The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-03-27
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

The Presidents gardener views with
rueful eye the damage that fire has
wrought in his domain. The burning of
| the Inaugural reviewing stand at the
gate between the Executive Mansion
Grounds and the State, War. and Navy
| Department worked havoc in corner
| that was the pride of his eye. The dam
age that the flames did to the iron and
stone work of the gate is easily repaired.
| That will require only the expenditure of
money and few strokes of the mason's
chisel. but the damage wrought upon the
flowers growing in the corner is practi
| cally irreparable.
The little corner of the Presidents
garden just at the War Department gate
has always been particularly pretty
one. 1t was filed with very beautiful
shrubs and bushes and in the spring
time Powered profusely and fragrantly
with many colored blossoms. 1t was a
! sight grateful to the eyes of hundreds of
clerks going into the department in the
morning and coming out at night. There
were little bushes with an abundant
spraying white flower: there were several
tall palm-liSe trees that every now and
then showed fine blossom. There were
number of lilacs that covered them
selves in the spring with purple. small
magnolia tree and, finally, some small
trea-lille bushes that bore enormous
peony-like blossoms, some pink and some
deep red.
Al of these plants are gone. and have
been killed root and branch by the heat
of the fire. Two large trees have been so
scorched that there is no knowing if
they Will ever again bear leaves. In other
p, a., y,ae IL th
ner. for radius of perhaps fifty feet
from the gate. is totally destroyed and
will eventually have to be uprooted
Other plants will be put in the places Of
those that were killed. but they will be
only small things. and perhaps years will
elapse before they will bloom.
The fire wipes out the work of sun,
wind, water. and soil during perhaps
eight years. Some of the plants which
were in the corner We're set out that long
ago, and 1t took that time to make the
corner a place of beauty such as II was
before ii fell a victim to the flames. The
greatest loss is in the tree peonies. OF
which there were two, one bearing pink
blossom and one deep red The last
was an especially fine plant, and had
flowers often six inches across. 1t was
about six years old and will be extremely
plants were destroyed, some OF which
were just about to bloom. They come to
blossom about once in three years. The
little bushes Of white spray flower have
been replaced, but the lilacs will have to
be uprooted and other plants put in their
place.
on the sidewalk at the east front Of the
State War, and Navy Department are
living. bolstered up by blocks and wedges
two big guns. They are guns with his
tory, and will shortly become d perma-
80 F,a a. finrn nf ha httii
ing near which they are now lying. Sew
eral months ago Secretary Long was in
formed that there were, at Cavite two
Spanish cannon. for which the authorities
there had no use. The guns were consid-
cred to be in the way, and the Secretary
was asked if they could not be disposed of
in some way The Secretary sent word
that the guns could be best disposed of by
being sent to the United States, and he
ordered them to be loaded upon the next
transport that sailed. and delivered at the
navy yard at Norfolk. They were unload
ed at Norfolk month or more ago, and
later sent to Washington.
The cannon formed part of the arma-
ment of the Spanish ship Manila which
took part in the battle of Manila Bay.
The guns were mounted in the turrets of
the little cruiser and formed her main
battery. The Manila was iron clad. and
of something less than a thousand tons
burden. She was pretty well riddled by
the American shot, and. the officers see
ing that the battle was going against
them, drew out the breech blocks of their
cannon and threw them overheard. The
Manila was saved, and has now been
made part Of the United States Navy.
Her guns, however were useless, and SO
were replaced with modern ordnance.
So it happened that the navy yard at
CaYite had these two guns on hand.
They are about fourteen feet long, and
nearly two feet through at the trunnions.
They are of i.I-inch calibre, and odd
size, and hence even with their breech
blocks replaced they would have been of
but little use to the Government They
weigh SOS pounds each.
on the highest pedment of the steps
at the east front of the State Department,
there are now two bronze cannon, of most
antique type. one was cast at Seville one
hundred years ago. ana one at Manila
about the same time. They We're both
captured al Manila, and Were sent on to
Washington as trophies. Secretary Long,
however, prizes more highly the guns
which he has now obtained, for he says
they represent the kind of ordnance
which was really in use at the time of the
battle of Manila. against which the skill
Of American gunners prevailed.
The bronze guns have been mounted on
decorative carriages. and have been com
bined into an artistic design by the aid of
anchors aud chains II Is the intention of
Secretary Long to mount the new guns in
"a similar decorative manner on the pedi-
ment just below the others.
81 have just come up from the South"
said Robert r Morse, Of New York, at
the Riggs last night, where | made a
long trip, through Texas, Alabama, Mis-
sssippi, Georgia. and the CarOlinas. and
l surprised at the number Of new
mills ! saw. The line of the railroad
seemed to be just completely fenced with
them, and there is no estimating the
amount of money that has been invested.
/ understand that the greater part of the
manufacturing is done by firms from the