The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1890-09-07


addressing their letters. This confusion ex-
lists to a great extent in every city, but In
Washington there seems to be combine against
the lettercarrier by the people who send letters
here and by those who named the various little
alleys, courts and places which intersect the
principal streets in all sorts of odd and puz-
zling ways. If the post office had the naming
of all these alleys great share of the letter
carriers woes would be dissipated. On the
contrary, the names have been given by the
residents, frequently the negro population, and
they will not adopt any more harmonious cog
nomen for the place of their residence than the
one applied some time in the past, because of
some popularity of the location or inhabitants.
The Commissioners have been requested lately
to change the names Of some of these alleys to
ones that will be more distinctive and conven-
lent.
Among some of the peculiarly named alleys
in the city Blood alley in the northwest, Bride
alley in the same section, Cabbage alley in the
northeast, Christian alley in the southwest, and
Hope, Grinder, and Jordan alleys in the south
east are among the most peculiar. 1t would be
no doubt interesting to delve backward into the
pages of local history and discover the origin of
the various names. Chain-house alley north
west is rather suggestive of the days of dun
geons, whipping posts, and the like, while Cha
riot alley expresses better state of affairs and
was probably named by the negro residents there
Immediately after the emancipation, flush in the
hope of great things to come by and by. Child
alley is popular, although the characteristic is
common, and two alleys are known by that
name. Church alley, taken with Hope, Jordan,
Christian, Temperance, and Splash Water alleys
give ample evidence Of the religious instincts
paramount in the hearts of these simple folk.
Phases of life other than religious take their
part in the nomenclature of our by.ways. Love
forms strong factor in this question as it does
in many others. I Bride alley has been men
toned. Knight alley, King alley, and Queen
alley all show evidences Of the feeling of the
days of chivalry, which can only be expected to
show itself in SO Important a matter and by such
people, Tiff alley also takes its part in the
drama. 80 tB&k XII ~ a.
The drop from the heights 81 tie ideal to the
depths of real and prosaic, when we consider
alley, Goat alley, Hog alley, Pig alley, and
Church alley. There used to be Louise alley,
but the present administration took firm stand
against 1t.
If people had ever seen one of the kind we
should be led to suppose that Tea alley is the
residence of host of old maids, but as people
haven't, 1t is to be supposed that the existence
of such an alley must be taken with Temper
ance, Tin-cup, and Water alleys to denote the
existence of persons with such proclivities in
those sections. There is Euclid place in the
northwest, but whether it is because of its re-
semblance to Ziz-zag alley in another quarter of
the city, or because of the residence of some
disciple of that geometrician, is not generally
known. Among other alleys of peculiar and
suggestive names are Fighting alley, with It's
accompaniment, Sheriff alley; Fitz alley, with it's
cataleptic suggestions, and Tinker alley.
These are all merely peculiar names, and do
not give the post Office attaches any con-
siderable trouble except in cases in which the
names are merely local and the situation known
by other names at the post Office
There are other instances, however in the
irregular naming of streets and alleys which
give considerable trouble, especially when the
persons addressing letters are not particular in
ton. There are probably two hundred streets,
places, courts, and alleys in Washington which
do not hold their names as exclusively their
own. 1t is as a result of this and the careless
ness of persons addressing letters that the car
riers are troubled.
Among some of these streets may be men
toned; Alexander alley and row, both north
west Armory street, northwest and southwest;
Baptist alley and Baptist Church alley both
northwest; Bates alley and road, northwest, and
street, southwest; Brown alley, court, and three
Brown streets, all in the northwest,
court in the southwest, and another south
east Carroll alley southeast, avenue south
west, and Takoma Park and street southeast;
there are two Cedar alleys and one street in the
northwest, besides court In the southwest and
road in another secton College streets and
alleys, courts, and places exist with like de-
gree Of frequency; De Sales row and street are
both in the northwest section Of the city; Earl,
and Earle streets both exist in the northwest
section, and give the writer a chance to exercise
his careessness.
The admirers Of Benjamin Franklin have com
plicated matters In the northwest by calling
into existence an alley, place, and street
after his name. The Presidents have come in
for their share of the honors, and we have Gar
field avenues Grant avenue, place, court, and
road, jackson alley, place, and two streets, JEFF
ferson avenue, place, and street, Lincoln avenue,
square, streets, and terrace, Madison alley,
avenue, place, and four streets, and Pierce
place. streets, and road. Other characters, well
known in history no doubt, come in for a share
Of the post office workers. maledictions There
is a Hamilton place and a road, a Lafayette
avenue and square, Scott avenue, place, row,
and street-all in the northwest Sheridan
avenue and street, Sherman avenue, road, and
a street, and Trumbull alley and street.
There are Prospect streets and alleys in abun-
dance, Liberty streets, Summit streets, and lots
of Others which add their quota to the general
confusion existing among the smaller thorough
fares of the city.
To avoid the Inconvenience caused by the
Indifferent use of such terms, streets, places
and alleys, Capt, Rossell, Of the District En-
gineers, suggests that the term ''court" be
added to the name of all alleys in which dwell
ling-houses are erected, and that all such whose
location it is necessary to designate should be
known by the name of the contiguous streets
Thus, an alley having dwelling houses erected
thereon bounded by Twentieth and streets
would be known as Twentieth-B court. Capt
Rossell suggests that these alleys be officially
recognized under such system of naming.