Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-04
IN THE HOTEL LOBBIES.

IN THE HOTEL LObbIES.
1--WE seen office buildings in every city IN
the world. almost said ]. A Napier of
Sedalia Mo. at the National last night.
but the new Star building beats them ALL
1t is finished in manner that has never
yet been attempted in other cities, and l
predict 1t will be long time before any of
them make an effort to equal IT. In Chi
Cago, where 1 spend most of my time, COM
pactness seems to be the object aimed at by
the builders. and they do not appear TO
care for artistic elegance. 1t is the craze
for tall buildings that causes such endea-
vors- In New York 1t is the same.
with the site selected for The Star
building a New York or Chicago architect
would have erected a twenty-story build
ing. There is so much room in Washington
that there is no occasion for the construc-
ton of such tall buildings They certainly
do the beauty of city 1t seems
strange that in Europe, where they have
less room thar here for the accommodation
Of the professional men who occupy the Of
fees. the tall building is literally unknown.
Tell Frenchman that We have a building
in New York twenty-five stories in height
and he will take il a specimen of Ameri-
can eXaSgeratiOn. The average European
sets down everything an American tells
them to the natural desire of the people of
this country to boast They cannot under
stand the wonderful feats of engineering
and architecture that are performed in this
country.
ITO return to The Star building I went
through it Saturday afternoon. and have
never seen more complete structure in
my life. ! was printer once. and know
something about the old-style newspaper
office. and can say without exaggeration
that the accommodations for the typos in
the office IS beyond the widest dreams Of
the oid-time men In my home. Sedaia. We
have few tall office buildings and we are
rapidly coming to the front a business
and professional center. but it will be many
years before We reach the perfection shown
in The Star building.
Lieut.. Jos. c. Breckenridge of the Marine
Corps IS in the city for few days visiting
his father. Gen Joseph c. Breckenridge. in
spector general of the army. Lieut.. Brock
inridge has just passed througi a severe
Illness, and has returned from his post in
Cuba by order of the naval surgeons. He
has many friends In this city who will be
glad to know he has progressed so far as to
be able to return to his home
There is no place in the world that has
such a black record for shipwrecks as the
narrow Baltic seas" n. Z. Christensen OF
Norway told Star reporter last night.
THE number in some years has averaged
more than one day, the greatest number
of wrecks recorded in one year being four
hundred and twenty-five and the smallest
one hundred and ffty-four. About 80 per
cent of these vessels became total wrecks,
all the crews being lost. In the four years
1877 to ISL no less than seven hundred
lives were lost.
With regard to these wrecks however
the fact must not be lost sight OF that many
of the vessels navigating these seas are old
and III found. especially those engaged in
the timber trade. for which any vessel
found unfit for other traffic was thought to
be good enough. Many boats which fail TO
pass the board of trade examinations are
sold to the Swedes and Norwegians and
run for many years afterward in the Baltic
seas Sailing vessels much more liable
10 wreck than steamers. and as the latter
are rapidly superseding the former the pro-
portionate number of wrecks is decreasing
Mr. W. Bermicke of Germany and Mr..
John G. Held OF Juneau. Alaska, are at the
Arlington The former has been here for
several days and expects to spend the sum-
mer IN this country.
There IS one picturesque thing about the
west which the cheap freight rates are rap
idly driving out of existence. / mean the
sod houses of Kansas said D'Alvord NJ.
Penwick of Wichita In the lobby Of the St.
James There are sod houses in other
parts Of the west. of course, but 1 am only
familiar with those of my native state
These structures are as strong and much
cheaper than brick. The farmer cuts the
sod for building purposes just as sod is cut
for transplanting grass. The buffalo grass
which grows IL. almost all the middle west
ern states. IS like thick mat and is very
tough heritage. The s.abs of sod. about ff-
teen by twenty-fUur inches and four inches
thick, hold together like thick rolls of felt.
They are laid In courses like the ordinary
building stone and pressed closely together
and the roof i made OF timbers and fire.
quenJly matched. The inside Is then smooth.
ed with native lime. which makes an ex-
c~.l-nt plaster.
The coating Of lime Is sometimes applied
outside also. but usually these sod houses
present the natural dun color of the prairies
in the winter Sometimes the floor of the
house l. made by eXcaVat!ng a few feet
and then tramp.ng the ground solid WITH
horses: otherwise, a regular wood floor ID
laid. The door and window frames are III.
ted In While building, as in stone houses
They only have one room generally bu,
sometimes TWO or three yOoms are fitted up
The elements tend To make the sod on,
mass rather than TO dissipate and crumb!,
& An ordinary house built of this materia
Will last five years