Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-09


ing of the new pillars in the
colonnade Of the east front of
the Treasury Department IS an
easy one in comparison with the problem
that confronted the workmen who put
the original ones i'm position. To be sure
the monoliths which are being used TO
replace the sectional columns of seventy
FIVE years ago weigh nearly eight times
as much, but ninety-tOn cranes are used
TO hoist them into place as easily as II
they Were willow reeds. while cumbersome
cranes had TO be used in the original
building that We're operated by long lines
OF oxen with limited scope for action.
Possibly no better object lesson in the
advancement of engineering science can
be given than a comparison OF present
day building methods and those OF three
quarters of a century ago. Labor-saving
devices nave made il easy 10 handle large
problems with less difficulty and less
thought than was necessary for smaller
problems then. Steam winches had not
made their appearance. everything had to
be accomplished by the Drawn of the men
or ,he use OF draft animals. Andrew
Jackson was President when the present
Treasury building was begun and ii was
not completed for nearly thirty years
Three Treasury buildings had already
been destroyed by fire when Andrew
Jackson. in a message to Congress. urged
the ACCESSIBILITY of erecting a fireproof
valua bles that were stored with the de-
partment. AT that time there were no
vaults full OF money at present as
the Bank of the United States was in
operation and looked after all of the
government money. Congress made the
necessary appropriation and Robert G.
Mills. who also devised a system of
sewerage for the District of Columbia,
was appointed architect
PUT the Building Right Here"
There was a great deal of discussion
as to the proper location Of the building
at first and President Jackson decided
to take hand in the dispute. One morn
ing. when he was especially annoyed by
the disputants. he made a trip across his
front lawn and sticking Lis cane in the
ground said: Put the building right
here" That settled it and the spot be-
came the northeast corner Of the building.
The corner stone was laid in 1884 by Sec
rotary of the Treasury Levi Woodbury.
with great pomp and display.
The original designs only called for that
part OF the building which is now fronted
by the famous colonnade. The old quarries
AT Aqua creek. thirty miles down the
Potomac. furnished the sandstone for the
columns and they were cut and finished
there. Massive windlasses put the huge
blocks on fiatboats for the trip up the
river The flats were unloaded at what
was called the White House landing.
which was down at the end of what is
now the Monument grounds. Here the
pillars were placed on huge drays and
drawn TO the building by heavy teams of
oxen-horses rot being used for draft pur-
poses in those days
Cnloaded on 18th street the work of
placing the pillars in position began This
was a very slow Job. Stone work pro-
ceeded very slowly. days and even
months being necessary before places
were made ready for the pedestals of the
columns. Then the oxen were again
requisitioned. Ropes were pulleyed up
on the great cranes. great ropes placed
around the stones. goads applied to the
oxen and the load proceeded upward.
Outlines slip occurred and the mass
went laundering down. When the hcist
was completed. however. the work was
only half done The stone had to be
poled and coaXed into place and it was
the work of a couple of days to finally
swing it into its proper position.
For number of years past there has
been much agitation to have the old col
umns replaced with more substantial
ones. Sandstone Is not the most durable
material in the world and the columns
have been exposed to the elements for
the past Seventy-five years with the re-
suit that they were fast disintegrating.
Great masses CT stone have come loose
and have fallen at intervals. jeopardizing
the lives of any chance passerby. How
ever. il was not until high official of
the Treasury Department came within
an ace of losing his life from this cause
that any attempt was made to have the
old pillars replaced and even then ii took
Congress a number OF years to finally
make the appropriation of $29S, 900 neces-
sary to make the improvements.