Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-01-16
Correspondence of the Herald
4 washington Letter.
MAsu1xnron. D. O., Dec. 81, 1872.

lost inc opportunity Vi SedSOh"OiJ ~
filing the promise | made you. Old
Procrastination was the gent who stole
my time, but | viii cndeavor to make
amends.
Three weeks ago, with visions OF the
sunny South, and no regrets at leav-
ing the icy atmosphere of Vermont, l
shook the snow from my feet and turn
ed my face southwark, with courteous
and good natured conductor Weatherley
of the Rutland and Washington Rail-
road. On a bitterly Goodnight, soon af-
forwards, a few shiyering passengers
congregated on board the . Daniel
Drew" at Albany The hyperboreau
mitrailleuse at the North Pole seemed
to direct special and ceaseless yolleys at
the parting, struggling monster as she
forced her staggering way through large
masses of floating ice in the lower river.
| The wind howled and shrieked, pene-
trating rafting windows and blankets,
rendering state-rooms decidedly uncom-
Portable, and sleep almost impossible.
Right glad were we when the boat was
made secure in her berth at New York,
there to remain until spring, steamboat
navigation on the Hudson having closed
with the trip.
Hurrying through the sandy, barren
soil of New Jersey, with dilapldated
farm houses and scant outbuildings here
and there-as different from the thrift
of Vermont and bringing irreslstibly to
my mind the man, immortalized in Ha1-
33er's Draacer, who testified upon the
witness stand that he was only 80 years
old, but who, in explanation of his gray
hair and venerable form, admitted that
he had spent forty years on the sand of
New Jersey, bnt never counted that any
| part of his life, On to Philadelphia,
and across Delaware and Maryland, our
route lying through a sparsely settled
and partially wooded country, stopping
fifteen minutes for refreshments at the
ancient city of Wilmington, crossing
three immense railroad bridges-one at
/ Havre de Grace across the Susquehanna
passing through the dirtiest and shah
best part of Baltimore, our car drawn
by a string Of mules la tGndeDl, her
=, aided by a fish horn, by crazy looking
buildings in all stages of decay, redolent
with the lingering perfume of coal dust,
( poor rum and fish no longer fresh-on,
ON with the gathering shade of night
and finally hating in the large, low,
dingy depot at Washington; then out
into the clamoring throng of hack dri-
/ vcrs, and streets lighted-or rather dark
ened and made more dismal-with the
+ poorest Gas on the continent. Wash
ington was in the enjoyment of "cold
spell - but the skies soon frightened
and the sun grew warm and tender
And being determined to appreciate and
enjoy the sunny South, l threw up
my window, and sitting beside it in my
shirt sleeves, drew a mental parallel
something like this: While you in Yer
mont are sitting by warm fires, inside
hospitable doors, or hurrying and SILVER
ing through snow-clad streets, with old
/ Boreas congealing every breath, here in
Washington the air is mild and balmy
as q New England September, and at
night the city is filled with a glorious
moonlight tempting indeed to pedes-
TRANS. But a sneeze here reminded
that this thing wouldn't do. so l shut
down the window and paid for my bit
of sentiment by soaking my feet in hot
water and dressing my throat in flannel.
The trnth is. the climate is so changea-
BILE that when people are not getting
cold they are getting over it, and RIGA
ceFSq.
This is truly a city of magnificent
distances" and is now in somewhat of a
transition state, fine brick blocks all over
the city either standing isolated or
tianked by cheap wooden concerns erect
ed for temporary purposes. But vast
improvements have been and are being
made. and Washington is destined, at
no distant day, to be a beautiful and
most attractive city The public build
ings are massive and imposing in APP
pearance, but the WashingtOnian takes
Just pride in its avenues and streets,
/ which are very broad and straight. the
( EIlHtlt1dI ONES btILl9 BdNtN w ltli CoHCiGtt
or the various notifications of the wood
en- pavement, thus affOrding delightful
Uromenades and drives The BOstOnian.
accustomed to the crooked thorough
fares which dis-graced the region of
Cornhill. would he lost in amaZement at
the immensely of the street plan of
Washington, the latter being laid at
right angles, though as the avenues cross
them diagonally it is at first somewhat
puZZling to the stranger
The population of the District is csti-
mated at 100000, of whom one-fourth
are cOlorcd. and as they muster about
$4,000 voters. they hold the balance of
power in the local elections. Being
mostly labOrers, and improyident, the
question of their maintenance is an ever
recurring problem. Just now. the
Board of Pablo Works being in arrears
in their payments, there is much Suf-
fenng among them. The police record
shows them to be a desperate class,
quite too regardless of human life, and
although hanging is not played out
in Washington. they don't scare -
very much. There were only two
murders here last week. one of them of
peculiar atrOcity-a Polish Jew peddler,
butchered by negro in quest of Christ
mas money. The murderer now lies
logged and sullen in his cell, refusing to
eat.
Since the District has been invested
with a territorial government, order is
ospringing from chaos, the city is being
renovated and rebuilt, improvement is
everywhere in progress, and it is con-
tidently expected to become the center
of elegance and fashion, as it is now
popularity supposed to be the center of
wisdom. a project is now on foot fer
the completion of the Washington mon
ument, upon which work has been inter
rupted for about ten years Valuable
stones, presented by foreign govern
ments and designed to be used in its con-
struction, are lying at its base, mutely
protesting against shameful delay
Among the score of hotels in Wash
ington, the Arlington, on Vermont
avenue kent by ROSpllp Bros formerly