Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-13

Among the jurymen who sat In the third trial
of Richard White which began April 20 1897,
and which resulted In hung jury, was Michael
Larner member Of q well known local family
of that name.
Undoubtedly the most unfortunate part Of
this hre was In the loss Of valuable papers,
such rs could not be replaced among which
were those relating to the Revolutionary
county land script and the correspondence of
the Secretary Of the Treasury from the COM
mencement of the Government up to 1882 In
Guiding the rough draughts of the letters of
the Secretary and the answers thereto"
TMNGEDIATELY after the destruction Of the
Treasury Building the Secretary, Louis Nc
Lane, sought to obtain temporary quarters for
the department and was successful IN procur-
ing "the i've contiguous buildings ON the south
side Of Pennsylvania avenue nearest the eastern
gate of the Presidents square" Polls Theater
covers O part Of this temporary location.
The design for the central part Of the pres
cnt Treasury Building is that Of Robert Minis,
which was accepted In 1885, and no doubt work
was commenced upon 1t Immediately, for Sess-
ford tells US in his Annals for the following
year that Great progress has been made In
the construction of the new Treasury Building
and Patent Once"
The same author tells us IN 18le that The
new Treasury and Patent Once Buildings are
now occupied" and In 1855 notes also: The
extension of the Treasury Building has COM
nenced. and q considerable portion Of the
cellar-foundation walls laid Of hammered gram
lite, thick and solid work" The following year
he says: Great progress has been made On
the south Treasury Building extension, the front
Of which Is Of granite"
In 1855 the old State Department Building
which stood about opposite street, was re-
moved and work on this wing immediately
commenced and sufficiently completed by March
4, 1859. to permit Grants inaugural bali TO be
held there. Both the north and the south
extensions were designed by Thomas o. walter
This massive structure Is one OF the most
handsome public buildings In Washington Its
modified Grecian architecture and Ionic coll
umns appeal to all lovers Of art, and it is not
strange that the suggestion has been made to
modify the State, War and Navy Building to
the west OF the white House, TO conform to
this beautiful structure.
Its dimensions are eco feet on fifteenth
street and 264 feet on Pennsylyania avenue
1ts location has never seemed to be IN keep
ing with the original scheme, which wms to
leave an unObstructed view from the white
House to the Capitol. but any serious hun
der was made IN placing 1t here that fault b
charged to President JacksOR, who It d. Sad,
becoming impatient at the delay Of the arehi-
tect In selecting the site, walked over the
ground one morning, planted his. cane IN the
extreme northeastern corner, and said Here.
AtchS, SeAklS bklc eOxDer SbOfc -f410, ana
the present location Of the building ID evi.
dence Of the fact that his imperative instruc-
tions were obeyed.
Had it not been for this incident. there are
reasons for believing that the building would
have been placed lower down Fifteenth street. :
toward where the Commerce Building Is now
being erected.
with all the grandeur Of this building how
ever what appeals most to the writer Is the
statue Of Alexander Hamilton which adorns the
south portico, facing the statue Of Gen. Sher-
man and the marble shaft erected to "the
Father OF His Country
This statue Of Hamilton is placed here pri-
mariIy because he was the FIRST Secretary OF the
Treasury. but Hamilton was even more than
this; he was . great nnancier, great soldier
and patriot. great jurist great statesman
and great In everything he undertook. Indeed
the more we openly exhibit to cur own people