Evening star., 1915-06-06
PLACED CONVENIENT
TO THE PRESIDENT
Four Buildings Entire Working
Force of the Government
in Early Days.
SOME FOREST GROWTH
IN AND AROUND THEM
First Of Group, the Treasury, On
Part of the Site Of the Present
Structure, Was Burned in 1888.

Structure, Was Burned in 1888.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS. NO. 2.
By JAMES CROGGON.
The first article On old public buildings wss
published IN last Sundays Star.)
inc four executive buildings housing
the entire working force Of the gov
ernment. with the exception Of the post
al force. were situated convenient to
the ohicial residence Of the President
There was in and around them some
forest growth. From about 1890 the
water supply originally piped from
franklin Square to tho Executive Man.
sion was carried to hydrants in de-
partment yards There had been little
improvement in and around the square,
much of the ground north and south Of
the Executive Mansion not having been
graded.
In the early days. the homes of de-
partment and bureau heads and en-
or mile of their desks, and up to
1924, when the rule ito the victors be-
long the spoils" operated. the tenure Of
once appeared to be lasting. Many who
nad come here with the government in
1870 were still literally Showing the
quill. and a number of these were
revolutionary patriots. in whose cases
old age seldom counted.
In the twenties the administration of
pension laws and the conduct Of Indian
zations Pension and bounty land laws
had been administered since 1888 by
clerks in the Office of the Secretary Of
war, where Col James l. Edwards.
VINO became commissioner Of tho pen
sion bureau on its organization under
act of March 2. 1888. was employed.
The bureau of five clerks was first To-
Gated in the northwest corner of the
basement Of the War Department build
ing. The management Of Indian affairs
was also In the War Department from
1888. but the Indian trade service was
conducted by Col. Thomas l.. McKenny
in Georgetown, having been organized
IN 1871. The bureau was created by
act of July 9, 1882.
Destruction Of Treasury Building.
Saturday night April 81. 1893, the
nrst OF the executive buildings. that
at the southwest corner of 18th and
streets. occupied by the Treasury, was
destroyed by fire. A few minutes after
sundown the watchman at the Bank of
the Metropolis, at the northeast corner
from a window and at once gave an
alarm. The building was found to be
locked on the inside and was forced
open, and young man who was doing
duty as a watchman for his father had
to be reused from sleep. The alarm soon
brought out the clerks Of the depart
ment, who manned small engine,
called the Alert, kept for the protection
OF the department, and the Franklin
and other companies, the former COM
q mt Hnr NJ fr1n RI
The fire resulted very nearly in
total destruction OF the building, but
many of the records were saved The
force the following week was moved
bricks. on the site OF the Hotel Grand
and Polls, at the corner of Pennsyl-
vania avenue and 18th street.
Primitive Heating Methods.
Though the means of heating the
building were primitive, mostly by
wood fire in the numerous chimneys,
and from the combustible nature of the
contents led many to suppose that it
was an accidental fire, others thought
otherwise. One of the clerks was said
to be a defaulter, and the Secretary
had called on him for an explanation
of his accounts. AS he did not make
his appearance on the scene until some
time after the fire, he was suspected
and charged with the crime of setting
fire to the building. and later was tried
and acquitted. 1t came out during his
trial. however, that there was pending
in the Office a claim in which false evi-
dence had been filed, and from the tes-
then taken grew out the arrest
of two brothers named White. These
two men were arrested some time
one of them being followed
over much of the western and southern
country before his apprehension. They
were tried separately. and 1t was claim
ed that the party who had filed the
false evidence. being fearful of arrest /
and trial. had, through noted crimi-
nal. hired the brothers to destroy the
papers, and one of them came to the
city as a colporteur and took up his resi-
dence on 11th street near F. and while
he was engaged in selling Bibles to the
clerks. he took note of the desks, ETC.,
in the building. 1t was claimed that he
entered the building by means Of Span
ish nippers. and placed in one of the
desks a contrivance which caused the
and locked the door behind him. One
of these brothers was convicted and
sentenced to the penitentiary for seven
years and the other escaped on a tech |
nicality. These trials took place in 1887. |
New Treasury Building Erected.
By the act of July 4, 1886, an ap.
~ Opi ldLloI WdS I1duc 1OT d lie" lTS1S-
Try building. and the result was a
portion of the present building fronted |
oy the colonnade on 18th street with
wing. About 1841- the department
'ound itself in the new quarters, the
entire cost of which was over 100000.
The south portion was first completed
Ind the treasurers Office. which now
axes up such a large portion of the
lew building, was in this wing in
,ut three rooms with the vault built in
he side OF one of the rooms. The Of
Ices were gradually settled in the
The Attorney General was
bird auditors, the first controller, the
general land Office, the register and
'thers occupying places in the new
uilding. The second auditor. however,
emained in the War Department. the
ourth auditor in the navy building,
he fifth auditor in the State Depart
nent. as also the second controller.