Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-08-01
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
A LOOK AT THE PENSION BUILDING
AND ITS cuRlosITIEs.

Revolutionary Neics ana husher VI
BibIe--The biggest Brick Building In
the worid-CoI. Bayne on BIaine's Pop
uIarity-Stories of Hugh }. Jewett.
Gspec al Corrc-pondenceI
WASHINGTON, July 26-The interest In
pension matters has Increased with the presi-
dents vetoes, and | have received a number
Of inquiries lately about the pension bureau
and its business. II is one Of the largest
bureaus of the government, and it employs
over 800 clerks. 1t diSburses about as much
money every year as Jay Gould is worth, and
it does its business in the largest brick build
ing in the world.
The new pension building is a curiosity in
the way Of modern architecture. II is mod
eled after tine old Roman palaces OF the Fif-
teenth century, and is the only building of
its kind in America. Most of the other gov
ernmcnt buildings Of Washington are after
the Greek, and the interior department has a
portico which is an exact reproduction of the
Parthenon ut Athens. This new pension
building covers about two acres Of ground
and it consists Of a series of large rooms run
ming around great central court, and sur
mounted at the top with glass roof. 1t has
three stories of rooms, and the court in its
center is as big a one-acre field. Ii was in
this great court that the inaugural hall was
held, and here will be held, in all probability,
the inaugural balls of the future This court
reminds one of the grand square Of st Mark,
in Venice. 1t has arcahes or cloisters ming
around its big floor which make you think Of
the grand promenade which takes place
nightly around the piazza of st. Marks, M
the arcades by which it is bounded But St
Marks has only the Italian sky TO roof it,
while this pension building is covered by
sky of glass. and can be lighted on the darkest
night by the blaze of the electric light This
roof is supported by massive columns, each
containing enough brick to build three two
story houses They rise sey~nty-five feet
from the floor, and it would he n good-sized
hall bedroom indeed which could be built
around enc OF them
These columns will probably stand when
time has thrown the rest of the building into
ruins. and it may be that they will be the
subject Of antiquarian study in the future.
Professor Merrill, the scientist who hiss
charge of the building stones Of the National
museum, tells me that there is no material
equal to that of brick for endurance, and that
brick will outlast marble or granite. 1t is
certain that many OF the ruins of Rome con-
tain bricks which are in as good preservation
as they were when that city ruled the world.
and il may be that these bricks Of the new
pension building will be fighting the weather
1900 years from now, when perhaps the Cap
itOl and the treasury and the Washington
monument will have crumbled into nothing
Ness.
The outside of the pension building is of
this red pressed brick, with beautifully carved
pieces of frieze here and there, and with
brick columns at the corners, as smooth as
though they had been cut out by a sculptor.
The doors are capped with fine mouldings,
and the keystones of them are the faces of
NEUROLOGICAL characters. Clear around the
second story, just under the windows there Is
a wide hsnd Of yellow frieze, made up Of carved
figures representing the many scenes OF army
and naval warfare. The figures Of this frieze
are full of action and are wonderfully life
like Here is n column Of infantry marching
along, loaded with guns and knapsacks. Next
comes the cavalry, the horses champing the
bit and their riders fourishing sabers.
Then the artillery drags its heavy cannon,
and in the next section you may see brave
sailors dashing through the waves at the
storming of a port At another place horses
ldullllS
supply wagons, and, in short, for the 200
feet surrounding this building there is one
continuous changing picture, in has relief, of
war scenes This frieze is three feet wide,
and it well represents the life of those for
whom the building was built
A great many OF the employees of the pen
sion department are old soldiers, and quite a
number of them hobble To their work on
a.
ployed here, and at 4 o'clock you may see a
plentiful sprinkling of women in deep mourn
ing, and cripples, among the hundreds who
rush forth at the close of their work. Com
missioner Black is himself badly cut up with
wounds, though none Of this shows in his face
OF his figure. He is a very straight man, of
medium size. with hair and beard which were
once dark, but are now fast becoming 81
vered He has pleasant face, bright, blue
eye, and a rather stiff address. He is said TO
lie a man of fine business ability, and there is
no doubt but that he gets as much work out
of the pension office clerks as any OF the com
missiOners of the past He is now 46 years
old, is Pennsylvanian by birth, and has
been an Illinois Democrat for about twenty
years He has never held a public C4fice be
fore, but has been a candidate for congress
several times
The pension office Is full Of relics, and its
records contain many curiOsities l looked
the other day at the pension papers Of James
G. Blaine's great grandmother, which gave
Sarah E. Blaine pension Of 5000 year,
from the 4th of March, lS4S, for the services
of Blaine's great grandfather in the reyolu-
tionary war l read land warrants, giving
John A. Logan, In lSiS, 100 acres Of land for
his services in the Mexican war; and looked
at other land warrants granted about this
time TO Abraham Lincoln, Frank Pierce, U.
S. Grant, William T. Sherman and JEFF Da-
Wis. Grant was a second lieutenant then;
Abe Lincoln WAS poor Illinois lawyer; jeff
Davis was, | think, secretary of state at the
time his land warrant was granted, and Te-
cumseh Sherman was a subordinate officer of
the army with not the best of prospects. Abe
LinColn's claim is written in his own hand
writing and he received his land warrant for
his services in the Black Hawk war Robert
E Lee, who was then at West Point, received
100 acres of land for his services in the Mex
lean war, and | saw also the papers Of Gen.
Scott asking for bounty lands for his services
in the war of 1872
The revolutionary relics OF the pension
office would be valuable addition TO any
museum They consist Of orderly books, diaries
and old Bibles which have been sent here to
substantiate the claims of revolutionary sol
diers for pensions. The Bibles are numbered
by hundreds, and there must he from five to
ten bushels of them They contain the fam
lily records of soldiers and their heirs, and are
used to establish the identity of the pension
ers. In revolutionary days it was the custom
with our grandmothers to prick with needle
their family history OH cloth, or TO emhroider
it on canvas in what were called samplers
There are many Of these here, and doubt
not the descendants of the people who sent
them would give the weight of the samplers
in gold 70 have them returned.