Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-02-07
ASK PRESIDENT TO
HALT POWER PLANT
Senator NeWIands and Archi-
tects' Committee Call at
White House.
SAY THE ENTIRE NATION
OPPOSES PRESENT PLAN
Urge Chief Executive to Prevent
Further Work Until Thorough
Investigation Is Made.

President Wilson was today
asked to intervene in the fight
over the location OF the govern
ment heating and power plant,
and he said he would consider the
request.
The President was visited by J. T..
Mauran of st. Louis. president of the
American Institute of Architects; J. L.
Fenner of New York, secretary of the
same organization, and Charles w.
| Leavitt of New York. OF the Landscape
Engineers organization of the country.
They were presented by Senator New
lands of Nevada, whose amendment to
the urgent deficiency bill would: II II
| becomes law, stop the construction of
| the building on the site selected by the
Treasury Department.
The visiting architects told the Pres
ident that the impression existed
among architects and engineers
| throughout the country that the loca-
tion of the heating and power plant on
the site chosen would mar the beauty
of that part of Washington and be-
| come an eyesore to the capital and
| dent prevent further work until
thorough investigation has been made
| by the fine arts commission, aided by
competent engineering experts.
Fear a Grave Blunder.
| The visit of the architects was short
and they did little more than point out
to the President that there is fear that
a grave bunder may be made and that
this blunder ought not be permitted
until a complete investigation has been
made by those competent to determine
whether the site selected should be
changed.
In some quarters among architects
there is said to be an impression that
modification of the building, to do
away with the high smokestacks.
might obviate the troubles that are
feared. but today's visitors did not
present this side to the President. They
| want time to have determination
reached by the fine arts commission
| as to whether the site ought to be
changed.
| 1t was presumed at. the White House-
today that the President would refer
| the request of the visitors. the first
on the subject yet made to him, to Sec
retary McAdoo. whose department ar
| ranged the plans for the building, se-
lected the site and let the contract.
Says It Will Not Be Unsightly.
The proposed central heating. lighting
and power plant will not add to .Sle
disfguren of Washington 1t Nfll
not add to the smoke nuisances 1t will
not place more unsightly smokestacKs
! in the landscape. 1t will eliminate
many of these Objectionable features
This is the substance of statement
| issued by Byron r. Newton, assistant
| secretary of the Treasury, II charge of
public buildings and grounds in discus
sion already extensive, of the proposed
situation and appearance of the plant.
and in rebuttal of the suggestion made
that it will be both unsightly and a
public nuisance. The statement is as
follows:
! For some time an active propaganda
| has been at work throughout the coun-
try setting forth that central heat
| ing, lighting and power plant is to be
| esta blished on the Mall near the White
| House, outrs ging the esthetic sense Of
1 Washington and marring the beauties
| of the city, which the whole country is
| interested in preserving. This propa
| ganda has inspired violent published
| expressions and has aroused the hostile
| interest of civic bodies and citizens, re-
sulting in food of protesting tele-
grams to members of Congress. the
| Secretary of the Treasury and other
officials at the National Capital.
Will Not Mar City's Beauty.
| TT is time the truth was told. The
central heating. lighting and power
plant will not add to the Disagreement
| of Washington. 1t will not further
mar it's beauty. 1t will not add to the
| smoke nuisance. 1t will not place more
| unsightly smokestacks in the land
scape 1t will eliminate many of these
Objectionable features.
| Congress is interested in maintain
| ing the beauty of Washington. The
Secretary of the Treasury is jealous
| of the beauty of the National Capital
and jealous in his efforts and desires
| to maintain that beauty. These wer.
the fundamental facts which inspired
Congress, after years of careful in
| vestigation. to authorize and appro-
pirate money for the construction of
| a central heating, lighting and power
plant and to select the site upon which
| 1t should be built.
Will Eliminate Many Smokestacks.
| This power plant, for which a con-
tract was awarded on December "a,
| 1915 will be situated at the foot of
; 18th street on the river front on gov
ernment reservation set apart by the
founders of the city of Washington
for commercial purposes.
, ut will be so remote from the CAPT
tol. from the White House. from all
government buildings and from Penn
| sylvania avenue that it cannot be seen
from these points. 1t will be one mile
and an eighth from the White House
invisible from the White House or
the White House grounds. 1t will be
invisible from the Capitol building.
TT will eliminate from the city of
| Washington seventeen smokesta cks
| now existing on federal buildings,
| which belch forth smoke and gases
from their individual plants.
Persistently Opposed by Company.
ELECTRICITY and steam generated at
this one central point will be conveyed
to all other federal buildings. there
fore. making it unnecessary to main
tain in these individual buildings their
plants and smokestacks.
In all these years that this project
has been studied by Congress and ex-
perts it has been persistently opposed
| by the local company which has been
supplying electricity to the federal
buildings and the city of Washington.
'The erection of the central heating,
lighting and power plant by the gov
| ernment will-unean a net saving to the
| government OF more than one hundred
thousand dollars year in the cost OF
! (COntinued on Tenth PaRel