The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-08-16
Correspondence Baltimore County Union.
LETTER FROM WASHINGTON.
No Earthquake Scare--A Catastrophe
and It's Lessons-The Greedy Expe-
OTTOMAN Irishman on
Blaine &C.. &c.

WASHINGTON, d. c., August 18th, 1884.
Messrs. Editors Topics of interest are very
scarce here at this time The earthquake that was
felt with considerable force at other places on last
Sunday afternoon, scarcely made ripple here or
gave the residents of this city anything to talk
about; and yet, strange to say, siIce it has been
published in all the newspapers that an earth
quake really did occur, good many have discov-
foo .hs. 49, s he s And aar named they did
concluded that it was ''an earthquake" and are
coming forward to testify through the newspapers
to that fact Thus it is with everything else in
this city at this time. There is perfect dearth
of news and incidents. But if anything should
occur to arouse the people from their midsummer
drowsiness, then there would be persons enough
to tell you that they "knew it" or had ''tod you
so."
Shall say that the falling of part of the United
States Hotel, week ago, and entombing of
number of human beings in its debris, causing the
death of two of them, while the other victims are
still suffering from the injuries received, was an
incident of this kind Would it not be a blessing
ifpeople's foreknowedge equal to their after
knowledge, or concedng that to be, as many often
pretend after some important incident or calamity
has occurred they could be prevailed upon to
divulge their great prophetic knowledge before its
occurrence, so as to prevent 1t! But suchls never
the case Yet since this catastrophe the building
inspectors have been quite busy in looking out
and condemning unsafe buildings in this city, and
no less than twenty or thirty have been discovered
and condemned. But no doubt the number would
be much larger could they be discovered. 1t is
not to the interest of owners of weak and worth
less buildings in this any other city to have
them condemned and ordered by the authorities
to be torn down, and therefore they are not likely
to be informers against themselves. But yet no
doubt large number of such houses exist in all
our cities. If real, good, genuine earthquake
IN offs sniff IN raft
unstable structures, then the weak and fimsy
oh ~aotor esrecialiy Of tha tene..,snt hVusos or
this and other cities, where the cupidity OF the
owners admit of the building of only such, would
be divulged in a surprising degree. At any rate,
the catastrophe caused by the falling of this hotel
should stir the building inspectors of all cities up
to greater diligence and carefulness in the inspec-
ton Of buildings, so that other like ones may not
occur.
From my limited appreciation of the benefits to
be derived to science nything else from Polar
expeditions, think the results of the recent Gree
ly expedition to the Arctic seas may be put in the
same category with the above hotel falling or any
other calamity that takes away human lives. OF
the twenty five that composed the expedition and
which left for the Northern several years ago,
only seven were found alive by Lieut.. Schley's
lucky rescuing party, and they barely escaped
with their lives from the disease, hafdships star
walton and rigors of climate in an Arctic ocean.
What good then of such expeditions Could any
benefit be derived from them, if one were
successful in reaching the North Pole and plant
ing the American flag there?
had an interview to-day with a prominent
Irshman, who is an officer of the National Irish
League of America and thrifty business man of
this city, of which the following is the substance
He told me that the opposition of the Irish-Am
leans to Cleveland and the Democratic party in
this campaign is On account of their English free
trade notions and platform, and the reason they
favor Blaine and the Republican party is because
of their protection ideas and platform, and the
aggressive policy the latter will put forth to pro-
tect the citizens of the country wherever they are
oppressed. 1 asked him if it not probable
that all the disaffected Democratic vote would go
over to Butler before the campaign is over. He
answered no, and said that every Irishman in the
country knows that vote cast for Butler and not
| for Blaine is only one-half vote against Cleve-
land and the Democratic party, whose defeat the
Instantaneous are bound to compass this fall.
asked him then what vote Butler would be like
ly to get as the candidate of the Labor-Anti Mo-
nopoly- Greenback party, and he answered he
guessed he would get the vote of the Labor-Anti-
Monopoly Greenback party, "but you can rest
assured" he added, che will not get the Irish
American vote, for that is going to Blaine and
Logan" He further added that Mr.. Blaine's
plurality in New York State will be 100 000 and
said, with determined look and defiant toss of
the head, as he walked away up the street from
in front of his place where 1 found him standing,
eve (meaning the Irish Americans intend to
make it so." 1 stared at him in wonder and
would have liked to ask him some further ques-
tions, but concluded he meant what he said.
ANON.