The Washington times., 1916-02-08
Cites An Example.

eliminate or minimize the smoke nuis-
ances from any commercial plants
Cites An Example.
"As I dictate this letter I am look
ing from the south window of tho
Treasury Department, on the second
floor. and l can see projecting over
the top of the Department of Agri-
culture building small part Of the
stack of the power plant OF that
building. 1t is hardly sufficient to be
noticed from this point. That stack
Is on an elevation considerably high
er than the point where tie power
plant will be erected and is undoubt-
cdly more conspicuous than Will be
the two stacks from the power plant
when built and which are to be only
l75 feet high or twenty-five feet low
the Potomac Electric Power Com
pany. l speak of this because it pro-
Nides very striking and reliable
illustration of the point in contro-
Nersy. And this stack together with
the stack on the Bureau of Engrav-
ing and Printing, which is the largest
of the executive group, will be re-
moved when the central plant is in
operation.
1T is pertinent believe, at this
point, TO invite your attention to an
alternative proposition which at va
rious times has been presented by the
connection with it's proposal to the
Cove rnmcnt to abandon it's own CEN
tral heating, lighting and power plant
and t. make ten-year contract with
the said company, This proposal OF
the Potomac Electric Power Company
contemplated the enlargement of it's
lOwer plant at FOurtetEt tn and u
streets northwest. This company does
not generate steam. 1t therefore pro-
posed that. if the Government would
abandon it's own plant the Potomac
Company would install at the Four
1eenth and Is streets plant a steam
was stated would be 100000. If tho
plans for the further heautitiCation OF
WASHINGTON. which for several years
have been under consideration are
carried into effect, that section of the
city in which the Potomac Electric
lowcr CoEpanY's plant Is situated
would have to be taken over by the
Government, whereupon the Govern
lnent would be Obliged to pay for
this plant and the additional invest
ment which would be made at that
point 70" supplying the Federal build
ings with steam.
Permit me to suggest that If the
efforts of art societies and civic bodies
We're directed to removing the chief Of
lender against the beauty Of the Mall
and the city of Washington. viz, the
conspicuous and ugly smoke stacks OF
the Potomac Electric Power Company
render Il genuine public service.
Il am not unmindfM of the strong
protests that have been made to Con-
gress and to the Secretary of the
Treasury against the disbursement of
Washington. If such thing were in
contemplation 1t should and would
justify the resentment and the rebuic
of the whole country. and my voice
would be raiseS in protest against any
such action.
Matter of Regret.
But nothing of this character has
been contemplated, and it is a matter
OF sincere regret that patriotic and
well-meaning citizens all over the coun-
try have, without any Investigation on
their part and upon false information
been misled into believing that Congress
and the Secretary of the Treasury are
seeking to establish a distressing blot
upon the face of the National Capital
which in fact and in truth they are
merely striving to remove
shortly after the award Of the con-
tract IN" attention OF the Treasury De-
partinent was called to TIE fact that
drawings 2and specification for the nov
"r'house structure had not been sub
1ntted to the Fine ArtS Commission az
required by President Wilson's execII-
tive order This oversight was due to
The former supervising architect and
the firm of engineers horcinbefore re-
ferred to who were handling tn" project
independent OF the regular business Of
the supervising architects Office. and
kept the files on the subject independent
of the regular office Ml"~. These files
We're not distributd into the leGular Of
ilce files until few DAYS after the
award of the contract Tor the ConstruC-
ton of the plant, and about the time
that l." B. Stilwell & Co.'S connection
with the project was termlnated by the
department. Information that the EXecu
Nv" order had not been complied with
came as q surprise tC the Department,
and lminCdiatG steps were taken to sub
init to the Zine Arts Commission the
plans and specifications.
THE commission objects first to the
SmOkestaCks. At the meetings held be-
foro the Senate Library Committee
they objected not only to the smoke
stacks but the construction OF the
plant on this or any other site, and
suggested an impra Cticable alternative
tho enlargement of the Capitol power
plant, located in Garfield Park. sutfi-
cicntly to serve the holdings named in
IN" sundry civil act. An estimate of the
cost of rnlarGing the Capitol power
liant to accomplish this object is ap-
Il0Ximatcly $1.4G3. 1j7 Tor S4G5& moro
than the cost of building tn" new
pi"nt). and the project would hav" many
objectionable features. From the cngi-
ncrIing side it would ncccssitate tn"
transmission of steam IA miles and
would burden plant desc Ened to care
only Tor the legislative activities of the
Government.
"Tt can readily be demonstrated math-
"mHtically that the SmOkostaCks of the
new power plant will not he visible
from - per cent of the Viewpoints re-
f"rred to by the Fine Arts Commission
! transmit herewith drawing. with the
statement that an observer stationed at
any point within the shaded area will be
unable tn sec even the stacks of the
lev plant.
Il transmit also a number OF photo
graphs taken at and adjacent to the site
of the power plant, showing the COndi-
tlOnS now existing there.
Photos Show Wharves.
"Thcse photographs show the various
lumber whArves. coal wharvrE, railroad
sidlngs, railroad tracks, and in general
the character of the surroundings of
the selected site. | call your particular
attention to the large photograph in
which tho artist has depicted to actual
scale the new power plant building in
tts exact location. This view is taken
from the top OF the Washington Monu-
ment, and it is interesting to note that
tho oily point from which this photo
Eraph could be taken to show clearly
the power house and it's stack is the
top of the Manument. approximately 400