The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-06-15
The qita 4aly Eagle: Satnray groria gnae 15 1895.

aSSu neU aOthOr1Cy over the territory
where the corner stone was located.
And thus it happened that nearly halt
| a century after he was gathered unto
his fathers, the plan Of Washington was
nullifed and the national capital was
placed entirely on the north side Of the
Potomac river; and this condition was
brought about by the influence of the
misguided Virginia legislators who
failed to comprehend the unwritten and
unspoken desires of the greatest of
Virginians.
The original corner stone of the Dis
trict of Columbia is now on Virginia
soil, and has none but mnemonic rele-
vancy to the capital of the republic. 1t
was laid with great ceremony and pa
point, south of the present lighthouse,
on April 10. 1871. From that point, inn
mediately afterwards the survey was
commenced and lines were run as di-
rected by the presidents proclamation.
These lines were marked by hewn
stone posts placed at intervals OF one
mile. The posts were inscribed on the
district side with the words: "Juris-
diction of the United States" and on
the opposite side, according to location,
were inscribed either the word Mary
land" or Virginia" On another side
appeared the abbreviation ''vari" for
variorum, with the number of the stone
and the date 1871 or 1892. The survey
was completed during the year
1872. The corner stone is about
two feet high and stood isolated until
the United States built the wall inclos-;
ing the lighthouse. The stone was
then included in and forms part Of this
wall on the south. From this stone
the surveyors located the longitudinal
and meridian center of the district.
The stone marking the exact center of
the ten-mile square was located about
where the Washington monument now
stands.
The entire population of the city of
Alexandria and the contiguous coun-
try was less than 10000 souls, and
therefore the numbers of the nartici-
pants were as nothing in comparison
to what would be expected upon such
an occasion to-day; for now at least
half million people would throng our
streets, crowd our cars, and almost
swamp our steamers. Nevertheless
the ceremony OF laying the corner
stone was quite an event at that early
day. There was as grand process.
sion as the sparse population of this
section of the country could muster.
Two of the newly appointed COM
of the district were present.
A contemporary account states that
when Hon. Daniel Carroll and Hon.
David Stuart, district commissioners,
arrived in Alexandria on the 18th Of
april, 1871, the mayor and commonal-
t., together with the members of the
civic association, ct three o'clock
waited on, the -comrr;ssiocars IF Nr
Wise's City HoteU, where they a1neo,
and, after drinking glass of wine to
the following sentiment, viz: "May the
stone which we are about to place i.
the ground remain an immovabla
to the wisdom and unanimI
ty of North America" the companE
proceeded to Jones' point in the follow
ing order: First, the town sergeane
second, District Commissioner Carrc4
and the mayor; third, men and ccSp.
mon council; fifth, strangers; sixth, tha
master of lodge twenty-five, with Dig
:rict Commissioner Stuart on his right
and Rev. James Muir on his left.
seventh, masons in the usual form os
procession: eirbth ci.izaaa