Evening Star Newspaper, November 12, 1892, Page 11

~~ E THE EVENING PLEASING LITTLE ONES Representing Giants, Dwarfs and Various Strange Animals. eeaceees MANY TRICKS FOR WINTER. Explanation of the Various Deceptions for ‘the Amusement of the Little Ones—Reud- My Accomplished With Hlome-Made Cos- tames. ERYBODY LOVES the long winter even- ings when the members of the family gather around the sitting room fire and stories or games are always wel- | comed with joy by the young ones. A visit to the toy shops shows a wonderful incresse in devices for pleasing the little ones every year, snd just preceding Christmas one is at 2 loss to know how to select. But after all some of the ingentous methods for home entertainment of the children that grown folie of the present day r ure are di parapherna: js not very extensive, and hence are at everybody's command. The | impersonations described in this article can be Feadily made and will be found to be very en- tertaining. THE DwaRr. “Here we are agai he turns ten somerets and makes hai ; soam I here, ladies and please you this evening. thet is, i pleased with anybody alt the world over, have beon great favorites. remember when I was «mailer than I now and when my nurse used to take me up w°. one hand and talk F mn tomeand a wh men g in ne vhe said, | 3 v he is a little tootaer. woosey,”* or words of the seme meaning: then they would all fall to kissing me. as I hope some of you will do thie evening | This was Charley's Christmas Eve speech, as | dozen he stood npon the piano. w:th immense boots on bis little feet, and gesticulating most violently with his unnatural looking arms. In other words, Charley was persovating a dwarf. HOW THE THING Is DONE. is picture you see how the thing is done. bis hands, resting He putea pair of boots on them on the piano, while s Rebind him and reaches hisha shoulders. A loose cloak or sh: sbout the dwarf so as to allow the arms of No. 2 to project and appear as if they belonged to No. 1, the dwarf. This performance should take place ina doorway, where a curtain can be so arranged as to hide the bead and body | Ne. 2 ¥ it further e Xp lanation it ean seen that the “dwarf trick” is very easily per- formed, and it always affords great amusement. The next 5 was the entrance of the elephant. This was very funny. The Aceper walked alongside while little Eddie he monster's back. It was quite a 1 the heeper explained bow it was tame and ne need be frightened at appearance. He would not hurts AN ELEPHANT IN THE ROvOH. Twe gentlemen wearing rubbers place them- selves in the position represented, while the foremost one holds something in his hands. This i» a gray shawl or table cover, rolled up to represent the elephant’s trunk, which the former swingy about to produce a life-like effect. All that now remains to be do: into Produce a gray blanket and spread it over the United operators, fastening two pieces of round paper with black dots on them, in the proper Places. for eyes, ands couple of rags ur old mittens forears. The elephant is .now com- plete, save the tusks. These can be made out of twisted! paper. pinned to the inside of the blanket, and then you have a first-rate ele- pdaat for a Christmas parts ‘TRE OTASCUTES, OR NIGHT KowLeR, After the elephant badYeft in camea more ferocious though smaller animal, called the California gyascutus, or night howler. Pre- ‘igus to the entrance invo the patlor was héard 1 the adjoining room the clanking of chains, ith unearthly howls aud commanding voiee of the keeper. Suddenly the door opened Sud in be walked, as shown above, utterivg | bis teboard, Mowt hideous notes through ap deers 7 be so. snout, assisted in the uproar by the children, either terrified or trying to all with great pleas | excel, particalsely if the | | monster. us the clown says, when | Below you will eee how he iv made. | aie y | | TRE GTASCUTUS SKINNED. | All that is wanted to make a night bowler is a pair of boots and a brown paper cap, s rough shawl, or, as in this casg, a bear skin sleighing | Fobe and the gyascutus is complete. | | THE CALIFORNIA GIANT, AND HOW BE IS MADF. ‘The door opened again and in bobbed this His vonthful face added to his great ture was the admiration of all. After ratis- ing himself by examining the pictars on the wall, the top border o! an other objects of bigh art, he bobbed himself His cane was @ more or less than and his cloak of x past fashion: «till « x owed to © some eccentricities. tion was ow it came about was thix wise: fs placed on the shoniders of — man, a long coat of ofercoat over the two, and the monster is made. If quite y the | 1 ed by anda hat about six sou giant complete. d from the adj room m the melodeo funeral of the a THE DWARF'S FUSERAL. ‘That he had eaten too much turkey and, like the turkeys themselves, had given up all inter- estin the holidays. Soon one of the doors opened and in # solemn procession walked past two of our company with the dwarf, with powdered face and closed eyes, as shown ‘in the above engraving. = When the cortege arrived in the middle of the room, and just as everrbody waa getti very solemn. the corpse for the occasion parted, the head and the pillow out of one door, the boot and sticks out of the other, changing very ddenly the expression on the countenances of the audience. THE DWARF MISSING. How this was managed will become tolerably clear on examining the above engraving. A | rather taller person in the rear with a pair of boots or his hands resting on the forward person's shoulder, bis Deol tarown beck mad | something around his neck to represent a pil- low, a couple of sticks siung as represented, the whole covered with a sheet or quilt, will be sufti- ghastly to supply (with the other things ed in this column) the necessary fun er's evening. NOT ENOUGH EMPTY CARS. Unable to Ship Their Prodact Reading company complains of lack of empty cars, in consequence of the blockade of loaded coal cars at water shipping points and city terminals. In order to relieve the blockade and also to restrict the product that is now Deing placed on the market the company is only working its best collieries full handed. ‘The Coal Compan: | Others are making as small shipments as possi- ble without a complete shut-down, while some of the more expensive places have closed down altogether. General Manager Sweigard, General Superin- | fy tendent Bonzano and other prominent officials | have made a thorough inspection at Schuylkill Haven, Palo Alto and St. Clair to see wherein the company to better advantage. The Blackwood colliery jana the York Farm colliery, operated by the Lehigh Valley Coal Company, it is expected, will shut down any day, owing toascarcity of empty cars. At Blackwood over 200 loaded | cars are now standing awaiting removal, and nearly the same number are on the sidings at the latter colliery. “One of the causes assigned is that there is too much coal stocked at Perth Amboy, and the cars cannot be unloaded. The cause is also at- tributed to the present injunction pending in the New Jersey cases against the combine. William Penn colliery, owned by Pennsylva- nia capitalists, but shipping over the Reading | ing the completion of a Pennsylvania branch into it, shut down the other day, osten- sibiy for want of water, but principally from inability of the Reading company to furnish empty cars. Several collieries operated by Eckley B. Coxe & Co. in the Lehigh region sus- pended operations a few days ago owing to the same catse. These, with the Lehigh Valley Coal Company's coilicries above mentioned, come into direct competition with the coal of the Teading combine, and the Coxe shut-down only includes collicries shipping over Reading. Coxe is handling a very large quantity over the Pennsylvania wherever the lines of that com- BRRLSt® be resched: directly from hie ool- see perated beyond endurance at the worthiessness of a play, shouting outwith one voice, “Give us back our orders,” has a new significance today. A correspondent points out that a bundle of printed orders may be to the wily manager a | profitable sort of investment. The bolder of | the “paper” for the gallery is told the place is | full. He pays the difference to the pit. | ‘The pit is full, so the pit order is transferred to the boxes. with a supplement, and so on to pith theee ferences, the tn every dressed in small starlet cloaks, with swansdown i and Berlin Ready dressed company them. Fed were called ‘Zumpha.' heavy traffic could be handled | RARE OLD DOCUMENTS That is the Rage in This City at Present. ONE MAN’S COLLECTION. Correspondence Relating to the Completion of the Dome of the Capitol and Its Fres- coing—The Jackson Statue in Lafayette Square and How the Money Was Raised. HE COLLECTOR OF stamps and postal cu- [rice has had bis day. ‘The old coin man seems to have joined the pro- cession, too,.and a new king rales in the anti- | ofl» quated relic line. He | a ie the individual who y gathers together all } ‘ sorts of documents which have « bearing V7 ff : we on old-time affairs and eax Washington whose cab- inet almost rivals the National Museum for in- teresting papers of this description. J. H. Houston—for that is the name of the tall Geory }. at one time the secretary of Alexan- der H. Stephene, president of the confed- eracy—bas made this work his principal occupa- ion for years, ever since he came to the capl- tal, and the result is an aggregate of autograph jocuments from the bands of some of the most | prominent men figuring in this country's his tory since the revolution. | Some of them bring to light a great many | facts of an unwritten nature, which are occa- | sionally replete with humor in the light. of recent years. Others, bearing upo mo! jects equally public in character, tell o! numberless pieces of political wire pulling and | lengineermg which characte: “opti tions fifty years ago, just as Cong! in doing with the world’s fair $2, epring. And one of these, or rather # series of | them, marks the somewhat lax mathods of | |ranning money matters which figured in the completion of the dome of the Capitol itself. | | The average schoo! boy doesn’t know, unless | read it somewhere, and older persous | either, for that matter, that when Lincoln d livered his inaugural address in March, | “61, the massive pile of the Capitol standing | | back of the outgoing and incoming executive | was in a state of architectural beauty consider- | ably less than that furnished by its present finished aspect. The outlines of the immense structure were there, of course, but the dome had not reached more than one-third its templated h one of the wags ofthe day to remark that “The | Capitol reminded fim of a big white jail from which the prisoners escaped through the roof | and took part of the roof with them.” However, the architect’ forcea were still at work and it was ‘only a matter of time” when | the finishing toucNes would be needed. Co: gress had made a sort of general appropriation | | very much into details, and pi hitect ot the Cup a8 his official title aj p . and the commission grounds and buildings were authorized to make contracts in whatever manner seemed to them most judicions. McCle con- | ner of public a second Bull Kun m: ent of Washington fear for the | safety of the seat of government from the cot | federates. But the « ct didn't let the tem- porary fortunes of w ¢ a pernicious effect | on the progress of the Capitol and finally cot | cluded it was high time to interview an artist | apout decorating the dome as soon as the work- |imen had done with it. Architect Thomas W. | Walter then heid the position now occupied by | Mr. Clarke and the Italian artist, Brumidi, was | still in Washington, having performed much of | the other labor in his line necessary about the | remainder of the building. | Mr. Houston has in his collection the entire cortespondenee relatizig toa contract for the | final decorations and it shows that eight | months clapsed before the artist's terms hid | been scaled down to what Architect Walter and | Commissioner French thought would not be an excessive figure and Signor Brumidi was per- | mitted to apply the combination of brush and | palette to the maiden surface of wall, sixty | yards from the ground. As much red tape | seems to lave been used then as now in letting overnment work and the architect was noth ing if not exact. In his letter to the artist u der date of August 18, 1862, he requer Brumidi to put ina bid for supplying of the new dome of the United States Capite with a picture, whieh wa bed ing ‘to be sixty-five in fresco and on a co: ter was particular to desired must be “real of cost for the work, including cartoons and | the et ceteras. He remarked incidentally that the artist would need to use the scaffolding left by the workmen, and hinted that an early application f j t be of ad Aud Brum iy lost no time, for on September 8 his answer was forwarded to the architect, in which his plans and price were | submitted. The former were adopted without | quibble, and include the following figures just as they were afterward painted in the dome | | and completed one of the finest works of the | jkind in the world groups, representi War, Science, Marme, Commerce, Manufact- | ures and Agriculture, each figure being sixteen feet in height; in the center there should be an apotheosis of Washin surrounded by alle- gorical characters and the thirteen original ter As this work will be seen,” con- cludes Signor Brumidi, “‘at a height of 180 feet from the ground the figures must be brought out in the boldest manner, and as there are 4,664 square feet of space to paint over €50,000 should not bg an overbid as compensation,” Plainly, however, the $50,000 was regarded an “over bid,” as the next letter in the collection shows. Plainly, too, Col. Ernst of the “public grounds and buildings” office in these days is more prompt in answering official tommunica- tions than his predecessor, Maj. B. B. French, was in 1862. The Capitol architect referred the whole matter to Maj. French, but he kepta Signor Brumidi on the anxious bench for three months, and it was not until December 24 that he replied to Architect Walter, who notified the t that while his designs were satisfactory Price was too steep. Maj. French added to Mr. Walter, though, that Brumidi was undoubt- edly the best artist that could be secured and hoped the deal could be arranged for less than ‘half century” of cold cash. ‘The Italian painter wasn't allowing a good thing to go by the board, and three days later he wrote that he had reconsidered the matter and was willing to work for the modest stipend of 40,000, 20 per cent below his original offer. Maj. French approved of this and on March 11, 1868, Architect Walter wrote Brumidi that his torms were accepted and he could begin operations on April { following. He was not to be paid more than $2,000 per month. however, until the job was completed. Nearly two years were necessary to carry out the contract, but it was carried out to the letter, and since 1865 Brumidi’s master work has been in the dome to speak for iteelf. How many of the hundreds and thousands who daily ‘traverse Lafayette Square and wonder when steps will be taken to remove the weather staii painted | Mr. Wal- 1d of fresco | roosting place have an idea that their grandfathers, or great-grandfathers per- haps, contributed coin of the realm to erect the monument? Not « large number, un- questionably. But if each pedestrian could take a glauce at another document which be- longs to the Houston collection he or she would find more than one ancestor who him- self far back in the 40s and early 50s to ve o stated sum toward the project. The locument ‘in question 18 the original subscri tion list which was passed around amonj . ington’s citizens and office holders for pur- pose of raising the funds necessary. It conta more than one name of men whose sons have since become prominent in local, business and social circles, and not # few attained political honors on their own account, aa well as ‘ish- ing an example in the same direction for their leading citizens those, times snd o body of rare hustlers they must have been as well. committee secured an official seal which bore the inscription ‘Jackson Monument Com- mittee,” stamped an immense blank subscrip- tion list with it and then went guaning after substantial promises for the casb. Gen. W. J. Worth of the army, who was then stationed in New York and had’ just returned from the most gallant service with Gen. Scott in the Mexican war, promptly headed the list with » $50 subscription, and the cosmopolitan nature of the enterprise became apparent when G. A. Clarke, who wrote down his occupation as ‘messenger at the city hall,” placed $1 op- ite his name directly after the Mexican hero. is seemed to vo inspire everybody that by the middle of January, 1949, the committes had filled its first list chock full of hames and all sorts of autographs, varying from the founded business hand to the veriest scrawl. Bancroft had just received his appointment as minister to England, and, before leaving to take up official duties, honored the committee with an additional promise to give $100, when the “cashing-in" process was begun. This sub- scription was afterward paid by dratt,sent from London, and, so exact was the treasurer of the committee, that he deducted ninety-three cents from the total, being then the rate of exchange, nd entered "Mr. Bancroft’s contribution as 999.07 upon the official showing. Clark Mille subscribed $10, and, curiously enough, the same gentleman was afterward selected to be the statue's sculptor. The original subscription paper shows an ag- gregate of some €3,000 as a result of the first month’s skirmishing, and while the committee started new lists the collector began to call in the pledged money. Evidently it was all col- lected except a subscription of $5, made by John Green Clarke, for a foot note declares s0, and opposite to Mr. Clarke's name appears this lector: "Mi ke re- indorsement of the col fused to pay me when I called, January 81, 1849, and acted in @ very ungentiemanly man- ner. Sculptor Mills was Inter instructed to begin work and prepare the statue, but for some reason or other the committee found the whole amount could not be raised by subscription, nd through lack of public interest the new lists did not meet with much encouragement. Tt finally became necessary to request an aj | propriation from Congress to complete statue. A pretty large sum was still needed, but the Thirty-first Congress must have con: tained a ‘watchdog of the treasury,” and filibusterer or two also, because the expected m was cut down in’ conference and ouly £5,000 was appropriated August 31, 1852. This amount was legislated to the President for the desired purpose, but meanwhile the committee bad met with no better luck aud the total sum was still 4 long distance off. No doubt the committee had plenty of credit, however, and the sculptor was willing to wait a while longer |for his pay, feeling rather certain the next ssiou of Congress would remedy matters by appropriating the balance. So the statue was unveiled with fitting ceremonies January 8, 1853, the anniversary of “Old Hickory victory over the British at New Orleans. The committee was short $23,000, and a bill asking that much was finally passed on March 3, 1853, one day before the close of the session. ight above the wings, and this led | There were in. reality two bills making up this appropriation, one calling for $3,000 to com piste “payment for tho pedestal ‘and $20,000 ing granted by the other for the sculptor services. The curious part of this latter Dill was that $10,000 was withheld from Mills through the express provisions of the act passed by Congress. The sculptor only re- i 0,000 ‘in spot cash, aud Congress di- rected that the remaining $10,000 should be in- vested, Mills to receive the income during life and the principal to be paid to his heirs at death. It was a curious provision, and proba- re is no parallel case among the con- onal records, Still another sum of €500 was found neces- sary to complete the inclosure in which the statue now stands, and on May 31, 1854, Con- greas gave this last amount, which put the pmmittee out of debt for good and finished ‘Old Hickory’s” monument in every detail. — CLIMBING MOUNT KENIA, The Third Unsuccessful Attempt to Reach Its Snow-Crowned Summit, From the New York Sun. ‘The third attempt to ascend Mount Kenia, the snow-crowned mountain of east Africa, lying directly under the equator, was made in July last. Joseph Thomson was the first ex- plorer to attempt this ascent. He climbed up the west slope to a high elevation, but was not able to get to the top. Count Teleki met with no better success a few years later on the north side of the mountain. One fact that made euc- cess difficult im the case of these explorers was the unfriendly attitude of the natives living on the lower slopes and at the foot of the moun- tain, ‘The third attempt in July last was made by Capt. Dundas and his companions, ‘who as- cended the Tana river in the little steamboat Kenia for 360 miles and then marched over- | land to Mount Kenia. The day they began to climb the great mountain on its south side they forced their way through the dense forests overgrown with mosses, dark and gloomy, with no sign of life in its deep shades. ‘The cold was severe, and the heavy mist and dew rendered everything damp and chilly. The following day the party entored the region of bamboos, it would have been impossible to proceed further if the caravan had not taken advantage of the elephant tracks, Emerging from this bambob thicket on the afternoon of the second day they found that tho ridge along which they were ascending ran nearly due west, with four distinct ridges visible between their stand- point and the peaks of Kenia, which were about six miles distant, and 10,000 feet above them, clad far up their steep slopes with dense jungle. Between these ridges were deep ravines too steep for men with loads to pass, and if they followed the ridge on which they stood to the summit it would take at least three days more to reach it, the ridges all run- ning around the mountain side in spiral fashion fromm west to cast. The party did not have a sufficient supply of provisions to enable them to complete the ascent of Kenia. ‘The highest point reached was about 8,700 feet. and here specimens of volcanic ash were obtained, and dog violets, thistles, docks, forget-me-nots and clover were also found growing. Capt. Dundas says that the mountain is not a single mountain‘ but more properly a mountain itretching from west to east, commenc- ing in the high Leikipia platean on the west and rising steadily until it culminates in the great double snow-crowned peak. second large peak with five or s ‘The ascent could, in all probability, be accom- plished without groat difficulty from ite north- east side, as the drainage, which in a great measure forms the deep ravines, appears, as at Kilima-Njaro, to be on the southern aspeet. The point at which Count Teleki made his attempt to the north of the mountain seems to present no insurmountable obstacles, ‘The highest point reached by Capt. Dundas’ party was six miles south of the equator. ‘The general appearance of tho mountain suggests & comparatively recent volcanic formation, though the slope ascended was so densely cov: ered with jungle that little geological informa- tion could be gained, there being only two ox- res, one of volcanic ash and the other of It. Mount Kilima-Njaro, which is south of Kenia and a little higher, was ascended to the summit of its tallest peak by Dr. Hans Meyer three years ago. cee From the New York Ledger. Another thing which may bring joy to the heart of the Russian schoolboy is that there are to be no more birch rods bought for the Russian schools. It has been discoved that birch wood makes excellent wooden spoons, And so valu- able has it become since this was known that birch, which used to be cut freely, is carefelly Kept and cultivated until itis well grown. irty million of these birch spoons were made last year and nearly twice that number will good news for naughty children who go to school in Russia, x! The Editor Receiving Election Returns. From the Chicago Herald. toni sco pei Sty Cerrrersr | | i} ipo TERN [i awi UNCLE SAM'S LIBRARY! The Magnificent Structure to Be Completed in Three Years. COST OF THE BUILDING. More Extensive Than Any Similar Stracture Imthe World—Compared With Other Bulld- ings—New Collections to Be Added to Ite Present Possessions. > EADERS OF THE Stam, who have been duly informed from time to time in these columns respecting the progress of the work on the new Congressional Library buflding, will be interested to know juet what that magnifi- cent edifice will look like when completed. ‘The Mlustration here given is an accurate reproduction of the latest and final drawing, | prepared a few days ago in the office of Col. Bernard R. Green, superintendent of construc- tion, embodying ail the changes in the plans for the exterior ornamentation, and showing exactly how the structure will appear eighteen months hence, when the outside work, if all Roes well, ia expected to be finished. No fur- ther alterations will be made, uccording to the present intention, in any of the outward de- tails as here represented, and the building will be turned over to the government precisely in the form delineated in the illustration. COMPARED WITH OTHER BUILDINGS, Compared with ali other great library struc- tures in the world this building will be by long odds the largest, noblest and most beautiful ver erected for the purpose of a national re- pository for books and wil! in every way serve to become, as it doubtless will become, the pride and ornament of America asa treas: ury of science, learning, culture and intellec- tnal wealth, inestimable in value to the whole English-speaking race. It will cost $6,000,000 and will cover 111,000 square fect of ground. The State, War and Navy cost $11,000,000 and occupies an area of only 90,032 squi greater cost having been’ occasioned bj greater compactness and consequent expensive ness of the interior arrangements. ITs CONTENTS. The collection that will be housed within it— now stowed away in more or less chaotic confu- sion in that portion of the Capitol allotted to the library of Congross—alrendy ranks sixth in oint of size with the largest literary collections in the old world, all of which have required centuries for their assembling. It embraces to- day 675,000 books, 220,000 pamphlets, 15,000 bound volumes of newspapers, and an immense budget of valuable manuscripts, besides 10,000 maps and an enormous array of engravings, photographs, —_ photogravures, lithographs, chromos, prints, drawings, ' musical. com- positions and periodicals of alldescriptions. In this great aggregation, covering all the varied fields of science, jurisprudence, biography and history. are thousands of rare old volumes and manuscripts of priceless worth. SOME PRICELESS GEMS. Among these gems are: A copy of the first printed edition of Plato's works, published in Latin at Venice in 1491. A manuscript copy of the Latin Bible on vellum, dating from the middle of the thirteenth century, of Italian orgin, embellished with countless miniature paintings illuminated initial lettere—purchased for $2,000 at the sale of the Perkins library in 18% A copy of Cranmet in London in 1540: Cataline’ in English, printe 1541, with autograph of 0) A’ first edition of the Bible, published in 1611. Several rare first edition copies of Shaks- peare, folio, printed in 1623. A first edition of Milton's “Paradise Lost,” folio. A first edition of Burton's “Anatomy of Melancholy,” 162 A first edition of Izaac Walton's “Complete Angler.” Acopy of John Eliot's Indian Bible, printed at Cambridge, Mass., in 1663. A first American ‘edition of Burns’ poems, with autograph of Alexander Wilson, the ornithologist. Several notable black-letter editions of the early English writers. A yaluable collection of early voyages to America and narratives of travelers to various parts of America, printed in all the languages of Europe, A complete file of the official London Gazette, from its beginning in 1665—the onlx complete file in America, A complete file of the daily London Times from 17 Bible, printed “Conspiracy of at London in er Cromwell, james English FENDERS FOR STREET CARS. Experimenting With Devices to Save Lives of Pedestria; The last issue of the Engineering Record describes the subject of fenders tor street cars, baseg on a report made by a’ committee repre- senting the West End Street Railway Company of Boston, The report deals moro especially with the matter of fenders for electric cars, but is of interest in this city, where the introduc- tion of the cable has also brought about an in- crease in the speed of street cara and a conse- quent increase in the danger of accidenta. The Boston commission has occupied nine months in making an investigation and has just sub- mitted its final report. Besides examining plans or models of 211 different fenders the Commission has experimented with forty-three different fenders, using dummies made to rep- Tesent a man, a woman child, ‘The num- ber of experiments made is 156. ‘Tne commission recommend the adoption of the so-called “Cleveland” or Johnson fender, consisting of a horizontal platform projecting a couple of feet in front of the dashboard. It is now proposed to make this platform in cach way that it can be slid under the car when t in use, or under the rear of any car. The commission further suggest protecting the front of the dashboard with curved springs or wire netting, to lessen the force of the blow in case @ person is struck by the car and thrown over against the dashboard. DISCARDED AS 100 COMPLICATED. With reference to fenders beneath the car to A complete file of the French Moniteur from its beginning in 2 1789. com le of the German Aligemeis Zeitung from 1798 . er Complete files of numerous confederate news- papers published during the civil war period, Some printed on wall traw paper, £o. Compared with our Congressional Lib: the grest libraries of Europe menk thus, in round numbers: La Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, 2,800,000 volumes. 000,000. The British Maeenm, London, . The ema of Russia at St. Peters- burg, 1,200, wie Moral Library of Bavaria at Munich, je Royal Library of Germany at Berlii 1,000,000." J 7” Library st Struburg, 700,000, rary of Goettingen University, 600,000. Library at Dresden, 600,000. La Biblioteca Nacional, Madrid, 500,000. Library at Copenhagen, 600,000, Library at Vienna, 600,000. In this country the library next approaching the library of Congress in size and value is the Boston public library with 500,000 volumes and next to it the library of Harvard University with 860.000 and tho Astor library in New York with 300,000 volumes. NEW COLLECTIONS OF ROOKS are continually being purchased by Congress to add to the precious store sof the Congressional Library. A proposition is now pending to buy the historical library of the late George Ban- croft of this city tor €75,000. It contains 20. 000 v: i preparation of his history of the United States, Among the rarines of this collection are vol- umes of the original papers of the Committee on Correspondence” in the American colonies prior to the revolution—the engine which drew | the colonists together in the scheme of opposi- tion toGreat Britain, and volumes of docu- ments and papers of ths revolutionary patriots, including Washingtoa, Franklin, Jefferson, the Adamses, Hancock, Putnamand Lee, Another proposition is pending before Congress to pur- chase for £500,000 the library collected by Hub- ert H. Bancroft, the California historian, con- sisting of 60,000 books, manuectipts, maps and pamphlets, chiefly concerning the discovery, settlement and development of the Pacific coast. WITHIN THREE TRARS AND A HALF. The expectation of the engineers in charge is to have the library building completed and wo years to be consumed in and fitting up the interior. will be under roof, however, in a year and a half. At pregent the state of the work on the superstructure, after four years of building, is highly eatisfactory. Good progress has been made. The outside granite walls are now raised around the building to the second story of the main entablature, most of the court walls are up, the “book stacks” in the interior are nearly completed and the central dome of the rotunda is ready for its skylight roof. : THE MATERIALS which have been used and will be used in the erection of the building are from far-scattered localities, The granite was all contracted for in advance, and comes from Concord, N. and from Granite, Md. The stractural iron has been mostly made at Phoenixville, Pa., and at Trenton, N. J., except the iron of the central | dome, which bas been manufactured at Indian- apolis, Ind. At least 25,000,000 bricks will be used inalland all be made within the limits of Washington. The equare tiles that will be used for flooring wiil come from western. chusetts and Vermont. The white enameled bricks that line the interior courts have been brought from Leeds, England, no bricks of that particular kind having been’ procurable from American brick manufacturers at the time the contracts were entered into. - IX ME, GREENE'S OFFICE. The office of Mr. Bernard R. Greene, Gen. T. L. Casey's personal agent in charge of the con- struction, at the northeast corner of the library inclosure, is the nerve center of the whole work. There ell contracts are made, workmen en- gaged and paid, plans and designs perfected and executed, and the entire process of build- ing supervised and directed. An interesting thing to be seen there is a collection of enor- mous blue-print photographs, taken from week ‘0 week since the building was begua, illustra’ all the various steps and stages of con- hing of the work. Anybody can see this collection upon application to Col. Greene. THE ADVANTAGES TO BE GarNzD. With the occupation of the splendid new edi- fice three years hence the library of Congress is certain to receive a new lease of life anda tremendous impetus in every direction. The magnificence of the receptacle will lead Ameri cans everywhere to take pride in the library as an institution and will serve asa perpetual in- vitation to them to make library the re- cipicnt of donations with which their namea may be permanently identified. Through che influence and instrumentality library also Washington will become the Mecca of the student, the author, the historian and the scieniist, as well as the resort of statesmen and politicians, being the seat of government, nd the library, in conjanction with the Smith. sonian Institution, the National Museum, the patent office and ‘the naval observatory, wil confer on the national capital the additional proud distinetion of ‘being lasting ‘center of intellectual activity and research. ‘The choice of the commission, 60 far as con- cerns tite fender under the car, has fallen upon # moveble fender which in ordinary running is at a sufficient height above the rails, but which is operated by the action of putting on the brake. It therefore does not involve springs and levers operated by the force of the blow, and it does not impose any additional duty upon the motorman. WORKED BY THR BRAKE. Every time the brake is put on this fender is lowered, and the harder the brake is applied the closer the fender is forced to the track. In case of emergency the motorman will, of course, apply his brake to the limit of his strength, and under such circumstances the fender may be arranged to come down to within any desired distance from the track. This fender, in connection with the plat- form in front of the dashboard, constitutes, the appliance recommended 9 ‘commission as the best safeguard, although they do not feel that it is pos- sible, with any device, to insure safety. "The principal reliance appears to be upon the platform in front of the car, inasmuch as the great majority of persons struck by cars are standing when struck. If, now, they are facing the car when struck, they ean easily step as, of their dangers peop! and more sensible have to keep sway from them. upancy in three years and a half, | The establishment | struction and forming a unique graphic history | of this great | STAR: WASHINGTON, D. C. SATURDAY,” NOVEMBER 12, 1892—-SIXTEEN PAGES. ON THE AVENUE. Tt is the Finest Walk in the United States. VARIETY IN ITS SOENES. ae Every Type of Humanity Seen—The States- | man, the Diplomat, the Rich Man and the | Beggar—All the Presidents Have Trod It— | A Resort for the Ladies. siaaindiaaanias T IS THE FINEST walk in the United States.” > Pennsylvania avenue, and be who said it ise about sitting in a draught of air. Some per- ons can sit or lie ina dreaght and not suffer the slightest inconventence, while others would catch their death of cold in « few minutes. E ra cE world. He explained why bie classed Penn- sylvania avenue as the finest walk in the country. In the first place there is no other street that hasso much variety in ite scenes. Starting from the Peace monument you can walk out to Georgetown and pass from modern political life | through a section of old Washington residences into what fs arursl market for the country round. You can keep on and go on the tow- | path or the Cabin John road, and while it, no | longer bears the same name, it is «till merely « continuation of Pennsylvania avenue. You can see there such scenery ae you will find nowhere else. by Little Falla, over the finest stone arch in the world, on up’ to the Groat Falls of the Potomac. Having got thus far you will wish | to go no further, for bere you will seo one of | the grandest pieces of natural scenery that is to be found anywhere. If you never have done so, gets horse and | buggy and make the drive, and make it now, or better still, if you area pedostrian, walk upas far as you can, take a rest and come back. the proper season for the purpose. The air is bracing, the leaves have pot yet all fallen and | the forests on the Virginia shore are bright with changing colors, But, perhaps, the beau- ties of nature are not to your taste. Then don't | leave the city limite, but just walk the avenue | Saad and observe the different types of | humanity you see there, EVERY TYPE OF HUMANITY SEEN. What Wall street in New York is to the financial world Pennsylvania avenue is to the | world of poli There congregate those who | seek office and those who hold office. There are the men whohave the power of appoint- j ment, those who want sppointmente and | crowds who have disappointments. Senators, judges, members of Congress, cabinet officers, | bureau chiefs and government clerks and their hundreds and thousands of | make Pennsylvania avenue their chief place of | rendezvous. Two men are talking carnestly about California politics; on the same curb- tone are two others discussing the situation in Maine, and further on is an old soldier begging | bis member of Congress to get hira a pension of $8a month. There are always « good! number of cranks, too, for no phase of life at- tracts them so much a the public life in Wash- ington. The «well is there, too; the rich man in politics, to whom it is an occupation, and who cares not for the money there is in it, and there ix the man who cares for else. ‘The one wants something to do and goes into official life so that time may not bang too heavily on his hands; the other wants an office, because he can geta living in no other way. | To some men the idea that Pennsylvania ave- nue represents is a inst resort, to others it is the end of years of ambitious effort. ALL THE PRESIDENTS HAVE TROD IT. If youarea lover of history Pennsylvania javenne cught to please you, for itis rich in | reminiscences. The truth is that the city of | Washington is now old enough to boast of its | history, for it has been the seat of ment nearly one hundred years. rer it, and so then rode along the avenue and ted have the feet_of all our Presidents since trodden it. Jobn Randolph of Roanoke fell off his horse and wallowed in its mud while the nineteenth century was still young. Henry Clay and Daniel Webster used fo stroll down the avenue every day and stop and talk to their hosts of admirers. Beau Hi . whose repu- tation was hardly inferior to wbeirs, lit lived on this famous walk. Thirty years resort of fashionable people, too, and the mung men of the city crowded its hotels. Sixty years ago it was famous for its oyster saloons, and, it must be admitted, for its gambling e- loons also. John Peter Van Ness rode downitin 1800 to court Maria Burns, and later on the | grim figure of Calhoun, the great nullifer, could be seen upon the avenue daily. When | you stroll there, stop and think of its armies. rst of allin i754 Braddock, with the young | Col. Washington on his staff, crossed the upper portion of the avenue. Then in 1773 and later sections of the patriot army must have followed its track. In 1813 the British army marched down from the Capitol to the White House, and | in 1861-5 it was constantly alive with troops. But the imagination can even take a jump far- ther back, and it is highly probable that tbe in- surgents who followed Nathaniel Bacon in his rebellion against kingly authority in 1676 crossed over from the northern neck and trod the soil now covered by the asphaltum of Pennsylvania Asa matter of fact the historical ae- iations, with the ground upon which Wash- ington stands, are numerous and most inter- | esting. A RESORT FOR LADIES. But the avenue is, at the present day, a resort, especially in the morning, for the ladies of | Washington, and you can see great numbers of | them walking or driving in their carriages to the shops. The streets are gay with their equipages and the sidewalks are crowded with those who walk. Now, leave the busiest part of the avenue and go toward West Washington. Before you get to Rock creck you pass by a row of dwell- ings, still handsome structures, which were almost the first to be erected in the District of part of the stream stops here, , for ite destination is down town. Having crossed the creek you are on a part of the avenue that is the oldest of all, and you are among houses were well on in life before the city of Washing- roads upon them roll by. Smaller vehicles bearing the farmer and his wife, who have been in town shopping, are making their way out to the country again. You can see the lawyer, whose clients are chiefly from the rural districts, and, if you see the la ae oa 9s county, Md.. on to peake bay, on to the Atlantic ocean. ‘THE FINEST WALK IN THE UNITED STATES, easily chilled. a THAT DOUBLE FACE, A Circus Joke, From Fitegende Biatter.