The critic. (Washington, D.C.) 1890-1891, 1891-02-11

tractye city OF the country. AS the Capital OF
and brief directory Of its prominent points
will be Of service 70 the vast number Of per.
sons who resort e te political rsa
hundred thousand strangers pay a. visit every
year to this city TO behold tho varied objects
Of interest which SO thickly stud the historic
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-ono hundred
numbers being allotted to each square or
block-commencn at First street west, run.
ming west, First street east, running east, A
street north running north, and street south
running south The odd numbers , are always v,
and the even numbers on the lefthaud side.
The city Is divided into four quarters or sec
lions, northeast and northwest, southeast and
southwest, the streets being designated ac-
cordipgly; those running north and south nu-
merically, and those running east and west by
the letters OF the alphabet, the dividing lines
on a line due north and south from the Capitol
and East Capitol street, and tho continuation
on the same west of the Capitol, running due
east and west.
The Capitol
This great building Is the central point of
the original District, and Is the largest edilice
In the country. Its centre marks tho Me-
redian OF washington. Tho middle portion,
built. It was partially destroyed by the
British In 1914, but WAS completely restored
BY 1927. It incloses the "crypt''-where the
paooa 81 kSa sho we're 70 o "a
Representatives Hall, now tho GALLERY OF
statuary, and the old Senate Chamber, now
tne supreme Court,room. me OLD supreme
by the Law Branch OF the Library. The
cornerstone OF the Capitol extension-the
nortn and south wings,.was laid july q,
81 q the occasion Gas from the balcony q the
Lipdary. me south wing contains tne house
OF representatives ana the north wing tho
senate Chamber me kotnnda Is dist In
famous r pronze goors, WIN the,r alto rei,eis,
statuary are the natural pictures IN Potomac
can statesmen a picturesque freak OF nature.
From the little rofilnda Immediately north OF
the dome besins is Winding way. From the
top Of the dome. or as far as the visitor can
ascend. Tho yiewof the surroundine country
s The G s ETSTqi MsCh
ance. have been transformed into a benrtiful
park and are now most exquisitely beautiful.
The east base Of the Capitol is sou feet
| above ordinary low tide In the potoInao. The
| total height from east base to the ton of the
| temple Covering tho dome Is 2S9 feet; the
| statute Of the Goddess OF Liberty, 18X feet,
| making the total height to the crest Of the
statue s07,S feet. This crest Is 500 feet
higher than Che west gate of the grounds. and
| 867 ieet above low tide in the Potomac, OF 24S
feet lower than the apcx OF the washington
| building n 76i. feet long by S13 wide. and
covers az acres. II is the fincst and largest
| public building in the world, and in many re-
moreover Inc Growth Of less than a century.
fact which adds to its beauty and interest.
| The original Capitoi. or cortre buildire. il an
Ma,sop sr,a ny N,ses Ths vsew v rom n, ~
| west norfico al nivhf when the iarnns are ijf
| In lie public Grounds and the lights Of Tie
| city Illuminate the darkness, is One OF the
most beautiful and picturesque In the
| world and Il well worth 4 tourney OF a thou.
| sani miles TO see.
Ine Whlte Hou@
Ing down Pennsylvania avenue, the white
House x seen roaring us snowy.nueeSa walls
bowers y: ike gieantlo GAIA NY spr,nglnl9
not for the partly intervening s,. Treas, ts
Cauitols would be full and compiote. The
White House is the centor Of "Up-town," rs
IL is beautifully iocnted, tho view from the
| south WinioWs COVERING the whole sotithorr
front OF the city, as the view from the north
| E1gfRapfh
part Of the Northwest section to the gaze
f'he White House is copy OF the palace Of
the Duke of Leinster at Dublin, with the
addition Of a large porch on the north. front
administration. The renovation in which ii
stands embraces nearly 81 acres. The mair
entrance Is on the north, reached by the
81 bte
I'm feet ionr nv Al wide. II contains on the
first floor the famous Green, Red. Blue and
East rooms, the state RIalps Room ana 4,
President's ofiiciai reception room and ths
East Roo a originally H designed Tor abanque
atter r par - az se Tie 10 century nsed as dryin
room for clothes by Mrs. President Adams, Il
tho largest and most noted room In tn!
building. u Is % feet high, 80 feet long ant
day except Sundays. Upstairs are th!
Cabinet room, the private Offices, the Presi
dents Office, the library and family apart
ments. All these rooms, except the latter
are open to visitors, by special permission, a
uitable hours.
Lafayette Square
,,r.nor,, .rar, ,nauh,,a uors.,s roforo,t
snnar tha r,t 'b,o reaarva tn,, a. ~
urta that S as DroveS ~ contans ~
inguot tnn' s wa ~ Udrc nisn Y
Clark Mills MANY Of its trees are oil
oresr " Se aSd
gardening so fashionable In England tw
hundred years ago, style that was importe
into this country. Lafayette Square was, on
hundred years ago. part OF graveyard tina
enclosed the square north. on which st. John
Church is built, and the SQUARE east on who
are situated the Attorney Generals ONO
formerly the Freed mans lIank), the Surgeon
Generals ONCE and Riggs Bank (both In I'll
building formerly used as tho United State
Bank), Commodore Decatur's house, corne
Fifteenth aud a. half and II streets. and tho oil
Club House, near which Philip Barton Ike
was killed by Daniel Il. Sickles, Member {
Congress from New York. The last bodif
from this graveyard were not removed unit
1910.
81. Johns Il. ~. Church.
ST .rohn,a p. &c. Church. which has ofte
been called tho State Church because ,s. MOI
anv other stands M the oorner Of Iii II an
Sixteenth streets. II was built in 1916 an