Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1896-03-27
It asl|ln9ton Staudara
THE INTERIOR DEPARTMENT.
How IT, trmy oI 5000 Jerks H.
Quartcrcd. Imperative >crd Tor
wore Public Buildings. About "a
Dozen Private buildings now
Rented to Accommodate the Nari-
0U> Branches of The Force.


Krutcd to Accommodate the Vari-
ou> Branches of The Force.
l..-:.4- cur sI,utc:.: Il tl.r -r>>nANu.
Ihr name Department OF the
Interior conveys ycry little idea to
minds C.: the variety and importance
oi TIE duties performed by the nine
Thousand employees OF that branch OF
the Executive Department Of the Gov
eminent.
The headquarters for this vast army
OF clerks is the Patent Office building,
which covers two city blocks with the
intervening street. The building is OF
white marble, oil the Doric order Of
architecture, and cost nearly - ,O0O,-
600, most OF the money being taken
from the profits from the issue OF
patents. Here the Secretary OF the
Interior has established his personal
force Of 80 clerks, taking up the
best rooms OF course, although the
Patent Office force sorely needs and
rightfully claims the entire building.
Here also the Land Office, with its
41J clerks, performs its multfarious
duties connected with the survey and
sale of the millions of acres OF public
lands. Congress has directed the Sec
rotary and the Land Office to move
out, but failed to provide other quarters,
and so they stay. The Patent Office
force numbering some GOO people, is
crowded down to about one-half
of the space it really needs, and
tons upon tons OF original patent draw
ings and models are stored in the
corridors. The ends OF all the Railways
have been turned into office rooms,
and nearly all the models have been
stored in rented building to make
room for clerks desks. Still the building
is over-crowded, and the condition OF
affairs is constantly growing worse.
Some $4,000 patents are issued year
and one hundred extra copies of each
patent are kept on hand for sale. TIC
make room for this constantly in.
creasing stock, the number Of separate
patents, now exceeding 50.O00, is q
very serious thing, and the once broad
Railways are narrowing to lanes scarce
ly wide enough for two people to pass
"edgeways."
In another building, called the
Pension Office, are quartered the 1000
clerks of this branch Of the interior
Department. The building is OF brick,
and is OF enormous proportions, as one
could imagine from the fact that II )
100000 OF bricks entered into its con-
struction. The building gives the
general idea Of great barn. The
offices are arranged four or five stories
high on four sides OF central covered
court, the scene of all recent inaugural
balls. The roof is supported by
columns, eight feet in diameter, and 100
feet high, and each containing 1OO,-
600 bricks. These columns were at
first covered with white plaster, but
have recently been so colored as to
resemble Mexican onyx.
The Indian Bureau has found q
home in an Office building on F street
where 100 clerks are employed. By
far the greater part of the force oil
this bureau is stationed at the Indian
agencies, reservation schools, or train
ing schools.
The fifth great branch of the Inter-.
or Department, 1. e., the Geological
Survey, which has about 200 en-
ployes, has its force divided between 8
rented building on F street near the
Treasury Department, and the
Smithsonian Institute building.
The Bureau of Education occupies {
rented building across the street from
the Patent Office, and the Bureau o
Labor occupies building on F stree
near the Geological Survey head
quarters. These last two bureau
have some forty and sixty clerks, re
spectively.
The Bureaus enumerated are th'
most important branches of the Int
fior Department, but besides these ar
the following minor branches: Offic'
of Railroads, Interstate Commerce
Commission, Pacific Railway Commits
sion, Government Hospital for the In
sane, Freedman's Hospital, and tn
Architect of the Capitol.
To furnish proper quarters for tn
Department another building as larg
as the Patent Office should be built
The Secretary could then collect to
gether the clerks now scattered
through a dozen or so rented build
ings. JESS.