The morning call., 1891-04-27
WASHINGTON IN SPRING
All the Heads of Departments
Are Off on Vacation.
Those Who Have Announced Their Intention
to Go to Europe-The Postoffcs Build
ing-The Polar Expedition.
Special to THE MORNING CALI

WASHINGTON, April II, 1s91.-Despite the
Malta and the Rudni letter-writing ths
President was able to get away from Wash
ington and start on his long contemplated
! trip across the continent, and Secretary
Blaine went down the river the same day
| all the administration now taking little
rest and recreation after the long and busy
winter. Acknowledgement Miller takes his
| vacation from routine Office work by staying
at home and nursing la grippe, and Justice
| Brewer abseHts himself from the Supreme
| Courtroom for the same unfortunate rea-
son.
All the Cabinet families and the intimate
admins traton set were at the station Mon
day night to say good-by TO the Pre- sident's
party and to inspect the cars of the special
train concerning which SO much has been
written. The spck and span and shiningly
new cars will doubtless look very differ
emily when they roll on the Oakland Mole
with the dust of many thousands of miles
dimming their varnish and gliding, but
when they left here all in blaze of electric
lights they were pretty enough to move all
the lOokers-on to envy the occupants. All
the party were in high spirits and looked
| forward to month of pleasure, and were
especially counting upon the four days rest
| from train life in San Francisco. The ladies
took trunks enough to be prepared for any
| climate or occasion, and New York, Balti-
more and Washington shops and dress
makers had large orders from the White
| House family.
The only regret was the absence of Pr-
vate Secretary Halford. who on the last day
! found it impossible to leave his invalid
wife, and Marshall Ransdell was called
| upon to fill his place. The train had been
AWAY BUT THIRTY HOURS
When Mrs Halford died, but as soon as the
news reached the President he not only
sent messages OF sympathy, but ordered
that everything should be done by the
| White House staff as if for himself. Mrs.
| Harrison's nephew, Lieutenant Parker of
the navy, managed affairs for Mr.. Halford;
accompanied the funeral party to In
dianapolis, aud the White House con-
seryatories furnished every available
blossom to heap the casket and fill
Halford's lungs had been affected, and she
| had been obliged to winter in the South,
| but after an attack of grippe and pneu-
mOnia over year ago her decline had been
rapid. She had greatly changed in the few
| summer months of last year, and few of her
! friends expected to see her return from the
! South at all. After her illness, which
| called him to Florida in January, Mr. Hal
| ford admitted that he had little hope except
to bring her to Washington as soon as pos
! Sible, where he could be at hand.
The persistent rains of the last two months
| and more have secured US the most luXuri-
| ant foliage aud poisoning with few days
| of hot sun, and we are having quite little
| California in this first burst Of sDringtime
| Magnolia trees are bouquets of huge white
flowers, the parks are filled with beds of
| tulips and hyacinths, and all the trees are
| tipped with green. The suburban roads are
! gay every afternoon with riders and car
| riages, and teas at the Country Club and the
| Dumblane Club bring society together in
| charming reunions. Teas in town are by no
means over, and there was large dinner
| party at the British Legation last night,
| followed by an informal company, to which
| as many as a hundred were hidden. Sir
| Julian Pauncefute will remain here all sum-
mer to look after British interests during
this uncertain sealing season, and to be
| ready for the Canadian Commissioners next
! attempt at a reciprocity conference in Octo-
Der. The eldest Miss Pauucefote goes
To ENGLAND
| In fortnight in company with the wife and
| daughter of Senator Mitchall who go
| abroad for the summer, and Lady Paunce-
| fote and her other daughters will go to Lon
| don at the end of June. Mr.. Letter and his
| family 20 abroad next month to spend the
season IN London, Mrs. Wanamaker and
| her daughter will cross the ocean, the Next
| can Minister and Nine. Romero will go to
| Carlsbad and then travel in Russia, the
| French mister will make his usual visit
home and Baron Fava has gone. Soon after
| their return from California, Mrs. Russell
| Harrison and Mrs. Mckee will go to London
| to visit Minister and Mrs. Lincoln, the
| Washington social circles Will touch the
| circles of many other capitals and coun-
tries during the summer. Justice and Mrs.
! Field will foregO foreign tour this year
| and open the court vacation in California.
| From the numbers now planning to visit
| the Yellowstone, Alaska and California
! during the summer, the Pacific Coast will
| have more than It's share OF celebrities for
| one season. and be the center OF interest
During this summer several changes will
| be made in the public buildings. At the
| White House the green and red parlors and
| the State dinlng-room Will be refurnished.
| and new plumbing put in. The site has
| been chosen, and the property is being con-
| demned and assessed for the Government to
I buy ground for a new city postoffice. san
| Francisco should take heart in its postoffice
| troubles, when it Is considered how much
worse are the provisions for the city post
| Office IN Washington, city OF nearly as
| many inhabitants and with its postal bust
ness so much greater In proportion by tie
| presence of the Government departments all
| the year, and Congress and an extra floating
| population of nearly one hundred thousand
! during the winter months. After being
crowded out of the Postoffice Department,
| where 1t had no business in the first place,
| the city postoffice was put in II leased build
| ing that had fallen into too bad condition
| to be used any longer.
USED AS A CHEAP HOTEL,
There it has remained for nearly twenty
years in filthy, dilapidated quarters that
| would disgrace bankrupt country. Loose
( and worn wooden floor, broken plaster, torn
! pager and every mark Of wear, tear and
| neglect building can wear have made the
| P0StOffice blot upon the city. There is
hardly "a TOWN of 0DO inhabitants with
| out better bullying for its Postoffice; but
| while Congressman would vote millions for
| Postoffice buildings in voting districts, not
penny could be had for the District of Co.
| lumbia. The danger of fire in that an
| Gent Undertook of a structure has been
most serious matter. With the ground not
| yet clear, it will be three years and more
| before the Postoffice can be housed in its
| future home at Twelfth street and Pennsyl-
! vania avenue. Meanwhile, the lease of the
| present quarters terminates soon, and be-
| tween now and October brick building is
| TO be put up by real estate syndi-
cate and leased for Postoffice. A
whole story will be added to the
| Library Building on Capitol Hill sduring
the summer so that its walls will show i'm
| posingly across the park when Congress
| assemblies, and the whole structure Will be
rooted when the crowds gather to witness
| the inauguration of the man of SO. Num-
! bers OF private residences will be built dur
| ing this summer and much interest Is felt in
the mansion which Mr.. l.. T. Letter will
| build. The Blaine mansion, which has
| been his home for seven winters, is only
| now regaining its former appearance and
| the men who have been at work on the
house to restore it to its original condition,
| beginning a few days after that exciting
| New Year fire. are still there and busy.
The twenty-ninth anniversary of the
emancipation of the slaves in the District
| of Columbia brought every cream-colored,
yellow, brown and ebon inhabitant to the
| streets yesterday, and it was gala day for
| them. Bands and uniformed men paraded
! the streets and the sidewalks swarmed with
| other men and such
CROWDS OF CoLoRED MEN,
| Women and children as amazed the few
| hundred Northern excurslonists who hap
| pened to be spending that day in the city,
| The population of the district is one-third
| colored, but yesterday the whites we're in a
| very small minority. All the long, sunny,
warm day these happy, light dark