Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-04-25
Y MING ST AR.
Local Intelligence.

/ long since Hugge5teQ 10 the commissioner
Of Public Buildings Qhen Major Nolapd) TO
give me- one avenue year, graded and curbed
and one mile in leng b, to improve horticul-
,ursIly What city would you have had,
had this suggestion been Carried out? You
ueuId nov have tventy-One svenuss in the
heart Of the city, eith the reservations as we'll
Is the streets, all planted ard improved; yes
and your City Hall too. inside and outside of
the grounds beautifully planted fountain
in the centre OF each reservation, and sta,u.
of each of the Presidents facing east. All
reservations, according to my plan, should
have eighteen inches Of 9 foundation in the
clear, a granite coping Of six inches, with a
wrought iron psling to prevent dust and other
9Th from accumulating as at present and also
dogs and hogs from roofing up and destroying
the grounds. Each lamp, according TO my
plan, was to have been placed therein, and to
be two feet higher than those in the street. l
an for inclosing and improving al! the reser
vatlons have planted twelve already; bat
they are not inclOssd. L hope to live to see
all Ct them completed. The uater-works are
not far of, and hope We will live to enjoy the
benefit of them. IL We do not, our offspring
will. From the width Of our streets, reserva-
tons and pavsments, in my opinion, we will
ssrpass Loudon or Paris in beauty as city
All no. depends upon good generalship Too
fast or too slow will not do in inelosing the
=
never be wrong. l hope you will notice that
some Of them very small. The psvements are
wide. All dwellings take on seven feet for
porcbes or steps. III had that space in add.
ton for all Of the reservations il would add
i've feet on each side Of them. They would
then appear much larger.
In this view some may differ from me but
it Is for the benedt Of all. am going ahead
With all the reservations; the Commissioner
says am right But" gays he, Maher,
the citizens ask too much the appropriations
are limited. Do the best you can 10 please
them What gives more general sa,isfact ion
than planting avenues with trees and improy.
ing reservations? Had 1 my way, it would
have been done long since There we're more
trees planted this spring and last fall than
for the last ten Yeas This spTin IS planting
will speak for itself Avenues ami rsserva
tions have been set out with twelve hundred
ornamental trees Aud here let me say that
this is the first time that any Commissioner Of
Public Buildings has backed me In my ideas
Old men plant trees and build houses az the
age Of seventy or eighty, not for themselves
bat foE their children. L am the oldest gar
deDer in the United States; so - told
ne / am fifty one years gardener. think
il is almost time 1 should know some
thing about it. have been forty years in
the country. Jackson did not send for me
without knowing who / was. / am twenty.
one years in this city. During this time had
not one professional gardner in my emp oy-
mental lsbOring men. made them What
they sre-handy and useful. / hope to plant
twenty thousand trees, before 1 die, to iu-
prove and ornament tAe city called after the
rather of his Country. What spot more de
serving oft / hOpo to see the City OF Wash
ipgton surprising the world. 1 helped to
mike it aud an willing to die for it. James
Msher, the public gardener, never had leave
of absence and did not lose one day to the
year by sickness fJr the last twenty-one years;
eighteen days sick, the balance on duty I
lived under the administration of eight Presi.
dents and eight Commissioners Of the former,
four are deal; OF the latter, seven. MAY
they rest N peace. JAMES MAHER,
Public Gardener
"HAvE CAKE some nice ones" said an
elderly woman, thrusting her basket in the
face Of boy on Pennsylvania avenue, the
other day
The oungster looked into the basket with
svistful eye, and then thrust his hand into
his pocket as if feeling for a cent, which
might, perhaps, be there found. Disappointed
In his search, be was in the act of turning
away, the woman still insisting upon his taking
scake The boy, thus importunsd, accordingly
took the best looking one Gf, indeed there
was any choice,l and was about taking the
bcCS0Q Ollc, NQeO lle O6al6r C6echSQ Nun,
saying, Pay me- for the cake " The juvenile,
with an air of surprise, responded - Didn't
you beg me to take a cake? Yes" said the
woman, but didn't give il to you for moth
ing; expected you 10 pay for il . "Then
take your stale cake" be exclaimed, at the
same time hinging the ginger bread into her
basket, and making use Of language which
did not argue fa7orahly in behalf of his
morals.
II, "a u,nsoorso-- e. 49, 81 -
particularly pleased With each others conduct
FALSE ALARM AND LONG RUN-Abo
halfpast eight o'clock, last night, the bells
sounded an alarm Of fire. and the engiues as
usual in such cases were hauled out The
light was in the direction Of the Military Asy
Luna ThitherH2rd the Northern Liberties
company, with two pieces Of apparatus, ran,
taking the Seventh St eet route. While on
the way, they were informed by several per
sons, in response 20 their inquiries that a
building or two were enyelOped with q ames
This stimulated them onward. Such infor-
nation, however, could not be obtained even at
the tOll-gate The light still doomed, ard, the
company gathering fresh strength, the apps-
ratus Ees drawn up the hill, but not vi bout
severe labor. From that stand point the
company loo ked, not on burning houses, but
on cracking and inhamed brush wood So
they retraced their steps, regrstsing of course,
that the false statements on the way had de.
eeived and unnecessarily fatigued them
The run TO the scene ard the walk from il,
covered line If six CT seven miles.
THz RACEs.-The admirers Of good trotting
will be delighted with the match that comes
OF tomorrow over the Columbia Course. The
horses are young, neither being quite four
years old. The bay colt, Ned Hunt, has a
high reputation, having trotted his mile In
public in 3:l6, nearly twelve months ago,
since which time be has not been matched
he has now, however, met wi a competitor
Of bis own ago in the Dutchman, and fsom
what We can learn an excellent race may be
expected. We understand there are a mum Der
Of hne horses on the track, in active training
preparatory TO the races which take place next
month
BUNKER HILL The dramatic diorama of
ne Battle Of Bunker Hill will shortly be ex-
hloited In this city. Several years ago we
witnessed j: a. Odd Fellows Hall The scene
- o.