Evening star., 1909-05-12
Copyright by the SHETLAND Publishing Company

| toned it to the new arrangements they
| will be more contented. and / do not sup
architect--nct even Michaelangelo-to
have pleased everybody. Certainly there
| is no such national school to be found
! elsewhere in the wide world; none SO
large nor so magnificent; none SO COM
plete and convenient; none SO Well
equipped with all the facilities required by
such an institution. The academy at
West Point is being rebuilt In a similar
manner although the appropriations are
not so large, and the architects and Of
learn a good deal from the experience
of Admiral Brownson, who was superln-
tendent of the academy, and Prof Dodge,
who was in immediate charge OF the work
during the period of construction.
1t is unfortunate in some respects that
the price of labor and building material
should have advanced, from 20 to 40 per
cent between the dates when the plans
| were made and when the contracts were
let That made it necessary to omit
some features, which would have added
to the completeness and perfection OF the
plant, and to alter the designs of several
of the buildings In the interest Of econ
omy Congress refused to make addition
al appropriations to meet the difference.
and Mr.. Flagg, the architect. and Admiral
Brownson, the superintendent. were COM
PEELED ITO cut their garments according
to their cloth But the omissions will
soon be forgotten: there is SO much to
admire; there is so much to please, and
the facilities for instruction and the COM
forts of living have been 50 much In
creased that the defects are of no inn
portance
The new buildings are arranged in the
form of a quadrangle. a tide-water
basin, 1000 feet long and 240 feet wide.
for the anchorage of boats forming one
Nl,ts- hr yA%
by piers, and the original plan calls
for monumental stone lighthouses or bea-
cons upon the ends, but they have not
yet been built.
Filtration Walk Gone.
!. The ancient campus, with it's grand old
trees and shaded paths, has been pre-
served, although, it Is said to. say Fir
tation walk, to which SO much romance
was attached, has vanished. / presume
the brave young knights who will come
| here in the future, like those who have
come In the past, will be able to find
| some equally convenient and agreeable
| promenade, where they can meander with
their sweethearts as they tell the old, old
| the only one that many young women
think it worth while to hear.
The three sides of the campus are Oc-
cupied by groups Of entirely new gray
DuIlUlHSS Ol granite ana llSHI gray h.
The group next to town, from which the
academy grounds are separated by a
high wall with three gates, has the
chapel for its central figure. On the
right, as you face the river, is the res
idence Of the superintendent. a modest
looking but commodious mansion Of
light colored brick. admirably arranged
for entertaining and with two entrances
and exits for the accommodation of guests
at social functions The house is ap-
oprio fo1S few, nod nj fOr <lA Gr.<
time in the history of the academy the
superintendent is able to receive and en-
tertain official visitors in a suitable man
ner.
On the opposite side of the chapel is the
administration building, corresponding in
material design and dimension with the
superintendent quarters. Each building
is sixty-two feet wide by fifty-two feet
deep and three stories in, height. In
the administration building are the offices
| Of the superintendent and his staff
| little farther to the left is a. hand
some building. with a wide piazza, con-
| tanning quarters for bachelors and the
officers club.
Back of the chapel. to the right and
the left, are two rows of modest but
comfortable double viIlas-"semi-detach
ed" as they say in England-in which
the senior officers and members Of the
faculty reside One is called Sampson
row., the other "Upshur row. and at
right angles with the latter are three
| more double houses. facing the parade
| ground, called Rodgers row." Between
| these two rows the wall of the reser-
walton is broken. when three city blocks,
| now occupied by ancient residences, butt
| into the academy grounds and destroy
| their symmetry. That is the property
| which 1t is proposed to buy and occupy
| with additional officers quarters, wh.ct
| are very much needed.
The Academic Group.
| On one side of the quadrangle stands
what is known as the academic group a
monumental building with an ornamental
facade, approached by stately drive and
stairway. 1t contains a beautiful library
and reading room and accommodations
for all of the academic and scientific de-
partments. Over the main door is an in
scription taken from one of the old build
lngs, which tells whom Ii may concern
| that the academy was founded under the
administration of President Polk, while
George Bancroft was Secretary of the
i Navy. Within the center of the building
Is an auditorium arranged like a theater
that will seat 200 people, intended for
graduating exercises exhibitions, con-
certs, lectures. amateur theatricals and
other functions. The physics and chem
istry building occupies the right wing and
the academic building the left wing of the
group. each $50 by So feet In size, with
the library and auditorium in the center
In the former is a lecture hall with seat
| ing capacity of 800. Both buildings were
arranged with great care and study. and
probably educational buildings in the
world surpass them i'll arrangement or
equipment.
/ Directly back of the academic group
stands the marine engineering building, in
the form of rectangle measuring a66 by
175 feet. and ipclosing two courts each 81
by 46 feet. This building contains many
fine shops and laboratories. perfectly
equipped with the most modern machinery
and appliances. where every cadet takes
a course In mechanics machinery, cleo
tricity. and other branches of physics and
spends certain considera BILE part of his
| Iour years course acquiring q practical
| knowledge of the construction as well as
the operation of every mechanical ap-
lparatus that is used on board a ship. The
modern man-of-war is floating fortress
hlled with machinery of many descrip-
tions: the modern sailor is a machinist
and electrician. and every graduate of the
Naval Academy Is supposed to be able
to design, build and operate all kinds of
machinery.
Behind the engineering building Is a
| foundry 125 feet wide and II feet deep
| which is a part of the machine shop,
| and there the castings are made.
Where the Middies Live.
| At the other end of the campus is a
group of buildings even more imposing
| i'm appearance, in which the midship-
| men live. In the center is Bancroft.