APPENDIX Z Z. MPROVEMENT AND CARE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA-WASHINGTON MONUMENT. EPORT OF COLONEL JOHN M. WILSON, U. S. ARMY, OFFICER IN CHARGE, FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1888. . Improvement and care of Public Buildings and Grounds in the District of Columbia. 2. Underground wires for telegraph and ZZI. MPROVEMENT AND CARE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS IN THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. OFFICE OF PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS, Washington, D. C., July 3, 1888. GENERAL: I have the honor to submit the following report of opertions upon public buildings and grounds under the Chief of Engineers, arried on under this office during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1888. In addition to these duties I have been in charge of the construction of the building for the Army Medical Museum and Library; the erecion of a monument at Washington's headquarters, Newburgh, N. Y.; he erection of a monument to mark the birthplace of Washington; the mprovements over the grave of Thomas Jefferson, at Monticello, Va., and since April 4, 1888, of the construction of the Washington Monument. In accordance with the resolution of March 26, 1888, of the United States Senate, I prepared and submitted on April 9, 1888, a report presenting a comprehensive system of underground wires for telegraph and telephone service, to connect the several Departments and bureaus of the Government in Washington City. GROUNDS SOUTH OF THE EXECUTIVE MANSION. These grounds include those within the iron fence south of the White House, the road between the White House grounds and the Treasury Department, and the entire reservation between Fifteenth and SevenENG 88-174 teenth streets, south of the White House, the Treasury, and the State, War, and Navy Building, and north of B street. Extensive repairs were made to the main road around the ellipse, about 600 cart-loads of gravel being used for this purpose. The road between the Executive Mansion and the Treasury was also repaired and put in order. A crosswalk 9 feet wide and 83 feet long, consisting of three rows of blue flagging with cobble-stone between them, was laid between the southeast gate of the Executive Mansion grounds and the sidewalk of the Treasury Department. All gutters and drain traps were cleaned and repaired where neces sary, trees and shrubs pruned, lawns mown and seeded down, and the reservation maintained in excellent condition during the season. Early in the fall a temporary double plank foot-walk was laid betwee the east and west gates in the south grounds of the Executive Mansion for the convenience of foot passengers. This walk was removed in May. 1888. During the summer months all the roadways were sprinkled day except Sunday in order to keep down the dust. Within the iron fence the grounds were maintained in their ns beauty; roads and paths were kept in excellent condition, lawns mov and rolled, flower beds planted, and a number of new trees and shrubs set out. The main sewer near the south fountain having been damaged dur ing a storm, was thoroughly repaired and the manhole rebuilt. The fountain was repaired and cleaned out. Sixteen cart-loads of mnd. the sedimentary deposit of two years, were removed from the fountai basin. On May 1, 1888, the northwestern portion of the reservation, whic for a number of years had been used as storage grounds while the construction of the State, War, and Navy Building was in progress, was transferred to the care of this department. Work was at once commenced improving this section, so that i would correspond with the remainder of the park. Four old woode buildings were taken down and the materials taken to the Nursery grounds for future use; about 208 loads of stone, 123 loads of old lu ber, 172 loads of brick, 6 loads of old tiles, 11 loads of old iron, 100 ol boxes, and a large amount of other old materials were hauled from the grounds to the property yard, where they will be made useful in futan work upon the public grounds. The entire grounds, except a small area in the south west section, was graded, old rubbish removed, old foundations taken out, and abou 3,000 cart-loads of earth and 700 cubic yards of soil purchased and use for grading and top dressing. The line of the main road was laid out preparatory to its construction after July 1. A large amount of work was done in this section of the park. Its intended during the present season to remove the old wooden stables from the southwest corner of this portion of the reservation and to complete the improvement of this part of the park, except the neces sary planting. MONUMENT GROUNDS, GREENHOUSES AND NURSERY. The operations in progress around the monument, grading and fill ing, have prevented the accomplishment of work of any character on the principal lawns. The main road leading from B street to the Nursery grounds was reaired and rolled, about 700 cart-loads of gravel being used for this -urpose. A new walk was constructed on the west and south sides of the main oad to the Nursery grounds. This walk is 5 feet wide and about 2,100 eet long; it was well bottomed with broken stone, covered with gravel, and rolled. About 150 cubic yards of broken stone and 250 cubic yards of gravel were used in its construction. The lawn-surface between the nursery fence and the edge of this gravel-walk was graded, top-dressed with soil, and seeded down; it was well covered with grass in the spring of 1888. The work in connection with the monument was transferred early in April, 1888, to the officer in charge of public buildings and grounds; it s understood that the Monument Commission, under the direction of which operations have been carried on for the past ten years, has recommended that in future the work shall be in charge of the War Department and all appropriations expended under the direction of the Secretary of War. Should Congress approve this recommendation it is probable that operations will hereafter be carried on under this office. At the close of the fiscal year the main road and foot-path were in good condition, but owing to the grading and filling around the monument and the construction of the new marble lodge-house, about 480 feet east of the monument, it has been impossible to maintain the lawns in good order. Extensive repairs were made to the greenhouses. The superstructure of house No. 6 was entirely rebuilt and repainted; in house No. 5, 65 feet of new wall-plate was inserted and thirty new posts erected to support the roof; houses Nos. 3, 5, 7, 10, and 11 were reglazed; 850 feet of new staging 3 feet wide, and 200 feet 4 feet wide, were erected and 340 feet of old staging repaired; about 2,000 feet of new shelving was put up for the young plants propagated for the parks. Four new water-tanks were constructed for the greenhouses and 800 linear feet of tin and copper guttering repaired. The boilers of houses No. 6, 7, 8, and 9 were repaired. All furnaces and flues were cleaned and repaired where necessary, and 120 feet of 4-inch hot-water pipe placed in house No. 8. In the propagating house the walk was lowered, a brick wall 97 feet long by 42 feet high built on each side, an entrance 6 feet square and 4 feet deep excavated and a door cut through on the north side. A new cold frame pit, 200 feet long by 63 feet wide and 13 feet deep was constructed. Numerous minor repairs were made to all the greenhouses. About 5,200 plants were placed under glass in the greenhouses for winter bloom, consisting of carnations, roses, bouvardias, sweet alyssum, begonias, mignonette, heliotrope, pansies, abutilons, geraniums, and smilax; about 1,500 pansies and violets were planted in cold frames; there were also potted and boxed for winter bloom 5,000 lilies of the valley, 6,000 hyacinths, 2,000 tulips, 2,000 freesia, 1,500 liliums, 1,000 narcissus, and 200 clumps of Astilbe Japonica. During the winter and spring months the propagation of bedding plants for the parks was continued and about 350,000 ornamental foliage and flowering plants of about forty varieties were grown, nearly all of which were set out in the parks during the months of May and June, 1888. A large number of palms, crotons, and subtropical plants were cared for in the greenhouses during the winter and used in park decorations during the summer. At the nursery grounds the old condemned materials, the collections of several years, were sold at public auction and the proceeds of the sale, $2,005.59, turned into the Treasury. As soon as these old materials were removed, the ground was plowed up and surface-soiled, and a portion of it planted with young trees and shrubs. A new coal-house, 35 by 22 by 17 feet was put up and two new coal bins constructed; a new store-house for flower-pots, 18 by 16 by 12 feet was built, in which three closets were constructed and connected with the main drain by 82 feet of 6-inch terra-cotta pipe; the old blacksmith shop, which was almost ready to fall down, was removed and a new frame building, 75 by 20 by 16 feet, constructed, mostly of old materials, for use as blacksmith's shop and store-house. The old worn-out wooden fence around the nursery was removed and an iron fence, 1,274 feet long with four gates, erected; this fence was made from portions of the iron fences removed from various reserva tions; 480 arbor vitæ trees were planted so as to form a hedge insid the fence. New roads and walks were laid out and constructed, new gutters laid and improvements made to the sewerage, rendered necessary by wori on the Potomac flats. The lawns were maintained in good order, the young trees and shrubs properly cared for, gutters and drain-traps cleaned, and roads repaire and kept in order. About 600 young trees and 800 shrubs were purchased and planted in the grounds; and about 2,400 seedling water oaks, raised at the nurseries, were set out. About 375 deciduous and 100 evergreen trees, and 1,700 shrubs of different varieties, were lifted from the nursery grounds and planted a the various parks throughout the city. I am frequently in receipt of requests for the loan of plants from th gardens for the use of churches, fairs, festivals, etc., and demands as constantly made for decorative and other plants for private purpose in fact, orders are sometimes presented from members of Congress d recting me to furnish plants. I have been obliged to decline all requests for trees or plants, as eithe the loan or gift of them would be in violation of the following extrac from the act of Congress, approved June 20, 1878: Provided, That hereafter only such trees, shrubs, and plants shall be propagated the greenhouses and nursery as are suitable for planting in the public reservation to which purpose only the said productions of the greenhouses and nursery shall be a plied. In the propagation of plants there are a few flowers blooming, and r has been a pleasure to this office to extend to Senators, Representatives and other distinguished officials, and to churches, festivals, fairs, etc. the courtesy of sending them these blooms as far as the limited qua tity will admit. The requests for flowers are numerous, and all letters received in ref erence thereto are filed, and a complete record kept of those to whom flowers are sent. SMITHSONIAN GROUNDS. Extensive improvements were made in these grounds during the year. The entire area around the new Medical Museum was graded, a large portion of it covered with soil, and about 2,000 square yards sodded. |