The Washington critic., 1886-07-21
THE VISITORS GUIDE.
Objects of Interest in and About the
National Capital.
TEE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS.
Parks, 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 IL 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 po-
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 an
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 used-one 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 A
street south, running south. The odd num-
bers are always on the rght-hand side go.
ing from the. Capitol, aud the even numbers
on the left-hand side. The city is divided
into four quarters or sections, northeast and
northwest, southeast and southwest the
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 q line due north and 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.
t,,,.t -.
original District, and is the largest edlQco
In the country. Its centre marks the Me-
ridian, 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 1877. II incloses the "crypt"-where 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 by the Law Branch of the Library.
The corners stone of the Capitol extension
the north and south wings--was laid July 4,
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 Is dis
tinguished for Its historic paintings, for the
reliefs, and for Brumidis frescoings In the
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 as the visitor can ascend, the view
of the surrounding country Is magnificent.
The Capitol grounds. which formerly were
homely and formal IN appearance, naye
been transformed into beautiful
ful The east base of the Capitol is 500
feet above ordinary low tide In the Potomac.
The total height from east base to the top
Of the temple covering the dome M Is sss rect; ,a
feet, making the total height to the crest of
the statue S07l6 feet. This crest is 800 feet
higher than the west gate of the grounds,
or s4s feet lower than the apex Of the Wash
ington Monument, which Is immediately
west. The building is 75i feet long by 3si
wide, and covers Sh acres acres; IT is the finest
and In many respects the costliest and
handsomest. 1t 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.
though not n slavish one, of the Maison
Carree at Nismes. The view from the west
portico 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 and
is well worth a journey of thousand miles
to see.
The White House.
From the west balcony OF the capitol, lookns
down Pennsylvania avenue, the Whitg
House Is seen rearing Its snowy-hued walle
above the dense mass of opening that en-
bowers 1t, like a gigantic Gala lily springna
up amid its cnfolding green blades Were
| II not for the partly intervening Treasury
building the view Of the White House from
the Capitol would be full and complete. The
White House is the center of"up'town,' a
the Capitol Is the center of "Down town
1t Is beautifully located, the view from the
| south windows covering the whole southern
front ofthe city, as the view from the nOrtl
| up Sixteenth street west exhibits the best
| 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 large porch on the north front
which was added during Andrew JacksOni
administration. The reservation in whicl
1t stands embraces nearly 81 acres. The
main entrance Is on the north, reached by
the Pennsylvania avenue cars. IL Is tw,
stories high on the north, Is built OF whit,
free.stone, 40 feet long by SO wide. It con
tains on the first floor the famous Green
Red, Blue and East rooms, the State Dinine
Room and the great conservatorics. Th'
Blue Room Is the Presidents official recep
tion room and the drawing room of the ladie
of his family. The East Room, original!
designed for a banquet hall and so used a
late as 1887, and in the latter part of th
century used as a drying-room Tor clothe
feet high, so feet long and 40 wide 1t !
open to visitors every day except Sundays
Upstairs are the Cabinet room, the privat
offices. the Presidents office, the librar
and the family apartments. All thes
rooms except the latter are open TO visitors
by special permission, at suitable hours.
Lafayette Square.
Due north from the White House is Lafayctt
| Square, the first public reservation In Wash
ington that was improved. 1t contains tn
..t. .,t. A...1W HAL ly1AV. D.
| Clark Mills. Many of its trees are, old fores
| moDarchs, hundreds of years old. II Is i
part specimen of the old formal landscap
| gardening so fashionable IN England tw
| ported into this country. Lafayette Squar
was, one hundred years ago, part sf grave
yard that enclosed the square north, q
| which st. Johns Church Is built, and til
square east, on which are situated tho Al
toney Generals office formerly the Freed
mans Bank, the Surgeon,'Generals oltio
and Riggs Bank thoth In the building foI
merly used as the United States Bank
Commodore Decatur's house, corner III
teenth ard a'half and II streets, and Oh
old Club House, near which Philip i}arto
ber of Congress from New York. The las
bodies from this graveyard were not n
moved until 1919.
at. Johns Il. ~. Church.
st. Johns p. H. Cnurcn, which has been ofte
called the State Church because more pcs
dents have worshipped there than at an
other, stands at the corner of II ana SLY
| teenth streets. II was built in 1916 and 81
larged in 1870. In Il have worshipped Pre-
idents Madison, Monroe, john Qn'n
| Adams (though the latter was a Con.
tionalisD Martin Van Buren,, though he b
| lOnged to the Dutch Reformed Church, lla
rison, Tyler, Polk, Taylor, Fillmore (thoug
| the latter was Il Unitarian, Pierce, BuCI
| nnan and Arthur, Presidents LincOll
johnson and Grant have also attended !
| vine services here although not steadily. |
interior reminds one very forcibly of Il
old, dim English country Episcopal churche
The Treasury Department.
The Treasury Department IL east of the VIII
House and extends the whole length of tl
front between Pennsylvania ana New lol
avenues, II Is hS2 feet long by 800 feet wild
The Centrnl east nOrIiOn Is built Of IreestOn