Omaha daily bee., 1918-11-06
Big Things IN Washington
. Staff Correspondence Brooklyn Eagle.

The government dormitories lot women Wal
workers are nearly completed The hrst two
groups will take care of about $500 women, Tor
the most part in single rooms, third group
will be ready later, consisting OF small apart
ments with kitchenettes. For long time there
has been great curiosity as to what the gov
eminent would charge its boarders. 1hls has
been at last satisfied by the announcement that
the rate for each woman will be $4S month
That will secure for her good room in
brand new building, with breakfast and dinner
on week days and three meals on Sundays.
Already there is rush to register for rooms
in the government buildings. The dormtorles
are less artistic than the older war buildings
and they will be quite plain inside, but to the
war worker who is far from home they are in
hnitey more attractive than the average board
ing house, Also, the new rate indicates that
they will be cheaper. Few women are now able
to get rooms for less than SIS month, or
meals for less than $50 or $685. The government
of course, is not running boarding houses to
make profit 1t simply figures to pay the
interest on the investment.
There is every prospect that there will be
stampede to get out of private boarding houses
and into the government establishments Just
how this will be regulated does not appear to
be decided War workers who have been here
from the beginning claim priority, while gov
eminent officials would prefer to have the dor
mitories occupied by newcomers, which will
city. One thing is assured: The government
will not need to advertise for boarders
The Navy and War departments have just
about finished moving into the largest Office
building in the United States, and therefore, in
the world. 1t is located on the edge of Po-
tomac park, is built of concrete, three stories in
height, and has floor space of AZ acres. 1t
stands on what was originally the bed of the
Potomac river. the entire site being artifcialy
made land. Concrete piling had to be driven
to sustain the enormous weight fact which
added greatly to the cost of the structure.
New Workers may obtain a notion of the
extent Of this structure by comparing it to the
Equitable building, which is al stories in height,
but has 81 900 feet less floor space. The Navy
and War building, if turned into three-story
structure 90 feet wide, would be nearly two
miles long. Its floor space is equal to four and
a half miles of Pennsylvania avenue, between
curbs. Its total cost. including the heating
plant, is $7,265,OO0. If the office space in this
vast structure were available for private rent
ing at Washington rates it would bring an in
come of 100000 a year.
A night Waterman employed in this build
ing, if he had to make a complete round of the
corridors, would travel II miles. If plumber
was called on to- inspect all the radiators he
build the Equitable building and 5H months to
build the Navy and War building.
There is plenty of light in the new building,
as may be guessed from the fact that there are
10000 window shades. There are two restau-
rants with capacity of $4,000 meals per day
and with seating room for 2,400 at one time
In the rear of the structure there is parking
space for 500 automobiles. Some New Yorker
please figure out how many automobiles can be
parked in the rear of the Equitable building
A week ago 10 army arplanes duly press
agented, appeared over Washington and gave
really fine exhibition of flying. They circled
over the public buildings around the White
House, around the monument and around the
capitol dome. They travelled singly and in
squads. They looped the loop in unison and
performed all sorts of stirring evolutions in
perfect coordination. 1t was great show A
few people stood on the roofs and looked at it,
but for the most part nobody paid the least at
tention to it. >The IS avators did not succeed
in landing on the first page of single news
paper.
few days later, unheralded, dirigible bal
loon meandered into town from Akron, 0. The
news spread like prairie fire. Everybody ran
into the street to see the "blimp." 1t dawd1ed
along clumsily, with not a single fancy trick to-
show, and finally squatted its ungainly bulk in
the middle of the army flying field on the out
skirts of the city The "blimp" made the first
page in every newspaper and furnished an eve
nlng's conversation.
Such is the difference between news and his
tory, as this town sees it. Washington never
before laid eyes on "blimp" But as for air
planes, they are in the flivver class Nobody
stops to look at one, unless it runs into a tree
or tries to climb house.
The dictionary says:
"Egg-nog-A drink made of milk, eggs and
spirits, sweetened."
Mr. Hoover's Food Administration says:
"Egg-nog-One egg beaten thoroughly into
a glass of milk, drop or two of vanilla and
pinch of sugar with little salt"
Washington swears by the dictionary and at
the Food Administration. Eggnog got into the
limeght because of the influenza. The Food
Administration recommended it as a nourishlng
food for fu-strcken war workers. Folks
thought eggnog was great idea, but they
wanted to make it in the old-fashoned way.
Most of them couldn't because spirits haven't
been sold in this town for year. Those who
have their cellars stocked can do it. but they
are in minority. Aside from the total aridity
of the Food Administration eggnog, from the
standpoint of brandy or whisky there was
general complaint that it was stingy from the
| standpoint of sugar. Something more than
pinch" of sugar went into the eggnog on which
Washington was brought up.
The war egg-nog has not made hit. 1t
may be nourshing, but, like the near-beer that
came to town with prohibition, it lacks authority
that is, OF course, in the opinion of the egg
nos experts of the capital, who are numerous
company and who hold the past in reverent
memory, even if they find no JOY in the present
i