Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-19

surface is a pale Jungle Of crimson lilies
and a violet prairie. where play rose-col-
ored creatures that are neither fish nor
animals Nor can the outsider tell if
they are animals or plants. 1t is the be-
ginning Of the sea-floor, a high plateau
floor. Ten steps may lead us to an abysmal
chasm. where things fall. slow, into
growing blackness. fall. fall all day.
Such step Is that across the doorway
from the secretarys office to his private
library. 1t is the floor Of the m d-South
Pacific, bounded by precipices such as
dTy-land experience cannot dream Of,
three miles, four miles deep, and sloping
boundless, five miles, six miles, seven
miles Deep
Here. in calm that knows no change
amid cold that never varies, under pres
sure that would crush a man fiat, swim
and crawl forms that are light and ele-
CANT, or clumsy and compact, lit up by a
thousand electric lamps or steady pale
blue-green moonlight. due to diffused
phosphorescence. 1t is a greater world
than ours because the ocean covers three
fourths Of the surface of the globe.
For twenty-five years past Albert l..
Prince OF Monaco, has been enamoured
of this land of mystery-the vast ocean
floor.
x
Inc ocean HOOT. SASt dS a III CdAh' hC
territories Of the earth are tiny in COM
parison with it's extent; and 1t is all I'M
known 1t is as irregular as the surface
of the earth. Chains of mountains run
parallel to each other. There are systems
like the Alps and Himalayas. there are
sierras like the Andes There are val
leys which they separate where the
dredger goes down seven miles
There are volcanoes throwing up their
cones Of lava; fires that heat ice-cold
water to terrific commissions; earthquakes
that shake vast submarine territories,
w lie transat a tic steamers glide across
the surface seven miles above, suspectfng
nothing of it. And everywhere and ever
the dust of the stars falls with the
Philadelphia Library used the upper
floor of the hall. The building was also
used as a hospital for sick American
soldiers during the revolution. and by
the British while they occupied the city
They kept prisoners in a dungeon IN
the cellar, while the British officers
iounged in the library. 1t is said that
the officers who used the library dur
ing the British occupation PAID the
usual fees for the privilege. ana re-
turned all the books in good condition.
5 zen. hIAOX, DIS So1uIiiASSoAS 6ShSA -
of military stores. had his headquarters
there in 1873. The same year the COM
mittee which framed the national Con-
stitution met there.
Still later, the First Bank of the
United States occupied the ground
floor from 1871 until 1897, when it was
succeeded in possession by the Bank
of Pennsylvania, which remained there
until it's new building. on I'd street,
was completed.
In 1898 the hall was used as a land
office Of the United States, and from
1902 to 1919 as a custom house. From
1917 until 1921 the Second Bank of the.
United States had it's Office in the build
ing The Musical Fund Society In 1872
net on the first floor. where the Con-
tinental Congress met. Three years
later the Franklin Institute, then re-
Gently organized, occupied the lower
floor. About the same time the APP
prentices' Library had Its quarters on
the second floor. In 1857 the Car
penters' Society decided to take entire
charge of the hall. and since that year
the company has been the only occu-
pant Although the old hall is rich in
it's historic story. there is a dramatic
story connected with 1t, which. If less
familiar. is none the less interesting.
While the old Bank of Pennsylvania
was occupying the building 1t was rob-
bed OF $162, S21.61. The robbery took
place the evening Of September l, 1898.