The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1907-06-25
WASHINGTON LETTER
Especial correspondence.l


were removed one by one, the start on
the work having been from the District
side, and as the big timbers were low
cred from their places they were put
aboard barges and carried to the Vir-
ginia shore, where steam sawmill
erected for the purpose cut them up
into marketable lumber. The purchas-
ers of the old material found ready
sale for the lumber The old swing
draw was the last span to be torn
4 down. The tearing down of the stone
piers is in progress.
Channel to Be Dredsed.
The big circular pier on which the
draw worked is practically down, and
men are working on the other piers
nearest the channel of the river. The
stone of which the piers were built is
being taken down whole and is being
turned over to the sea wall about Po-
tomac park and for other work. The
stone is being loaded on lighters and
/
kept in readiness for use when want
ed. Under the contract for the removal
Of the piers those in the channel are to
be removed entirely down to the bot
tom of the river but in the shoal wa
ter on each side of the channel the
stone will be taken off to low water,
and the remainder will be allowed to
| stand.
After the channel piers are removed
the channel at the old bridge is to be
dredged so as to bring it on line with
the deep water through the draws of
the two new steel bridges.
To Plant Big Trees.
When the work of regarding and re-
surfacing Pennsylvania avenue and
the various other Improvements which
are now under way are completed that
famous thoroughfare will present the
aspect of a wooded lane. One of the
features of the Improvements in con-
nection with the work will be the
planting of several hundred big shade
trees.
The trees will be placed along the
curbs on both sides of the street at
regular intervals, as is the custom on
the other streets, and they will be
planted as the curbings are completed
and while everything is in torn up
condition.
The two triangles which will be form
ed in connection with the street inn
provement work, one at Tenth street
and the other at Eighth street, will be
sodded and trees planted within their
borders.
Congress Library Acoustics.
l. Bertram Rosencrantz who has
made study of acoustics and has pub
lished works on that subject, visited
the Congressional library, accompa-
MED by his son, Josef Meredith Rosen-
crantz, a yiolinist. His. visit to the
library building was for the purpose Of
making a practical test of the acoustic
properties of different parts of that
structure. The result, as shown by the
violin played in the reading room,
showed that that apartment is excel
lently adapted for concert perform
ances, but the entrance hall, with its
magnificent marble staircase, would be
utterly unsuited for that purpose on
account of vibration causing disso-
nances. The test of the acoustic prop
critics of the building was purely one
of curiosity or general interest, as
signs in the reading room demanding
'silence" are applicable at all times to
the conduct of the library building.
A White House Hoodoo.
A mysterious blight which has been
christened "the White House hoodoo"
for want Of better name, which at
tacks all forms of plant life in por-
ton of the grounds surrounding the
executive mansion, is causing no end
of trouble to the official gardener, and
! he is out with a liberal reward for
whoever will discover the cause and
remedy the evil. Various kinds Of
plants have been set out, and the
earth has been frequently changed, but
without avail.
Instruction of Midshipmen.
President Roosevelt has appointed a
naval board, composed of Captain
Richard Wainwright of the general
board, Commander Robert s. Griffin of
the bureau of steam engineering and
Lieutenant Commander Albert l.. Key,
personal aid to the president, to sug-
gest improvements in the course of in
struction of midshipmen at the Naval
academy and to report to the secretary
of the navy before the beginning of
the next academic year
Appreciation Of Japanese.
w E. Tempe of the Japanese famine
relief committee recently presented to
the president a small silk scroll, the
gift of the mayor of Shiroshiki in ia
pan. The scroll was of grass cloth silk
1t had no particular intrinsic value and
was not an antique, but the mayor of
Shiroshiki said that he wanted to send
it as mark of appreciation of the
presidents humanity in issuing the
Japanese famine relief proclamation.
Painting the Capitol Dome.
Thirty-fve painters have just com.
Ipleted the job of spreading waterproof
paint over the fancy work surface of
the dome of the capitol. 1t has taken
mine tons of paint and nearly two
months steady labor to do the trick
and they're glad, every one Of them
that tits nearly quitting time, for the
job doesn't look easy and isn't as easy
as it looks.
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