Evening star., 1933-05-07

IW Ieiu6e, ana SetvanLS room, WIN 0eQ
bath. should make it very easy and pleasant
for Mrs Hess to escape the everlasting "serv-
ant problem" In the rear Is . wall-inclosed
yard which probably will be used for anything
but . place in which to dry clothes because in
the basement of the menage is an electric dry.
ing room as well as electric washer and ironer.
The house Is heated, lighted and electrically
operated from current passed on from the Cap
itol and is the only private home in Washing
ton to be connected with the Capitol tele-
phone system And. right here. please, please
catch your breath page DR.. Cannon and Rip
ley. while you read that in the basement is Q
closet Of room-sze, built. designated and air.
cooled for the sole and happy use as q wine-
cellar!
died and polished stairs lead to the second
floor and into hall large enough for q eood-
sised den or studio. To the east is the master
bed room. with private bath having glassed In
shower and sunken tub. On the left are two
more rooms. facing south and north. and sepa-
rated by another well-appointed bath
The house. standing entirely alone. has in
Vulnerable windows. each provided with Vene-
tian blinds and copper screens; and every corr
nice. pipe and roof is Of copper. Grass plots.
front and rear are watered by sunken copper
pipe systems. The dwelling, finally. has wnat
every woman seldom knows but always deeply
desires closets. closets and more closets. There
isn't . niche nor abutment which has not
been made into some sort OF q closet For this
Is the House That Uncle Sam Built.
In front of the old cottage Is q yard sur.
rounded by an iron fence and within this in
closure grows boxwood hedge, similar in de-
sign to one at Mount Vernon, and in all prob
ability. well over 100 years old. II present
plans carry, this box will later be carefully
transferred to the new quarters.
Director Hess, . widower, in 1925, married
ff1u Co1lo ohov - aR
assistant deputy marshal of the District OF
this union are two sons. Joseph Wesley, aged
8. and Gordon Anthony. year younger. These
healthy. merry youngsters are the only ones
in America whose actual home playground
nestles at the very foot Of the Capitol of the
United States. And if . misdirected foot ball
or base ball smashes through q pane of glass
in certain conservatory-well, what the heck!
A this point . swift resume of the history
OF the Botanic Gardens Cor Botanical Gar
dens. If you will; for as far back as 1900 and
up to the present times, both names are in
use and print) and what they have led up to.
may prove Of interest. In May, 1888, the gar.
dens viii be precisely lis years Of good, ripe,
old ase. Senator Fess Of Ohio. laying the corner
sbcne Of the new conservatory Of the Greater
Gardens on November II, 1891, emphasized the
fact that it was an institution almost - ed
a. the Nation itself, was really . fulfllment Of
the plans of George washington, and the sub.
ject Of considerable and lively correspondence
between the first President and the "Commis.
xionefs Of the Federal District Is far hack
rs 1796.
It was in 1890. after some years Of discussion
Of various plans and means that the Columbian
YyNcfd TINT <>f Ats
secured passage Of congressional bill for .
5-aore tract to be known and used as . bo-
tan1cal garden. The site first chosen was that
Of the Patent Office. between F and G, Seventh
and Eighth streets. A little later this was
changed to . location ON the low and swampy
T1ber Greek region. at the base of the Capitol
Lack Of funds slowed up development and.
except for occasional somewhat moribund as
sistance Of Capitol gardener, the scheme lay
dormant until 1840 In that year the Federal
Government acquired large quantity of rare
plants and seeds collected by the United States
Exploring Expedition of the South Seas-1838-
1640. Interest in the project was renewed and
the gardens and all they meant to posterity
and public became q living thriving issue.
These gift-specimens were at first placed in .
small dollhouse at the Patent Office, under
charge Of william D. Breckenridge, one of the
South Sea naturalists, but in 1850 were trans
ferred to q greenhouse hurriedly built at the
present Mall site.
Some Of these plants still live and many
specimens, both here and all over the world,
are descendants of those brought back by the
expedition which had been under command Of
Capt. Charles Wilkes, U. s. N. Edward Clark,
architect of the Capitol in 1867, drew designs
from which the present main conservatory was
built, and from time to time have sprung up
about this mother house 10 children green-
houses. an Of which are now in extremely
C0Nti~Wed or Sepcxth Paee