The Republican journal., 1911-06-08
On To Washington.
[Copcluded.]

officially known. The house is set amid
the Presidents grounds, with trees and
flower beds, fountains and sloping lawns.
The grounds comprising twenty acres
merge into the Mall and stretch away to
the monument and the Potomac. South
of the house is the scene annually of the
Easter egg rolling by the children of
Washington. On the grounds near the
house was seen the Presidents COW,
white with black markings. The White
House is constructed of Virginia free
stone, painted white ever since its desecra-
ton by British fire in 1914. The corner
stone was laid by Washington, and in
company with his wife he walked through
the rooms just completed before his
death. Specimens of the historic White
House china were exhibited in the CORR
dor. The East room, or State reception
room, is magnificent apartment. From
the ceiling depend massive crystal chan
deliers This room contains a richly
decorated piano worth SIS. 900, presented
by a new York firm OF piano makers.
The two royal blue Sevres vases in this
room were presented to President Nc
kinley by the President of the French
Republic in commemoration of the lay
ing Of the French-Amercan cable. The
Green Room has green velvet walls with
white enamel wainscoting On the walls
are portraits of several of the Presi-
dents. The walls and draperies of the
Red Room are of red velvet. In this
room are the portraits of Martha and
George Washington. The portrait of
Washington, known as the Lansdowne
Stuart portrait, was taken from it's
frame by Dolly Madison when the Brit
ash were on their way to pillage the
White House, and carried to a place of
safety.
We crossed the Mali to the Washing
ton monument, that colossal obelisk that
eonfronts the observer at every turn in
his walks through the city. 1t is an i'm
posing structure of white Maryland
marble, memorial to George Washing
ton, built at a cost of 81, 1877, 10, $780,
900 Of which was raised by Individual
free-wil offerings. Its corner stone was
laid in lS4S, but owing to lack of funds
work was suspended on the structure
the walls first constructed showing
somewhat darker than the rest of the
monument After twenty years Con-
gress appropriated money for its compile
tion, its dedication taking place in 1885.
The interior is lighted by electricity and
We made the ascent in an elevator
which took US up in about one-half an
hour. The pyramid Gaping the monu-
ment is built of aluminium, rendering the
monument visible day or night From
the four windows at the top, over five
hundred feet above the ground, the view
extends twenty miles in every direction.
The brdseye view presents the city
and outlying landscape in miniature. A
conspicuous feature of the view south is
the historic Potomac, river beloved by
Washington. This river separates the
historic ground of Maryland and Vir-
ginia and its winding course may be fol-
lowed for miles. On the opposite shore
of the Potomac and on the Virginia hills
to the west is Arlington, the national
cemetery. and once the famous Lee resi-
dence, On clear day the Blue Ridge
Mountains are plainly visible at dis
tance of seventy miles. A number of
our party preferred to walk down the
$50 steps and examine the memorial
stones set in the interior walls that have
been presented by States, territories,
towns and foreign powers to the Father
of His Country" On the first landing
memorial stone given by the State of
Maine. naturally interested US.
Nearby is the Bureau of Engraving
and Printing, which we had just time to
visit before lunch In this building,
branch Of the Treasury builIing, the
paper currency, inland revenue and post
age stamps are engraved and printed,
}, 500 people being employed here. With
a competent lady guide we were shown
over the building. Specimens of the
work of the Bureau were exhibited in
the halls, series of old-time fractional
currency-sh plasters-and $4,000
silver certificate, the largest note issued.
The engraving of the plates is kept
secret. The original plate itself is never
printed from but replica is made of it
for actual use, since a note printed from
a new plate would be considered a copy
of the original and a counterfeit. The
first process witnessed was the printing
of the notes. The silk-fiber paper used
is made at the Crane mills in Dalton,
Mass, and its manufacture is closely
guarded trade secret. The printing is
done on hand-presses, each press-man
receiving 1000 sheets at time. Each
sheet makes four notes. This 1000
count, beginning at the paper mill, is
maintained throughout every depart
ment of the Bureau and is continued
after the notes reach the Treasury.
From here the printed sheets go to the
numbering machines in another room