Evening star., 1936-08-30

bAoA ~ A~SAA Y ~
street. A conference hall with seat
ing capacity of 900. two stories high
and with a balcony. contains a projec-
tion booth, screen and stage.
The basement cafeteria, where / 500
persons may be served at one time.
will be furnished with all the latest
steam table and noise control devices
on the market. and is not only air.
cooled-a rarity in Federal eatins
salons-but is naturally lighted by
a glass roof There will be four
steam tables placed SO that customers
for each table may be served and
leave the dining room without cross
ing any other line of traffic Waiting
in line with trays. it is thought, will
be reduced to minimum.
THE building covers 5l2 acres. is
seven stories high. and was erect
ed at cost of Sl2.000,0O0 according
TO Mr.. Darnell. Twenty passenger
elevators and two freight elevators
are supplemented by escalators. run
ming from the basement to the second
floor, at both the north and south
ends of the structure These escala-
tors, it Is thought. will prevent en-
ployes from starting the days work
in nervous state and crushed cloth
ing from trying to board crowded up
ward bound elevators and being in
convenienced by other lift riders
while they exit at every floor.
1t is the first time in the history
of the world, as far as Mr.. Darnell
knows, that the escalator has been
used in an Office building The
Interior escalators are reversible, not
two way. like the usual ones in de-
partment stores. In the morning they
run up, of course, and in the evening,
down.
All but the heaviest mechanical
equipment is centralized on one me
chanical' fioor-steam pipes, hot
water tanks, water condensers and
part of the ir-conditioning apparatus
located between the fifth and six
floors and called floor five and half.
1t is thought this novel arrangement
will facilitate watering. washing,
warming and cooling Interior workers.
A library extending from the base
ment TO the second floor in the south
west corner Of the building, with six
tiers Of stacks, will congregate the
collections Of each department for
greater reference convenience. Only
the library of the geological survey
section will remain in the old build
ing. DR.. J. C. Wright of the Voca--
tional Education Bureau of the de-
partment heads committee to plan
for the library. upon which Mrs.
Sarah Vought of the Bureau of Educa-
ton Library Is prominent member.
Whether to Call the two structures
the old and the new Department Of
Interior buildings and let it 20 at
that Is still undecided, according to
Mr.. Demaray. 1t has been suggested
that the buildings be differentiated
by referring to the new one as the
south building and the old as the
north building, he says. but the
answer will probably be left to usage.
IT IS fond hope Of Secretary Ickes,
Of course, as he said when the
corner stone Of the building was laid
by President Roosevelt last April, that
the name of the department be
changed to Department Of Conserva-
ton. THE nature and extent OF the
activities for which the department
is responsible cannot be gathered
from the name by which We were
baptized the Secretary said.
The Presidents own statement at
that time. recommending vigorous
continuing national policy Of conservs-
tion," was regarded as Endorsement of
the secretary's plea that the present
title does not indicate the principal
purpose Of the department-that OF
conserving the natural resources Of
the Nation depleted by negligence.
Congressional action on the new no.
menclature. however, is a matter for
future conjecture.
The gentlemen who are concerned
with mapping the world so that We
may get about on it without mishap,
who deal with Indian pottery and
Eskimo reindeer, volcanoes, geysers,
lava flows, the insane and the deaf, the
Alaska Railroad, Howard University
for Negroes, soil erosion and oil. hsh
and trees-to mention a limited list
are happy about their new house.
Their enthusiasm about Its dignity OF
conception and perfection of detail Il
contagious.
Soon they will be able to return from
the far islands, mountain tops, reser-
vations and rivers, over which the
Star Spangled Banner flies. to find
their offices and secretaries where they
left them, rather than switched from,
one Washington ONCE building to an
other.