The Houma courier. (Houma, La.) 1878-1939, 1896-12-26

enactment. But the original oath is n
file here in the Office of the surveyor of
the District of Columbia.
The original custom house over which
the bewigged and powdered aristocratiC
Lingan presided still stands on Con-
gress street, and looks very much as
it used to look, but for the fact that
time has placed upon it the marks of
decay, and neglect has permitted the
unrestrained ravishments of the wealth
er. Just a little bit OF oil and paint
would make the quaint and curious lit
tie frame building look quite pretcn-
tious again.
Directly across the street is the
substantial government building which
was erected in 1856 and in which the
dwindling business ofthe Office is trans
acted. 1t is a substantial granite struc-
ture with a frontage of 60 feet. lists
back in the yard 20 feet from the side
walk and is surmounted by trees as old
as the hills and as large and widespread
ing as the tree beneath which the VIII
lage smithy stood. It is an a~ristocrat-
ic-looking building, and if the govern
ment will sell it, after the Office is re
moved, It would make a palatial resi-
dence for some rich man. The lawns
are large and well kept. 1t is not very
far from the aqueduct bridge and is
within a short distance of the home OF
Francis Scott Key, the author of 1.-THE
Star Spangled Banner"
During these latter years we hear con.
siderable of the extravagant river and
harbor appropriation bills. One of the
was made in 1889, when congress set
aside the sum of $150,000 for the pur-
pose of clearing the channel of the
Potomac. Briggs and other large YES
sells could not reach Georgetown on ac-
count of the gradual filling of the
stream. The appropriation was neces-
sary. Since then many millions have
been expended on the Potomac. If the
government had not cleared the channel
of the Potomac a grand canal would
have heen built fro n Washington to the
Ohio river.
The grand canal was practically set
tied favorably in public opinion, and on
July 4, 1928, President John Quincy
Adams, the members of his cabinet,
members of the diplomatic corps and
heads of the corporations of the three
cities of the District of Columbia,
namely, Georgetown, Washington and
Alexandria, assembled in GeorgetowR
and formed a procession which
marched 10 the custom house wharf,
and there embarked on the Surprise, a
1 rar,onu,as hao4E nrl ,u,o-4 l~., ~ -
10 the place where the new canal was to
be started. There President Adams
with a spade turned the first sod in the
proposed canal, reverently saying:
BE fruitful, ~replenish the earth and
subdue it." But the canal project was
finally abandoned. 1t is well. Very
soon thereafter the locomotive began
the career which rendered canals UNI
necessary, and which have almost
driventrafic from our internal streams,
In 1884 the supervising officer OF the
coasting trade at Georgetown made
record of the fact that 1000 vessels
anchored at the wharves and there WINS
an annual tonnage of 100000. For that
day and age of the new world that was
an immense business. and it is not to
be wondered that the government lib
orally provided for keeping open the
channel of the river.
But all that is past and gone. The
port of Georgetown has languished,
and will soon be a thing o. the record
and memory only. Very few large
ships now come to Georgetown. More
: over there is . to be built a grand
memorial bridge over the Potomac and
it will not be marred by a span for com.
meree. The ships which come thus
far up the Potomac must land at Wash
t ington, and the collector Of customs for
this city will transact all federal bust
ness with such ships. Poor old George.
tOWn- SMITH p. FRI.