Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-01-19
"a. watson, and .B. Seyerson.,

"a " atSOn,> and s'B. SeyerSOn.S
These two gentlemen may be mentioned as
leading representatives OF the class Of theorists
complained OF by Congressman as eternally
haranguiEg and harassing them Upon their pet
schemes about District matters. They (the
congressman express the wish that the practi-
cal representative citizens Of the city would
talk with them about District affairs and keep
the cracked Missionaries away from the Capitol.
The difficulty Is that the business citizens have
little time to spend about the Capitol commit
tee rooms. while these gentlemen Of unlimited
leisure seem TO have nothing else on hand.
Mr.. Watson Is man OF some good ideas and
many irapracticable ones. He deserves more
than any other man the credit OF originating
The signal service system, and he invented the
postage newspaper envelope now IN general
use; but he gets wild-1ke many Others-when
he undertakes to grapple with the question OF
the Potomac flats. His remarkable plan Is to
dredge the flats the whole mile width of the
river opposite Washington, and keep them
dredged. He has been voted terrible bore by
all the newspapers OF Washington, and In re-
yenge he Is In the habit OF charging that they
have all been bought up In opposition to his
cranky schemes.
1t Is not known that Mr. Severson ever exc
cuted anything whatever. though he signs him
self 'Ciyil Engineer" and dilates upon his par
ticular crotchets In such imposing language
that he sometimes impresses green Congress
men as second Stephenson, or Brunei For
hall century, at least, like Coleridges Ancient
Mariner, he has been in the constant practice
OF fixing some victim with his glIttering eye
and ihfictiIg upon him the long story of the
SeyeIson plan OF sewerage and drainage.
Olden time mayors and councilmen, medieval
feather-Guster legislators, modern Commits
sioners and citizens newspaper men and Con-
gressmen always, have been In turn his prey
Most OF his victims are dead, but come and 90
as they may he goes on forever. once upon a
time, when the Old canal was the standing
nuisance, he prevailed upon the city councils to
try his plan OF flushing the canal by flood gates
BY this wonderful project the rush OF pent-
up water was to scour out all the sand, mud
and sediment. aud carry 1t Off post hast e
down river; ~making the canal both healthy
and navigable. The Severson flood-gate3
were erected at considerable expense,
but they failed to work. The water didn't
rush. Instead OF carrying Off the sedi-
ment, Ii failed even to carry of the floating
rubbish,-the dead cats, rotten eggs and de-
cayed vegetables, that found their way into the
canal Daily these dead cats, ancient eggs
and understandable cabbages noated In
solemn procession up and down the canal. from
18th street to the Navy Yard, and from the
Navy Yard TO nth street; but they never got
propulsion enough to send them out into the
river. Finally, the whole thing was pro-
nounced an utter failure, and the fiood-gates
were removed. Probably, the present genera
ton have forgotten all about this test illustra-
ton OF the engineering skill of this 1ndefatiga-
Die Old Man OF the Sea, and it would be unktnd
to recall but for the fact that he persistently
engaged In lauding the merits OF bis own
schemes of sewerage and river improvement,
and in assailing all other plans. 1t is neces.
sarJ that Congress and the public should know
Just what his claims as an engineering author
ity anout TO, when put to the test.