Evening star., 1897-05-07
STORIEs,lE 4Ns- OLD TIMES
Il as wmufQ
Time Was When There Was Commerce at
7 gaf1a1qa,4burss b 81 :.
How the Old-Fnshioned Chimney
Sweeps sansp ffs3ir Songs Mt the
Housetop-sIeth9ds of Buildins.

The Improvement of the Eastern
branch" remarked an old resident would
be feather in the cap of the East Wash
lLgton Association, and while the gunners
would have to look for other locations for
ortolan and reed bird shooting, restora-
ton OF the stream to a trade basis would
more than repay all loss, to say nothing OF
the impetus 1t would give to that section
1t is said that in the last century the
stream was navigable to Bladensburg, and
much business was done there. Indeed, 1t
would appear that when the federal city
was located by Washington, the Eastern
brarch was regarded as a stream of much
Importance, for when l. Enfant submitted
the plan for the city he located more
WnarVes on the AnacoStia than on the Po-
tomac Some of these wharves were near
~ as nigh up as the city limits Cd street
north). There are natives of Washington
who recall that the -wharves near the foot
OF New Jersey avenue were for half CEN
tury places of much business and several
fishing shores were within sight of these
wharves.''
Numbers of residents of Washington"
says an old builder, can recall some quaint
specimens of building, and perhaps there
may be few YET standing. If 1 mistake
not, one such dwelling was included in
the square on which the new city post
ONCE building is located. This style of
buliding-weather boarded to the height
OF twelve feet. and topped by hipped
roof over the second story rooms-ante-
uated half century the modern mansard :;
and 1t is said in the early days of the civ
was quite popular. The style was adopted
py many, Tor the reason that the builder
was required to provide stone or brick
material FOR the outer walls, and frame
buildir gs were restricted to height of
Twelve feet from sill to caves. Therefore
When unable to erect other than frame
buildings, our forefathers adopted the hip
TOOL styie, and thus secured sleeping rooms
The old building regulations CONTEMPLATED
the erection of no wooden buildings within
the limits of the city but they were mod
lned SO as TO allow the building of frames
lnss are in existence they have outlasted
many modern built houses
X X !: x X
In the references recently made to the
chimney sweeps of the olden times" says
another Old citizen, 'it would appear that
'he sweep worked from the top of the Chin
ney, using rod. This is but partly true.
for IN the ancient. days the sweep, with a
scraper and brush. would climb the flues,
which usually were fourteen inches wide
FIRST he used his scraper as he went up.
ana then the brush as he came down. When
the use of coal became more general the
that 1t was necessary to clean them in
some other way An instrument made of
wire or brush on pole was then used from
the top. the sweeps were usually coIored.
boys OF ten to fourteen years, slim and
supple. They were employed by the sweep
masters, who collected for their work and
paid them. They were a merry lot of boys
and II was their custom to scurry up
chimney as fast as they could, and sticking
their heads out of the top to sing song.
he oaSfnr
visit once month, from November l to
May !. each house in his district and cause
each .ue, which had been recently used, to
be thoroughly scraped and receive therefor
~ cents story for each flue. A penalty of
s. was imposed If the occupant refused to
permit the sweeping, or burned out--the
fues himself. and penalties were prescribed
Tor such offerses. Some of the sweeps of
colored citizens OF the District.''rt IBg u
t.-.--,.- -5-e4t,,,.ex * y 49, g., .t
The breaking OF an emigrants wagon"
an old settler remarks, was the cause of
prosperous town springing up on the
banks of one of the streams in Kansas
The wagon got out of fix, just at the close
of day, and as the emigrant reached the
stream. He being blacksmith, and hav-
ing a portable forge, proceeded to make
repairs. But several days were required
for the work and before he was ready to
resume his journey two or three families
OF emlgrants came up, and after a con-
sultaticn they concluded to stop there and
look no further for settlement BY the
three or four families settling there others
were attracted and in a few years a little
town appeared on the maps. little over
fifty years ago, South Washington was
sparsely built up, and there were q few
houses in the neighborhood of 11th anu d
streets. There had been but little done
toward bui:aing churches, the Old School
Baptist, on d between Az and 9th streets,
being the only denomination with a church
edifice in the entire section. few Jealous
Methodists from the Foundry Church found
building in Maryland avenue, near 10th
street, unoccupied, and held prayer meet
ings there ON Sunday afternoons The
neighbors were attracted, and preaching
services supplemented the prayer meetings,
and Rev. French S. Evans then one of
the ten clerks of the pension office, offered
to serve the little band as its pastor if his
shoe leather was found him. This offer
was accepted and the result was the or
ganization of Ryland M. E. Church, and
within few years after the German Luz
therans, the Presbyterians and the Episco-
palians had erected churches on the is
land, which now boasts of near score of
congregations, including several colored
organizations. Thus the abandonment of
an old building led to the erection of a
church."