The Washington weekly post., 1900-12-18

The water thus drained formed Sort of
creek, partly surrounding the Presidents
grounds. The latter had no fence. The
first floor Of the mansion was unfinished.
The principal stairs were not up.
White iIsuse .'iiOusewHrmin ."
Mrs. Adams first "housewGrming'' in
Eer new home was a practical rather
than ceremonioLs function. What wood
she could get she burned to dry the plas-
ter, yet damp, on the walls. The first
public reception in the new White House
occurred New Years Day, 1901, and had TO
be held In a room on the second floor, IN,
which later Presidents have received their
business callers. The home life of the
Adamses while IN the White House was
very plain. The Presidents luncheons
invariably consisted OF oatcake and lem
onade The family dinners were sim
pie. Adams was so unassuming in his
manners that Mistress Abigail occasion
ally saw fit TO remind him, when he was
free and familiar with the common peO-
pie, that his behavior ill-befitted his high
rank and dignified office.
The moving of the executive depart
ments from Philadelphia began IN May,
1890. The office furnishings and records
came by water, the officials and employees
by stage line or private equipage. II is
said that "a single packet sloOp brought
all the Office furniture Of the departments,
| besides seven large boxes ana five small
cnes, containing the archives" The Pres
! idents Cabinet then consisted of but five
members. Working under these were but
| l52 employees. Uncle sam paid ali trdv-
| cling expenses for these officials and clerks
! and their families.
Eariy department Buildings.
These men. comprising the first civil
| service regime organized for the Wash
/ ington departments. came hither imbued
! with the hope that the law authorizing
/ their removal from the gay and busting
metropolis would, as was rumored, be re-
pealed They found only one department
/ building erected This was the Old Treas
| ury. on the site of the south front Of the
present edifice. Ii was a plain, twO-stoTy
/ brick, of only thirty rooms. Oliver Vol
/ colt, Secretary of the Treasury, arrived
June &c occupy il.
! At the southwest corner of the White
] House grounds the war office" Vas still
] in course OF erection. This was similar
/ 10 the Treasury office in size and appear
ance, but not being ready for occupancy
/ upon the arrival Of Secretary OF War Dex-
/ ter, June u. he and his department went
/ into temporary lodgings in a three-sIOry
! house on Pennsylvania avenue, above
| TWenty-first street. and opposite the noIel
/ Of William ONeal. father of that Peggy
/ ONeal who gained fame in JacksOn's
| administration. But the War Depart
ment officials had barely settled down 10
work in these temporary headquarters
when. in November. 1900 fire broke on;
/ and destroyed large part Of their rec
/ ords The following January a similar
| fire occurred in the Treasury Department
| THE President was In line" recalled d
/ citizen writing OF this latter cOnaagra-
/ ton. "and was busy in aiding TO pass The
I buckets 10 and from the burning build
I ing"
Rival politicians then. as now, were
/ grasping at every straw. Adams admin
istration was accused of starting the two
fires 10 destroy records OF their alleged
maladministTstlOn.
The first Post-Oniee Department was
1 opened IN Mr.. Crackers house" near
/ ElOdgets Hotel al v nat is now Seventh
I and r. When Abraham Bradley-acting
for Postmaster General Habersham-opeu-
[ ei his Office there only one-haif the floors
/ were laid and only four rooms We're pias-
I tered. The owner allowed Uncle sam 20
/ expend half of the 500 annual rental 10
. make the building tenantable. Attorney
] hUutIdi 1Hutitc IstFt VINO lrtA IAtllNEi-
/ phia May IS. then had no organized De-
partment Of Justice. He took lodging
/ somewhere near the White House, as DID
/ also Secretary OF State John Marsha!l-
/ with only eight clerks-aHd Secretary OF
I the Navy Stoddart-with sixteen clerks.
Both Of these latter Cabinet members
had arrived IN June. This moving cost
Uncle sam, ell told. less than s4o.oo9.
The CapIIs ia November, 1900.
when Congress began its sessions in
I Washington. November II, 1850, IL found
the Capitol Building anything but an in
spring spectacle Only the northernmost
OF the old wings was finished. aud that
( vas badly constructed The Senate cham
Der was mostly OF wood and plaster, The
rotunda had rot been built though its
foundations had been previously laid.
The Representatives were at first crowd