The Washington critic., 1886-10-14
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.


Washington Is fast becoming the
most attractive city Of the country. AS
the Capital of the Nation It 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 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 thichly 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-Commencing at First street west,
running west, First street east, running
east, a street north, running north, and A
street south, running south. The odd mum
bers are always on the righthand side go
ing from the Capitol, and tho even numbers
on the ieft-hand side The city Is divided
into four quarters or sections, northeast and
northwest, southeast and southwest, the
streets being designated accordingly; those
W
thosc running east and west by the letters
of the alphabet, tho dividing lines boug
North and South Capitol streets, running
on n line due north aud south from tho Cap.
itol and East Capitol street, and u continue
tiOu 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 tho largest ediiice
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 1874, but was completely restored
by ls21. 1t incloses the "crypt'-where the
remains of Washington were intended to be
placed the Library, the ROtunda, tho old
Representatives Hall, now the Gallery of
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 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. Tho orotunda Is dis.
tinguished for its historic paintings for tho
famous bronze doors, with their alto
relofs, and for Brumidi's fresCongs. In the
Hall of Statuary are the natural pictures in
Potomac marble, representing faces of Ger.
tain American statesmen-n picturesque
freak Of nature From the little rotunda,
staircase 10 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
homcly and formal In appearance, have
been transformed into n beautiful
park and are now most exquisitely beautl.
full. The east base of the Capitol Is SO&
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;
the statue of the Goddess of Liberty, 1870
feet, making the total height to the crest of
the statue 3O7IG feet. This crest Is 500 feet
higher than the west gate of the grounds,
and 90l feet above, low tide in the Potomac,
or 24s feet lower than the apex of the Wash.
ington Monument, which Is Immediately
west. The building is 75l feet long by S2i
wide, and covers 81 acres. 1t is the finest
and largest public building in the world,
and In many respects the costliest and
handsomest. 1t Is moreover the growth of
less than century-a fact which adds to
lol, or centre building, is an imitation,
though not n slavish one, of the MaisOn
Caree ut 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 tho 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 Gala lily sprngng
up amid It's enfolding green blades. We're
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 Uptown" as
the Capitol L. 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 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 Lelnstor at Dublin, with the
addition of large porch on the north front,
| which was added during Andrew JaCksOn's
administration. The reservation IN which
| 1t stands embraces nearly 81 acres. The
main entrance Is on the north, reached by
| the Pennsylvania avenue cars. 1t Is two
stories high on the north, Is built OF white
| free.stonc, 40 feet long by S6wide. IL con-
tains on the first floor the famous Green,
Red, Blue and East rooms the State Dining
Room and the great ConseryatOrleS. The
Blue Room Is the Presidents official rccep-
tion nroom and the drawing-room OF the ladies
of his family. The East Room, originally
designed for q banquet hall and so used as
late as 1897, and IN the latter part of the
century used as dryng-roo,mn IN Tor , clothes
most noted room, in the building; 1t is 2!
feet high, so feet long and 40 wide. IL Is
open to visitors every day except sundays.
Upstairs are the Cabinet room, the private
| OFFICES, lUC iItSlucut oillOc,
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 jackson, by
Clark Mills. Many of It's trees are old forest
nonarChs, hundreds of years old. II Is In
| part a specimen of the old formal landscape
gardening so fashionable in England two
hundred years ago, n style that was i'm
| ported info this country, Lafayette Square
| was, one hundred years ago, part >f grave
| yard that enclosed the square north, on
| which St. Johns Church Is built, and the
| square east, on which are situated the At
| torney GENERALS Office Formerly the Freed
mans Bank, the Surgeon'G Generals Office