The Ely miner., 1930-08-01

treasury building, set fire to other gov
ernment structures, and when they de-
parted they left behind them city
virtually in ashes.
Washington. with its smoking ruins,
was in a critical situation. Many
members of congress had never been
fully reconciled to moving the Ma
tional Capital from old-established
Philadelphia to this "backwoods vii
lage," and after the scattered legisla-
tors had reassembled, movement was
started to abandon Washington and re-
establish the seat of government in
Philadelphia. Then a group of lead
ing Washington citizens got busy.
They determined to provide, at their
own expense. suitable meeting place
when the new congress convened on
December A, 1915.
There were 3S of them, and they
formed a stock company and raised by
the sale of stock S17,362. Daniel Car
roll of Duddington with 20 shares, was
the largest stockhoder; and one of the
smallest, with only half share, was
OvertOn Carr, who had been one of
the chief landowners in the district.
They selected a site in the garden of
the old Tunnicliff tavern, formerly the
Washington City hotel, for which, with
the tavern itself, they paid S4612.
They did not get to work until after
the Fourth of July, SO that they had
less than five months for the job. to
be done in the slow, old methods of
hand labor. But they did it, and on
December everything was ready for
the meeting of congress. incidentally,
there was no proposal to move the
government to another place.
The building, of red brick, had three
stories and a high, pitched roof. Its
chief entrance was a wide door on
First street, with a big window over
it. The senate chamber was on the
first floor, and was 10 by 45 feet in
size, which was large enough for the
3S senators of that time. The hall of
the house of representatives was on
the second floor, an arrangement which
provoked the comment that the lower
house had become the upper. 1t meas
ured 45 by 75 feet and gave ample ac-
commodation to the 1S6 members. 1t
had a gallery for spectators and the
press The building had cost about
$4,000, and the government paid for
il a rental and insurance of S1,65O
year.
1t was this structure which for the
next four years housed the government
of the United States. President James
Monroe took the oath of office on
platform erected on the north side of
the building, the first outdoor inaug-
uratiOn ceremonies since Washing
toms in New York. and the one which
established the precedent for the in
duction into Office of later Presidents.
But even more important during the
four eventful years of the Old Brick
Capitol's early history were the acts
of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth con-
crosses which met in it. During that
time its walls resOunded to the or
atory of the three giants in those
days"-Clay, then speaker of the
house, Webster and Calhoun. and
these men and their colleagues passed
bills which are now an essential part
Of our history.
They granted charter for 20 years
to that bank of the United States
against which Andrew Jackson waged
his famous fight. They appropriated
a million a year for eight years for
naval construction. They authorized
the President to engage John Trum
bull to make his four big paintings
for the new Capitol that was to be
They granted to Revolutionary vet