The Washington critic., 1886-08-21
THE VISITORS GUIDE.
Objects Of Interest in and About the
National Capital,
THE GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS.
Parks, sfuares, Statues, Gardens ana
other Points of Attraction.
THE WAY TO REACH THEM.

4
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 It 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 thickly 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 wcst,
running west, FIRST street cast. running
east, a street north, running north, aud
street south, running south, The odd nunl.
| bcrs are always on the right.hand side 20.
Ing from the Capitol, and the even numbers
on the lClt.hund side. The city Is divided
| into four quarters or sections, northeast and
| northwest, southeast and southwest, the
| streets being designated accordingly; those
| running north and south numerically, and
those running cast and west by the letters
| of tho alphabet, the dividing lines being
| NoUh and south capitol streets, running
ona line due north aud south from the Cap
itol and East Capitol street, and continue.
tiUn 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 the largest edtce
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 I'm 1874, hut was completely restored
| by ls!1. II Hcloscs the "crypt'-where the
remains OF Washington We're intended TO be
| placed, the Library, the lotunja, the old
| StGtuary, and the old Senate Chamber, now
the supreme Courtroom. The old Supreme
| Court room, 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 1,
| 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
wingthe Senate Chamber The rOtunda Is dis.
tmguishcd for its historic paintings, for the
| famous bronze DOORS with their alto
| relieis, and for Brumldi's frescoings. In the
| Hall Of Statugry are the natural pictures In
| Potomac marble, representing faces of GER
| tnin American statcsmCn-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
|
| as far as the visitor can ascend, the view
| of the surrounding country Is magnificent.
| The Capitol grounds, which formerly were
| hOmCly and formal In appearance, have
been transformed into u beautiful
| park and are now most cXquisitcly beuuti.
full. The east base of tho Capitol IL 500
feet above ordinary low tide in the Potomac.
The total height from east base 70 the top
of the temple covering the dome is 2sS feet;
| the statue of the Goddess Of Liberty, 1910
| feet, making the total height to the crest of
/ pTDgf
| higher than the west gate of the grounds,
and 801 feet above low tide in the Potomac,
or2iS feet lower than tho apex of the Wash
ington Monumgnt, which IS Immediately
west, The building Is 15i feet long by 32i
| wide, and covers 3S acres. IL Is the finest
and largest public building in the world,
| 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.
iol, or centre building, Is an imitation,
though not savsh one, of the Maison
Car1ee at Nismes. The view from the west
porticQ at night, when the lamps arc lii IN
the public grounds and the lights of the city
| illuminate the darkness Is one OF the most
| beautiiula and picturesque In the world and
IS well worth a journey Of thousand miles
The White House.
From the west balcony OF the capitol, looking
down Pennsylvania avenue, the White
House Is soon rearing It's owy-hued walls
above the dcnse mass of foliage that EN-
| up amid It's Cniuldng green blades. Were
| itnot for the partly intervening Treasury
| building the view of the White House from
the Capitol would be iull and complete The
| White House Is the center Oi "lp-town,' as
the Capitol is the center Of Down town 81
It IS beautifully located, the view from the
south windows covering the whole southern
front ufthG city, as the view from the north
up sixteenth street west exhibits the host
part of the Northwest section to the gaze
The White House is q copy of the palace OF
the Duke of luustur at Dublin, with the
which was added during Andrew jackson Is
administration, The reservation IN which
it stands embraces nearly 81 acres. The
main entrance is on the north, reached by
the Pennsylvania avenue cars. 10 Is two
stories high ON the north, Is built oi white
ncc.stouc ltO feet long Ly SO wide. II con
tains ON tie first floor the famous Green
| Egu, Fluc and East rooms, the State Dining
Room and Che great cpnseryaturtes. The
Blue Room Is the Presidents official rcccp
tlunroom aud the wmg-room of the ladies
Of his family. The East Room, originally
designed for banquet hall and so used u.
late as 1887, and in the latter part Of the
century used as a dryiug-ruom for Clothe.
by Mrs President Adams, II the largest and
most noted room In the building. II IL .,
feet high, 50 feet long and 40 wide. u i
open to visitors every day cNcept.SundOYs
Upstairs are The cabinet room, the private
Offices. the Presidents Office, the library
and the family apartments. All these
| rooms except the latter are open 10 visitors
by special pcrmis.ion at suitable hours.
Lafayette square.
Due north from tine White House Is Lafayette
Square, the first public reservation In Wa 81
ington that was improved. IL contains the
equestrian statue OF Andrew Jackson, by
Clark Mills Many OF is trees are old forest