The Washington critic., 1885-09-16

Meetings were held In q dozen different
places every evening. The name oc
Mcrriman was speedily made as famil-
Jar as il had been totally unknown.
Nothing could he urged against him,
lie lad no career in politics 10 assail,
while those cf his opponents could be
tom TO tatlcrs. lie was triumphanily
elected, with 1900 votes to spare. This
was such a feat In politics as probably,
considering The circumstances Of Mrr-
riman's lack of wealth, fame or any
popular hobby, cannot be duplicated In
the history Of Congress.
~,
Il is Away interesting 90 read gbou;
the Morse telegraph, and even the
original instrument 50 near 10 IA among
the relies Of the National Museum thlt
it may he seen every day if any onr feels
disposed to take a look at H. 1t IL upon
ibis instrument, says the correspond.
Ont Of the Cleveland Le3Rey, that Morse
worked at bis experiments while acting
as q daguerroiyper in New York, anl
it was on such an instrument thai tho
first message was sent across the first
telegraph line in the world running
along the line of the b. & o. Railroad
from Washington to Baltimore. Con
gress by bare majority Of eight grant
ed an appropriation of $3.50 600 to Morse
TO build line, and il is stated that
shortly after 1t was completed q Con
gresham came to the Office here with
a bundle Of dirty shirts under his arm
and wanted them sent Immediately to
Baltimore to,be washed and returned,
At this time Louis Mclanc, who had
been Minister to England, Secretary Of
State, and Secretary of the Treasury,
was president of the b. & o. Railroad
Company. 1t was due to him largely
that the line was gotten through and
sec that the Baltimore & Ohio
Telegraph Company are now dating
their origin back to this time, and thus
claiming themselves to be the first tGlc-
Graph company in the world. Morse
first thought of laying the lines
under ground, but this was found i'm
practicable, and they were stretched
upon poles. 1t was completed the Eth
of May, 1874, about forty-one years
ago, and the first words were sent.
They were, what hath God wrought
They came through all right. The
office here was then in the Supreme
Court Chamber, and Ben: Pcrlcy
Poorc, who was present, says that
II great crowd was gathered at the
Capitol. Mrs Dolly Madison was among
them, and she was asked to send the
next message. She wrote one to the
wife of member of Congress in Bnlti-
and "a Tho talnrpay,I |,
was now Il success, but the people did
not have much faith in 1t. Morse
offered his whole right to it TO the
Government for 100000, and was
laughed at for his pains.
W.
II is stated here that President
Arthur has an income of over $25, 900 q
year, having about 100000 worth OF
very productive real estate and stocks
in New York city, lie spent his salary
as President, feeling secure rs to the
| future. Rumor runs with the story
that he is to marry Miss Lille Freling-
huyscn before next spring She in
hcrits an estate by the recent death OF
her father, the cX-Secrctary of State
which is equal to that of General Ar.
thurs.
~
This week. says "IIamllon' OF
the Minneapolis 7rijuae, in his last
Sundays letter to that paper, "closes
up the season for excursions on the
Potomac. Washington is well sup.
piled with neighborhood resorts which
are both pleasant and convenient tc
reach Beginning at Mount Vernon
twenty miles below the city, for sixty
or seventy miles down the river, is
lined with pleasant stopping places FOL
tired Washngtonians There are three
or four excellent places which can bl
reached after delightful sail of foul
or five hours, where fishing, grabbing
and bathing is excellent, and from ,0Ol
to 5000 people patronize the boats
every fine day. The cheapness of these
excursions is remarkable. For fifty
cents ride of 1870 to 1i0 miles ON the
river can be had any day in the week
while there have been mi-weckly cX
oursions all summer upon which tho
ticket holder could have fifty miles
ride, with very fair music, on an cX
cellcnt boat for one dime. Washing
ton is essentially II city of aquatics
There is not another city in America
where SO large proportion of the pop,
ulation is so wrapped up in boating
matters, and ii is doubtful if there /,
another city in the world where there
is such an excellent supply of first elias,
| Oh gly OH aud i,,l nit In,