Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1886-10-23
Washington on the Outside.
Washington Corr. Cleveland Leader ma |
Herald.

The people OF the United States
know but little about Washington
and of the sixty millions which We
have now in the country, perhaps
tiftv millions have never visited the
capital. II is the finest national cap
ital in the world, and travellers who
have gone the rounds OF the globe say
they have never seen anything to
equal it. 1t now contains over 2lO,
coo people, and its citizens spend
more money proportionately than
those OF any other city IN the United
States. 1t lies in q sort OF basin
ON the banks OF the Potomac, which
is mile wide where it flows by 1t.
Great hills surround this basin, slop-
ing almost abruptly up from Bounda-
ry street, which bounds the city on
the north, and rising upward from the
banks on the other side oil the river:
Some of these hills are wooded, ana
on many OF them residences are now
being built. 1t Is supposed that they
will in the near future form the most
fashionable parts OF the capital city.
The capitol is in the exact center OF
Washington, and all the streets are
laid out at right angles to it. The let
tered streets run one way and the
numbered another, and the number
ing OF the city is so arranged that you
can tell at glance just where house
is located by its number and street.
All OF the streets of Washington
are wide, and the avenues which
cross them in a diagonal way
are wider still. They are paved with
dark gray asphalt, and are as smooth
as a floor from one end to the other.
The bicycler will be interested III
knowing that there are 27o miles oil
these Washington streets, and that
they could here ride almost the dis
tance between Cleveland and Chicago
on Davements as smooth as so many
planned boards without going over the
same ground twice. Their ride would
take them past elegant houses OF as
much variety OF architecture as there
is variety OF human brains. 1t would
lead them about statues OF the most
noted men of the nation, through
parks filled with all kinds OF tropical
plants, and along into the drives OF
great reservations. by public buildings
which are modelled after the structures
of half dozen different ages and peo-
pie in past history. They would go
along streets from 100 to 100
feet wide, lined for many miles
with gleen lawns in front OF
the houses. For the govern
ment here owns the lawns as well as
the streets. and it has q strip OF grass
on each side of it's streets from ten to
seventy feet wide, extending through
out the city, TO the edge OF which the
builder may come but no further.
Washington has the greatest area OF
streets in proportion to its size OF any
city in the world, | think. Forty-one
pei cent. of the territory OF our cap
ital is laid out in streets, whereas
only twenty-five per cent. OF Paris,
twenty-siX per cent. OF Berlin and thlr,
ty-iive per cent. OF Vienna Is devoted
To streets and avenues.
There are in Washington city limits
Gill acres, and more than half Of
this Is public property. The govern
ment reservations, which are scatter
ed throughout the whole city, con
tain 40S acres, and the most OF these
are filled with flowers and trees. I'll,
streets and avenues are lined Will
trees, and during the last ten year:
there have been more than $4,000
shade trees set out by n commission
which is appointed and paid by con
gress for this purpose. Standing 81
the hills above Washington and look
over it, the city now appears like {
great garden, with houses poking thel
heads out OF the foliage. Ten year
from now it will be 5000 acres OF for
est, and it will be the greatest shade
tree city OF the world. Trees groy
rapidly in the Washington soil. The,
are well taken care of, and they ar
planted about thirty feet apart a
over the city as soon as the street
are graded. The government put
tree boxes around them, and if on
happens to die it is at once replaces
by another. These trees are of a
kinds OF shade trees which one find
in the north and south. They hav
already materially affected the cl
mate of Washington city, and it
cooler now by far than it was a de-
ade ago.
The parks of Washington are seat
tered throughout the city, and yo
cannot walk more than three or fou
squares without coming upon a gree
spot filled with rare old trees and
statue or fountain. There are seat
in these parks, and in the flower bed
which you will find in most of then
plants are kept blooming all the tim
First there are the earliest blossom
of the spring. Then as the year grow
older these are taken up as soon ,
they cease to bloom and others a
planted in their places. An army
laborers is required to keep Il
parks in order, and q continuol
improvement goes on. Many
these parks, such as Frank
for instance, are surrounded by e
CANT residences, and as rule vaca
ground facing upon government re
ervation will bring double the pri
of other land in the vicinity II
capitol park alone contains fifty-o
acres OF plateau and sloping hill.
is full OF trees of many kinds, some
which are mere bushes and Others o
elms which appear to have dat
back to Jefferson's day. The capt.,
you know, faces the east, and just
front of it there is wide plateau
green of several squares which will
between it and the new librar
4 A IL