The Washington critic., 1886-08-14
THE VISITORS GUIDE.
Objects of Interest in and About The
National Capital.
THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS.
Parks, Squares, Statues, Gardens and
other Points of Attraction.
THE WAY TO REACH THEM.

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 its prominent points
will be of service to the vast number of
persons who annually resort to the DO.
litical metropolis. For it 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"
Tie system of Numbering Houses.
Numbers are displayed over the entrances TO
all houses, and the decimal system. as
adopted IN Philadelphia, Is used--onc hun
dred numbers being allotted TO each square
or blOck-COmmCnCing at First street west
running west, First street east, running
east, A street north, running north, and
street south, running south. The odd mum
bers are always ON the right-haud side 60
ing from the Capitol, and the oven numbers
on the leithaud side. The city IL divided
into four quarters or sections, northeast and
northwest, southeast and southwest the
streets being designated accordingly: those
running north and south numeriouly and
those running east and west by the ipttcrs
of the alphabet, the dividing lines being
North and South Capitol streets, running
on a line due north and south from the Cap
itol and East Capitol street. and a continue
ton 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 cditiCt
In the country Its centre marks the Me-
ridian of Washington. The middle portion
Immediately under the dome, Is the part
first huilt IL was partially destroyed by the
British In lSi4, but was completely restored
by 1921 1t incloses the "crypt'-whcre the
remains of Washington were 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 ly the Law Branch of the Library.
The Cornerstone of the Capitol extension
the north and south wings-was laid July !.
1851, Daniel Webster delivering the Grafton
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 Us dis
tingushed for its historic paintings, for the
famous bronze doors, with their alto
reliefs, and for Brumidi's frescoings. In tho
Hall of Statuary are the natural pictures in
Potomac marble, representing faces of Ger
tain American statesmen-a picturesque
freak Of nature. From the little rOtunda,
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 rs the visitor can ascend, the view
OF the surrounding, country Is magnificent.
The Capitol grounds, which formerly We're
hOmcly and formal in appearance, have
been transformed into Il beautiful
park and are now most eXquisitely beauti.
ful. The east base of the Capitol is Sgy6
"a nhnyn 1nNyti la ~ la
The total height from east base to the top
OF the temple covering the dome is 2SS feet;
the statue of the Goddess Of Liberty, 1875
feet, making the total height to the crest Of
the statue 3Oi1b feet. This crest is 800 feet
higher than the west gate of the grounds,
and 80! feet above, low tide in the Potomac,
or siS feet lower than the apex of the Wash.
ington Monument, which is immediately
west The building is 75i feet long by 33i
wide, and covers ~ acres. IL is the finest
and largest public building in the world,
and IN many respects the .costllest and
handsomest. II Is moreover the growth of
less than century-a fact which adds to
its beauty and interest. The original Capt.
iol, or centre building, is an imitation,
Caree at Nismes. The view from the west
portco at night, when the lamps are lit In
the public grounds, and the lights of the city
illuminate the darkness Is one of the most
beautiful and picturesque in the world AMI
Is well worth journey OF thousand niles
to see,
The white House. f$.
From the west balcony oil the capitol, luodiiS
down Pennsylvania avenue, the White
House Is seen rearing its snowy ,hued walls
above the dense mass of foliage that en-
bowers II, like Il gigantic calla lily springn,
up amid its enfoding green blades Were
II not for the partly Intervening Treasury
building the view Of the White House from
the capitol would he iull and complete The
White House is the center Of Uptown" as
The Capitol Is the center of Down town.
d fAI
south windows covering the whole southern
front oft the city, as tine view from the north
up sixteenth street west exhibits the best
part of the Northwest section to the gaze.
The White House is copy of the palace of
the Duke of Leinster at Dublin, with the
addition of large porch on the north front
which was added during Andrew jacksun'S
administration The reservation IN which
II stands embraces nearly 81 acres. The
main entrance Is on the north, reached by
the pennsylvania avenue cars, IL Is two
stories high on the north, Is built OF white
free-stOuc, 10 feet long by 80 wide 10 CON
tains on the first floor the famous Green,
Red, Blue and East rooms, the State Dining
Room and the great conSeryatories, The
Blue Room Is tfe Presidents ohclai rcGep-
tiun room and the drawing-l2om OF the ladies'
Of his family The East Room, originally
designed for banquet hall and 81 used as
late as 1897, and In the latter part If the
century used as u dryng-rOOm for Globes
by Mrs President Adams, Is the largest AMI
most noted room In the building. II Is -
feet high, so feet long and 40 wide. 1t *
open to visitors every day except sundays.
Upstairs are the Cabinet room, the private
offices, the Presidents Office the library
and the family apartments. All these
rooms except the latter are open to visitors,
by special permission, at suitable hours,
Lafayette square.
Due north from the White House Is Lafayette
Square, the first public reservation in Wash
ington that was improved. II contains the
equestrian statue of Andrew Jack ON, by
Clark Mills. Many of its trees are Old forest
uunarchs, hundreds of years old II Is in
part a specimen of the old formal landscape
gardening so fashionable in England two
hundred years ago, style that was I'M
ported into this country. Lafayette square
was, one hundred years ago, part If grave
yard that enclosed the square north, on
which 81. Johns Church Is built aud the
square east, ON which are situated tho At
tOrney Generals office (formerly tho Freed
mans Bank, the Surgeon Generals office
and l,igg- Bank (both Ia the build ug for
mtrly used as the United States Bank,
Commodore pecutur's house, corner Fiji
teeurh ard a,halt and II streets, and the
old cub House, near which Philip Barton
Key was killed by Daniel Il. SicklcS, Mem
her of Congress from New York, The last
bodies from this graveyard were not ru-
moved until 1873,
s,i. .JONu'- -, a.. Church.
called the state Church because more Pest.
dents have wur-hppei thGrc than 40 any
other. stands at the corner of II AMI SIX
a. ID