Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-23

N& ferred to rooms in the
OCNSS building.
In 1910 the government purchased for the
use of the Post Office Department and the
patent office a large brick building, known
as Blodgett's Hotel on street between 18th
and Sth streets, being the south front of
the square now occupied by the Post Office
Department.
After the burning of the Capitol by the
British troops, August ~, 1914, the build
ing was taken for the use of Congress, and
the department removed to the Gunton
building, northwest corner of PENNSYLVANIA
avenue and 9th street. returning again two
years later to the Blodgett building 1t
was an old building, with wooden floors.
The cellars were stored with large guam
titles of wood and coal. A fire started in
the lower part of the building at = O'Clock
on the morning of December Ii. 1896. The
structure was totally destroyed 1t took
half an hour to get an alarm sounded by a
church bell, and it was another half hour
before any water was thrown on the fire
Amos Kendall, the Postmaster General in
his report to Congress, relates that he was
aroused from sleep by the alarm, and leav-
ing his resdence-a few doors from the
observation-disclosures sick at the time went
at once to the burning building. The Post
master General did at a great risk enter
the building after the fire we'll under
way, and, assisted by d few clerks. sue
Ceeded in saving valuable documents and
come of the records of the Postmaster
Generals office, the most valuable proba-
bly, It this date being the ledgers and let
ters in BENZ. F'raEklinS handwriting now
exhibited in the Post Office Department
museum.
The city post office occupied a part of the
building q, the outgoing mails had been
sent off, but the mail matter for local de
livery wa, all destroyed All, of the mod
els Ia the patent office were burned
The foundation walls Of the present pat
ent office building, the square jus;
north of the one where the Post Office De
partmert building is located, were at the
time of this fire already laid. Amos Ken
dali reporting the fire to President Andrew
jackson. says: The corporation of the
city of Washington with honora BILE promp-
ttude offered the department the use of the
west wing of the City Hall, Now occupied
by the mayor and council and their officers
and the officers of the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal Company, The proprietors of the
medical college also rendered the use of
their building on + street; ard~Uffers were
made of other buildings in the central part
of the city. An examination was made of
such as promised by their magnitude to af-
ford sufficient room for the force employed
in the department, but none were found
equal in the commodioasness of their in
terror structure and baEdant-r6om to Full
lers Hotel, opposite i4,es building occupied
by the Treasury Deparsaept on Pennsylva-
MIA avenue" 49,
In FulIer's Hotel.
This hotel was called the Mansion House
1t was then rented by man named Full
Ter and belonged to Benjamin Ogle Tayloe,
and is now Wizards Hotel The govern
ment rented this building from Mr.. Fuller
to the expiration Of his lease. and then
force of the Post Office Department con-
sisted at that time of the Postmaster Gen
eral, three assistant postmasters general
and other employees, numbering in all fifty
four. The annual appropriation, including
salaries, contingent expenses and rent, was
SS6sOO. The present number of employees
of the department is $3.50. and the appro-
priation for salaries and the running eX-
penses of the department buildings is near
ly $4,000.
The department occupied this Mansion
Hotel building up to the end of the year
1871. When 1t was vacated by the Depart
ment, Mr.. Tayloe wrote a letter to Presi-
dent Tyler complaining of the bad condi-
ton In which the building had been left,
and claiming that it should be put in good
repair at the expense of the government.
On the smallest of note paper, and which
corresponded with the delfcacy of the hand
writing the President wrote to the Post
master General, Chas. A. Wicklife, sug-
costing that he should have an inspection
made OF the building, and the Postmaster
General, in letter. replies that he has
appointed ex-Postmaster General Kendall
ard Mr.. Marion, his own chief clerk,
committee ito give general supervision
and order what repairs are necessary to be
done. and which the terms and nature of
the lease impose upon the government"
There was mucn correspondence on the
subject, and although certain repairs were
made, suit in the United States Court of
Claims was the final result.
The Entire Square.
The south front Of the present building
was begun in 1889. 1t was designed and
built by Robt. Mills, architect of public
buildings and the departmental force
moved into 1t January 1, 1912, when va
eating Fuller's Hotel. At the suggestion of
Robt. Mills the Postmaster General start
ed at once negotiations for the purchase
OF the other lots on this square for the
use of the government, and by 1916 the
entire square was acquired
The names Of those Who decided their
property to the government by this pur-
chase were VIM. Kibbe, H. Hardisty, Thos.
Laws, Jas. Caden Jno. P. Van Ness, c. r.
Wood Jacob Gideon, Ebert G. Emack and
Ann Benning. With the deed of one of
the lots is filed a deed Of trust da ted 1926,
which besides the lot includes also hi. ne
gro slave. called Charles ~, aged about
eight" also the goods and cllattels, house
tanned in the schedule hereto annexed"
The schedule, attached to the deed with
WATERS was written by some one with
original ideas as to spelling, as the fol-
lowing examples Indicate: 1.-TWO beads
and beading, one burow and three tables,
nine chears and one tub and two buckets
The Post Office Department, like most Of
the other government departments, has at
the present time outgrown it's own build
ing ana IS occupying several rented build
ings; SO that it is gra tifying to know that
at one time Uncle Sam held The position of
a landlord. There We're several houses on
the lots purchased for the Post Office De-
partment and prior % the extension of the
pudding these houses wero rented, and
there was considerable correspondence in
the way OF notices to quit, demands for
payment OF rent, demands for repairs and
excuses Tor non-payment of rent.
Woman's Letter.
Among these letters is one written by
woman. 1t is addressed to G. A. Wickiffe,
Postmaster General, under date Of July 8,
1s43, and is as follows:
'On the Both ultimo Mr. Marion, the
chief clerk, rendered me an account Of
$1,000 for rent due the Post Office Depart
IA cd l,-o iap Of n &c