The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-07-16
our wAsmsxGres LETTER.
From our Regular correspondeat.,
WASHINGTON. July Il. 1879.

s iotiHE tue tAtid cSrstOA Vi WI
, gress, which terminated TO the grea
j satisfaction Of every ore. I22 bill
D aad As joint resoiusfse 7 Intro
9 duced IN the Sena 10 bills al
. ll9 joint resolutions = RI inlrodacel
2 in the Rouse Of REPRESENTATIVES Tn
( folio Wing are among the prihcipa
bills which were passed and have be
come laws: To prevent the iniroduc
ton Of contagious diseases to con
tract fer the construction of q refrig
Grating ship for the disinfection 0
. vessels and cargoes; to extend tn
time OF postal service; bill relating
0 to vinegar factories operated prior t.
. March /, 1879; extending the pen
sion of General James Shield to hi
E widow and children, and granting /;
special pension to Colonel Fletche.
| Webster; e%xempting from registry
enrolment or license, vessels no.
f. propelled BY sail or internal motive
! power OF their own; joint resolution
relating to the national board o
health; the Legislative, executive
aud Judicial, the army and the judic
ial expenses bills; bills for the ex
change of subsidiary coins for lawfu.
money, &c. /; to provide for q Missis
sippi river commission ; to authorize
the District of Columbia 10 Issue
twenty year five per cent bonds
supplementary postal appropriations
Baltimore post office site to put
Qainine Oh the free list; completion
Of the foundation Of the Washington
monument /; directing a monument to
be erected tc mark the birth place Of
Washington.
This last bill appropriates 50, 000
for the purchase and erection of a
suitable monument to mark the birth
place Of George Washington, the
patriot, the General of the Continent
al armies, and the first President of
the United States. Secretary Eyarts
has the money at his disposal for the
purpose indicated, In order that the
choice of design and the inscription
may have the inspiration of the place
to be concentrated, Mr.. Evarts has
concluded to visit the spot in person,
and it is quite probable, on account
of the national character attached to
the proceedings, that the President
himself will see Gt to accompany Mr..
Evarts.
The contemporary historians To-
cate the place Of the patriots birth at
Bridges creek, Westmoreland county,
Virginia. This nam seems to have
been lost in the progress Of time, the
present name of the nearest stream,
being Pope's creek, on the Virginia
side of the Potomac. The unpretend-
ing mansion stood one mile north of
Pope's creek, and on a swell in the
land overlooking the broad bosom of
the river. The old family Bible not
ing the birth says, in the handwrit-
ing of the father, George Washing
ton, son of Augustine and Mary, his
wife, was born the 18th day February,
1871, at ten in the morning, aud was
baptized the Sd of April following ;
Mr.. Beverly Whitney and Captain
Brooks godfather, and Mrs. Mildred
Gregory, god-mother." The new
style o. computation of time adopted
by Pope Gregory NH and the act
of Parliament of 1852 had added
eleven days, making the date which
Is now recognized as the birth Of
Washington. February 22nd.
independence day, as is usual
when patriotism most delights TO
proclaim itself, was honored by a
universal observance and public re-
ljoicing in this city. The President
and family left for a short trip to
Fortress Monroe on board d Govern
ment steamer and directed the heads
of Departments to give all govern.
ment employees that could be spared,
two days off without loss of pay,
which with Sunday, gave the clerks
8 days, Friday, Saturday and Sunday
ia which to enjoy themselves as best
they could. The day was o rarely
pleasant one for midsummer. There
were few clouds to obscure the suns
rays, but there was q fresh breeze
blowing which tempered the air 10
that the heat was not so oppressive
as on previous Fourths. There were
the usual ~salutes, morning, noon and
night; the usual ringing of the
chimes with patriotic airs the usual
anniversary meeting of the Oldest in
habitants, and the usual noise and
din created by the enthusiastic young
sters with their fre-crackers and pis-
tolls. Something out of the usual
run was the mass-meoting held by
the Workingmen's assembly to urge
the strict enforcement OF the eight hour
law. Speakers eulogized Grant
amidst laundering applause as the
only President that ever enforced the
eight hour law.
Rarely 10 the history of the city
has there been such q number of ex-
cursions by rail and boat as on Fri
day. Most Of them were OF an in
expensive nature, 80 that on account
of the warm weather they were all
literally patronizsd.
Hundreds of residents of the city
anticipating a noisy Fourth, fled from
the city to the country the previous
evening, when tie cars and boats de-
parting from the city were crowded
with this class Of passenger. Their
absence, with that of the thousands
away on excursions aud picnics, un-
d~oubtedly was the cause of the Sun
day-hke appearance of the streets.
There was the usual amount of acct
dents and fights but none of them
were OF a serious nature. Flags were
displayed from nearly every house.
top, streets were decorated with ban
ners and everything looked glorious
and sublime to the highest degree.
Washington is now approaching to
an extent quite unknown in former
years the many advantages of its
river side situation. River excur-
sions which have been growing less
in cost and greater in number each