Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-19
Gen. 0rdway at Last Succeeds in
Securing One.
TO ADJOIN CONVENTION RAIL-
Comfortable Quarters for the Dis
trict National Guard.
T Fl E ANS UTLIN ED

AitSt years VI perlpatet1C eAlSteHCe
occasional periods when it did not know
where to look for satisfactory shelter, the
District Of Columbia National Guard Is
about to have that for which its wide
awake members long have pined-a brigade
armory. Congress. in Its capacity as WASH
ington's common council, has never been
anything but Close" so far as the local
soldiers were concerned. and would only
appropriate the sum Of 1850 annually
for armory rents. The sum was ridiculous
iy small for that purpose. and 1t was too
ir fnitesimal to talk about when compared
with the expenditures made by states in
which the citizen-soldiers were far less effi-
cient than they are here.
New York frequently pays as much as
$4,000 year for an armory for single
regiment, realizing that without sufficient
quarters the work cannot possibly be done
as 1t ought to be. Doing the best they pos
sibly could the financiers OF the National
Guard could not find even half-decent ac-
commodations for the brigade. and they
widely scattered; the very least that shell
ter could be secured for was about $4,000.
The Building to he Leased.
Wearying Of his efforts to have Congress
do the business-like thing and appropriate
sufficient money for the building Of an ar
mory. Gen. Ordway proposed that legisla-
iSoSS
such premises as he deemed suitable. for
a period Of three years. and this permits
sion was granted. But 1t was one thing to
have the power to lease and another thing
to find the someone who would carry out
the generals plan. and for two years Gen.
Ordway has steadily endeavored to interest
some wealthy citizen or citizens to do what
he believed to be the proper thing After
great deal Of persistence and steady peg
ging away, the general has at last not only
10 Na1t 1rrt haA olo ooA "a
deal.
All the papers have been signed. sealed
and delivered, and in a little while the brick
layers trowel and the carpenters saw and
hammer will be vociferous in the vicinity
Of 5th and L streets.
Room for Everybody.
The arnory which is to be an unpreten-
tious-apearing brick structure. win have a
frontage on l. street Of 122 feet. a depth
Of LAT feet and be four stories high. The
ground floor will be devoted to headquar-
ter's Offices and to the use Of the light bat
terry. the cavalry troop the cycle company.
the Quartermaster. commissary and ord
nance stores. lecture room will also find
place on this floor. The second and third
ample size-about 20 by % feet. with a
locker room besides for each company. On
the fourth floor will be the rife gallery and
the gymnasium.
Inc gallery Will De ABOUT uItV Ieet W1ue
and probably lbs feet long. and will have q
much greater target capacity than the
present one.
VIII Drill in Convention Hall.
There will be no drill hall in the armory
there does not need to be. for the armory
will be connected with Convention Hall by
a bridge, and the terms of the lease pro-
vide that the biggest hall in Washington
may be used for drill purposes three nights
a week. The ample floor space will permit
the simultaneous drilling of several COM
panies. The plans are not yet quite COM
plete. but soon will be; until they are done
no ono can give any very definite informa-
ton as to the thousand and one minor de-
tails which will interest those who expect
to occupy the building. Ample facilities for
cleanliness, in the shape Of well-equipped
bath roens. will be provided. and in every
way possible the comfort Of the guardsmen
will be carefully attended to.
To He Completed In Ninety Days.
Immediately after completion of the plans
the work of building will commence and
the entire structure is promised to be ready
for occupancy within ninety days. The
architect will be Mr. c. w. Summerville.
OF course the building will not compare
esthetically with such structures as are
common In New York city and vicinity
the armory OF the twenty-third regiment
Of Brooklyn cost but little less than a mil
lion dollars-but the structure will be solid
and roomy and will be very much Of an
Improvement over the present state Of af-
fairs.
The ground upon which the armory Is to
be built was purchased from Mr.. e. Fran
cis Riggs