Wood River times. [volume] (Hailey, Idaho) 1882-1915, 1886-04-10

"u" o's' Usce " Sto SuPNob.
linen Of the Presidential household in
the East Room of the White House, the
rounds OF the mansion being too rough
.or that purpose.
The spiciest description OF the Wash
.ngton Of 1900 is that written by Secretary
Wolcott In a letter to his wife:
There are but few houses In any
place. and most of them are small, mis-
srable huts, which present an awful
contrast to the public buildings. The
people are poor, and, as far as I can
judge, live like fishes, by eating each
other"
When Congress met In Washington
for the first time its prevailing utterances
were chorus Of lamentations concern
ing the miserable quarters In which the
members found themselves. And no
wonder.
Eut ono wing of tho Capitol had been
BUILT; streets and avenues laid down on
tho plans OF tho city were unrecogniz-
able; between tho Capitol and tho White
House lay milo of morass covered
with elder bushes; the town seemed
to DO destitute of comfortable habita-
lions and 1t was WEAKNESS to tho flesh
TO travel in 1t, the few roads and side
walks which had boon provided being
intolcrably bad.
Under fostering appropriations the
city. grew somewhat between 1900 and
1874.
PROGRESS OF THE CITY TO 1870.
With tho British invasion of the last
named year 1t really did appear that a
frequent prophecy of its abandonment
rain saved the Capitol and White House
from receiving irremediable mischief
from the torches of the enemy, but
Great was the havoc wrought by the
soldiers in the Executive buildings. The
.oss of u million dollars worth OF prop
arty was severe blow to the city, but
Congress made appropriations, and its
steady progress was maintained with
accelerated speed.
BY 1922 the population amounted to
about fifteon thousand, and the aggregate
value Of property subject to taxation
within its limits exceeded six and half
million OF dollars.
When, In 1862, tho war Of the Union
began, Washington had sixty-two thous-
and inhabitants. A writer of that date
describes 1t as "a big, spra Wing city,
magnificent In some parts, dilapidated
and dirty in others"
While the war lasted Washington was
\ huge camp. and after 1t made little or
noprogress until 1870, when Alexander
Il. Shepherd began that process Of con-
version by means Of which the capital
city has been made fully worthy Of the
most complimentary things said about ii.
SHEPHERDS WONDERFUL DoINGs.
The Washington boss" was q re-
markable man.
When Congress voted half a million
dollars to start building a new State
War and Navy building In Washington
lac question OF its being continued the
'apital city was settled. Shepherds OPP
portunity lay straight before him.
He was thirty-eight years old, and
man OF brains and energy. and worth n
hundred thousand dollars.
A summary Of what Shepherd did In
less than ten years conveys a compre-
hcnsive conception ~ what Washington
now is.
As head OF the Board OF Public Works
he manipulated the territorial govern
mcnt which no and his friends had set
up in place OF the old municipal govern
;nent. Many miles OF streets and av-
enucs were improved and paved. and
costly system of sewerage introduced
and begun. Nearly twenty million dol
lafs were spent In filling up the old
liter canal.
In a few years time Shepherd built
over a thousand structures, many OF
them ranged together In blocks, an in
novation in Washington. Their aggre-
gate value was about ten million
dollars.
He was made Governor Of the District
in 1873, thrce years before the time when
financial embarrassment put an end to
all his greatness. But one decade from
the time when the Board OF Works be-
gan its improvements was necessary TO
the transformation 4 the city.
At tho ond OF tina. time Washington
ians saw handsome and well-paved
streets, shaded with trees Of promising
growth. beautiful houses aDd stores,
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