The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-05-01

| Line senate OIllCo DuliulHS, OlL thOAC
| at the left, has had its face lifted
and a handsome face it now is, with
long row of Roman Doric columns.
| A street car line that once married the
scene dips discreetly underground Be
meath broad lawn is a subterranean
garage in which 270 senatorial cars
can be parked.
Supreme Court Building.
| But to look upon the latest browning
| glory Of Capitol hill one should stand
| on the front steps of the Capitol,
where Presidents are inaugurated, and
see the new Supreme Court building,
its beauty heightened by the green of
trees and grass.
1t occupies a historic site. Early
| patriots in powdered wigs forgath-
| cred at q famous old hotel run by
William Tunnicliff on this spot before
the War of 1912. After the British
burned the Capitol in 1914, a building
erected here housed congress until the
marks Of the torch were erased. In
! Civil war times it was used as a
military prison.
Everything about the Supreme courts
home Is on a majestic scale.
| Look at those blocks of marble, one
| at each side Of the steps. Each block
weighs As tons. They are two of the
heaviest marble blocks ever brought
into Washington.
The two bronze doors weigh 5000
pounds apiece. The eight Corinthian
columns are 511a feet high. The pedi-
ment above them catches the eye, not
alone for it's size, but for its interest
ing sculptures in which the features
| of historic or living men are recog-
| nized.
Inside the massive bronze portals
main hall lined with SO stately COL
umns-each made from one solid piece
of stone-leads to the courtroom where
the nine blackrobed justices sit. At
their own request, the room was made
only about 60 per cent larger in floor
area than the old Supreme court room
in the Capitol.
Behind the courtroom are the quar-
ered-oak-paneled offices Of the justices,
each of whom will have about as much
space as all had together in the crowd
ed Capitol. Only three had offices
there at all, and most of the members
of the court do much of their work at
home. To assure the justices privacy,
the new buildings corridors can be
closed by big bronze gates.
Wonderful Libraries.
In the Folger Shakespeare library,
down the street, reposes fine collec-
ton of books and Elizabethan treas
ures, even the supposed corset of
Queen Elizabeth, solemnly slowed
away in a vault and shown only to a
chosen few.
Behind the Library of Congress an
annex almost to double its capacity is
being built, although already it is the
largest library in the world, with more
than 9,S40,000 books, pamphlets, pieces
of music, and other items at the latest
count.
Down from Capitol hill, past shin
ing new House Office building lately
reared beside the first one. the trail
of the new Washington leads to Penn
sylvanla avenue.
In some of its now vanished build
ings-masses of rubble and ruined
walls then-the first bricks few in the
bonus army" riots of 1882.
Halfway along "The Avenue" be-
tween the Capitol and White House,
there stretched off to the left in the
early days of the city dreary swamp
where Westinghouse were wont to
shoot "reedbirds"
Later the swamp was filed in, and
the old Center Market, dubbed the
Marsh or MASH" Market, was erect
ed there. Five years ago, the ram
shackle market buildings still occu-
pied the spot, and thousands Of rats
inhabited the premises which had long
been cOrnucopia for them.
An energetic government hit upon
this location as a key point in it's
building program. Here would rest
the tip of the Federal Triangle. Wreck
ing operations began. Scientific Pied
! Pipers from the Agricultural depart
ment disposed of the rats. which at
first devoured the workmen's lunches.
On this unlikely site now stands a
structure in many ways unique-the
National Archives building.
Here for the first time is a worthy.
safe, and permanent home for the pre-
cious records Of the nation, some
scrawled in faded ink on yellowed
paper by early patriot hands, others
punched out on modern typewriters,
or even contained in sound motion-pic-
ture films which will be preserved and
shown here.
To guard against deterioration-to
keep Father Time at bay as long as
possible-both sunlight and natural air
are barred from the archive storage
sections, which are windowless.