Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-07-12
Foreman of the Courier News
Room in the East.
A VISIT TO NATIONS CAPITAL.
Tells of the Engraving and Printing
Departments Of the United States
Treasury-surrounded by the
Utmost Precautiop-

w. G.. Field, foreman of the Courier
news room, who is making trip thru
the east writes to the Courier as fol-
lows:
Dear Courier: Leaving the beauti-
full Cumberland valley was one of the
hardest things to do which / have
been obliged to perform on my trip.
l was obliged to depart very much.
against my wishes and but for the
| fact that new things were to come to
me as progressed on my journey, l
fain would have remained until the
| time came for my return homeward
But my visit ended and l packed my
collar box and started for Washing
On the arrival of the visitor to the
national capitol, almost the first OBJ.
| ject presented to view is the capitol
building. A few minuteswalk from the
Penn station will bring one to this CO.
lossa1 edifice. 1t is distinguished for
its commanding situation and males
TIC proportions, for the dignity
and grace and beauty of its design,and
the adornments and decorations
which beautify 1t without and Within
All these unite in giving it rank as
an architectural object among the no.
blest in the world. 1t is conspicuous
feature of the landscape for miles on
either side, and is set amid grounds
whose extent and arrangement add
much to the. architectural effect The
browning glory of the capital is the
imposing dome, springing from perl
style Of fluted Corinthian columns
above the central building, and ter
minating in a lantern, which is sur
rounded by the Statue of Freedom,
towering 307h feet above the Espla-
made. 1t is truly an imposing ands in
| spring object. An attempt to de-
!. scribe it inside and outside : woulh
mean AN enlarged edition, and $50 l
refrain. 80 y.t:ea soa
4 Next visited the library OF CON
gress, The library grounds saajoin'
those of the capitol. The building is
of the Italian Renaissance order of
architecture; it has three stories, with
a dome, and is in area 470x340 feet
covering nearly three and half acres
Of ground. The foundations were laid
in 1883, the building begun In 1889,
4 g..
| The net cost, of the building was So
t 032.124.54, eXelusiye Of site, which
cost $685. 900. Atdthe time the site
was purchased there were seventy
residences upon it. After you are in
side the building you see great cen
i trail rotunda,, from which radiate book
!. stacks, and which is enclosed in a
parallelogram of galleries and pavil-
ions. These book stacks consist of a
lseries of cast-iron frame works. sup
porting tiers of shelves and rising in
nine stories of seven tiers each, to the
roof. These radiate from the rotun-
/ da,, and are connected with the libra
1 rian's desk by pneumatic tubesa and
4 Telephones When book is called
flor at the reading room desk the slip
\ is sent by pneumatic tube to the
clerk Id the book-stacks. He puts
tthe book into a receptacle, from which
lit is taken by an automatic carrier
4 borne on to the cabinet in the read
i ing room by an ingenious piece of
mechanism built for the occasion and
operated by leetricity. The books
i used by the members of congress are
conducted to the capitol by means of
/ a tunnel, which is 1875 feet long and
AXIS feet wide. 1t is built of brick,
communication between the capitol
and library is by means of telephone
and pneumatic tubes, l was very
much interested in what 1 saw there,
but was rather over-awed by its mag
Inifcence and magnitude, OF course
III visited the White House. The pre-
vailing characteristic is stately sym
i plicity. Seen from any point the air
lis one of dignity and repose. The
il grounds are laid out beautifully with
walks and driveways surrounding
grass plats, lawns, flower BEDS, and
noble trees. 1t is paradise-an
earthly one. The east room, the only
one usually shown to visitors, is open
i from 10 to 2 O'Clock daily, except on
j Sundays and holidays. 1t is forty
4 feet wide, eighty-two long and has a
ceiling twenty-five feet high, from the
panels of which depend three i'm
mense chandeliers of cut glass. The
4 eight carved mantels are surrounded
i by mirrors, and in the wall panels are
i hung full length portraits of Washing.
j ton, !, Martha Washington, JEFF
i ferson, and Lincoln. Leading
j from this room and extending thru to
il the conservatory is. a central corridor
which gives access to the other state
i rooms Of the first. floor. The corridor
Il lighted by the glow of a jeweled glass
j screen, is richly decorated, and is
\ adorned with palms and pictures,
j bpsts, and mirrors and marbles. The
j portraits are of Washington. Jackson,
il Polk, Tyler, Fillmore, Pierce, Buch-
lanan, Grant, Hayes, and Garfield, and
the busts are of Columbus, Americas
i Vespucius. John Jay Fillmore and
John, Bright. I could go on and de-
4 scribe this room more fully but space
i forbids. am under the impression
n that | could not, do justice. to the sub
i ject and so have confined myself to
la short description. +
| The next place visited was the bu-
reau of engraving and printing. This
lis branch of the treasury, (Which
building did not enter). Here are
i printed the government bonds and
1.-THE national currency, postage and
Irevenue stamps, military, naval and
4 diplomatic commissions, passports,
4 etc. Spe eimens of the work and the
i bureau are exhibited in the waiting
y y L rryf-A- = -