The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-08-28
CAPITAL TORN UP
FROM END. TO END
Army of Workmen of All Kinds
Z Polishing Up Washington
During Summer.
REPAIRS ON WHITE HOUSE
HISTORIC AVENUE A SCENE OF
DESOLATION.
fsnecia1 to me HeraId.)


Especial to The HeraId)
washington. Aug. 27.-The usual mid
summer quiet and lassitude that charac-
terize the national capital at this sea-
son are disturbed and tortured by an I'M
precedented number of constructive &C
tivities Scenes familiar to the tourist
and to the statesman are at this mo-
ment so transformed as to be almost I'm
recognizable. If anyone acquainted with
Washington were called to visit the city
Unexpectedly he would feel bewildered
at the strange scenes that would con-
front him.
Immediately upon alighting from the
train, the arriving visitor would perceive
the mile-lOng strip of broad asphalt,
called Pennsylvania avenue, the route Of
every inaugural procession, and the chief
highway of traffic to and from the cap
itol. to be ripped UP from end to end.
A California visitor described it's ap-
pearance to his eye as like that of Mar
ltet street in San Francisco soon after
the earthquake.
Repairs Long Needed.
The reason for all this unwonted dis
ruption is the expenditure of many thous-
ands of dollars for men and material in
complete requirement. and resurfacing
of the street. This work, for which a
special appropriation was made by the
last congress, has long been needed, be-
cause of imperfect grading and the con-
sequent formation of many stagnant pools
of water, due to defective drainage, which
were menace to health and also caused
deterioration of the costly thoroughfere.
The process of regarding the street in
wolves practically the entire reconstruc-
ton of the electric railway, which is
operated by underground trolley. This in
itself is a huge and costly undertaking,
comparable almost to the reconstruction
of at least a part of the old cable rail-
way in Broadway, New York, when cleo
trio traction was substituted, or to the
installation of electric motive power in
the streets OF Chicago.
Traffic Greatly Impeded.
This condition OF affairs has resulted
in great Inconvenience to traffic, as we'll
as much danger to pedestrians. 1t has
been necessary to make special assign
ments of the police force of the city to
direct vehicles along the narrow and tor
tuOuS passages that were temporarily
available between heaps of materials of
every kind. By a marvel of engineering
ingenuity, the street cars have been kept
in operation throughout all this turmoil,
although il was possible for them to halt
in their slow progress to receive or dis
charge passengers only at places where
platforms had been erected over the
yawning abysses of the roadway. In the
meantime persons desiring to cross Penn
sylvania avenue undertook that enterprise
pecially true at night, when the middle
of the avenue was one long string Of red
and green lanterns. The green lanterns
were supposed to indicate places where
there was d reasonably safe passage. But
these were deceptive signals, for the way
farer would find it necessary to pick his
way over wide ditch by stepping ginger
" from rail to rail and from one iron
plate 10 another, in the meantime keep
ing his eyes peeled in both directions for
approaching cars More than one acct
dent has thus occurred, and notices of a
number of damage suits against the dis
trict government have already been filed.
The only consolation is that when the
work is completed Pennsy wanna avenue
will present a uniform surface from end
TO end, perfectly graded and efficiently
drained.
White House Being Touched Up.
But the up-torn condition of its main
thoroughfare is not the only feature of
dishevelment of Washington this sum-
mer. The toilet of the national capital is
in progress elsewhere as well. The state
ly and historic White House presents an
appearance that is, to say the least, dis
tressing 10 the eye. Great planks and
1oists of scaffolding used by the paint
ers and decorators disfigure the beauty
of the colonial entrance and pOrtico. The
interior of the mansion is also in a state
of disorder, for artisans are at work re
newing the decorations of ceilings and
walls in the east room, the state dining
room and the olher apartments on the
ground floor well-known to visitors.
party Of western tourists, including
ladies, were being escorted the other day
through the White House by their host, "A
well-known Washingtonian. At almost
every step the party were halted by one
or another of the special force of police
men that has been assigned to midsum-
mer duty at the executive mansion. These
interruptions were designed for the pro-
lection of the visitor from danger. They
were in accordance with instructions is
sued by the president before his depar-
ture for his vacation. sO-called at Oys-
ter BAY. Knowing that extensive repairs
and alterations would be made during
his absence. and anticipating an unusual
number of passing tourists in Wash
ington this summer because of the James
town exposition, the president feared that
some accident might happen. Hence it is
that the curious visitor. who perhaps
may never have seen the White House
before, IS halted courteously every now
and then by an officer who explains that
he has strict orders not to allow pas
sage Under a certain scaffoding.
oh" exclaimed one of the fair tour
lists from the west, I suppose that is
to prevent Big Stick from falling on
Painful to Look Upon.
Still another scene of unwonted disrup-
ton and confusion assails the eve of
the visitor here this summer. When he
extends his tour to the magnificent capt.
tol he beholds its famous east approach
looking as Scared as a battle field. Great
areas Of lawn are Up-torn and the asphalt
OF the wide plaza between the facade
of the capitol and the congressional IL
brary yawns with huge assures. The eff
feet upon the eye is painful This also
is another of the trials that must be en-
dured in the eternal process of improve
ment.
The work that thus tears up the ground
near the capitol is the construction of two
subways that will connect the senate and
house wings with the spacious new office
buildings that are designed for accom-
mediation of the members of those bodies.
These subways are projected to meet all
the requirements of the future that the
ina gination of the architect can antici-
pate. Although each of them Is 700 feet
long they will be well ventilated. cooled
in summer and heated in winter by cur
rents Of air whose temperature will be
carefully adjusted. and brilliantly lighted
from end TO end by electricity. Each