Evening star. [volume], September 22, 1929, Page 9, Image 105

About Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972

Image provided by: Library of Congress, Washington, DC

                
“Masons of the first degree.
“Bibles, etc., on grand cushions.
“Deacons wltli staff of office.
"'Masons of the second degree.
'• “Stewards with wands.
“Masons of the third degree.
“Wardens with truncheons.
“Secretaries with tools of office.
“Past masters with their regalia.
“Treasurers with their Jewels.
“Band of music.
“Lodge No. 22 of Virginia, disposed in their
own order.
“Corn, wine nnd oil.
“Grand Master P. T. George Washington,
W. M. No. 22, Virginia.
“Grand sword bearer.
“The procession marched two abreast in the
greatest solemn dignity, with music playing,
drums beating, colors flying and spectators re
joicing from the President's square to the Cap
itol in the City of Washington, where the grand
marshal ordered a halt and directed each file
in the procession to include two jsteps, one to
the right and one to the left, and faced each
other, which formed an hollow oblong square,
through which the grand sword bearer led the
van, followed by the grand master P. T. on
the left, the President of the United States In
the center and the worshipful master of No.
22, Virginia, on the right. All the other orders
that composed the procession advanced in the
reverse of their order of march from the Presi
dent's square to the southeast corner of the
Capitol, and the Atillery filed off to a destined
ground to display their maneuvers and dis
charge their cannon, the President of the
United States, the grand master P. T. and wor
shipful master of No. 22 taking their stand to
the east of a hugh stone and all the craft
forming a c rcle westward stood a short time in
awful order.
“The Artillery discharged a volley.
“The grand marshal delivered the Commis
sioners a large silver plate with an Inscription
thereon, which the Commissioners ordered to
be read and was as follows:
“ ‘This southeast cornerstone of the Capitol
of the United States of America, in the City
of Washington, was laid on the 18th day of
September, 1753, in the thirteenth year of
American independence, in the first year of the
second term of the Presidency of George Wash
ington, whose virtues in the civil administra
tion of his country have been so conspicuous
and beneficial as his military valor and pru
dence tiave been useful in establishing her lib
erties, and in the year of Masonry 5793, by the
President of the United States, in concert with
the Grand Lodge of Maryland, several lodges
under its jurisdiction and Lodge No. 22 from
Alexandria, Va.
“THOMAS JOHNSON,
“DAVID STUART.
“DANIEL CARROLL.
“Commissioners.
‘ JOSEPH CLARK,
“R. W. G. M., P. T.
“JAMES HOBAN,
"STEPHEN HALLATE,
‘'Architects.
“COLLIN WILLIAMSON,
“M. Mason.
"Tin ertiilery discharged a volley.
“The plat? was then delivered to the Presi
dent, who, attended by the grand master P. T.
and three most worshipful masters, descended
to the cavazlon trench and deposed the plate
and laid it cn the cornerstone of the Capitol
of the United States of America, on which was
deposited corn, wine and oil, when the whole
congregation joined in reverential prayer, which
was succeeded by Masonic chaunting honors
and a volley from the Artillery.
“The Presidont of the United States and his
attendant brethren ascended from the cavazlon
to the east of the cornerstone, and there the
grand master P. T., elevated on a triple rostrum,
delivered an oration fitting the occasion, which
was received with brotherly love and commen
dation.”
AS will be seen from this account, the actual
part played by President Washington in
the laying of the corner stone was of a ritual
istic character in which he took part to the
fullest extent. Collin Williamson, a master
stonemason and a member of Federal Lodge,
No. 1, of this city, personally superintended
the setting of the stone, and no doubt later
became persona non grata, for we find he was
dismissed for “inefficiency” on June 3, two
years later.
That Washington corporally placed the silver
plate upon the comer stone there can be no
question, for the record tells us: “The
Artillery discharged another volley when the
plate was delivered to the President, who, at
tended by the grand master* pro tem, and
three worshipful masters, deposited the plate
on the corner stone.
Just wh?.her this plate was riveted to the
stone or imbedded in cement or mortar is
a question the writer cannot answer, though
one would assume that the latter course was
pursued. The stone is not visible today, and
it is not likely that Architect David Lynn would
recommend to Congress the removal of a wall
or two to gratify the curiosity of a humble
historian upon what might seem to be a trivial
point.
Originally it was intended that the Capitol
should be built entirely of brick, for five days
after the corner stone was laid, the Commis
sioners resolved that "the Inner walls must be
of hard brick and the facings of freestone,’'
and these were the materials used In con
structing the building, though It was Thorn
ton’s idea that all Interior decorations should
be of marble. However, the Republic in ite
infancy was not possessed of skilled marble
workers and it was not until years later that
any marble was used upon the Capitol for
either budding or decorative purposes. Indeed,
so severely was this determination followed,
that in 1800 wood was ordered substituted for
the marble chimney pieces planned for both
the White House and the Capitol, due to a
desire, to minimize, the. expense.
In this connection we are told that during
tfre . years 1809-10 the saws in the United
States cut only 20,000 feet of slabs for marble
tables, sideboards, tombstones, etc., amounting
THE SUNDAY STAR. WASHINGTON. D. C., SEPTEMBER 22, 1929.
An old photograph shotving construction work on the Capitol .
in value to about SII,OOO, and strange as it
may seem, we are reliably informed that up to
within 10 years of the Civil War the celebrated
quarries of Rutland, Vt., were still being
operated by ox teams, and even hand work of
the crudest form then prevailed.
TP we interpret Mr. Glenn Brown correctly,
work on the first sculpture for the Capitol
was done in 1806, when Giovanni Andrei and
Giuseppe Pranzoni were employed "in charge
of ornamental plaster and stone work and
sculpture." Francesco lardella was first em
ployed in 1816 for the same purpose, while
Carlo Pranzoni, Enrico Causid, Nicholas Geve
lot, Antonio Capellano. Valaperti, Luigi Persico
and Hobenteln Grenlo were employed from 1816
on to execute bas reliefs and figures.
It is quite probable that there was no
marble used in the construction of the Capitol
until after its burning by the British, and
even the marble caps then used for the Interior
work were secured from Italy.
The south wing of the Capitol was carried
up but 20 feet whan it was roofed over and
temporarily used by the House of Representa
tives from 1802 to 1804, when the roof was
removed and work upon it again resumed, and
" ' " '
“Freedomatop the Capitol dome.
The figure is 19 feet 6 inches in
height and tveighs 12.985 pounds.
finally completed in 1811. The interior of both
wings was destroyed by the British in 1814,
though the walls withstood the great heat of
the fire.
The corner stone as laid in the southeast
corner of the north wing was not the only
corner stone laid for this massive structure.
On July 4, 1851, President Fillmore, assisted
by the Grand Master of Masons and the Grand
Lodge of the District of Columbia, laid the
corner stone for the Capitol extensions, accord
ing to the plan of Thomas U. Walter, architect.
Daniel Webster delivered the oration upon that
occasion.
The walls are of white marble from "Lee,
Mass.; the white marble columns from Cockeys-
Ville. Md. ;
In 1856 the old dome, which was constructed
of brick, stone and wood, covered over with
copper, was removed and work on the present
cast-iron structure immediately begun and con
tinued throughout the Civil War, in the closing
year of which it was completed. -
The war brought its hardships to Washing?
ton, and wherever possible public and private
property was taken possession of for the im
perative needs of the Army. Early in 1861
troops were quartered here until other arrange
ments could be made, and in the Summer of
that year the Western portion of the old build
ing was turned into a bakery for the soldiers.
When it was feared that the mills of George
town would be burned by the Confederates all
the teams procurable were pressed into service,
and the flour was stored in the Capitol base
ment. Upon this occasion the procession along
the Avenue of loaded, nondescript teams, all
wending their way to the House of Congress,
is said to have been the most curious proces
Farm Waste to Be Utilized
'J'HE manufacturer who not only makes his
regular product, but often turns out by
products to the point where he can cut the
price of his primary article down to cost and
take his profits in by-products, may be a jump
or two ahead of the farmer, but the farmer is
beginning to awaken and is preparing a jump
or so himself.
The chemist has been called In as an ally,
and his aid Is to be utilized in an effort to
find some use for the waste products which
now make up anywhere from 20 to 80 per
cent of the produce.
Much has been accomplished already. Take
the case of cotton seed. In 1860 the cotton
seed was merely garbage. Ten years later it
was found to be a successful fertilizer. Cattle
fell heir to it in 1880 as a food, and by 1890
humans came in for a share of it in the form
of oils. Nowadays it forms an important con
stituent of margarines.
The meat packers have reached the maxi
mum In utilization of the animal they process
and practically nothing has been wasted.
growers have found: that their surplus
can be manufactured into starch. Corn husks
have been used for fuel and found successful.
Many other such uses of farm products could
be cited.
Just now the most rapid strides are being
made in the use of sugar cane bagasse and
cornstalks.
In the case of the former a very satis
factory board has been obtained. With the
dwindling wood supply, the endless board of
sugar cane waste which is turned out at low
Gas for Ripening Fruits
coloring of citrus fruits by exposing
them to ethylene gas is all right, so far
as it goes, but the grower who attempts
to go a step further and make more palatable
by the same method immature fruits »«k« too
much of the gas. Investigators of the Depart*
ment of Agriculture have been making a
thorough study of the use of the gas for
rapid ripening of fruit, and have found that
the gas will bring about the attractive change
in color which is desired much more rapidly
than it would have been obtained by storage
methods formerly practiced. „
However, they shy at the use of the term
“ripening,” for its usual application means
an increase of the food supply of the fruit.
This the gas cannot .accomplish, if an • tm- •
mature orange is picked, for instance, while
the gas will give the fruit as attractive a color
as a fully matured fruit, no ir crease in the
amount of sugar or decrease in the amount
of add Is obtained.
The gas wiil bring about a more rapid
change of the starch in the fruit to sugar
than could, be obtained in the old storage
methods, but it cannot put starch In the
fruit to change into
Japanese parsimmoiLs, green-colored
which have matured except on the ipner
branches, where they failed to get sufficient
light to obtain their natural color, and even
green ■ tomatoes have been successfully treated.
sioo along this great thoroughfare in the his
tory of the city.
Upon one occasion, early in the war, it is
said that as many as 1,500 beds were placed
in the building, occupying nearly all portions
of the structure. A vigorous protest, however,
caused President Lincoln to direct, on October
15, 1861, that its occupancy for such purposes
cease.
'TO many of the younger generation one of
the chief marvels is as to how the statue of
Freedom was ever placed in position. Indeed,
this was no easy job, and it required the great
est amount of skill to put it safely In place.
Nearly 50 years ago there was living in Brook
lyn, N. Y., a Mr. Charles F. Thomas, the en
gineer who performed this work, and in an
interview at that time he related some of the
he encountered. Here is what he
said, in part:
“Two workmen and myself only were allowed
to go on the structure. We climbed to the top by
means of cleats fastened to one of the up
rights. Washington is a windy place. Gusts
used to come from the most unexpected quar
ters to that lofty place.
“The head of the statue was hoisted to its
position by means of an eyebolt in the cluster
of feathers in the helmet of the statue. The
instant it settled into place 34 guns were fired
by a park of Artillery east of the Capitol, and
the guns of all the forts near Washington
responded.
“After the scaffolding was partly removed I
stood on the feathers of the helmet while a
photographer took my picture. He couldn’t say,
•Look pleasant’ or ’Hold your chin a little
higher, please,’ because he was at South First
street and New Jersey avenue. I tied a rope
through the eyebolt in the center of the top
of the head, so that a bight was formed which
hung down the sloping side of the head. I
placed my right foot in the bight. The left
foot was on top c? the head. Standing thus
the photograph was taken.
“After the photographer had dropped his
handkerchief to signify that he had done with
me I dropped on my right knee and took a
hammer from one pocket and some steel dies
of letters from another pocket. With a blow
on each die I stamped words on the topmost
feather plume. They have never been seen by
any one but myself and will not be in a thou
sand years. I believe the statue will never need
repairs. The words are as follows:
“ ‘A. Lincoln, President of the United States;
Thomas Hugh Walter, architect; B. B. French,
Commissioner of Public Buildings; Charles F.
Thomas, superintendent of construction of (Ik
new dome.’ ’’
cost is proving to be a highly valuable addMtoi
to the building world.
It took 20 years really to utilize what the
chemists discovered about cornstalks. Two
decades ago a very satisfactory paper was
made from cornstalks, but nothing was done
about it. Now the manufacture is being under
taken in a really serious way in face of the
dwindling supply of pulp paper.
Recently at least one book, several editions
of newspapers and two farm papers were
printed on cornstalk paper. Much is yet to be
done to make the production of this type of
paper commercially valuable, for economical
transportation of the cornstalks to-the factory
and low cost of manufacturing must be worked
out.
Straw, by means of destructive distillation,
has been used as a source of carbon, straw
tar, illuminating gas, acetic acid, methyl
alcohol and other products.
The big question in the case of straw is as
to which is the most valuable—its use as a
fodder, a fuel, a fertilizer or a source of manu
factured articles.
a.. The dairy and citrus fruit industries have
been so developed by the agricultural chemists
that they, like the meat products, leave prae
tically nothing to be thrown away. •>
The field for the agricultural engineer and
the agricultural chemist is so broad and offers
so much for research that now with the move
ment well underway it is likely that the next
decades will see marvelous strides toward the
. elimination of farm wastes, which in the cases
of cotton and grains alone amounts to IWj
-000,000 tons of crops annually.
so far as color is ;oncsrned, by the me of M
gas, , ...
Further study is planned among other fruita
and vegetables to see wluts may be obtained
through the use of the gas, but the «*«*ntlßts
are skeptical of any success in making more
• palatable fruits which have not grown to
maturity.
Trout in National Park
/TWO MILLION flngerllng trout, that to trout
four inches long, were placed in the
and streams of Glacier National Park this
; year, and nezt Fall it is expected that 4,000,000
more will be added. Placing of 6,000,000 fln
; gerlings in the waters to the equivalent of put*
ting. 40,000,000 fry in, because of the mortality'
among the fry; - • :
i New Alaska Power Site
•’ ... ■ ■ ■ - f
> r jP H S «erial survey of Alaska now going am
heretofore'
unknown. * Among -.the rivers was one con
taining a water-power site of 20,000 horsepower
estimated capacity. The site is located, on
east side of Taku Inlet near Greely Mnt
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