Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-02-16
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

A paragraph printed in The Star Of
February TO- 1858. strongly suggests that
the scandal over the build
CAPITOL ing and furnishing Of the
Pennsylvania state capitol
Sost. had its mild forerunner
fifty years ago, when the federal state
house" in this city was approaching COM
pletion An unnamed correspondent OF
The Star wrote as follows:
1.-THE Union Of Sunday contains no
tice of the floors of the south wing Of the
Capitol extension which does injustice to
the officer in charge and to Mr.. Walter
(the architecD. 1t says that Mr.. Walter
estimated the floors at about cents per
square foot and that Capt. Meigs has SUBJ
stituted imported encaustic tiles of elab-
crate pattern. costing $4.S7. The price of
6 cOts per square foot Is about what the
city fat- brick sidewalks. laid In sand and
gravel. cost by contract. 1t Is not to be
supposed that Mr.. Walter intended to lay
such floors In such building. The tiles
which are of beautiful patterns and ever
lasting. have been adopted for tie vesti-
bules and most public apartments of most
great hotels and buildings in New York
and in England. Being the best floors
yet made. they were adopted in the Cap
The cost is exaggerated. Some OF the
floors cost 80 cents per square foot, some
one or two rooms Of very elaborate pat
terms as high as $1.9S per square foot:
but the average is little over the cost OF
a well-latd black and white marble floor
to which the tile floor is much to be pre-
ferred for its beauty and durability. The
marble floors Of the old Treasury build
ing are already worn out and will require
relaying."
Washington was enjoying itself socially.
the political and financial
disturbances. President Blu
Presidents chanan's receptions. or ''le-
vees,' were crowded. In
Ae"ee' The Star of February 10.
1858. is the following description of one
Of these affairs:
Immense. again. was the pressure at
the Executive Mansion reception last
night. Indeed, the attendance this year
has been so far beyond any previous ex-
perience that but for the new arrange
ments. by which ingress and egress are
greatly facilitated not a tenth part OF
the visitors would be able to file past
the President in two hours. The young
gentlemen who occasioned Capt. Mills
some trouble last night in enforcing these
mind. By the way. another capital ar
rangement is the removal of the Marine
Band from the anteroom to a temporary
orchestra elevated in the east room. The
President was looking in fine health and
apparently quite recovered from his late
cold and hoarseness. We lack space to
enumerate 1.-THE of the notable person.
ages present. but we may mention Sir
William Gore 'Ousley and Lady Ousley,
de- co@p5s agd h and
Nine. Stocked. Mrs. Bodisco. Mr.. Bo-
disco. Gen. Scott. Hon. Mr.. Keitt Of
South Carolina. Attorney General Black,
Secretary Floyd, Gen. Houston, Mrs:
New York, Mrs Craig. at Gov. Cobbs;
Col. and Mrs. May and Miss Law. Baron
de Gerolt, Vice President Breckenridge,
Mr.. Corcoran and Mr.. Schlerden. The
magnificent presence OF a lady from New
York. Mrs. Watson, was a topic of general
Enterprising Americans were keenly
seeking opportunities to save time in
transit just before the war. One
Short of the most notable of these un-
dertakings was the TRANSITION
S"1' ida railroad. designed to shorten
the voyage between New York and New
1858, is the following comment:
IT. as the philosopher AYERS. time is
money those who save time to the public
greatly profit 1t, and we really know
none more likely to succeed In that good
work than the parties engaged in the
enterprise Of constructing the progress
ing Florida railroad from Fernandina to
Cedar Keys. by which the actual travel
ing time between New York and New
Orleans will probably be reduced to four
portant improvement for a year past, in
the belief that when completed it will not
only thus save some three days time in
the transportation Of the great northern
preferring the coast route, but will also
carry an immense amount Of produce Of
the Mississippi valley seeking European
or Atlantic coast markets: for it is des-
tined not only to save the distance
around the peninsula of Florida. but all
the peculiar dangers Of that SO univer-
sally dreaded navigation. Combining SO
many important advantages. among them
being the comparative low cost for which
it is being constructed, its completion is
destined to mark the era Of a great revo-
luton in the travel along our coast"
-
Before the war there was considerable
jealousy between north and south on the
Intellectual plane as we'll as
Southern in politics. The assumption
of literary superiority by
New England writer's was
resented south of the 'line." as attested
by occasional publications on the subject.
One such was an article on american
Literature. Northern and Southern" by
A. Roane. esq, Of Washington. in De
Bows Review. Mr.. Roane strove to show
1.-The failacy of that dogmatism so COM
monty manifested by citizens of the north
eastern states that all the valuable con-
tributions made by the United States to
tho urOrI6 of latfera ornanafo from their