The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1895-03-28
A Day in Washington.

spend day in Washington City.
We boarded an carly morning train
st Hagcrstown. on the Baltimore
and Ohio railroad, and after a ride
of eighty miles we found ourselves
IN the Capital city. The grandeur
and beauty of the scenery along the
xay is world-renowncd and has
gained for this route the sobriquet
OF picturesque B. d o.
This being our first visit to the
s,at of our government we were,
naturally, interested in the public
buildings and proceeded at once
rpon our arrival to see them. TAX
ing cable car we soon reached the
United States Treasury on the cor
ser of 18th Street and PENNSYLVANIA
Avenue. This is magnificent
building in the Ionic style, erected
at a cost of S6,0O0,OOO. This struc-
turc contains two hundred rooms
and is modelled after that of the
Temple of Minerva at Athens. We
wcre shown through the various
departments by an efficient guide
aud were impressed with the rapid
ity of the persons handling the mon
-. The counting of the currency
l., dome entirely by lady clerks, and
the facilityand accuracy with which
they accomplish their work is mar
vetous. Ia this building is the re-
iemption division, in which, the
currency unfit for circulation is re-
ocived from all parts of country.
After being counted and cancelled
it is put through machine run by
turbine wheel. 1t comes out in the
shape of pulp and is sold as souven-
irS. 1t is estimated that an article
costing twenty-five cents represents
$4,000 in destroyed paper money.
The next point of interest we
visited was the Washington Monu-
ment, the loftiest in the world, it
being 500 feet high. The shaft at
the base is % feet square and at the
Top it is about 80 feet square. The
eost is reckoned at 100000. 1t
has nice elevator, which carries
-
thirty persons, and makes trips ev-
cry half hour. There is also an
iron spiral staircase used for ascent
aud descent, and is illumined by
electricity. The view from the top
we'll repays making the ascent.
1t now being nearly time, twelve
o'clock, for Congress to open we
made hurried visit to the Smith
Onian tI3s..i." ..'',nai MnseIlI
and other buildings along the Mall,
aud were much pleased with our
short visit to these institutions. We
reached the Capitol just in time to
see Speaker Crisp take the gavel in
his hand and call the House to Or
der. We spent forty minutes with
our Representatives, during which
time weheard Senator Breckenridge,
from Kentucky, Cannon, from
California, Robson, from Penn
sylvania and many other speak on
the Pension Act. We next proceed
sd to look over the building and
found that it, like Rome, was not
built in day. 1t has gradually
grown with the country, and like
the country, it was modelled upon
grand scale, and with an eye to
future enlargements. The entire
length is 75l feet and it is 396 feet
above the level of fairgrounds, and
the area covered is over there and
one-half acres. The grounds sur
rounding the Capitol embrace about
City acres and is a noble and conf
sanding situation. The beautiful
white dome of this structure spring.
ing so airily into the sky is visible
for miles around, while from it
snagniiicent view of the surround
ing country may be obtained; AM
ply rewarding the exertion of
climbing the 376 steps to the top of
dome. The entire amount appro-
priated by Congress from 1900 to
date for the construction and pre-
servation of the Capitol, is over
$I5,000,o00l. The architecture is
Corinthian, and style of finish ex-
terror and interor, elaborate. This
il said TO be one of the finest build
llgs IN the world.
Our next visit was to the Exec
ative Mansion, or White House,