The weekly democratic statesman. [volume] (Austin, Tex.) 1871-1883, 1881-02-24
Our Washington Letter. T.
WASHINGTON, D. CT
EahrnorNr Il 1881

February IA, 1851.
We have had a narrow escape from
the Yisitations of justice, and this
stOried old Potomac imagined itself
the instrument selected. Vennor,
the Great, predicted thaw. The
thaw came not up to the minute,
and we derided the prophet; and
laughed saying: where is thy
thaw, o false prophetp' The derided
one beckOned his familiar to his aid.
and 10, the result! Suddenly, when
we least expected il, Jack Frost gath
cred his frozen tatters about his blue
old legs, and fed away TO the North,
whistling, in search of the Jeanette,
perhaps. Vennor winked down to
Hazen-Hazen winked back to Ven
nor, and we woke up Saturday
morning to find, that the Potomac
had broken its bounds of ice, and
was roaring, and rising, and coming
down "like a wolf on the fold" And
the sun laughed down at the river,
and the river laughed up to thesun,
like great, appearing, swollen Fal-
staff of rivers, as it was. Then we
remembered Vennor, and we re-
membered him with respectful fear.
The morning papers gave us sud.
den disrelish for our breakfast by in
forming us that the worst was not
vet come, that the waters had not
yet reached their highest, that the
bridges must go at the next tide;
likewise the wharves and shipping;
and it ali came true. The water
rose Saturday until it overfowed
its banks and burst some Of the
sewers. A great flood from four to
six feet deep spread itself along. that
part Of the city south of Pennsyl-
vania Avenue, from the Presidents
back door even to the foot of the
| Capitol, distance of at least q mile.
Stores were flooded, property de-
stroyed, and the citizens of the
southern part of the city cut off from
the rest of the town. Ferry boats
were soon inprovised, and the street
cars that ventured across carried
their passengers clinging to the roof.
A million will scarcely cover the
losses, and few accidents, one or
two of them fatal, are credited to the
scare of "Vennor's thaw !" but never
theless, the irrepressible and pleas
ure-loving Washingtonians made
almost a gala occasion of it on Sat
urday afternoon. Pennsylvania Az
enue was thronged, and at 5, when
the matinee at the National. was
over, and the brilliant audience
added its numbers to the crowd,
tho scene became extremely gay,
Laughter was king, and his imps
sped up and down the thoroughfare
touching thousands of lips with
hilarity and Jest.
But what a god-send was it all to
the newspaper menl If ever those
pious gentlemen uttered prayer OF
gratitude it was then. They were
everywhere, taking notes, asking
| questions, cracking jokes and bless.
ing their lucky stars; for Washing.
ton, like field too often ploughed
sown and reaped. begins to grow
less fruitful, and the reporter finds
himself sometimes put TO it to find
matters of interest. The National
Capital is the best or, worst (have II
as yon willy written up city on the
globe perhaps, and slight deartt
of news items, such as threatened
to spread between now and the In
auguration, made the legion ofquil
drivers here congregated tremble
The question of news for the hungry
man of the nation was becoming
serious here, when the rampant old
Potomac stepped in to fill It,
Apropos of newspaper men and
newspapers. there is perhaps nc
Sunday morning breakfast IN
America better spiced than that Of
the soiourner in Washington, i
he Is a reader of that paper
which the combined spleen and in
telligence (the former preponderat
ing, it is TO be feared1 of Don Plat
makes famous. This bitter old sa.
tirist, this incorrigable old pessi'
mist. But stop! Let us leave his Gu
logy to be written by those whose
backs have been scraped by his pen
they will give him more Than his
due, be sure. a.,s.' =.
1t is Il proverb here that when
once Mr. piatt takes hold Of man
be it traternaily by the hand, Oh
vindictiY,ly by the S-cruf of The
neck, he never lets go. Nothing ID
too good to say of his friend, moth,
ing too bitter of his enemy, and
from appearances, 1iteration brings
conviction" must be the motto on
his escutcheon. Just now he il
beaming on Texas. Texas has sur.
prised Mr.. Piatt by re-eleoting Mr.
Maxey. Mr.. Piatt loves Mr.. Maxey-
score one for his good taste there
I