Evening Star Newspaper, December 29, 1929, Page 76

. 'S THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, DECEMBER 29, 1929. Stories of Old Governme BY JOHN CLAGETT PROCTOR. EW buildings will awaken more memor- ies than the old Government Print- ing Office, at North Capitol and H streets northwest, now used by the superintendent of documents. Al- ways of a somber, leaden color, it seems now even more dejected looking alongside the newer and handsomer building to the south. The writer has known this building since he was a child, for he ccmes of a family which largely followed the example of Gutenberg and of our own Ben. Franklin in inclining toward the “art preservative of all arts”—printing. Indeed, almost as far back as he can remem- ber, one or more of his close relatives have worked in the “big shop,” even in the days when nearly every one was furloughed, or “fired”—for that is just what an indefinite furlough meant—when a new adminis‘ration came into power. Those were really hartrending days, for in many cases the men and women laid off had little ones depending upon them for support, and the wolf in many cases was just waiting at the door, showing his sharpened, grinning teeth, to get in his savage work. - Indeed, those who recall the Government Printing Office only under civil service rule have no idea what it means to be handed a yellow envelope conveying the mournful in- formation that “your sorvices are no’ longer required,” especially during the Winter months, when there was not over half a ton of coal in She cellar and a grocery bill to pay; and work was not as plentiful then as it is now, either. * However, there ‘was the cheerful side in getting back, which many of them were able to do; but always with that same amount of trouble in bringing to bzar their influence for the purpose. What an agreeable difference today, working for an appreciative boss not un- der the cruel influence of the spoils system! If we ever do away with the unjust apportion- ment system, that will be another step in the right direction, and then our District boys and District girls will be rated upon thcir intelli- gence alone, and not upon the place in which they may happen to have a political vote. THE architeclure and appearance of this old building might lead one to believe that it is older than it really is, but we who delve in historic matters have a way of getting at the facts, and when the building inspector’s records are silent, or not available for our pur- poses, we naturally resort to other sources of information, and in this case we turn to John Sessford’s Annals for 1856, and find the follow- ing, in connection with the improvements made in the fourth ward during that year: “A very conspicuous object in this ward is Mr. Wendell’s very extensive new building for a printing office, etc., which is over 240 feet long by 60 feet wide, and four stories high, with a cupola and a bell. The great number of persons to be employed in this building will add much to the population of its neighbor- hood.” : This building was then in a truly suburban section. Until then H street was only on the map, and had not been extended the entire distance to Florida avenue—or Boundary street, as it was then called—nor was this work entirely completed until two years later when we find the thoroughfare was graded from North Capitol street to “near the turn- pike gate”—where the Bladensburg road be- gins—“and curbing and grading the footway the whole distance from North Capitol street” was done. “It was probably due to the fact that the printing office had been placed at North Capitol and H streets that H street was graded and graveled from New Jersey avenue to North Capitol street in 1857. The old Tiber Creek ran but half a block away, entering the area between North Cap- itol and PFirst streets northeast, at a point between N and O streets, to the north, and continued southward almost on a direct course until it reached where is now our beautiful City Post Office, where it took a southwesterly course, crossing Pennsylvania avenue at Sec- ond street. Over this stream at a point just to the east of the old building we find that a new bridge replaced an old one in 1857, and an idea may be had of the size of this creek by the statement of an old chronicler, that dur- ing the 50’s a tavern built on New Jersey avenue close to the stream, and known as Foy’s Hotel, was washed away during a flood; and at a much earlier date the same authority tells us that John Logan operated a mill on this creek at about L street; this being most likely the one referred to by Dr. Bussy as Pierce's mill, and which that author locates in the neighborhood of First and N streets northwest. Though the twc Washington houses—best known as the Hillman House—were erected on North Capitol street at a very early date only a few blocks to the south and other houses were built here and there in this general lo- cality, yet it was years afler the old Govern- ment Printing Office was erected that this section became anything like built up. St. Aloysius Church was not dedicated until 1859, though some of the buildings associated with it were probably finished a year earlier. There may have been a bus line to help to get the employes to and from their work, but the H street car line did not come into being for more than two decades later, and no doubt “shank’s mare” was the popular mode of travel —not alone and necessarily in this section, of course, for similar conditions existed elsewhere in the city as it then appeared on the map. For instance, in 1870 the Ninth street car line had its terminus at M street north, and the Fourteenth street line was only exiending to S street. OF course, “Swampoodle” was close by—in fact it was there—for it included in its indefinite area at least both sides of the stream not over two hundred feet away. “English Hill” was not so very far off to the southwest either, including, as it cid, a part at least of Judiciary Square, and its early inhabitants Building on North Capitol Street Has Been Place of Employment for Many Washing- tonians Who Experienced Financial Misfortunes When Administrations Changed—Notable List of Chiefs. John D. Defrees, first superintendant of public printing. even settled beyond the “Hil.” James Croggon, who years ago gave so much of his valuable information to the columns of The Star, in speaking of the Government Printing Office section, says that about 1840 there was some little settlement in the square east of this old historic Wendell Building, and that from about this time dates the be- ginning of “Swampoodle.” He also tells us that “ten years later there was some settle- ment on North Capitol street above Massa- chusetts avenue, and also on that thorough- fare,” and that “during the days of ‘Know Nothingism’. there was much exciiement oc- casioned by a murder which took place in one of the first rough-cast houses erected in the District on North Capi‘ol street near G street. A torchlight procession- of the Know Noth- ing (or American) Association was in prog- ress that night, and when the news reached the marchers that an Englishman had killed one of the ‘Know Nothings’ and seriously in- jured another, a rush was made for the locality and threats were made to hang the perpe- trator.” While looking over the old newspaper files in the Congressional Library, one Sunday evening recently, the writer chanced to meet Timothy D. McCarthy, a schoolboy friend of his, who is employed in the Government Printing Office. In talking over old times, “Tim” said that “English Hill” was so called because at one time it was almost entirely oc- cupied by English immigrants, but that it was not long before the Irish ran the English away, and it was probably the overflow from “Eng- lish Hill” that formed the nucleus of “Swam- poodle.” “Tim's” people—the writer believes he understood him to say—were at one time residents of “English Hill.” boundaries of the RICENTLY the writer came across a list of family names of early residents of “Swam- poodle,” and although all of them are not Irish names, yet all are interesting to the student of local history. So here they are: “Ahern, Alworth, Babington, Baker, Barnes, Barthold, Barry, Becker, Beckett, Bennett, Blush, Boland, Bolton, Boucher, Boyce, Brady, Brakey, Breen, Brennan, Brickly, Brosnahan, Burke, Burns, Buscher, Bush, Callahan, Camp- bell, Carmody, Carroll, Caton, Collins, Connell, Cooney, Corridon, Corrigan, Costello, Coyle, Crogan, Croggon, Cronin, Cullinan, Cunning- ham, Curtin, Dalton, Dawson, Delaney, Dela=- hanty, Devlin, Donoghue, Dore, Dowell, Dra- ney, Eagan, Eibert, Essig, Falvey, Farrell, Fealy, Feehan, Feeny, Fitzgerald, Flaherty, Flannagan, Flavin, Flynn, Foley, Ford, Furlong, Geary, Gibson, Gleason, Godley, Gorman, Gormley, Hall, Hannan, Hassett, Hessler, Hill, Hogan, Hurley, Kane, Kelly, Kennedy, Kerri- gan, Koch, Lane, Lanhady, Lauxman, Lenihan, Looney, Lynch, Lyons, McColgan McCormick, McCullough, McDonnell, McGrath, McMahon, McNamee, McNulty, Maguire, Mahoney, Man- nix, Markham, Mason, Miller, Miles, Monahan, Montgomery, Mueden, Mulcahy, Mullen, Mur- phy, O'Brien, O'Connell, O’'Connor, O'Dea, O’'Hara, O’Hern, O'Leary, Patch, Peake, Phelps, Phillips, Powell, Powers, Parcell, Ready, Rear- don, Rover, Rowan, Ryan, Schafhirt, Scho- field, Sexton, Shanahan, Shaughnessy, Shea, Shehan, Sheedy, Sherlock, Shugrue, Spatz, Stanton, Stewart, Sullivan, Tobin, Toomey, Tyne, Walsh, Waters, White and Wolf.” Returning to the nearby stream, Mr. Crog- gon says: “Tiber Creek passed directly under what is now the site of the new City Post Office. When tests of the ground beneath the foundations for the structure now under way were made, two years ago, the boring machines brought up quantities of blue mud and sand from the original stream bed, now more than 60 feet below the surface of the ground. The creek then crossed into North Capitol street, and a marsh on its banks reached the present north- west corner of the Continental Hotel. ‘There were several branches of the stream, the prin- cipal one being that which had its source in Abraham Young's spring, nearly a mile east- ward, near the boundary of the city. “This stream formed a pool in the locality where the Columbus Memorial Statue is now located and it was utilized at one time as a hog yard by William E. Clark. Running a little north of I street, the Tiber emerged into New Jersey avenue just north of the square occu- piled from 1852 to 1905 by the Baltimore and Ohio Rallroad Co. * * * * “In the neighborhood of the Continental Hotel was a swimming pool and about K street one known as Blue Cork, which was a popular gathering place for the boys.” THI old building is not today just as it was erected in 1856, though it has stood in its present condition for so many years that few of us living can recall it as appearing other- wise. The first addition was made to the original structure in 1865, when a building 60 feet by a depth running south of 76 feet and nt Print Shop fronting on H street was added to the west end. Five years later, in 1870, the second addition, extending south on North Capitol street from the east end of the main building 11314 feet, with a general width of 61% f:et, was made. Again in 1879 a fireproof building was added, running south from the west end of the main bullding 86 feet 6 inches by 53 feet 8 inches —thence east 60 by 60 feet; also two four-story fireproof halfways, 12 feet wide each, connect- ing the old house with the new wing. All the extensions were made four storics in height and in architecture to harmonize with the main or old building. A good description of the original building is given in the first annual report of the super= intendent of public printing, dated January 1, 1861, and is as follows: “The public printing establishment is sit= uated at the northeast corner of square 624, at the corner of H street north and North Capitol street. The lot is 264 feet 9 inches on H street by 175 feet 3 inches on North Capitol street, containing 46,397 feet, and affording ample space for any additions or improvements that may be deemed desirable. The building consists of a printing office and bindery, four stories high, with a breadth of 611; feet and a depth of 243 feet; a paper warehouse 59 feet 7 inches by 79 feet 2 inches; a machine shop 22 feet 2 inches by 25 feet, for repairing and renewing the presses and machinery; a boiler house 20 feet 7 inches by 26 feet; a coal house 23 by 27 feet; a wagon shed 25 feet 4 inches by 24 feet, and stables 23 feet by 41 feet 2 inches. Thess buildings are all of brick, built of the best materials and in the most durable manner, and were erected under the super- vision of Edward Clark, esq., now the architect of the Interior Department, expressly for the purpose of executing the public printing and binding. * * * They are completely isolated from any contiguous building, being bounded on the north and east by public streets, on the south by a 30-foot-alley and on the west by a vacant lot of 21 feet 9 inches, included in the purchase.” S This report—made less than a year after the Federal Government took possession of the plant—tells us also that the equipment then on hand included 26 printing presses to the value of $36,375; type, metal, furniture, etc., $13,150; steam engine and appendages, $12,000; hydraulic presses, $6,000; drying-room fixtures; $3,000; gas fixtures, $2,175; standing presses and fixtures in the wetting room, standing presses, machinery and the fixtures in the bindery and folding rooms, machinery andg fixtures in the machine shop, cases, chases, im- posing stones, stands, water pipes, heating pipes, horses, wagons, etc., $19,534; or a total value of $146,545. Just imagine for an instant that the postal card presses there today alone cost nearly that sum, and that when the building was turned over to the Government in 1861 everything— building and all—cost but $135,000. 1Indeed, the following letter tells the story: “Office of Superintendent of Public Printing, March 2, 1861. “Joseph T. Crowell, Esq.: “Inclosed please find check on the Treasurer of the United States for one hundred and thirty-five thousand dollars ($135,000), being the amount agreed upon for the purchase of the premises at the corner of H street north of North Capitol street, with the buildings, ma- chinery and materials, known as the Pub- lic Printing Office. “Very respectfully, “Your obt. servt. “JNO. HEART, Supt.” TODAY the value of the building and equip= ment could easily be placed at over $10,- 000,000, and where, in 1861, only between 300 and 400 persons were employed in the plant, there are rarely on the pay roll now less than 4,000 names. To the person who is today employed in this mammoth establishment, with its thousands of tons of presses and printing material, an in- ventory of the plant made in 1861 will appear so ridiculous as to be almost unbclievable, and yet here is what was.actually on hand: *“1 timepiece, 5 wrenches, 1 40-horse engine, 104 pressboards, 2 wetting tubs and a large assort- ment of book and job type. The reading room had 8 armchairs, 2 pine desks and 1 mahogany desk.” The bindery had but 2 ruling and 2 cutting machines, 10 pairs of shears, 4 bodkins and other minor equipment. The press room had 23 Adams presses and 3 cylinder presses; « while in the stable were 2 horses, 1 wagon and 1 carryall, and the boiler house had a 60-horse boiler, 525 feet of fire hose, 5 buckets, ete. On account of the large amount of printing required by Congress, Washington has always been a good town for printers, especially when that body is in session. Before Wendell's print- ing office was purchased, all printing was let out upon contract, and these contracts proved a very lucrative source of political revenue, the tacit understanding usually being that the party in power was to receive a large rake-off from the successful contractor, and the chances are that if this was not scrupulously lived up to the same party did not receive the contract again. N 1846 a law was enacted by Congress, ef- fective two yemns later, directing that the printing of both Houses be given to the lowest bidder, undoubtedly with a view to eliminating the graft incident to the subletting of the printing contract, which largely led up to this evil. In 1848, pursuant to this act, it so hap- pened that Wendell and Van Benthuysen of Albany, N. Y., were the successful competitors. Cornelius Wendell, the bidder with Van Ben- thuysen, was the latter’s foreman in his Albany plant and he at once obtained and brought to this city the necessary equipment and located his effice on Pennsylvania avenue near Second