Evening star., 1933-09-03

The following letter Of protest IN
The Star Of August 27, 1888. indicates
that feeling regarding public architec-
ture In the Capital half century ago
Sm;+hso,;o, was highly sensi-
DETACHMENT Perhaps a pro-
test from The
star Will prevent an act Of vandalism
now in process of perpetuation on the
once beautiful exterior OF the Smith
sonian Building. In the north front.
toward the east end Of the building
which is now being reconstructed. the
architect theaven save the mark has
inserted a row Of six rectangular open-
ings for windows! That he knows how
to construct window openings more in
harmony with the original architectural
design Of the building is evident from
the fact that the new openings for
windows in the south front. which cor
respond to those Of which 1 write are
arched. 1t would involve some expendi-
ture OF time and labor and money to
substitute for the impudent atrocities
now inserted in the north wall proper
arched openings; but it is not too late
In the construction for it to be done,
and surely no builder. or no individual
IN authority, ought to be allowed to
thus needlessly deface beautiful build.
ing which belongs to the public and not
to the temporary official or to the
accidental builder who has secured a
job Of masonry
The insensibility to artistic con-
sistency which could permit the con-
tiguous erection of building so glar-
1ngly inharmonious as the new National
Museum. an overgrown specimen of what
may be characterized as lager beer saloon
No G,,1
the Norman Gothic as the Smithsonian
permits little hope that any of the
Smithsonian authorities will, of their
motion. interfere to save the exterior
beauty Of the building. It must be
rescued from further DETACHMENT by
public protest, if at all
washington was keenly interested
nifty years ago in the project in extern
sion Of the water supply by the digging
town to the new
NeW water reservoir east of the
SnnnIu plon Howard University
bef l. 1883. prints detailed description
of the project which was then about
to be started. In general this work was
carried out as thus planned, though
with one important exception. The
account in The Star stated that the
tunnel was to be about 20,826 feet long.
II feet wide and 7l2 feet high, and
continued:
THE formation through which the
tunnel will be driven is believed to be
a compact gneiss rock. such as may be
seen in close proximity to the line ex-
posed in quarries and the outcrops OF
the valleys in Rock Greek and of
Foundry Branch. where two of the
working shafts are located. and else
where. At the site of the east shaft a
trial shaft has been sunk and $500
feet west Of this. on the line, a bore
hole put down into the rock. These
show the same characteristic formation
which is exposed at Rock Greek.
Foundry Branch and elsewhere a.ong
the line where the rock outcrops on the
surface or where it has been guarded
or otherwise excavated."
When the tunnel was practically
completed 1t was found that the rock
through which it was driven, instead
Of being, as indications had shown, of
q compact solid nature, was scanned
and. furthermore. it had q tendency to
disintegrate upon exposure to the air.
This, 1t was seen, would permit a
leakage Of the water when turned In
under pressure from the western
reservoir, so that, 1t was estimated, little
or none would reach the new point Of
distribution near Howard University.
So 1t was decided to line the tunnel
throughout with a brick core behind
which the space would be filled by
rubble masonry By trickery of the con-
tractors this back-filling was only par
italy done. Discovery of this fraud
led to court-martials and suits and q
heavy additional expenditure of District
funds.