The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-10-27
WASHINGTON LETTER
rsnacial correspondence.1

| "A
ing removed from the east colonnade
of the treasury has been discovered
which, it is believed, will be adopted.
1t was the result Of a competition held
by the Washington Architectural club,
which recently offered prize of $50
for the best scheme submitted by any
member of the club. George Oakley
Totten, Jr., was the winner of the
prize.
Use For Old Treasury Pillars.
The scheme worked out by Mr.. Tot
ten found favor with the committee
not only because of its artistic merit,
but also because 1t can be carried out
without any more expense than that
which would be required to prepare
cement bases for the columns and to
put them up.
Mr. Totten's idea is to place the col
umns In the sunken garden on the
north bank of the Potomac between
the highway and the railroad bridges.
This garden is more than 600 feet
long, and Mr.. Totten has suggested
that, enriched by the columns, it would
make a handsome and fitting memorial
to Robert Mills, the architect of the
treasury, or that 1t might be made
commemorative of some event in his
| tory.
All the thirty columns would be util-
lied, fourteen of them being placed
/ In semicircular form at each end of
the garden. with the two remaining
columns on the axis through the CEN
ter of the circles. The garden setting
is already provided, three fountains,
one in the middle and one In each
semicircle, being there at present. The
designer suggests that on special occa-
sions temporary stands could be erect
ed and the garden used as stadium.
May Condemn Faulty Columns.
In spite of the fact that the govern.
ment may finally condemn one or more
of the columns which are already in
place on the east colonnade of the
treasury building. imperfections hav-
ing been discovered in them, conspicu-
GUS In one case, the company which Is
doing the work is going right ahead
with the entablature work in the hope
that they will finally be accepted. All
of the work, however, is being done
subject to final approval of the gov
eminent.
Cost Of Street Paving.
An appropriation of 100000 was
spent on the surface Of Washington's
streets last year. which is not another
way of saying the amount was thrown
out into the streets. Every cent Of the
money was put to good use, laying
new asphalt and patching up the old.
Uncle Sam appropriates half Of that
money, the District appropriates the
other half, the District spends 1t, con-
tracing company earns 1t, and the
people receive the benefit Of the i'm
provement-
How Asphalt lie Laid.
Washington's asphalted streets con-
sist of three layers of material-hrst, q
six inch concrete base; second,
binder" which is one and one-half
inches of broken stone covered with
rich coating Of asphalted cement, and
phalt one and one-half inches thick.
which is the top layer. Asphalt Is COM
posed Of sand, OIL and powdered as
phalt The middle or second layer,
which is known as a binder" acts as
cushion coat and keeps the damp
ness from reaching the asphalt, on
which 1t has been found to have del
eterious effect
Special Sand Employed,
The sand used In the asphalt of
Washington is drcdged from the banks
Of Aqua creek, in the neighborhood of
Quantico, and is brought up the Po-
tomac on barges, which are unload
ed by huge steam shovels. Coarse
sand win not suffice for the making OF
asphalt. 1t must be of a certain
mesh or f1neness, or the eagle eye Of
the Dictrict inspector will order the
paving torn up and laid down with the
proper grade Of sand.
The first asphalt pavement laid In
Washington was put down IN 1871 on
Pennsylvania avenue from Fifteenth
street west to Eighteenth street north
west From this small beginning the
existing street pavement conditions
have developed. From every point
broad, white stretches of street lead to
everywhere. The deep green Foliage
of the shade trees harmonizes with
the glaring wilderness Of the asphalt.
The streets are indeed a very impor-
tant factor in the makeup of this city
beautiful
Diplomatic In Washington,
Among the representatives of for
eign powers in Washington nine rank
as ambassadors, the last country to
elevate her envoy to that distinction
having been Japan after her war with
Russia. The dean Of the diplomatic
corps must be an ambassador, and he
enjoys this distinction because of the
priority in the date of his appointment
over that of other ambassadors to this
country. The present dean of the
diplomatic corps Is the italian ambas-
sador, Baron Mayor DIES Planches, now
entering upon his eighth year In Wash
ington. Baron Hengelmuller Won Hen.
gervar, ambassador from Austria-Hun-
gary, is the oldest diplomat In point
of service, but was only raised to the
rank of ambassador In 1902 Mr.. Brun,
minister from Denmark, has been IN
America since 1896.
Distinction In Diplomacy.
mi.