The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1932-12-02

cepted ThOrnton's plan and awarded him the
first premium. AS sort Of consolation prize,
they gave Hallate a premium of $3.50 and APP
pointed him as one of the architects of the Cap
itol with an annual salary of $4,000.
AS supervising architect for the Capitol tai
ented young Irshman named James Hoban,
whose plan for the presidents house" had al
ready been accepted, was appointed and it was
decided to construct the Capitol Of Virginia
sandstone, instead of brick as was first pro-
posed, and the stone was obtained from quar-
ry on Aqua creek. On September IS, 1893, the
cornerstone of the Capitol was laid and from
that time on the work of construction was car
ried on theoretically.
In the meantime congress was meeting in
Philadelphia and had made an appropriation
of $46923 "for the necessary expense of the
removal" of the government to Washington In
June 1900, all the records papers, Office furni-
ture, ETC., Of the various federal departments
were loaded on packet sloops at Philadelphia
and despatched for the new city on the banks
of the Potomac. The officials and clerks num-
bering in all not more than two hundred, went
to Washington in numbering stage coaches, ar
irving after long, firing journey Of nearly
week.
Mrs. Adams, the wife of the Vice President,
has left us a record of her adventures that
trip. She says: "After leaving Baltimore we
wandered about for two hours without finding
a guide path. Woods are all you can see
from the time you leave Baltimore until you
reach the city, which is so only in name. Here
and there is small hut, without glass win
dow, interspersed among the forests, through
which you travel for miles without seeing a
human being"
After enjoying the luxury of life in New York
and Philadelphia most of the government Off
Gals looked with dismay upon this wilderness
city set in mudhole almost equal to the great
Serbonian bog" as one of them described the
new Capital graphic picture of what con-
fronted them is contained in the writings Of
John Cotton Smith, member of congress from
Connecticut, who says:
"Our approach to the city was accompanied
with sensations not easily described. One wing
of the Capitol only had been erected, which,
with the Presidents house, mile distant from
it. both constructed with white sandstone, were
shining objects in dismal contrast with the scene
around them. Instead of recognizing the ave-
nues and streets portrayed on the plan Of the
city, not one was visible, unless we except q
road, with two buildings on each side of it,
called the New Jersey avenue. The Pennsyl-
vania avenue, leading, as laid down paper,
from the Capitol to the Presidential mansion,
was nearly the whole distance a deep morass
covered with elder bushes which cut
through to the Presidents house; and near
Georgetown block of houses had been erected
which bore the name of the six buildings
There were also two other blocks consisting Of
two or three dwelling houses in different di-
rections and now and then insulated wood
en- habitation; the intervening spaces and in
deed, the surface of the city generally, being
covered with scrub-oak bushes on the higher
grounds and on the marshy soil either trees
or some sort of shrubbery. The desolate aspect
of the place was not a little augmented by
number of unfinished edifces at Greenleaf's Point,
and an an eminence a short distance from it,
commenced by an individual whose name they
bore, but the state of whose funds compelled
him to abandon them. There appearedo to be
but two really comfortable habitations In all
respects within the bounds of the city, one of
which belonged to Daniel Carroll and the other
to Motley Young. The roads In every direction
were muddy and unimproved. In Short it was
q new settlement" t
1t was in such an environment as this that
the Sixth congress began its second session on
November II, 1900 the first session held in
the new Capital The north wing of the Capitol.
In which the session W, held was In very In
complete condition, and both houses were
crowded into narrow, badly arranged quarters