Evening star., 1898-09-10
GAUNT, PINCHED, SALLOW
Objectionable Aspect of the Faee of the Post
Office Clock.
Receives a Coat of Dismal and Faded
Yellow and Haua.( c,,asa W.T..
Cheap Paint.

Pedestrians on the Avenue this morning
Deheld in the neighborhood of 11th street
on the south side of the famous thorough
fare gaunt, pinched, sallow and thor
cughly starved looking face Could 1t be
the physiognomy of one of our returned
heroes, whose march of the afternoon be.
fore had thrilled all who witnessed ii ,
Surely it must be, number of persons de-
ciared. Then they came to the conclusion
that it was much too ug}y and yellow look
ing to belong to a brave soldier from the
Dis strict 1t was something else
1t was the new face on the city post office
town clock.
After many months of waiting for a new
face, as promised by the Treasury Depart
Rlent officials in charge of the building and
as announced ir The Evening Star there
has been foisted upon the people, so long
tCWn-ciockless, q cCLntenance that would
frlghten the Drayest, if met on a dark night
in lonely lane And it is not a new face
at all that greeted Neutrality-suspicious. tht;
morning The sGd-ooking dial of a mort h
ago, with its hands running all awry
alCund the big circle, has received seem
il gly, a coat of dismal and faded yellow
from the inside. The rgly and gaunt look
ing Roman numerals stand out in black
relief in fairly hideous manner while the
lCng hands, their thumbs, or extensions
back CT the central piniGn, sawed off. have
paint.
4 s.orrid Combinatiop.
The combination is dream-a nightmare
and is but another blunder added 10 the
already overcrowded list in connection
with that monumental pile of granite >
The first face placed in the post office tow
er was so lined and cut up that it was inn
possible to tell the time of day by it a hun
dred yards distant. Murmurs of dissatis-
faction among the people soon reached the
supervise ls architect office in the Treas
ury Department. building, and ne declared
that the face should be sent to Il dermato-
logical institute TO be treated for that tired
feeling. In spite of this, the old counten-
ancc has remained at its post, some days
being in working order, but mCst OF the
time being out of order. The long hands, with
moon and star at the butt of each, were
cut off a trifie SO that in reading the time
one would not get the hour entirely re-
Versed, but this Improvement ayailed notn-
ing and the clock was as useless as before.
\ Broken Promise.
Then the Washington people were told
that the clock should have an entirely new
face and that bids would soon be opened
for the work Our old friend in the tower
must have expired in the meantime, how
ever, for 10 life has been apparent in the
hands on the dial for several months
Now, in a night, the grand transforma-
ton has taken place. Just who the guilty
transformers were is not known. and it is
just as well that 1t is 50, lest violence be
doEe. A face, looking for all the world
like headache advertisement seen around
the streets, now adorns the beautiful tower
and inflicts pain upon all passersby.
Tt looks exactly like Santiago soldier
yellow fever sufferer safi L pedestrian
this morning, "onfy it does. not know how
to mark time WE'LL
In the meantime the city is Officially
clockless and will continue to depend
upon the Navy Department ball and our
watches.