When the work was completed, the town gave a celebration in my honor,
which I attended, together with my family and many of our relatives
on both sides. About ten thousand people were present. I made a few
remarks, presenting the works to the city, and my daughter, Constance,
unveiled the fountain. Many speeches were made, the principal one by
Mr. A. Morrison, representing that district in Congress.
The water-works and sewer system have proved a great convenience, and
added to the health of the city. So far the city has kept its faith in
maintaining the fountain beautiful, clean, flowing, and in neat repair.
In Washington we invested a large sum in U. S. two-per-cent bonds, the
proceeds of the woven equipment business. The peculiar laws relating
to the reserve of national banks forcing these bonds to a six per cent
premium, we disposed of them at a profit. With this money we bought
property at Pennsylvania Avenue and Seventeenth Street and erected
the first steel-frame perfectly fireproof building in Washington.
[Illustration:
MISS KATHLEEN CASSEL KLINE.
CAPTAIN CARL ANSON MARTIN.
]
After retirement, while I was conducting the cartridge belt factory at
Worcester, Nannie spent much of her time in Gloucester, Mass. In 1910
she bought property on a rocky ledge eighty-four feet above and a half
a mile from the sea and built a fireproof residence. In writing her
sister Katie, she said, "We have called our place 'Bayberry Ledge,'
a very suitable name, for it is on a ledge of rocks and has lots
of bayberry bushes on it. Anson has deeded it to me, and it is the
dearest spot I know in the world." For seven years, until her death,
Nannie spent most of her summers here cultivating flowers and enjoying
the freedom of the country life, where, too, she entertained many of
her relatives and old army friends during the hot seasons, among them
General John M. Wilson, my classmate, Miss Waller, General and Mrs.
Geo. M. Sternberg, General Wm. H. Bisbee, Mr. and Mrs. Keblinger, Mr.
and Mrs. Batchelder, Mr. and Mrs. Follett, and our favorite nephew,
Captain Carl A. Martin, and our favorite niece, Miss Kathleen Kline.
By 1912 the only piece of property I had remaining in El Paso became
so valuable that I tore down the two-story building then on it, and
built a monolithic cement building twelve stories high, containing
no steel beams, the concrete being held in place by steel rods
interspersed through the walls, columns, floors and roof. There is
no wooden floor in the entire building from basement to turret, even
the wash-boards in the rooms are made of cement and on all sides not
exposed to parks the windows are fireproof. This was said to be the
first building of the kind erected in the United States, and, so far
as I know, it is still the only one of that magnitude.
[Illustration: MILLS BUILDING, WASHINGTON, D. C.]
[Illustration: MILLS BUILDING, EL PASO.]
[Illustration: NANNIE'S RESIDENCE, BAYBERRY LEDGE.
(Text, 245.)]