Evening star., 1938-02-27
By John Clageff Proctor.

AIAoUOIlC dLlO uiVcI CStlllB CCls
ters in Washington and one that can
hardly be matched by the same space
in any other city, for here transpired
events of greatest national import
tance. such as the burning of the
public buildings by the British in
1914, the conduct by the Federal au-
thorities of the Civil War from 1861
to 1865, incidents associated with the
assassination of President Lincoln and
the deaths of other Presidents.
A great banking center, it has had
much to do with stabilizing the Gov
ernment's credit and finance during
periods Of war and depression, and It's
notable crimes and its important So
cial functions have alike made this
vicinity one well worth studying by
those interested in the Washington
of the past.
The first building to be erected on
Fifteenth street was that of the
Treasury, which was begun in 1898.
an! vas the only one of the public
buildings sufficiently completed in
1900 to receive the Secretary of the
the rolls of that department.
OF course, it was not the present
building, for even its dimensions of
81 by LAT feet would prove this not
to be the case, but it was building
sufficient for the purposes, being built
OF brick and stone with two stories
and attic and containing Is office
rooms on each floor. Leonard Har-
baugh was the builder and he re-
ceived for his work the sum of s39,5ll,
but up to 1914 it had cost the Gov
ernment s4s,955.
The plans for the building were
prepared by George Hadfield an Eng
lish architect, VINO for time was
employed to supervise the construc-
tion work upon the Capitol, but be-
cause of the liberty he took with DR..
Thornton's plans, he was relieved. In
1920 his design for the courthouse
or city hall, as it is still called by old
Observation-Disclosures accepted, and
besides this he drew the plans for a
number of other local structures OF
lesser Importance.
THE first Treasury Building covered
part of the site of the present
magnificent structure, its south front
being on line, east and west, with the
south of the White House, and the
east front facing about F street.
AS indicated. it was not pretentious
sort Of building, but at that it was
greatly in demand when the Govern
ment first made its home here, and
when accommodations were so limited
that even the State Department was
forced to seek shelter for its seven
employees and its Office equipment
within its already crowded rooms.
However, it was not destined to be in
existence for many years, and indeed
came very near being destroyed by
fire on January 20, 1901, when it was
saved by flre-bucket brigade of We
olden time, with a number of promi-
nent public officials in line and passing
the bucket-a procedure which may
have given rise to the present popular
course of passing the buck" as a
method of ''extinguishing" discomfort
At this date a fire engine was kept
in the corridor of the building, for we
read that when the War Office was
destroyed, a few months before this
event, 1t was hurried to the scene, but
whether it was burned up in the
Treasury fire or not the writer is
unable to say. 1t is significant as the
first fire engine in Washington.
I,o prif ;v,
and started their several little bonfires
throughout the city the Treasury
Building was designated as being
among the public buildings best
adapted for celebrating the grand en-
trance of Gen. Ross and Admiral Cock
burn into the District of Columbia, and
truly these gentlemen must have been
especially fond of fires, for it is related
that after burning the Treasury
Building and the Presidents Mansion
they repaired to the lodging home of
Mrs. Suter, where, after extinguishing
the lights, they ate their supper by the
blaze of the burning buildings"
This boarding house was then on
the northeast corner of Fifteenth and
F streets and is believed to be the same
building We see there today, or at
least in part.
T THE time of the Treasury fire
of March 80, 1888, no one seemed
to know the cause, and for a while
not even suggestion was offered.
When the first person arrived upon
the scene hunt was made for the
Treasury engine, which was found
locked up in a little building close
by but too small to be of service in
such a big fire. Charles Pryse then
ran to the headquarters of the Frank
lin engine, at the southeast corner
OF Fourteenth street and Pennsylvania
avenue, where he found the door
locked. Indeed, his story, as en-
bodied in his deposition is sufficient
ly interesting to give at least a part
Of 1t, which follows:
Witness without entering the build
ing, Immediately got over the fence
and ran to get the Franklin engine,
distant about a square, near the cor
ner of Fourteenth street and Pennsyl-
vania avenue; found several persons
at the engine house, but the key not
there; went to Mr.. Fullers store,
where he knew there was a key; pro-
cured the key and pair of horses,
which were Immediately put to the
engine, and driven to the fire by Mr..
Fuller; thinks it was about 20 minutes
after he first got to the fire before
the engine got there, and this was the
FIRST on the ground"
Immediately after this latter fire.
Louis McLain, then Secretary of the
Treasury, and during the brief period
he continued to serve, obtained tenn
porary quarters for the department,
and was successful in procuring "the
five continuous buildings on the south
side of Pennsylvania avenue near the
eastern gate of the Presidents square
This space Is now a triangular park
to the north of the Commerce Build