The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1886-07-30
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
A LOOK At, THE PENSION BUILDING
AhU ire cURlostTtEs.


nihiss-The Bisssst Brick Building In
the worId..Col. Bsyne ON Biaine'a Pop
.uIsrity-storiss II Hugh j. Jewott.
.,' isp~e ., Cor-.rond~ncat
WASHINGTON, July 27.-The interest In
| unsion matters has increased with the prcsi-
DENTS vrt0es, and have received number
Of inquiries lately about the pension bureau
and its business Il Is ono Of the largest
bureaus Of the government, and It employs
over I, 800 clerks. Il disburses about ~ much
money every year q Jay Gould is worth, and
Il docs its business in the largest brick build
ing In the world.
| The new pension building il . curiosity In
the way of modern architecture. il mod
eled after the old Roman palaces Of tho I'm
teenth century, and Is the only building OF
| it's kind in America Most OF the other gov
eminent buildings Of Washington are after
the Greek, and the interior department has
portico which Is an exact reproduction OF the
Parthenon at Athens. This new pension
building covers about two acres Of ground,
and it consists Of series Of large rooms run
ming around q great central court, and STIR
mounted at the top with glass roof. 1t has
three stories of rooms, and the court In It's
center is as big as q one-acre field. It was in
this great court that the inaugural ball 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. Marks,
in Venice. 1t has arcades or cloisters running
around its big floor which make you think OF
the grand promenade which takes place
nightly around the piazza Of st. Marks, in
the arcades by which it Is bounded But st.
Marks has only the Italian sky to roof 1t,
while this pension building is covered by q
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 seventy-tive feet
from the floor, and it would be good-sized
hill bedroom indeed which could be built
around one 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 has
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 NAV be that these bricks of the new
pension building will be fighting the weather
9 600 wears 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 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
wide band of yellowfrieze, made up of carved
figvles representing the want scenes oftarmy
and naval warfare. The figures of this frieze
are full of action and are wonderfully life
like. Here is a 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
storminp of a port At another place horses
are pulling ambulances, mules are hauling
supply wagons, and, in short, for the 200
|
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
number of them hobble to their work on
crutches. Many soldiers widows are EN-
ployed here, and at o'clock you may see
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
or his figure He is very straight man, of
medium size. with hair and beard which were
once dark, but are now fast becoming sill
vered. He has pleasant face, bright, blue
eve. and a rather stiff address He is said to
be a man of fine business ability, and there is
no doubt but that he gets Us much work out
of the pension office clerks as any of the COM
r,issioners of the past. He is now AZ years
old. is a Pennsylvania by birth, and has
been an Illinois Democrat for about twenty
wears. He has never held public office be-
fore, but has been a candidate for congress
several times
The pension office is full of relics, and its
records coI,.ain many curiosities. l looked
the other day at the pension papers of James
G.. Blaine's greas-grandmother, which gave
Sarah E. Blaine pension of $500 year,
from the 4th of March, 1S4S, for the services
of Blaine's great-grandfather in the revolu-
tionary war l read land warrants, giving
John A. Logan, in ls+S, 160 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 second lieutenant then;
Abe Lincoln was a poor Illinois lawyer; jeff
Davis was, think, secretary of state at the
time his land warrant was granted and lie
cun,seh 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 l saw also the papers Of Gen.
Scott asking for bounty lands for bis services
in the war of 1872