Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-05
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

sistent efforts for more than a year by
the New England delegation in Congress,
under the leadership of Representative
Edith N. Rogers, to have the new Fed
eral Building in Boston constructed of
native granite rather than Indiana lime
stone reminded Assistant Secretary
Ferry K. Heath of the Treasury Depart
ment that granite from the Quincy,
/ Mass quarrieS was used in one OF the
most important masonry structure jobs
at the National Capitalize famous
Cabin John Bridge.
This is recognized as one of the
most notable achievements Of stone
masonry in the world; 1t has single
span of 220 feet and a rfSe of SIPS
! feet. The cut stone arch Is OF Quincy
| granite which has stood well the test
of time since 1868. This bridge was
| erected under the personal supervision
Of Jefferson Davis, then Secretary OF
| War. At he outbreak of the Civil War
Davis named was chiseled from an in
scription on the bridge and the space
was left blank until the name was re-
stored by special act Of Congress dur
! ing the second administration OF Presi-
dent Roosevelt.
Cabin John Bridge was constructed
for the purpose of carrying across the
deep ravine OF Cabin Johns Run the
aqueduct which furnishes Washington
with its water supply from the Potomac
River above Great Falls. The water was
turned into this aqueduct December s.
| 1868.
David Lynn, architect of the Capt.
| toll, also recalls for the New England
! delegation that the white marble in the
walls of the Capitol Building was also
from New England, quarried at Lee,
Mass.
Many questions are raised by the
searching minds of the youth of the
land as they flock to the Capital City
at Eastertime about which in the
steady passing Of days the people here
| aboutS give little thought. The influx
of eager youth from all parts of the
United States stirs Washington up q
| bit, physically, mentally and spiritually
/ also periodically.
Standing behind a group of high
school students from Massachusetts, at
| the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington
Cemetery the other day, We heard
| young miss say, How do you suppose
| they chose the Unknown Soldier'?"
She and others of her disposition are
| directed to a speech by Senator Elmer
Thomas of Oklahoma in the Congress
Sional Record about a year ago, in
| which this question was answered by
Sergt. Edward S. Younger, the man
who selected the caSket one October
| day 10 years ago in a little makeShift
! chapel at Chalons-sur- Marne, France
Senator Thomas will be glad to send q
copy of that speech TO any high school
pupil, on request.
enemy fire near Neufchateau, wounded
in the Argonne drive, returned to
America, re-enlisted and serving at
Mayen, Germany. That is Younger's
war record up to the time he was
ordered as a pallbearer to Chalons-
sur Marine, and faced Col. Harry F.
RetherS of the Army Graves RegiStra-
ton Service. After inspecting the rec
ords of theSe-just good, average SOL
diers-the colonel said: II guess you're
the one, Younger. You'll select the
! Unknown"
! Four unidentified bodies from four
1 different cemeteries, in collins exactly
! alike and each draped with the Stars
| and Stripes, had been placed in the
improyised chapel in the City Hall
They were battlefield Strays; even nov
| the organization units to which they
belonged are not known. Four squads,
one after the other, have shuf1ed these
| collins until they were dizzy.
| Then, while French and American
| officers-Gen. Dubois, Maj. Gen. Rogers
and Gen. Henry T. Allen, commanding
the Army of Occupation-and other
| dignitaries stood waiting outside, Sergt
Younger in the dark and quiet chapel
walked around the four caskets twice
| Then he dropped the bouquet Of pink
and white roses on the coffin to his
right, second from the end, thus desig-
mating forever the Unknown" who
can never during all the centuries to
come be identified. With the dropping
/ of the bouquet, his task completed
! Sergt. Younger turned, saluted-later
accompanied the body to Havre.
Early the next year he returned to
| the United States and eventually worked
! into a job sorting mail in Chicago
postal station.
X X X
Each Representative is allowed $125
annually for stationery for official use.
| The clerk of the house maintains a
stationery room in the House Office
Building, where stationery is furnished
at the cost price.
Representatives elect to the Seventy
second Congress are not entitled to sta
; tionery allowances until and after July
| /, 1881, for the first session unless Con-
| greSS convenes earlier in extraordinary
! session. representatives ELECT are mean
while extended the courtesy of obtaining
| supplies for cash at the cost price.
Il X
| A Representative ELECT has the privi-
! lege of sending free through the mails,
| and under his frank, any mail matter
to any Government official. or, to any
| person, correspondence, not exceeding
ounces in weight, upon official or
departmental business, from the date of
! his election until the LIST day of De-
cember following the expiration of his
| term of Office.
The privilege of sending kilograms on
official business at Government rates
is extended to Representatives-elect
through the Committee on Accounts,
after March 4, 1881.