Evening Star Newspaper, February 16, 1930, Page 101

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, FEBRUARY 16, 1930. 17 . George Washington’s House in Washington BY FRANK W. HUTCHINS. UST at present one of the most inter- esting points in the city of Washing- ton is a dirt pile a short distance north of the Capitol. For weeks wreckers have been busy demolishing buildings thereabout in preparation for a magnificent park to extend Capitol to Union Station. The immediate is a scene that would pass for ‘“some- in France” just after the war. One of piles of upturned earth, the one on the side of North Capitol street, just in line eI i P i : ! § 5 : 3 g REF il i b i 1 EF 3 : E { % a & EE g £ 4 E { asf & i §§ : i i § 5% is ! ! tecture,” wrote Washington, “and perhaps know little of planning—but as the houses I mean . I inclose a sketch canon This brought mild fire from Washington. “Rules of architecture,” he wrote, “are calcu- lated, I presume, to give symmetry and just pro- portion to all the orders and parts of build- ings in order to please the eye. Small de- partures from strict rules are discernibie only by skillful architects or by the eye of criticism; while ninety-nine in a hundred—deficient of this knowledge—might be pleased with things not quite orthodox.” It is not known to what degree heterodoxy was allowed to alter the plans. Another thing altered them anyway—the lack of an eighteenth amendment in those days. A certain prospec- tive tenant wished a wine cellar to be included and, of course, there could be but one answer % a reasonable request like that. At length, real building got under way, but not so you would notice it. Even by the Spring of 1799, when the honeymoon of Nelly Custis and Lawrence Lewis led them through the embryo Capital, they could not report to Wash- ington “much show of a building on his ground.” WE little appreciate what house building mzant there in the Potomac woods, iso- lated from every base of supplies. All well enough to talk of making the wilderness to blos=om as the rose, byt a heart-breaking under- taking to make it blossom as a city. More than once the whole scheme was near to being abandoned. Yet stout hearts held on and built desperatel; y. After a while that house on North Capitol street began to take shape, looming conspicuous on its hill. It became ‘one of the show piaces of little Washington. People set out to see the Capitol and the “general’s house.” “The General's House,” built by George Washington. Known as “The General’s House,”’ Planned and Built by the First President and Burned by the British in 1814, Its Un- marked Site Now Is Included in the Area of the Proposed Parkway From the Capitol to'the Union Station. Meanwhile, Washington was slowly getting & white elephant on his hands. The building promising. But, as he said, “Having put my hand to the work, I must not now look back.” From the first, it was common talk that this the prospective Capital averaged about ‘“seven half pr. cent” of the building cost, with orth, ] 5 fuller account of that day—the man seeing his last of his little namesake city. h still strong, straight and vigorous, he yet had but a month and a few days to live. He seems to have gone about a good deal, but, as usual, had little to say. It was not an More Chromium in Industry. Gn.omo or painting the lily might have some sense in it after all, whether the poet’s artistic sense is offended or not, if the nickeled wear with the shiny coat of chromium, yvet because of the much harder, wear-re- sistant surface furnished by the chromium the shining continutes a great deal longer. Most of the chromite that enters the chemi- cal industry is used in the manufacture of sodium and potassium bichromate, which in turn are the basis for the production of chromic acid, basic chromium sulphate, chromium pigments and many other less im- portant chemicals, according to Lewis A. Smith of the United States Bureau of Mines. The principal uses of this group of chemicals are in the tanning, electroplating, pigment, dyeing and printing industries. Up to the last few years, chromic acid had slight -commercial im- portance, because its use was limited. The development of chromium-plating processes, in which chromic acid, plays an important role, has brought this acid into prominence. The use of chromium in the electroplating industry has increased substantially. Because of its hardness, resistance to corrosion and tar- nish, bright silvery luster, and high reflec- tivity, chromium plate is rapidly being adopted in the automotive industry. The use of chromium plate is also being rapidly extended to plumbing fixtures, builders’ hardware, soda fountain equipment, coffee colanders, silver- ware, guard rails and the metal-novelty trade, where its silvery luster and non-tarnishing qualities make it very valuable. Chromium plate has recently been applied successfully to engraving plates, gauges, tools and dies, where its hardness is of chief value. In oil refineries it was found that the use Likewise, in the paper industry tubes -used for the evaporation of waste sul- phate liqguor has been increased considerably by plating the tubes with chromium. Although it is true that the use of chromium plate is rapidly increasing, it cannot be said that chromium prospers at the expense of nickel, since it has been found that more satisfactory chromium .coatings on steel are obtained if a coat of nickel is applied first. As the more durable properties of chromium develop & much wider field of usefulness than that of nickel alone, the increased utilization of chromium for plating tends on the whole to increase, rather than diminish, the require- ment for. nickel. boarders.” might not have noticed that, as it was painted white and sanded. one of Washington’s own building “canons.” He had painted and sanded everything a! Mount Vernon and insisted upon the same fin- ish for this house. Upon that point, anyway, he had shown no backwardness of g He had written Architect Thornton, telling him exactly what was to be done, and how it was to be done. Ordinary sand not white and clean enough—must make sand by pounding and sifting soft freestone—dust must be separated from it “by & gentle breeze"—house to be painted with heavy white paint—while that still fresh, the white sand to be dashed on “as long as any will stick.” The “General's House,” from its size, s whiteness and its elevation upon a hill, was a striking feature of little Washington City. It was one of the sights from the stagecoach that, went Jurching by on its way from Baltimore to Georgetown, Soon now came December 14 and the death. Though he had not lived to see his house completed, yet he had known that #t would be by the time of the coming of the Government. .. How just one more year woul¢ have rounded out the great man’s life. He had led his coun- hill—token of his special thought and sacrifice. Washington’s will was fouad to refer to this in the schedule of holdings as costing “$15,000 at least.” Work upon the house was continued by the estate and the bullding pleted in 1800. THEswryo“uoecup‘ncyhnmneonnuul. While evidently given over chiefly to mem- bers of Congress, a part of it was early occupied by, President Jefferson’s Secretary of War, Gen. memorable year 1814. When in that year the British forces burned the Capitol, White House and other public For long, the blackened, empty walls of the “General’s House” reared their property at public sale, and for but a tithe of its cost. Thus at a smart loss B : 1 | the recent work of demolition, desirable as it has been, that, too, is gone. Next will come the beautiful park, and un- less some steps are taken to mark the site of the “General's House” it will become perhaps but a rock garden or just another place to mow. historie spot, there in the shadow of the dome of the Capitol, not be left unmarked and forgotten.