Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-08

the boxes were marked with the name.
Joseph Nourse. register"
1T win be noted" says Mr.. Bryan. that
Mr.. Hine uses the word vessels, and does
not say that a single packet sloop'
brought all the Office furniture and records.
Fortunately, there is more substantial evil
dence Of the extent of this removal than Ia
afforded by the recollections of man
eighty-four years old. The disbursements
of that year, as recorded In the records OF
the Treasury Department, show that
nearly S4O,OU was expended to defray the
expenses of the removal. II all the gov
eminent archives and the office furniture
was transported In a single packet sloop.
and there were only fifty-four officials, the
one Of the most extravagant expenditures
In the history of the government"
City I'm 1900.
Continuing. Mr.. Bryan states that the
records and furniture were conveyed by
vessels, while the employees came by stage
or private conveyance. A large proportion
were obliged to go to Georgetown. In 1900
the population of the city was estimated
at 5000. On the 18th of May there were
100 brick houses in the city and 253 frame
houses. During the following year "a
brick and ISL frame houses were COM
pleted, and on the 18th Of November. in
GLIDING unfinished structures, there were
721 houses in the city.
Speaking of the city at that time, he
says:
'"The only building that was then COM
pleted and ready for the occupation Of the
executive departments OF the government
was the Treasury Department building.
which occupied the site Of the south front
OF the present structure 1t was a plain,
tWo-story structure of brick and stone,
with an attic and basement, and contained
thirty rooms. This building was destroyed
by fire in 1888, and the ruins were removed
to give place to the present structure, the
erection Of which was begun about that
time. 1t was in exterior appearance the
counterpart of the old State Department
building, which was subsequently erected
the site of the present north front OF
the treasury building. and was only re-
moved within comparatively recent years.
short time before the removal to Wash
ington the commissioners began the erec-
ton of building similar in appearance
and size to the treasury office, at the south
west corner Of the White House grounds.
but II was not ready for the occupancy OF
the clerks at the time Of the removal 1t
was known as the war office. and In later
years was called the Navy Department
building.
THE Treasury Department. which at
that period was the largest and most i'm
portant department, and IS probably SO
building which had been erected for its
use. The War Department leased a three
story house on the south side Of Penn
sylvania avenue between 21st and I'D
streets. nearly opposite the hotel kept by
William ONeale. whose daughter Peggy
gained much notoriety during Jackson's
administration. The Post Office Depart
ment as Mr.. Bradley states, leased q
building at the corner Of 9th and E streets.
The other departments probably secured
quarters in leo sed buildings in the vicinity
of the White House, and the habit which
the government formed at that early day
Of renting buildings for the accommoda-
ton of the executive departments instead
of erecting buildings has continued to mark
It's policy ever since. Owing to the linn
tied accommodations which had been pro-
vided for the government in the new city
large proportion of the government ef-
fects were stored in the stone warehouse
which had been erected at the foot of 18th
street by Colonel Tobias Lear, formerly a
private secretary of General Washington.
During the succeeding months of the sum-
mer the government officials had an OPP
portunity to recover from the confusion of
the removal and to set going again the
wheels of machinery of the government
business. President Adams made but a
short visit at this time. Congress con-
yened in the new city on the 18th of No
vember. and the members Of that august
body did not fare much better than the
employees of the executive departments in
respect to the accommodate lions which were
provided. Only the north wing of the Capt.
tol had been completed and both houses
met in that portion of the building An
appropriation of 5000 for the purchase
of furniture for the use of both houses of
Congress had been made and liberal pro-
vision was allowed to the officers of both
houses to defray the expenses of removal
Some 5000 was spent in providing suitable
furniture for the Presidents house, but
II Is evident that only small proper
tion was in place when Mrs Adams ar
rived there In November.