1925-09-19 — Page 12

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THE CHINA MAIL.

SATURDAY,

EVER

MOST EXPENSIVE HOUSE VULT

TE HOUSE POL

سمجھے گر کر میں میں استریا کے

The White House Has Been Swallowing Money At An Amazing Rate During the Last

Century, and Few Multi-Millionaires

· Could Afford To Meet the Expendi- tures of Its Upkeep.

BY KENE BACDE)

It has been rebuilt Lavjee, and, ap 10 date, it has cost the milion nearly $4,000,000, including repairs and furnishing 31re than $1,000,000 has been expended for furniture alone.

The building of the mansion was not fairly completed more than a dozen years before in 18:1, the British burned it, but alrely there had been many res from Congress on the subject of its expensiveness. Then, of enurse, it had to be reconstructed, and the rest of refurnishing was $60,000, its contents having been completely destroyed.

لبية

THE WA

PENNS

wages, ete., Congress appropriatex a arge sum annually. Those, however, re merely ruching expenses, and have nothing to do with what is here being considered.

It is really remarkoislę kaw much I demands became steadily greater and money has to be sent to keep the greater in early days it was custom-uding lighting and heating, servants' Iresident's Palace, as it was called in any for Congress to allow, every four the old days, in under. Beyond ques-years, $11,000 for refurnishing und tion, it in the most expensive house repairing the President's House, as it is called in the laws. But when Lincoln that ever was built.

beenme its occupant the dwelling was. in sach poor shape that the amount was Evidently, how- increased to $29,000.

was inadequate, for ever, that sum Andrew Johnson asked for and got 3125,000, (o fix things up properly.

When Grant, in his rat term, said that $135,000 more, was badly neeled, a member of the House Appropriations Committee exclaimed, "My God! The residence assigned to our Presidents Reems to be a permanent invalid?

His view of the case was apparently cunarmed when Grunt. In his second term, eiled for an additional $110,000 The refurnishing was done i for refurnishing and repairs. Hayes substantial way in the expectation tha was content with 590,906. During the little or no more money would be Garfield-Arthur Administration another quired for that purpose for an indefinite $110,000 went the same way. In Cleve time to come. Yet, since then, everyland's first form the allowance was new incoming Administration has found 874300g in that of Benjamin Harrison, the house in urgent need of new carpets, 396,000. new draperies new china, and goedness knows what elser, ́Also extensive repairs.

Cost Grows Apace. Furthermore, ne time went on. the

tu

The Second Rebuilding. But it remained for Roosevelt to art the high mark. He decided that it would be a good idea to reconstruct the White House, and, having talked the mintter over with his friend and crony "Uncle Joe" Cannon, who was chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, he had no trouble in obtaining for the purpose the enormous sum of $666,000. The original cost of building the mansion was $333,207. Its reconstruc tion after it was burned by the British cost $240,490. It will be observed that the two sums together fatalled not much mere than Roosevelt proposed to spund. and did spend, for what were in the main mere structural alterations.

The job could probably have been done for about one-fourth of what it coxt. Part of it consisted in the erec semi-detached to be used for office It was of simplest imagin. purposes. able construction, with doors and other woodwork of pine painted white.

builder, in those pre-war days, could have put it up for $6,000, with a hand some prot; the taxpayers paid $50,000 for it. Within recent yours it has been doubled in size.

Improvements Planned.

"

RESIDENTS

THE GRIPISHAN

Monument would be unobstructed as it south and toward the Washington is to-riny. The wings would be of marble and concrete inclosing a steel framework. The west wing might serve for executive offices, while the The White House in buit of brownigh cast wing would provide a grand saloon for receptions, with bedroom suites gray sandstone, a handsome material, but so friable and easily worn wek above. The mansion, as it now stands, ther that in an unpainted state it might would be untouched. It is properly to be tombling to pieces by this time. be regarded as a notional monument

therefore nered.. After its destruction by the British it and was painted white, thereby acquiring its present name. During the Rooso velt reconstruction, removal of paint from the walls revealed to view some of the old fire scars. painted afresh every year.

There may yet be another re-building. though without change in the integrity, of the structure as it stands to-day Some years ago a model (still carefully preserved) of the White House as t ought to be was made, showing the manelen flanked by two noble wings of corresponding architecture, the latter extending backward and forming, with quadrangle.

The mansion

The first occupant of the White House after it was burned was President Monroe, and in his time it was illuminated by lamps and candles, while the only means of heating it was by open fires. It is a matter of record that Incidentally to refurnishing the man sion, he paid $20 for a bathtub. The tub, however, was merely one of those tinned-Iron contraptions, still in com- mon use in Europe, for which water is brought in pails.

between November and Aprit was sub- Ject to a fine. Bathing, indeed, was considered harmful; doctors warned their patients against it.

dumbwaiter; also an electric, pluto- warmer, which can keep a thousand: plates hot at one time. · Watchtaamia 'clocks und barglar alarma, na wall an automatic fire alarms, are operated bet electricity. The heating of the mansion is oler ically controlled, so' to be kept ays at the desired temperature, in winter There is even an electric system for calling automoblies réception nights, a big sign at the "het. box" entrance displaying numbers in. blazing letters,

on

SinThis wonderful efsetrioul, equipment

cont $95,000. You see, the figures: " mount up. One begins to realiza bow it happens that the mansion swallows: such immensa sums of money, During the last fifty years half a million dollars have been pont on the improvement and upkeep of the grounde rurrounding the White House.

In Monroe's time, the grounds ware an unsightly waste, embracing at that porfod vary extensive tract, which included all the area now known as the White Lot, as well as the hilf on which the Washington Monument stands, and a small, shoot of water called Babcock, Lake. The lake was drained, and thoreby abolished, to prevent possible- seepage of its wator beneath the founda- tions of the Monument,

Later, the tract took on the aspect of a well-kept farm. Half-a-dozen cows grazed on the meadows south of the White House. There was.a, fruit orchard where the great War, State and Navy building now stands, and the pri sent site of the Treasury was kitchen garden which supplied the Presidential family with fresh vegetables. Beneath the front portico (built by Andrew Jackson at a cost of $10,000), wai x. daily, to which water was brought by an inch pipe from a springs in Franklin Squnio, ax blocks distant,

Laying The Cornerstone, On the fral day of October, 1792, George Washington aid, with Masonlo ceremonies, the cornerstone of the

He and his wife: projected mansion.. walked through it on vinit "of Inspection, in 1799, a few weeks before been furnished by Virginia and Ladang his death. Funds for building it had land, the former giving $100,000 and th#; latter $72,000. And read cost of construction was, akad it was, with some difficulty abas Waghe Ington personded „Congreen to make up

balazstan Ca

The arat stationary bathtub was put into the White House sixty-five years: ago. It was one of the first installed started a fashion, which spread rapidly anywhere in the United States. That and soon it came to be regarded as mark of refinement and culture to take A bath every Saturday night.

Although perhaps an "inveld," one must admit that the White House to- day is beyond all comparison the most palace in the world. Money for its Irish architect named James Hoben, in luxurious and most admirably equipped The mansion was planned by a young improvement, and to augment its con-imitation of the finest house behind ever venience, has never been spared. Its see-that of the Duke of Leinster in electrical equipment is the most intrl-Dublin. The Duke's house was copied cate and most complete known any after an Italian ville. Thus architec where.

turally speaking, the White House is a There are in the White House one counterfeit of an imitation from an hundred and sixty-eight miles of electric Italian original, Hoban designed it as wires, inclosed in fron-conduits. Switch-a three-storey structure, but a great boards control several distinct systems. was the subtle outers against this There is the lighting system, which sup extravagance that it was reduced to plies current to 8,000 lamps & power two storeys and basement, with a front- air of the mansion every twelve night feet. system operates fans that renew the age of 170 feet and a depth of sixty- minutes, runs an electric elevator, and pomps water into a huge tank under the roof. Lowering of the water a few inches starts the pump to

Mind you, the "palace" is a dwelling tipn of a small one-story brick building, conservatories at the rear, a magnificent than a century, and you and that Boston tank, the process being automate the was'oficially retained until the coming.

of no very great size, only two stories and basement, and allowances of the xind above mentioned are all extra money. For its ordinary upkeen, in

According to this plan; the carry ing out of which would cont about Any $2,000,000, the beautiful view to the

When Bathing Was Unpopular. In those days there were no station ary bathtubs. Look back much less

Everything Ran By Electricity: had a low against bathing in winter.

-There is an electric bell system, and Water was too scarce for use in that

a private telephone system. In the extravagant and unnecessary way. In Philadelphia any one taking a bath | butler's pantry is an electrically-driven

In old days it was often spoken, of as the Great House. Cleveland, called It the Executive Mansion, and that title

of Roosevelt, who, preferred the simple name White House. That is the name by which the Amerieko people inert it, and by which in all likelihood it will continue to be entitled hensatorwards

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