The Washington critic., 1886-10-12
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 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.
iitical metropolis. For IL Is estimated
that over three hundred thousand
strangers pay visit every year to this
city to behold the varied objects of in.
terest which 80 thickly stud the his
toric "Ten Miles Square"
The system OF Numbering Houses.
Numbers arc displayed over the entrances to
all houses. and the decimal system. rs
adopted in Philadelphia, is usod-ono hun.
dred numbers being allotted TO each square
or rbock-commonCing at First street west,
running west, First street east, running
east, a street north, running north, aud A
street south, running south. The odd mum
bers are always on the Iighthand side GO
ing from the Capitol, and the even numbers
on the icft-hand side. The city Is divided
into four quarters or sections northeast aud
northwest, southeast and southwest, tho
SlIttls DtlNI ttHlkllUlo ol uttbINllZlN, lnDSt
running north and south numerically, and
those running east aud west by the letter.
of the alphabet the dividing lines being
North and South Capitol Streets running
on a line due north and south from tho Ctp-
itol and East Capitol street, and continua.
tion ON the same west Of the Capitol, run
ming due east and west.
The Capitol.
| This great building Is the central pOlnt of the
original District, and Is the largest odifGo
in the country. It's centre marks the Me-
ridian OF Washington. The middle portion,
Immediately under the dome, Is the part
British in 1874, but was completely restored
by iss7. IT incloses the Crypt where the
remains of Washington were intended to be
placed, the Library, the Rotlnda, 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 Il now oCcu-
| pied by the Law Branch of the Library,
| The cornerstone 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
tinguished for its historic paintings for the
| famous bronze doors, with their alto
reliefs, and for Brumdi's trescongs. In the
| Hall of Statuary are the natural pictures in
Potomac marble, representing faces of GER
tain American statosmen-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 we're
| hOmely and formal In appearance, have
been transformed into q beautiful
park ond are now most exquisitely beauti,
tul, The east base of the Capitol Is sO4
| The total height from east base to the top
of the temple covering the dome Is 2S3 feet;
the statue Of the Goddess of Liberty, 1915
feet, making the total height to the crest of
| the statue 30il1 feet. This crest Is 800 feet
higher than the west gate of the grounds,
and 397 feet above low tide in the Potomac,
| or 2iS feet lower than the apex of the Wash
ington Monument, which Is immediately
west. The building is 75f feet long by 33l
wide, and covers SH acres. IT Is tho finest
| and In many respects the costliest and
handsomest. II Is moreover the growth of
less than a century-a fact which adds to
its beauty and interest. The original Capt.
| tol, or centre building, Is an imitation,
though not a 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 tine most
beautiful and picturesque in the world and
is well worth journey of thousand miles
The white House.
From the west balcony OF the Capitol, looking
| down Pennsylvania avenue, the White
| House Is seen rearing It's snowy-hued walls
| above the dense mass of foliage that en-
bowers it, like gigantic calla lily springlng
| up amid its enfolding green blades. Were
It 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 Uptown" as
the Capitol is the center of Down town"
| 1t Is beautifully located, the view from the
| south windows covering the whole southern
| front of the city, as the 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 Jacksons
administration. The reservation IN which
It stands embraces nearly 81 acres. The
main entrance Is on the north, reached by
the Pennsylvania avenue cars. II is two
stories high ON the north, Is built OF white
freestune 10 feet long by Sc wide. II con.
tains on the first floor the famous Green,
Red, Blue and East rooms, the state Dining
Room and the great e9nseryatories. The
tion room and the drawing-room of the ladies
of his family. The East Room, originally
designed for a banquet hall and so used as
late as 1887, and In the latter part of the
century used as n drying-room for clothes
by Mrs. President Adams, is the largest and
most noted room in the building. 1t Is 2,
feet high, 50 feet long and 40 wide. 1t is
open to visitors every day except Sundays
Upstairs are the Cabinet room, the private
offices. the Presidents office, the library
| ana tnc luInlly uDuTlHcIllS' AL tHSSt
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. IL contains tht
equestrian statue of Andrew jackson, by
Clark Mills. Many of its trees are old fores
nonarchs, hundreds of years old. II is II
| part a specimen Of the old formal Landscape
gardening so fashionable In England tive
hundred years ago, style that was i'm
ported into this country, Lafayette Square
was. one hundred years ago, part grave
yard that enclosed the square north, OF
which st. Johns Church Is built, and thi
square east, on which are situated tho At
torney General Office formerly the Freed
mans Bank, the Surgeon'General's olllcC
and Riggs Bank (bOth in the building for
merly used as the United States Bank
Commodore Dccatur's house, corner Fiji
teenth ard a-half and II streets, and til,
old Club House, near which Philip Barton
Key was killed by Daniel H. Sickles, Mem
ber of Congress from New York. The las
bodies from this graveyard were not re
moved until 1910.
~. Johns =. ". Church.
st. Johns =. l., Church, which has been oltel
called the state Church because more Presl
dents have worshlpped there than at an,
other, stands az tile corner of IL and Six
/ teonth streets. II was built in 1916 and en-