The Kinsley graphic. [volume] (Kinsley, Kan.) 1890-1940, 1897-10-08

popular Sunday resort, where people
can go and indulge their alcoholic APP
pt tites. There is photographers there
who makes pictures of people beneath
and about the bridge, and he has Il lot
oi data concerning the bridge which
people receive and read with great in
terest. He has IL pamphlet of history in
which occurs the following statement:
In the year 1925 the following lines were
found under dilapidated grain bin in an
old mill located on the banks of the Cabin
John:
John of the Cabin'-a curious wight
Sprang out of the river one dark stormy
night:
He built a warm hut in lonely retreat,
And lived many years upon fishes and
When the last lone raccoon OH the creek he
had slain.
1t is said he jumped into the river again.
AS no name to the creek by the ancients
was given,
1t was called Ca bin John" after John went
to Heaven.
When the bridge was built there was
also conduit built from the great
reservoir to Georgetown, and thence
into Washington. Over the conduit
there Was constructed Il splendid road
way. and this is still known as the Con-
duit road. Along this highway there
has recently been built an excellent
trolley electric line, and many thou
sands OF passengers visit the bridge
and restaurant in this manner; where
az they used to go in buggies, or on
bicycles. These latter ancient mod. :
o. conveyance are still! used by hun
drcds of people.
The pamphlet furnished by the pho
tographer. giving the history of the
bridge, contains the following:
This structure is the stone bridge built
by the United States government over
what is called Cabin John creek. The
Cabin John is a stream of respectable vol
ume, which rises at Rockville, Md flows
through a most picturesque and beautiful
section of the country and pours its limpid
waters into the Potomac river a few hun
dred feet below the point at which the
former stream is spanned by the great
bridge bearing It's name-a bridge of ma
lonal renown.
DIMENSIONS OF BRIDGE
Length OF bridge. -.................45 0 feet
deishi ..--.....--.----.-....-.....
" iuLn ii. - -----.................. ~
Diameter of water main..........
The bridge alone cost 1921, 900.
The entire conduit system cost s. 9O5 500
Capacity of water main. 1900. 900 gallons
of water daily.
When the bridge was begun in 1853
Franklin Pierce was president, and eff
ferson Davis secretary of war. There
was Il tablet in the keystone of the
arch containing the Eanes of the presi-
dent and secretary of war, and also
hames of Maj. Meigs and Of Capts. Hut
ton and Chanler, engineer officers.
Wien the civil war began Capt. Hut
ton went with the confederacy, and SO
die Capt. CHAMBER. a daughter of the
latter officer. Amelic Rives Chanler. be-
c;.me celebrated or notorious a few
Years ago, as all authorcss of exceed
insly crotic literature.
When President Lincoln's admins
tration began he made Simon Cameron,
az Pennsylvania. secretary of war.
Jefferson Davis was then president of
the confederate states. Simon Came
ron ordered that his name be cut out Of
II. keystone tablet. That order was
obeyed and the engineer in charge of
the work also obliterated the names
OF the other officers, including Mai.
Mc:gs. who was supposed to sympa-
thize with the rebellion, although he
did not participate in it as all of the
others did.
Under that order the original tablet
was so changed that it now appears as
follows:
WASHINGTON AQUEDUc7.
Begun A. D. 1853. President of the T. g..
Franklin Pierce. Secretary Of War,
- Building A. D. 1861.
President Of the U. s., Abraham Lincoln.
Secretary OF War. Simon Cameron.
And now, after all these years,
John" the hermit, the mysterious
man with the guns, dogs, raccoons, fish
and guitar, is perpetuated in enduring
stone, in the greatest single-span