Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-04-14

creek the natural receptacle of sewerage and
would have utterly destroyed one OF the most
beautiful pieces of scenery that the country
can boast The citizens took an active interest
in the matter and untiringly labored in behalf
OF the bill until the park bill became a law.
The first Rock Creek Park bill was intro
duced in the Thirty-ninth Congress. This bill
failed to pass, although it had an eloquent
advocate in the Senate in the person Of b.
Gratz Brown. In 1880 Capt Hoxie suggested
turning the Rock Greek Valley into a park with
an ornamental lake and reservoir. with q
system OF dams. Nothing was done then how
ever. In January. 1886, Judge Ord offered to
donate twenty-five acres OF his land on Rock
Creek for a geological park and public baths,
but the offer was not accepted.
In the Forty-ninth Congress q bill was
offered in the Senate authorizing the District
Commissioners to plat for condemnation q
failed to become a law, although a favorable
report was made on it, January 3lst, 1887, by
Mr.. Rowell. from the House district committee.
Mr.. Ingalls, reintroduced the measure in the
Senate December 49, 1887, and Mr. Rowell re-
introduced it in the House January 8, 1888, but
without any definite outcome.
THE FINAL SUCCESSFUL MOVEMENT.
The project was actively reviewed in the
winter OF 1888, when the citizens took charge
of the matter. The STAR has always actively
favored the enterprise, and it sounded the kew
note In an editorial from which q quotation ia
made above. This appeared January IL, 1884,
THE CITIZENS COMMITTEES.
That night q meeting Of the citizens was
| held at the Atlantic building and following the
counsel Of TIE STAR, the action was then taken
| that ultimately led to success. A resolution
was adopted by this meeting indorsing the plan
of securing tho park az proposed by the
bill then pending in Congress, and an ex-
! eeutive eemmitteewas appointed to urge action.
| This committee was composed of c. S. Noyes,
| b. ]. Warner, c. c. Glover, A. L. Britton, +. A.
Richardson and Geo. Z. Lemon. Among the per-
sons present at the meeting were Judge Strong,
DR.. J. c. Yelling, w. T. Hornaday, Judge
Hillyer, c. 8. Noyes, Vim. II. Clsgett, Col W.
| C. G. Glover, James NJ. johnson, Theodore W.
Noyes, s. W. Woodward, Beriah wilkins, Frank
deli, Joseph Pail, Col J. NJ. wilson,
| n. ]. Dent, John Joy Edison, W. @. Dodge,
NJ. L Weller, Hallets Kiibourn, Noble
| ID. Larner, ex-Commissioner Loring
Prof. Langley, DIR. Robert Reyburn, R. Ross
Warner, L D. Wine, B. +. Gilbert, Geo. 3.
Lemon, A. B. Brown, N. W. Burchell, J. L.
Barbour, G. d. Church, W. J. Stevenson, J. Q.
| Thompson. s. Z. N. Wilson, Thomas Summer
| Vile, Z. d. Tracey, James Z Fitch, IL r.
Morris and W. 8. Thompson.
| This was the first public record Of the new
park movement 1t had been thought out
| and planned, however, in private conference
by philosophical men, who realized that the
time had come for q supreme effort Pro-
ceedings which led to practical results were in
itiated byMr. Chas- c. Glover Of Riggs and Com
| pany in November of 1883. In Consultation
with Mr. James n johnson, Mr.. Calderon Car
Isle, Capt Thomas w. Symons, Thomas HYDE
and Il Ross Perry, the preliminary work was