Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1892-10-01

the rock was still very large and stood In the
river, and there Parson Brown would set up his
little pulpit on pleasant Sabbath afternoons
and preach to the large multitude who always
assembled on such occasions, and sat. as they
listened, on the grassy slopes Of Camp Hill.
| Then he would 60 down into the water and bap-
tie the converts while the peaceful Sabbath
air rang with songs Of praise. Aunt Frances
says that, as she looks back to those scenes they
remind her of apostolic times.
PIcNIcs AT ARLINGTON SPRINGS.
One Of the most delightful pleasures Of the
Glass House people, with other washingtonians,
was their picnics and excursions across the
river at Gusts or Arlington springs, going and
returning in large rowboats and fatboats We
| nave no such picnic grounds now our fore
fathers and foremothers enjoyed on the shore
at Arlington under the huge trees that stood u
great forest around the grand old spring. But
ssls, charm 81 the place was Mr. Gusts.
to have the people come to the place and enjoy
| themselves. and he built Q large pavilion near
the spring for their use. He used to spend .
large part OF the day with them and would Join
heartily In their conversation and amusements.
| He would play the violin by the hour for the
young folks TO noe or he would relate anec-
dotes about Gen. Washington (who was his step
father) to an ever-increasing circle Of listeners,
often stripping the pavilion floor Of its dancers,
a. few cared to miss q story Of our greatest
| q,
| thentic a story teller.
He always brought an old man servant with
him to help with the cooking and In waiting on
the tables. Once he brought . large silver
waiter with him and loaned it to the ladies' tell
ing them that it once belonged to the great
Washington.
| 1t has been impossible to trace accurately or
| fully the business history of the works. be-
cause nearly all those who were familiar with it
are now dead, the books Of the concern are lost
or destroyed and the few old people who still
live and remember the old place have but
shadowy recollections of the business and those
| sometimes contradictory. This is but natural
as business people are not in the habit of telling
any more about their affairs than they can help
But with all due allowance for conflicting evil
dence the history Of the factory appears, in ad-
dition to what has been already stated. to be fol-
lows:
The Messrs. Way were very enterprising, and
for while very successful. Their works grew
and fourished, and they accumulated property
In other parts Of the city. They owned property
on Pennsylvania avenue west Of 9th street and
on 9Th street above Pennsylvania avenue also
near the corner Of eth and D streets northwest
and In South Washington, and they appear to
have owned or had an interest in q mill at Cabin
John creek.
WHEN THE BUSINESS WENT DOWN.
But they must have overreached themselves.
At any rate the tide Of business turned against
them. After having hourishing business for
about thirteen years, their liabilities had, in
1921, run up to about s25, 0OO As far as now
known, however, this debt does not appear to
have hampsred them, and they kept on until
1929, when they failed and were sold out Mr..
Andrew Way appears to have been retained Is
superintendent however, and the business was
continued 1t was after that time that some Of
the best paying seasons occurred. SO 1t Is said
When the Messrs. Way failed, the works, to-
gether with the property in the square across
the street from it and the properties near the
corner of9th street and Penns ylvania avenue were
bought by the Bank of the United States, which,
four years afterward, in 1888, sold the glass
works and the property in the square opposite
for $40, 697 to Commodore John Rodgers, one
OF the naval heroes Of 1912, who devised it to
his widow, Mrs. Minerva Rodgers. The
Rodgers ownership continued to 1851, and up
to the time of the Mexican war the works were
operated. When that war broke out the bust
ness had been for some years carried on by
Mr.. Lewis johnson and Major (afterward Col
onel) Trueman Cross, but had been paving
them only moderately well. Maj. Cross went
into the war and was killed His remains we're
brought home and buried from his residence on
Franklin Square. Mr.. johnson appears to have
become discouraged, and thinking he saw
surer and larger returns in the banking
business, left the glass works and went
into banking. OF course. his success
confirmed his judgment but it was thought by
shrewd business people that there was still big
money in the glass business if any one had
chosen to take and run tho old works. The
factory had managed to keep alive forty years,
with the usual fluctuations, and with ener-
getic, skillful management could have been az
successful as the iron business has been here
But nobody wanted or had enterprise enough
to try 1t. The fires were never lighted again,
and with them expired the most promising
business enterprise of Washington city's early
days.
In 1851 Mrs. Rodgers sold the property to Mr..
Chas. l.. Coltman, who in 1859 leased the old
works to H. c. Wilson & Co. representing
Philadelphia parties). who for six or eight years
manufactured lampblack and roofing cement
there. Then for q short time some one had q
fertilizer factory there, and that was the last
manufacturing business done in the old place.
CHANCE IN THE NEIGHBoRHooD.
In the meantime various circumstances COM
bined to make the neishborhood undesirable
and impracticable, both for residence and BUSH
ness purposes.
The Long Bridge causeway, built during
President Jackson's time, caused nearly the
whole water front of Washington city to be-
come shallow. Then the extension of the
wharf at Cedar Point (Easby's Point detected
the current from the Glass House water front
causing it to silt very rapidly. Then the de-
structlon OF the forests along the Potomac
above Georgetown aggravated the evil by in
creasing tue volume and violence Of freshets
and transferring immense Quantities Of earth
from the fields to the bottom Of the river, and
finally, the damming of the little creek before
mentioned by the building of the canal made
stagnant ponds Notwithstanding the culvert
under the canalat the foot Of 21st street, where
once was tide water, and made the neighbor-
hood so very malsfious that it became almost
depopulated. The frame cottages gradually
disappeared, and even the substantial brick
houses were allowed to run down and 20 to
wreck.
Long before the late war the place was but
shadow of its former self and there were but
few living there Some gentlemen named Cole
man had q brush factory for a few years just
before the war on c street between 21st and
"a streets, but they moved their business down
70 the southwest corner Of Pennsylvania avenue
and 10th street.
>. During the war the neighborhood was very
hVeiy one. There were corrals and wagon
camps there, but the activity ceased with the
war. All the old buildings Of the glass house
ana tina Glass House row and the Glass Blowers
row have now completely disappeared.
IL may be well to state here that have made
oulgent search in all likely quarters for
pictures illustrative Of this article, but have
Deen unable to find any. None probably exist.
put from the rscollections Of old residents and
from sketches from memory by one of them
! nave been able to work up three Of the illus
.ha and have had the qualification to have