The sun., 1894-01-17
GOVERNMENT SHANTIES.
.,,Ry UAYDERINGs AMoNs THE DE-
PlRTMENr oUrBUILDINGS

,.,,out for Their Temporary Occupation.
u,.ztxGroS. Jan. 15.-If q man we're to
,....map OF Washington from the tourists
o..,dpoint and we're to put down on II a red
~ dot for every one Of the public places which
s.,sitsd. the result would be but faint lllu-
-,,,,ion In rubric: but II a man were TO draw
.m.p OF Washington from the standpoint Of n
,..s,,.nondent or Congressman and were TO
~ down a red ink dot for every one OF
~. p,sees which he would have to visit
departmental round. the map would
- As though It had been struck with
,,,rlet rash. The tourists round would
,,,lud, the Capitol. the Post ONCE. the Treas
",v building. the Patent ONCE the White
u,u,s and that handsome example OF renals-
.,,rs in which are housed the Secretaries Of
safe War. and Navy: but the newspaper man
:, congressman would have. as will be shown,
!, ,,o, the town from end to end. and instead
JvisItlng five places would have to visit fifty.
tIs for this reason that both OF these public
..,,snts abhor department work as the Cairo
nan hates soap
Here, for instance. Is the pleasant excursion
that one has TO go through in visiting q single
I.o.rtment-say that Of the Treasury. The
treasury building. rs every one knows. is at
h. corner Of Pennsylvania avenue and
riHesnth street. Here are to be found the
Secretary the Comptrollers. some OF the Audi
,or and the nited States Treasurer: but II
,uan's business Is with none Of these and
,,lls him to the Bureau OF Engraving. he
has before him walk. or ride. OF over
mile. the bureau being away down to the
south across the Mall and within hailing and
smelling distance OF the Potomac flats. Not
finding here what he wants. he sets out for the
Bureau Of Statistics. which little jaunt will
hing him back to the Treasury mel hborhood.
but not within the Treasury building. for This
hsadquarters Of statistical information occu-
tes the top story Of the Adams building. on +
street between Thirteenth and Fourteenth
streets Here he learns that the proper place
Of application is the Second Auditors Office.
This, again. is not In the Treasury building.
but Is located in the Winder building a barn
like structure half mile away on the
other side OF the State. War. and Navy,
while In order to see the Sixth Audi
tor he has TO make another excursion
eight blocks away. to the General Post Office.
where that official holds forth. Nor has he yet
learned to the full in what unexpected places
the different bureaus OF the Treasury Depart
ment are likely to turn up. FOR = visit to the or
Zee Of the Coast and Geodetic Survey will carry
him to the summit OF Capitol Hill. where Super
intsndent Mendenhall occupies the large prem
ises on the southern side OF tho Capt. oil grounds
and adjoining the granite mansion with it's
ridiculous little wooden cupola which Ben But
Ter built That building itself. by the way is
Q part ofthe Treasury. and holds the clerical
force Of the Marine Hospital service. The
Treasury Is evidently partial to this part Of
the town. for in that m ushroom hotel OF great
expectations. but OF unmateriaiZed guests. now
known as tho Naltby building or Senate annex
thas Installed the Steam boat Inspector. al
though II you wanted to transact what you
might suppose was clearly relative business
with the President VI the Lighthouse Board or
the Commissioner OF Navigation. you would
have 10 race back to the Treasury building.
Thus, out Of the thirteen offices which have
been particularizcd, seven only are to be
found at the department building. the others
being scattered broadcast OveS the city and,
with tn" exception Of tho Bureau OF Engraving
occupy tng hired quarters The unsentimental
journey among these offices has been more or
less airily treated; but in actual experience 1t
means very ponderous and eXactinG piece OF
work, and neither Congressman nor corre-
spondent lives who can cover the Treasury in
the office hours OF u single day.
Nor 10 the Treasury department alone In its
bureaus. nor IL 1t possible to make
that shall save many steps. The Interior
Department controls the General Land ONCE.
the Pension ONCE, Indian Office, bureau OF
Education. Geological Survey. Com m sion
sr OF Railroads. Board OF Indian Commis-
sioners, United States Pension Agency. Clvil
ONCE. In which latter building the Secretary
is allowed corner room. Out of these eleven
othees only two. tho General Land Office
department building. That massive brick pile
the Pension ONCE occupies large portion Of
judiciary ,L,,t SQUARE, although the Pension Agen;
street. The Geological Survey Is established
lR the Hooe building VI, near the, Treasury
Division somewhere within the Doric recesses
d the Patent Once. but with singular appro-
Rrsteness the Commissioner OF liailr9ads
70, too. there Is Chief OF the Indian
Division in the Department building. but
S Indian sv,y hNlds firth
while the Board Of Indian Commissioners is n
lew more bowshots away. up on New York
ing. The Commissioner OF Education must be
house affair called the Riehmond building,
his only within the past few weeks that a still
goomier and decaYed old-timer right across
On On ttighth street has been given up and the
away. The department building used to con-
tain very Instructive, museum OF mans
he wsshboard iTo@ ,hs IRE fst incheats Ss
specimen up, to the perfected article and
rom the shadowy beginnings Of the stencil
tubber stamp. but these priceless treasures
nave nave been eartet of to the warehouse recog-
blled temporarily as the city Post Oflce.
Hele, TOO, II Is said, Is stored away the surviv-
ing remnant OF the Ford's Theatre disaster,
me ~ clerks OF the Record and Pension Division
o. the War Department. although its chief
Vol AlnsWoTth, holds down his handsome re-
Mntylng chair In the War Department building.
me census Office Is now moderately restricted
In Hs local habitations. occupying only four
puudlngs all lying within the decent radius Of
stoupie oil miles, There was a time. however
nhsh thls elephantine bureau for the collection
VI SlulpllcAted statistics occupied about every
,acthi building IN the city. and when census
tSLAs night be seen at high noon streaming
HGh every exit lie the ballerina ghosts in
a, hnheLt the Devil The headquarters were
AZ me hatIis oniiats, at the corner OF Third
nt streets but the rustic OF the schedules
S she elleA oi tile tabulatnR machines was to
tvueaIl on every floor OF the IHteI'- Ocs1H build
E1i ~ the SKY parlors Of the sun and Adams
Ohs.nEsASay ~ underline roof of the PrnsiO
fSsS' fsolneNheTo over the Second National
arI ~ AZ the GTeary rooms Of Lincoln Hall
IL .h hteIialu TeCesses OF Masonic Hall.
Wi'h HrssNSoithe JudIclo almi inistr ratiye powers
Co. nII'th II Is vested, and its charter as the
WoniIIt AllolHlment tnmUany Limited. one
Al stlEosr that the Civil Service COmmis-
Iufi, i"'l AZ least have the dignity OF locale.
tbat 70 70 oly alter much hunting aud Inquiry
LIistiH7 Ihls Il Installed In the ConcoTdia
H. -, an efsiW hIls German club house and
tS@tYsh JdeN Of the General Post ONCE.
E,rc outstanding tho aforementioned Renais-
srJ /, 1t'' which covers nearly two squares
Iar,,r.".Hse Nes' wing shelters the War de-