Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-07-29
Georgetown Correspondence.
GEORGETOWN, July 20, 1858.

GEORGETOWN, July 20, 1853.
The irksome calm which has held our city
spell-bound for a considerable length of time
was broken yesterday; and many of our streets,
especially those contiguous to the Union Ho
tel, presented quite lively and business like
aspect The selection of a Board of Directors
for the Metropolitan Railroad drew together
goodly number Of persons from your city,
(among whom we noticed his honor Mayor
Maury) and Montgomery, Frederick and Wash
ington counties, Maryland. Much of the early
part of the day was spent by the stockholders
of your city and Georgetown, and our corpo-
ration proxies, in consultation; trying, if pos
sible, to select ticket which would conciliate
some conflicting interests in the counties
above named, and give satisfaction to all. But
unfortunately, in this, as in many other things
in this world, they were doomedto disappoint
ment Several interested took high dudgcon,
threatened to forfeit their subscription, and
even prophesicd the failure of the enterprise
Mistaken souls, Unfinching old Georgetown
has now fairly hit ;hed on to the matter, and
all that is necessary besides the funds is for
A. H. Dodge and his colleagues in the work
to give the word go" and the way it will go,
ploughing through the hills of old Maryland,
will be a caution to false prophets. We think,
however, that the few disappointed gentle
men will take the second sober thought, and
come to the same conclusion to which we have
come, viz that the selection, without single
exception, is first rate one-all good men and
friends to the enterprise After the balloting
was over, the result of which you know, the
whole company proceeded at once, without
waiting for the services of an engineer, to lay
the corner stone, (not of the railroad, but of a
whole dinner,) in the shape of a sumptuous
collation., which hal been set by mine host of
the Union, Mr.. Fitzhugh. After which, the
company adjourned. There it but little doubt
but f. Dodge, of our city, will .be the Pres
ident.
There is a rumor ahoat in our city that
letter has been received by one of our mer
chants from gentleman in the employ of the
Western Telegraph Company, which says that
unless our wharf merchants will contribute
sufficient amount to pay the salary of an opcr-
ator at this point, (and pay for their despatch
es besides, We prcsume,) orders will be for
warded by the President of the Company to
every station, not to receive any more de-
spatchcS for Georgetown. This, We think, to
use homely adage, is running the thing in
the ground, and carrying the matter to point
beyond which forbearance would cease to be
Il virtue.'' Our merchants are a very for
bearing and patient set of men; but if they
tanlely submit to such an attempt at impo-
sition upon them as this, they are possessed of
much moro of the spirit of Job than we have
imagined.
fire occurred last hi ht about half past nine
O'Clock, in the steam planning mill and sash
and blind factory of Mcssrs. Joseph & Will
liam Semmes, which entirely consumed the
building, together with most of the machinery
and considerable quantity of manufactured
material. Tho engine and boilers also were
so much damaged as to render them almost if
not entirely useless. Nothing was saved ex-
cept some portions of the planning machine
The whole loss cannot fall far short of 81 900,
on which there was an insurance of 81 800 in
the Potomac Company in this place Several
piles of lumber, belonging to Wheatly &
Walker, which were lying near to it were
damaged to the amount of several hundred
dollars Some suppose the fire to be the work
of an incendiary, but our own impression is,
from its locality when first discov cred, that it
was purely accidental This calamity is
greatly to be lamentcd Not only are these
two worthy young men thrown out of good
business which they had just fairly succeeded,
at a considerable expense of time and money.
i'll establishing, but number of worthy poor
men are thrown out of good employment
The supply of beef cattle at Drover's Rest
for this week, up to this morning, amounted
to $50 head, 200 of which were taken by Dis
trict butchers at 81 Is So Is per 100 gross :;
and 90 drove to Baltimore 800 old sheen
and lambs were sold at 81 81 62! per head
There is but little doing in the -four and
grain market. Old -four 50; fresh ground
50 121. Wheat-Red 81 a 81 O5; prime white
would bring from 81 03 to 81 OS.
SPECTATOR.