The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-11-07

| "'"S I'll I"O, anu, as rule, the
watchmcn at the entrances are in
structed to give information to yisi-
tors; it is we'll, however, to have one
OF the good twenty-five cent guide
! books.
In making days tour through the
departments it would be we'll to begin
at the beginning; tina. is to say, at
the Department Of State, which shares
with the War Department and the
Navy Department the largest modern
public building in Washington-an
enormous granite pile Of composite
architecture that towers above its
ncighborhOod, and covers four and
one halt acres, has two miles Of corri
dors, and cost nearly eleven million
dollars. 1t is the farthcst west Of the
large departmental buildings, and oc-
cupics the site just west of the White
House, where stood .hc historic old
buildings in which the War Depart
ncns and the Navy Department had
their Offices for seventy years, includ-
ing the period Of the Civil War.
The State Department has tho
southern end Of the building, with a
fine view over the parks to the Poto-
mac River and the Virginia shores.
There arc many interesting documents,
portraits, and relics, in the State De-
partment, but most of them are not
for public view. The engrossed copy
of the Declaration Of Independence
and the engrossed copy Of the Consti-
tuition, With the original signatures
or rather, in the case of the Declara-
tion, with about one-third of them,
are, for example, no longer shown be-
cause Of the fading effect of the sun
light. But visitors can see in the
library the original draft of the Dec
laration of Independence in the hand
writing = Thomas Jefferson, with the
interlineations by John Adams and
Benjamin Franklin, and also Jeffer-
sons desk on which it was written.
There, too, can be seen the sword of
Washington and the staff of Franklin,
with other relics and curios. On the
floor below is the diplomatic room,
where formal conferences with foreign
diplomats are held, and where treaties
have been negotiated. This is the
finest public room in Washington. 1t
can usually be seen by visitors, who
will be interested in the portraits of
somo of the great secretaries of state
ss veil as il the fine furnishings.
If one has an introduction to the
Secretary of State he may see the
handsome office which he occupies;
and if he is not there he may, per-
haps, see it without an introduction.
There are no divisions in the build
ing to mark where one department
ends and another begins, so that one
may walk right round the corridor to
the right, if he wants to 60 to the
Office of Secretary of the Navy, whose
department has the eastern side of the
building, or to the left, if he wants to
go to the office Of the Secretary of
War, whose department has the west
ern and northern wings. This de-
partment requires 81 much more space,
not only because of the growth of the
army, but because of the records of
the Civil War which are in its keep
ing.
Leaving tho Office of the Secretary
of State and walking to the right, one
comes, after passing the invisible
boundary of the Navy Department, to
the interesting models Of our war ves-
sells. These, each perfect and costly,
are gathered thick under their glass
cases round the entrance to the Score
tary's Office. The Secretary of the
Navy does not use the large. hand
some room provided for his Office ex.
cept as reception room on occasions,
for he does his work in the inner Of
two smaller rooms opening out of it.,
and, therefore, anybody can see the
large room with its portraits of former
secretaries of the navy and its elabor.
ate furnishings.
There is cross corridor that lends
directly from the Office of the Secre.
tary of the Navy, across the building.
to the Office of the Secretary of War,
where thore is another large and hand
some room used only as an antcroom,
while the Secretary has his Office in q
small inner room. Any visitor can
see the large room. It is made espe-
ciaiiy interesting by large and impor-
tant flags, including that of the Sec
retary Of War, and the flag which was
draped over Lincoln's coffin. On tho
floor below, and on the other side Of