Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-06-09

ington lots Greenleaf and Morris asked for
an extension. They offered their personal
bond, with John Nicholson of Pennsylvania
as security, for the $S0,000 about to become
due and asked the commissioners to &C.
cept 1t and give them an absolute convey
ance for proportionate number of lots, so
that they might realize at once on a portion
OF their purchase. The commissioners, hav-
Ing confidence in their solvency, agreed to
take the bond and give them a deed in fee
simple for one thousand lots. These lots the
synaieate at once put upon the market and
sold them at about double their cost One
Of the purchasers was Thomas Law, an
Engl.shnian, who had made a large fortune
In the East Indies. He was a nephew of
Lord marlborough, and married Elizabeth
Gusts. granddaughter of Mrs Washington.
It Is said that he invested first and last
100000 in the city, He became largely in
terested in the canal which was constructed
through the city, commencing at the mouth
| Of Tiber creek and connecting the Poto-
| mac with the Eastern branch.
Canal Express.
An English traveller, who visited Wash
| ington at the time. says: Mr.. Law, the
chief promoter Of this undertaking, pro-
! poses to establish Jacket boats to run
| between the Tiber creek and the Navy
| Yard-a conveyance which may be rendered
more economical and comfortable than
| the hackney coach" In this day of cable
and electric lines the Idea of a canal ex-
l pTSSS seems tCO rluiCuiOuS Tor COnCeptiOu
and it is hard to believe that even a hun
dred years ago anybody would contemplate
1 a canal boat as substitute for even a
| hackney coach. 1t seems easier to believe
| that some humorist of that day was play
| ing OH the creiuiity OF the Englishman.
Law purchased land in the vicinity of
/ Greenieaf Point-named after James Green
leaf-where the Arsenal grounds now are,
| and built there handsome residence q
| few yards from and overlooking the river
! Tn, Law Building on New Jersey ave
nue. south Of the Capitol was erected by
him. also row Of brick houses near Dud-
! dinSton Place, formerly known as the ten
| buildings"
| Morris, who seems to have been carried
| away by his mania for specializing in real
estate, at this time formed another syndi-
cate called The North American Land
Company" with capital of G,0OOOOO acres
or wild lands in the middle and southern
states, bought on credit for a few cents per
acre, which they proposed to sell to Euro
| pean investors at 90 cents per acre There
| mad been great boom in lands In this
country and foreign capitalists had bought
| largely. The syndicate expected to unload
! at a big profit Morris invited Washington
TO come into the pool, but the general al
! though he had bought IA great deal of land
| himself, never purchased more than he
! could handle. He declined and gave his old
| friend bit Of advice. You are old"-he
| wrotc-"and had better retire than engage
In such extensive concerns" Morris re
| pNeo-.l can never do things on the small;
| must De either a man or a mouse" A
| very short time demonstrated the wisdom
| OF Washlngton's advice. A financial denras-
sion developed in Europe that was soon felt
IN TINS country and the boom collapsed Nor
| us ana MS friends found themselves over
| loaded with unproductite real estate which
they had not paid for ana which they could
] neither sell nor borrow money on When
the second installment on the washington
! iots Ie!l Que In May, 1875. they had no
| funds to meet it and made default in the
| payment. Not only that, but they stopped
| work on the buildings they had begun in
pursuance of their contract and these were
| and ruin.
A New Board OF Commissioncrs,
About this time the board Of commission
| ers was reorganiZed. Two Of the original
| members-Gen. johnson and DR.. Stuart
! mad been long anxious to be relieved of the
| burden OF responsibility and adverse criti-
clsm. which even in those days was the lot
OK the District commissioners Washington
was oesirous OF retaining them. but they re-
fused to serve longer Gen johnson wrote
MN; I DO not know of any event which
calumny and gross abuse as have done for
near three years past" GuStavus Scott
was appointed in his place August -, l7v4.
ana Dr; William Thornton succeeded DIR.
stuart september IA, 1874. The third mem
Der OF tie old board-Daniel Carroll-re-
| manned until May, 1875, when Alexander
White took his place. The organic law did
hot mention the subject of salary Tor the
| commissioners but Washington thought
| they ought to receive a Just compen sa tion
! Tor their time and services. In january
1913. he had asked their views as to what
J would De a fair compensation, suggesting
| as MS own idea six dollars per day for the
| days of actual service and mileage for trav
eHhS' as only one Of them lived in the Dis
trict Inc commissioners did not think IL
enoush, and mentioned $1,000 per year as
1 hut
the president entirely too much, and he
| wrote them: No fixed salary in the United
states, from the chief magistrate to the
doorkeeper Of the House of Representa- tves
IL e4uai 10 one thousand dollars clear of ex-
penses The commissioners scquiesced
but when they aad announced their fnten
tioH to resign, and could no longer be con-
! sidered interested parties, renewed their
Recommendation, and the salary Of their
successors was fixed at $1,000
Gustavus Scott was native of Pr,nca
Wlliam county. Va. but at the time Of his
appoint ent was living in Annapolis Md
lie mad represented his district in Congress-
| IN 1854 ana was a man of large infiuen ce
ana eminent connections. Soon after his in
StaiInent ne purchased a tract Of land on
Rock creek, adjoining the new city. known
| as Rock Hill" 1t commanded a maenif-
| cent view OF the city, the Potomac and sur
Sdounang country; Here he built a resi-
! sold It to Joel Barlow, who had inst re-
| turned from France. where he had lived for
! many years as the representative of the
Scioto Land Company. In 1905 Mr.. Bar,ow
| remodeled the mansion and gave the place
the very appropriate name of '.Kalorama -
oeautlful view. Robert Fulton spent a great
part OF his time here with Mr. Barlow. who
furnished him with the means to make az
perfments and construct models of his nro-
posed steamboat, and II Is said that his first
model was launched on the waters Of Rock
creek. Massa chusetts avenue now passes
ihrough kalorama, which is one Of the most
desirable suburbs Of the city.
Dr.. Thornton was a gentleman of hne
artistic taste, and It was his plan of the
Capitol that was finally adopted. after some
notifications by Hallet Alexander White
was practicing law in Winchester. Va.
when offered the position Of commissioner
Several citizens of the District were candj
dates. but Washington thought II was in
expedient to appoint any one from that
locality owing to the ealousies that existed
between the people of It's different sections
thornton and Scott had located in the west
ern part of the District. and those interested
In the eastern part of the city were con-
tinuaily protesting against the fayoritism
which they alleged was shown the west end
George Walker, the champion of East
Washington, whom I have mentioned I'm a
previous article. was especially bitter against
the new commissioners. and he was so yfo-
lent In his charges that Washington wrote
them Mr.. Walkers attack appears to me
TO be as impolitic as II Is Indecent and in
temperate" and discusses the subject of his
indictment In the same letter The Presi-
mi aIyrtoV