the building, 1t Is :
feet high so feet long and 40 wide. II
open TO visitors every day except Sundays
| Upstairs are the Cabinet room, the prvat
I bilttS, INC lTtelNatul , bhlCt, lilc MIRA
| and the family apartments. All thes
| rooms except the latter are open to yisitor
by special permission, at suitable hours.
Lafayette square.
Due north from the White House IS Lafayett
| Square, the first public reservation in Wasl
| ington hat was improved. 1t contains I'll
| equestrian statue of Andrew jackson, h
| Clark Mills, Many of its trees are old fore
| onarchs hundreds of years Old, II Is
| part specmen of the old formal landscar
gardening 80 fashionable in England tw
| hundred years ago, Il style that was In
| ported into this country. Lafayette Squar
was, one hundred years ago part VI erav,
| yard that enclosed the square north, o
| which ST. Johns Church IL built, and Ii
square cast, ON which are situated the A
| tCrnoy. .GenerGls Office (formerly the Freet
mans Bank, the Surgeon Generals oiiic
and Iicgs Bank (both In the building fol
mery used as the United States Bank
Commodore Decatur's house, corner III
tecnth ui d a-half and II streets, and Ill
old club House, near which Philip BlrtO
Key was killed by Daniel Il. Sickles, Men
her Of Congress from New York. The laI
bodies from this graveyard were not n
moved until 1910,
-. JOhR's 4. ~. Church.
| st Johns p e. Cnurcn, which mas been Ofte