Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1889-10-28

route by which we rode from Balti-
more to Washington is a part of that
great system of railways which cover
so great part of the Middle States.
The entrance to Washington is from
the east, almost opposite the old Bal
timore & Ohio route, and the large
and convenient depot is close to Penn
sylvania Avenue, the great thorough
! fare of the city. No brief account
will give satisfactory description OF
Washington and we shall not attempt
it. To the army boys who visited it
in war times it now appears almost
like a new city. One Of the remark
able things is the growth of the city.
What at that time appeared like COW
pastures all about the skirts of the
town are now covered with streets,
and in some cases, public buildings.
On Capitol Hill, where some of us
camped while about the city, long
streets shoot off a mile or more on
the north side the city runs back a
long distance Pennsylvania Avenue
and other thoroughfares then hardly
completed by connected line
of blocks, are filled now solid with
buildings. The great buildings-the
capitol, the treasury building, the
patent office and white house, and
some other public buildings are about
as they were % years ago. A new
State, Navy and Interior building has
been built west of the White House.
This is very large and beautiful
structure and affords opportunity to
place the business offices of the cabi-
net officers near the home of the pres
ident.
Among the Improvements made in
the city is the erection on the south
side of the Avenue of the Washing
ton market-perhaps the best market
building in the country. Those who
visit this place will form some idea
of what it takes to feed city. While
travelling up and down the long line
of stalls and counters, and here and
there long distances, finding almost
everything that man consumes as
food, one wonders what can be done
with such a great mass of everything
eatable; going out into the city and
seeing the hundreds and thousands
who 60 up and down in all directions,
the question arises, how can all these
people be fed? The law of supply
and demand has solved the problem.
During the few days of our stay in
the city the Knight Templars were
there attending their national con-
clave, and such a mass of them from
all over the United States We do
not know how many thousand Knights
were there, but the railroads estimat-
ed that they carried 100, 200 people
during the week of the meeting. The
Knights are an order of Masons, and
they appeared to be from the better and
wealthier ranks of society everywhere.
They were finely uniformed and were
out with cooked hats with feathers,
and with a multitude of banners,
badges and military insignia. On
Thursday they swarmed like bees
about hive. In the evenings they
were out in long professions, with
banners and bands of music. Wash
ington never saw larger or more i'm
posing line of marching men belong
ing to an order than it saw at this
time While Washington has been
stretching out into the country, there
have been great improvements in the
streets, avenues, ornamental parks,
promenades, and in all lines Of @s-
thetic improvement. The grounds
about Smithsonian Institute that
were so very limited, almost without
respectable streets, and, in war times,
covered with wagons, army supplies
and the debris of the city, are now as
beautiful as money and art can make
them. The Institute is now but a
very small part of the matter in
buildings. Large structures are up
in adjoining streets, among which
might be mentioned the National Mu-
scum building, the medical depart
ment and museum, the horticultural
department, ETC., etc. Just little
way out is the the Bureau of Engrav-
ing-the building where the money
and bonds are made. 1t is only five
OF ten minutes walk to the Washing
ton monument. Here stands the
loftiest permanent structure in the
world, pyramid 555 feet in height,
So feet square at the base. One
should stand at the bottom of it and
look up, or what is more awe-inspir-
ing, at the top of it and look down,
if he would form just idea Of it's
tremendous height. An elevator
within will carry one to the top in a
few minutes, where he can look down
on the city and scan the country for
miles away. Those who have a
curiosity to see, handle, if they desire,
some of Uncle Sans bonds, curren-
cy, gold and silver, should go to
the treasury building. Here some of
the processes of making bank bills
are seen; here hundreds of men and
women are counting, sorting and
handling money of all sorts; here in
the vault is piled up $125, 200, ZOO
in silver and less amount of gold