Washing-machine

Washington

Washing-machine, for washing Coal, iron ore and timber are abundant,

machine a climate similar to that of Britain.

clothes. A great number of machines and rich deposits of the precious metals have been contrived, the most general are worked in the N. E. The Columbia feature of them being that the clothes River and Puget Sound swarm with salare agitated by artificial means in a mon, which are tinned and exported. vessel or trough containing the cleansing There are magnificent natural harbors on agents. There are many kinds of domes- the Pacific. Puget Sound, which penetic washing-machines, one of the simplest trates deeply into the State, is a vast being the dolly, a wooden disk with three harbor, with 1594 miles of shore line, and or four projecting arms placed horizon- Seattle, its principal port, is becoming the tally on an upright shaft in a tub. The metropolis of the northwest coast. Olymshaft is fixed in a slip at the bottom and pia, at the head of Puget Sound, is the passes through a cross-piece at the top, capital. Shipbuilding is an important inand is turned either by a cross handle or dustry, and other manufactures are growby simple spur gear. The arms are moved ing rapidly. More than 20,000,000 acres around backward and forward among of the State are in timber, many of the the clothes. Nearly all domestic wash- trees being of immense size. Pop. ing-machines consist of a tub or cistern (1910) 1,141,990.

capital of the United

of a form suited to the character of the Washington, States, is in the Dismoving parts of the apparatus. Some

operate by squeezing the clothes between trict of Columbia, at the confluence of grooved rollers, others by rubbing them the Anacostia with the Potomac, here between corrugated surfaces by a rock- navigable by ships of the largest class; ing or up and down movement, others 230 miles by rail from New York, 40 have a combined squeezing and rubbing miles s. w. of Baltimore. The site was action, while still others are constructed selected in 1790 by Washington himself, on the principle of the old dash wheel and the plan of the city was drawn up used in dye and bleaching works. Some on a most magnificent scale. The streets recent washing-machines, which have (70-120 feet wide) cross each other come into considerable use, consist of a at right angles and are intersected ribbed drum or cage formed of tubes fixed diagonally by avenues (120-180 feet into the end of the drum. The clothes are wide), which bear the names of States placed inside the cage, which is kept re- of the Union. A large number of these volving in opposite ways by turns inside spacious thoroughfares are planted with a thin metal case, the hot, soapy water fine shade trees, and are well paved and circulating freely between the tubes. well kept. Numerous open spaces, large Washington (we Pacific States of out, are distributed throughout the vast (wosh'ing-tun), one of and small, some of them beautifully laid

First among

the American Union, in the extreme area occupied by the city. northwest section, being bounded N. by the numerous public buildings ranks the British Columbia, W. by the Pacific Capitol, an architecturally beautiful ediOcean, E. by Idaho, and s. by Oregon; fice on a hill above the Potomac, in the area, 69,127 sq. miles. Prior to 1861 midst of a highly ornamented park of 50 it also comprised the present States of acres. It consists of a central building of Idaho and Montana. It is drained by freestone, two wings (each with a dome) the Columbia and its tributaries, and of white marble, and a lofty central the elevated Cascade Mountain range dome of iron, surmounted by a statue of runs through the State from N. to S., Liberty (total height, 3072 feet). about 100 miles from the Pacific coast, The Rotunda, in the center of the main dividing it into two distinct parts. The building, is a magnificent hall, adorned western part is a rich timber country with bas-reliefs and paintings, and a with heavy rainfall and many highly fer- colossal statue of George Washington. tile valleys, in which hops, fruits of all The entire structure covers 32 acres, kinds, and vegetables of immense size are and cost over $13,000,000. It accommogrown. The eastern part is well adapted dates the two Houses of Congress, the for the growth of all kinds of grain, and U. S. Supreme Court, and until recently other farm products, some sections being the Capitol also housed the extensive admirably suited for wheat raising. Cat- library of Congress, now transferred tle and live stock of all kinds do well, the to a magnificent Congressional Library abundance of grasses and lightness of building, an extensive and imposing edifice the snowfall permitting them to graze in the Italian Renaissance style of archithrough the winter season. The State is tecture, erected in 1888-97, at a cost of very rich in natural resources and ad- $6,180,000. It measures 470 feet in vantages, and the coast district enjoys length and 340 in width, its entrance

Washington

Washington

hall and stairways being unsurpassed in can Republics, etc. beauty of design and decoration. This The National Soldiers' Home, two ornate edifice contains at the present miles above the city, founded in 1851, time nearly 2,000,000 books, pamphlets, has 523 acres of improved park and manuscripts, maps, etc. The collection forest and serves as an attractive rural is rich in history, political science, official resort and free driving park, in addition documents and Americana (including to its function of providing a comfortable important files of newspapers and manu- home for veterans and invalids of the scripts of colonial and later times). North- United States Army. The National westward from the Capitol extends Penn- Asylum for the Insane, with nearly 1000 sylvania avenue, 160 feet wide and the inmates (either of the Army or Navy, or most notable of the city's highways, its from the District of Columbia), is situmain drive extending to the Treasury ated on the heights above Anacostia, an building, an immense edifice in the eastern branch of the Potomac. Among Grecian style of architecture, near which the institutions of learning in the city is the president's house, or executive are the George Washington (formerly the mansion, commonly known as the White Columbian) University, Georgetown UniHouse, built of free stone and surrounded versity (Roman Catholic), Howard Uniby extensive grounds. It is handsomely versity (for colored students), Catholic furnished and is a place of interest to all University of America, founded in 1887, visitors to the national capital. West American University (Methodist), and of the White House is a large and hand- the National Deaf Mute College. Monusome building accommodating three of ments are numerous, chief among them the governmental departments, the State, being the national Washington Monuthe War and the Navy, it being 567 feet ment, near the Potomac, a towering in length and 342 in width. Other im- obelisk of white marble 5551⁄2 feet high, portant public edifices are the Land built at a cost of $1,230,000, and conOffice (formerly the General Post Office), taining commemorative slabs from most of white marble; the Patent Office, with of the States. Bronze statues, equestrian a great Doric portico; the building of the and others, are very numerous, there being Smithsonian Institution (devoted to hardly a public square or civic circle scientific research and the promotion of without its monument. The city, with its useful knowledge), of red sandstone, in suburb of Georgetown (now West Washthe Byzantine style, with picturesque ington), and the rural portion of the towers the building of the Department District, covers_ an area of about 70 of Agriculture; the Pension Office, Post square miles. In addition to its many Office and various others. An interesting small parks and the zoological park of 167 edifice among them is the new structure acres, it possesses Rock Creek Park of of the United States National Museum, over 1500 acres, extending for miles along in which is housed an enormous collection the picturesque banks of the stream, amid of economic products, examples of art forests of great natural beauty. Washand manufacture, and objects of natural ington is abundantly supplied with pure history, the latter including the exten- water by a conduit 15 miles long, from sive series of African animals contributed the Falls of the Potomac. Opposite, in by ex-President Roosevelt as a result of Virginia, is Arlington, with its beautiful his African hunting trip. Other institu- national cemetery, and about 15 miles tions are the Army Medical Museum, below the city is Mount Vernon, formerly with valuable pathological collections, the the home of Washington. Pop. 331,069. botanical garden and gardens, situated in the Rock Creek dis- Washington, Daviess Co., Indiana, the zoological (See Columbia, District of.)

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city, county seat of

trict. The United States Naval Observatory, of white marble, occupies a retired 19 miles E. of Vincennes. It is in a farmand commanding site on Georgetown ing and coal mining region, and proHeights. Other interesting institutions duces canned goods, lumber, furniture are the Corcoran Gallery of Art, a and iron products, cooperage stock, unnotable collection of paintings and derwear, etc. Pop. 7854.

statuary, housed in a handsome new Washington, a town, county seat of

marble building; the Carnegie InstituBeaufort Co., North tion, founded in 1902, to encourage in- Carolina, on the Tar River, 33 miles N. vestigation, research and discovery,' with of Newbern. It has foundries and manuan endowment by Andrew Carnegie of factures of lumber, knit goods, boats, bug$10,000,000; the Washington Academy of gies, flour, oil, etc. Pop. 6211.

Sciences, National Geographic Society. Washington, of the same county seat of a county

Biological Society, Anthropological Soc

name in

iety, International Bureau of the Ameri- Pennsylvania, 25 miles s. W. of Pitts