The Washington critic., 1889-06-07
rnE rowN,s pnorooRApH.


There has bcon in town for matter
of a fortnight or so clever young man
who wants to fight anybody who don't
weigh over 1873 pounds, with skin
gloves to finish for purse. He is n
pugilist of established reputation, and is
known as q good and gamey fighter. A
Baltimore lightweight has announced
a willingness to accept his challenge
and everything is in readiness for u
fight; all but the purse, The purse
must not be less than 5000. Probably
there Is not town half Washington's S
size in the country in which such q
purse would not be raised in two days.
But the matter has never got beyond u
dozen people yet here, save that the
newspapers have published the chal.
lengc in brief paragraphs. This fight,
IL IL comes of as proposed, would settle
the lightweight championship of Mary
land.
It's an i'll wind that blows nobody
good, and so too it's an exceptional
flood that floats nobody profit. An en-,
terprising local photographers got up
early Sunday morning and hied him to
various points in the flooded districts
lie made lots of pictures of the watery
streets ard bare.legged boys and dis.
mayed-looking female church.goer on
flooded street corners with their dressed
gathered dismally above their ankles
These pictures have Just been finished
and placed on sale. And you ought to
see these watery photographs OF the
town. You remember, perhaps, how
years ago when you just had q picture
of yoursdlf made. You went TO the lit.
tie country photographers shop, per
haps--for surprising percentage. of
Washington people are country,bred--
and, perhaps. you sat cross-legged in
front of the camera The resultant
portrait was miracle of distorted
prospective. SO you probably rcmem-
Der what n distorted appearance Of dis
tance photographer can get into q
picture even when he does not try.
Now this willy photographer fixed his
camera some way 30 "a to get very
exaggerated prospective into his pictures
of the flood. One picture for instance
is looking down Fourteenth street across
the water. The puddle looks q mile
wide, thought in reality only about three
squares WIDE Of course the more ex.
pansively watery the pictures look the
better they will sell and that s the reason
the clever photographer put an exces.
sive perspective into his pictures Of the
flood.
~ ..H
Every once in while some staid,
reputable citizen, who never violated
the law In his life before, even to the
extent of little mild disorder or an i'm
pulsive swear word, finds himself de-
fendant in the Police Court This is
especially so when the season for build
ing opens. The defendant sits in dis
couraged manner and listens while some
special officer elocutionizcs over the
fact that he found q pile of building
material at night without sufficient
light on it, or discovered hydrant
which was wasting Potomac water in q
reckless and nnseemly manner. The
law with reference to the lighting OF
ton, owing to the fact that the. District
is liable to damage suits in cases of ac-
cident.
"a
One of the greatest nuisances in Wash
ington is the public man colored coach
man. In many cases he is an importa
tion from some provincial stable and is
so swollen by his advancement in life
that he almost rolls Off the box. He is
the man who, on catching sight of some
common pedestrian humbly trying to
cross the street near the Treasury De,
partment, whips up his horses and chases
the poor man down to the Peace
Monument. He feels his superiority
over his fellow man in way tha,
is very dangerous to life and
limb. He owns both sides Of the street
and doesn't assert claim to the side
walk because he doesn't want it. 1t is
pitiful to see his proud spirit chafe
when policeman arrests him, as occa.
sionally happens, and takes him to the
station-house. His employer is in many
instances good, substantial man, who
wouldn't let anything short of bone
felon cause constituent to pass him
by with unshaken hand. He is used
to greatness, but his coachman isn't.