The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1890-09-08
ABOUT WASHINGTON CITY
How the Capital of Our Nation Was
Built by Various Original
Schemes.
One Feature of City Building Was
a Grand Sale OF Lot
terry Tickets
Even In That Day Rings and Jobs Were
Features How the Plan Was
Formed.

It was not until 1896 that the tempest
tossed congress of the thirteen colonies saw
the first evidences Of the federal city that
excited the mirth of the Wits the forebod-
ings of the timid says Harper's Weekly.
The circumference of the city as it now
spreads out under the great dome is greatly
contracted from the imposing dimensions
originally laid out by the engineer L'Epfant.
Where the superb patent-oflice now
stretches in marble majesty, the poetic
Frenchman, inspired by recent events in
Paris. had marked the site for national
tabernacle where national events were to be
religiously COMMUNICATED, where national
obsequies were to be celebrated, and the
dead honored by the country were to be
buried and their monuments be perpetu-
ated-a sort of Pantheon to the glories
OF the republic. Two columns of
majestic proportions we're to rise at
specified distances from the capitol, the
one representing in bronze and granite
the memorabilia of the seven years. war
from Lexington to Yorktown, the other
such prodigies by sea as in ten years had
made our little navy rival of Britain's.
The streets running eastward from the
Capitol were to be continuous arcades like
the sequestered alcoves of Bologna and
Venice. Between the Capitol and the pres
ident's residence were to be Elysian fields,
and palatlal dwellings for the foreign am
bassadors and the public buildings. But
even at that early day rings and Jobs
found their account. The indignant
Frenchman, beset on all sides by venal leg
islators and self-seeking jobbers, threw up
his commission in disdain. and the city as
it stands WAS perfected by Andrew Ellicott.
In 1892 five hundred dollars in gold were
offered, without restriction as to calling to
design for the presidents house! Five hun
dred dollars and lot in the new
city, or a gold medal. were offered for the
best design for the capitol. To genera.
ton that has become familiar with thu
sums annually voted for postoffices ant
town, our fOrefathers will seem thrifty in
deed, embarking upon city-building with ,
grant of $4,000 from the states of Vir
gina and Maryland. This was supple
mented by national lottery. for which SO,
900 tickets were sold! Sixteen thousan,
seven hundred and thirty were to draw
prizes, the capital one being hotel whicl
was seven dollars. and the prizes range,
from ten to twenty five thousand dollars
Nor need the student of current morals an(
manners, depressed by the laxity of on
times. wholly despone, when he reflect
thBt the lottery was made use of hun
dred years ago not only in the building
of our national capitol. Churches, schools
colleges, even Harvard itself, were indebted
to the wheel for moneys to secure their use
fitness! In 1886 the presidents house AM
the capitol were the only evidences of a cit
where the traveller now sees squares an
monuments, edifices and gardens, tina
eclipse Paris and Vienna in beauty ant
taste. When the lottery failed, and tn
sums voted by Virginia and Maryland CAV
out, Washington was less of a city than tn
humblest suburb of Jersey City or Brook
Ign. Three hundred thousand dollars wer
asked by the commissioners to 60 on will
the work, and the country was distracted
time Numbered against such wasteful ex
travagance.
In 1900 the capital was sore trial to mel
accustomed to the homely comforts of New
England and New York. There was but on,
good tavern in the town. The members o
congress were herded together in fe,
mean tenements like soldiers in a barrach
Land was rated at % cents a square foot
the spectators holding for rise! The res
idents were mostly negroes, or shiftles
vagabonds, thrown ont of regular industr,
by the visions of sudden city making
1uOuEu tue WnOlo city was covered Wit
wood. Mrs. Adams, the wife of the frs
president who took up his residence il
Washington, could secure none for tn
CRATES Of the White house. The house re
quired thirty servants to keep it in order
aud all the food had to be broupb
from baltimore, Georgetown. or Alexan
dria. Gouverneur Morris, writing to tn
Princess dc Ia Tour ct Taxis, in December
1909 says. sportively: "We want nothing
here but houses, cellars, kitchens, well-in
formed men, amiable women. and other tri
aes of this kind to make our city perfec
for We can walk here rs in the fields an
woods, and considering the hard frost, tt
air of the city is very pure. II, then, yo
are DESTROYS of coming to live in Washing
ton, hasten to assure you that freestone
very abundant here; that excellent bricl
can be burned: that there is no lack of cit,
for magnificent hotels: that contemplate
canals can bring a vast commerce to Il
place. In short that it is the very best ci
in the world for future residence