The morning call., 1891-05-03
HISTORIC HOMES
OF WASHINGTON.
They Must Soon Surrender to Commercial
Entertainment
Ruhamah's Pleasant Chat-we Shall Take to
Ourselves wings-La Grippe's Distin-
guished Victims at the Capital.

parts of the country Papers on abstruSe
subjects which tie outside and ordinary
mind could hardly comprehend occupied
the most of the time at the meetings, but
the first day had its sensation in the paper of
Professor Langley on aerial navigation.
Flying machines are near at hand that distin-
guished scientist believes. and his own me-
chanlcal experiments have convinced him
that the flying is easy enough, but the start
ing, the stopping and the steering are the
~ problems. The same troubles that Darius
Green encountered still beset the exper-
mentor, Whether stored electricity or an
apparatus Of lis own will pTopel the aerial
machine the difficulty is all in the
starting and stopping. Professor Proc
tor long ago contended that the prob
lem must soon be solved, and that
for man to emulate the birds and navigate
the air would be no more improbable or i'm
possible than for him to rival the fishes in.
their own element and dive and SWIM. Pro
- fesSor Langley believes that ingenuity Will
overcome the few remaining obstacles, and
that decade or twO-will see new means
of travel at hand. The Chicago Ar-ship
Company, of which much was heard a few
months ago, may realize its projects even
earlier: every one will take wings to himself,
the Interstate Commerce Commission will
only have freight problems to solve, and
- railroads and stTeet-cdrs will be for inanimate
goods.
The sentimental soul regrets to see the
OminOus sign For Sale" fastened to the cid
home OF George Bancroft, the historian. 1t
is solid old square mansion with a broad
hall and spacious apartments, where all that
was best and most eminent in Washington
lie has gathered for fifty years past.
HISTORIC ASSOCIATIONS
VIII always cling to It, as before Mr. Ban
croft OCcupied it the house had several emf
= nent owners. A piece of ground at the
rear Of the house was sold a few years
since and a part of the Richmond Hotel
covers It, and, doubtless, the Bancroft man
sion viii IN time be added to that large pile
which adJUlnS It. This year Mr.. BauCrOfpS
pet cTOcuS, hyacinth and tuD beds be-
fore the house, which were always the first
in the city to begin blooming, bloomed I'M
noticed and his beloved rose bushes will
unfold their petals in vain. Real estate in
that region about the metropolitan Club has
risen so enormously IN the last seven or
eight years that It IS doubtful If any one
Will buy the Bancroft house for private i
residence, and this historic house will 90
the inevitable hotel or commercial way. In
that block and around Lafayette square
nearly all the houses are quite old,
spacious family mansions that date from
far before the war. Across the way is
General L. K. Beales home, built by Com
modore Decatur and the COrcOTan home,
where Daniel Webster lived and where
the British legation was established during
war times Since Mr.. COrcOran's death
the beautiful old house has been but little
occupied, his three grandchildren, who in
neTlted his estate, having passed most of
their time abrOad. The Trustees of the
CCrcoran Gallery have lately purchased a
site Tor a new gallery building-an annex
that viii be much larger than the present
structure The gallery Is not only increas-
Ing It's collections all the time, but needs
more room for the classes of the art school
which Is maintained IN connection with 1t,
and as property is increasing in value SO
very rapidly the Trustees thought il best 10
buy now. The gallery had an endowment
OF $4,000 year at the tine Mr.. COTcoran
gave It to the city. and the increase in value
OF It's investments make it much more than
that sum now. Within recent years the ad-
diti0ns to the gallery have been more and
more valuable, and the collection of paint
lngs Is becoming more worthy its housing.
he ground bought for the future annex is:
on Seventeenth street, below the Stare De-
partment and opposite the White House
stables.
REAL ESTATE
In that region between the State Depart
menI and the Naval Observatory was at a
standsiill for almost a half century, but re-
Gently II has leaped from cents. 10 dollars
for the square foot. and from 81 a square
foot year ago il has now risen to So. a
square foot. The erection OF the Columbia
Athletic Clubs house gave a boom to real
estate On q street beyond Seventeenth, and
Colonel Lemons large building for the
Offices and pres5-rOOms Of the National
Tribune brought that far end OF New York
avenue into notice. The National Tribune
IS the q. A. L. or soldiers organ. and, be- /
sides issuing and looking after an enormous
pension business in connection with it. Col
OUel Lemon is also the proprietor of the
Home Magazine, edited by Mrs. Logan.
Mrs. Logan is nOminally the editor, but her
contributions are 4 very small part OF its
contents, although she has supervision and
direction Of it. The active management and
Office work is now in the charge Of Miss
Fannie Clemmer, sister Of Mrs. Mary
Clemmer Ames, who, throughout war times
and until her death, seven years since fur
nished the interesting Washington letters 10
The New YoTk Independent, the great re-
view and organ Of the Presbyterian Church.
But Tor the amazing reports telegraphed
here of the flowers that overarch and Strew
the Presidents pathway all through South
ern California, OF his carriage being covered
with flowers. his car hlled with them and
the car platform piled knee-deep with bou-
quets, We should think ourselves TO be ell
Joying a small sort Of California right here
Ia the District Never has foliage and
bloom burst forth so suddenly, and each of
the many parks, circles and tTiangles about |
the city is its best. Magnolia, ounce, peach, |
almond, apple, plum and cherry trees have
FASTENED to bloom; the Judas tree dTips |
CRIMSON BLOSSOMS,
And the tulip tree is about to deck itself |
with its gorgeous cups. SpiTHa and snow |
ball and lilac are in bloom, and colored boys
offer punches of lilacs at half the street cor |
neTs downtown, and the market-hOuse has |
It's picturesque fringe of cOloTed hucksterS
half hidden with the loads of wild flowers, |
dOgwood and apple blossoms that they |
bring to town every day.
With all this ETHEREAL mildness and afflu- |
eDce Of nature, the grip still RACES and the |
deadly open. street-caT which the sOuless |
corporations are always in such a hurry /
to pat on in the changeable days of spring. |
Is increasing the number of victims. Last |
week the Behring Sea or SaywOOd case bad
10 be postponed IN The Supreme Court be-
cause Of Attorney, General Miller's illness.
The grip had housed him for nearly fort
night when Justice Bradley was attacked
and now the Sayw00d case is DELAYED on |
his account. Justice Bradley has long
since passed the age which allows him to
retire, and alter Judge Field Is the senior in |
service on the bench, but he has no wish to /
leave the court and see his place filled by /
another. Justice Bradley has always taken /
the greatest care OF his health, but despite |
IL he has suffered from the gri fora whole |
fortnight, and it will be some time before |
he can leave the house. While fair share |
OF the community is INDOORS with its grip |
and its medicines, another fraction is forth |
In tennis fanEels and yellow shoes, and the |
belted and blaZer-ed youth once more makes |
w tony street pictures. !
The riding and driving members Of the |
gay world will all HE themselves TO the |
jockey club races next week, and succeed |
ing 1t there comes the circus to which high |
and low, old, young, black and white equally /
flock and which all dearly delight in. AS |
the march Of progress has built over the |
vacant lots where the sawdust circle has |
been in preceding years. the circus now |
Domestic the ball grounds between the Cow |
Dr. a4gll