Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-10-05

fLAS-NHtRE TIE BOOKS villa nm STORED
WHAT HAS BEKS poSI.
Fifty thousand davl That 4. the rate the
bricks are being put in the new Congressional
library building. Think OF il, Enough bricks
to build an ordinary house being laid each day
on one building. The big board fence keeps
the general public from seeing il. but there Is
scene OF great activity lust east OF the Cap
itoi. where over three hundred workmen are
engaged IN laying brick. setting stones. erect
ing derricks, &c, all in a brave effort 20 give
the Congressional library home whore il can
stretch its cramped limbs and 70 relieve authors
from the narrowing fear that their copvricht
volumes will not be sufficiently protected from
dampncss.
IL will be remembered that Congress agreed
TO the plans for this building orie inAllV pre-
sented to AZ, when IL was demonstrated by Gen
Casey that the building could be constructed
practically on those plans At a cost of &c OU3 TO-
THE GENERAL GROUND rIAS
OF the building comprises a large central ro-
tunda, built entirely OF white marble and con-
tanning a grand staircase, reading rooms. al.
coves, &C. Running of from this are four
open courts, the whole being surrounded by a
series OF rooms and Offices. The extreme out
| side dimensions, not including the projection
OF center building on the west front. will be
NLcovEs ron THE BOOKS
The books will at FIRST occupy only the al
coves in the reading room. with the magazines
Immediately adjoining. This space will accom-
modate a million and half volumes and will
not be used up, at the present growth for about
thlrty-four years. BY using the first and Sec
ond stories and open courts the capacity can be
increased 20 four and half million volumes
and ample space will be thus obtained for ia
years. In the meantime the available floor
space at the service OF the government for
other than library purposes will be about
$4,000 square feet.
PROGRESS OF THE WORK.
Work under the new appropriation was ACTIN
ally begun in April of this year, but did not
really get under way until June. Ii has been
actively progressing during the summer under
the able management OF the supervising engi-
neer, Bernard II. Green. The engineer de-
partment has a comfortable brick Once az the
| northeast corner of the grounds. where three
| clerks and nine draughtsmen are kept busily at
WORK. ihere Is no guesswork and no waste Of
material allowed in the construction of build
ing the size OF this Plans must be drawn up
| and approved for every inch of the work.
Cross and vertical sections Of every stone must
be drawn, so that when the blocks arrive num-
bered, from the quarries thew slip into their
places as easily as the missing links Of puzzle.
GENERAL SATISFACTION.
Mr.. Green expresses himself as well satisfied
with the progress of the work 30 far this sum-
mer. In general the contracts have been full
filed promptly, although a slight delay has
been caused lately bv a want of stone for the
completion Of the cellar work. This granite is
sent from Woodstock. Nd. The late rainy
weather has also acted as drag, but the en-
gineers do not propose 20 allow bad weather or
bad contracts TO stand in the way of the COM
pletion OF the building in the specified eight
years. Contractors are warned 20 stand from
under and gentle hint is dropped to the
signal Office that il would be advisable for
them to keep one eye fastened upon them
selves.
DIGGING A Farm
There are about eight and a half acres in
| closed in the board fence for the park and
| grounds. The first work accomplished was to
| dig out OF this park a small-sized farm A Zig
hole equal TO four acres was thus eXcavated for
the foundation and cellars. Around the bank
Of this excavation a solid concrete wall IS feet
deep and several feet broad, will run. This il
| the outer area wall and from it gratings will
run to the main brick wall. This outer protec-
ton has been almost completed and about 400
feet of the main wall has been constructed
Divisions are springing up all over the huge
area and already many OF the door arches are
IN place. Every brick wall pillar rests on a
solid granite base, thus preventing any damp
ness from ascending to the upper floors At
one end OF the building the huge iron girders
Tor the ground moor are In place.
BRICKS ON BRICKS.
Piles OF them are everywhere. Six million
Of the commoner sort have already been con-
tracted for from the Washington brick COM
pany. The walls Of the four open courts are
being constructed of white enameled bricks,
which will add greatly to the interior beauty
Five hundred thousand Of these bricks will be
| required. They are imported, being made at
Leeds, England
UNTIL THE snow FLIES.
Work will be continued as late into the winter
as possible, and it is expected that before il is
necessary to quit the cellar walls will all be up,
the basement floors down and. in short every
thing completed to the ground level Mr..
Green expects to be able TO continue work
until about the 18th of December after which
it is unsafe in this climate to lay bricks
During the following three months derricks
will be erected stones cut and other prepara-
tions for the summer campaign made. Ten
huge stone derricks. standing 100 feet above
the level, will be put in place.
THE CONTRACTS ron GRANITE
are immense in size. Concord " H. has one
worth q, $50 900. The granite used in the cell
lar is being furnished from Woodstock, Nd,
while the future stone trimming work will be
advertised for shortly. 1t will be seen by this
that the men at work on the library proper
represent only small proportion of the men
actually engaged in the construction. For one
man at the building there are ten men at the
quarries and brick yards.
The money already appropriated amounts to
81 200. 900. and this Congress will be asked to
give S555,000. 1t would seem TO be a better
plan to appropriate the whole $1,000 600 at
once and allow the engineer TO draw on il as
needed, but Congress believes in doing il out
in annual appropriations.
THE STORAGE OF BOOKS
No arrangements will be made for the storage
Of books in the upper stories or open courts. As
Mr.. Green expresses ii, THE building will
provide in a general way for the requirements
of the future; but We propose TO allow the
men OF seyenty-hve years hence TO settle the
details to suit themselves"
THE PRESENT QUARTERS
While all the activity is going on at the new
building Librarian Spoford is being wedged
in closer and closer at his quarters in the Capt.
toll. The pressure has been slightly relieved by
the construction of eight dark rooms in the
crypt below. These rooms arc used for the
storage Of books, and here are kept the mag
nifcent files Of newspapers which are one Of
the treasures of the library. Mr.. Sp6ford
expects TO get some good out of the new library
a good while before il is entirely finished. As
soon az it can be done with safety to the books
he expects
TO COLOMBO THE NEW BUILDING.
when, with light cart running between the
two libraries, books can be taken frome one to