The Grenada sentinel., 1897-10-02

-N-
IN THE GARB OF A wooDMAN.
popular Sunday resort, where people
can 60 and indulge their alcoholic ap-
pttites. There is photographer there
who makes pictures of people beneath
and about the bridge, and he has a lot
of data concerning the bridge which
people receive and read with great in.
terest. He has pamphlet of history in
which occurs the following statement:
In the year 1926 the following lines were
found under a dilapidated grain bin In an
old mill located on the banks Of the Cabin
John:
John OF the Cabln"-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 on the creek he
had slain,
1t Is said he jumped into the river again.
As no name to the creek by the ancients
1t was called Cabin John" after John went
to Heaven.
When the bridge was built there was
also a conduit built from the great
reservoir to Georgetown. and thence
into Washington. Over the conduit
there was constructed a splendid road
way, and this is still known as the Con-
duit road. Along this highway theru
I, 1,,,,1
trolley electric line, and many thou
sands of passengers visit the bridge
and restaurant in this manner; where.
as they used to 60 in buggies, or on
bicycles. These latter ancient modes
of conveyance are still used by hum
drcds Of people.
The pamphlet furnished by the pho.
tographcr, 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 stream Of respecta Bile vol
ume. which rises at Rockville, Md, flows
through most picturesque and beautiful
section OF the country and pours its lmpid
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 Its name-a bridge OF ma
,ional renown.
DIMENSIONS OF BRIDGE.
Length of bridge. ge.....................45 40 feet.
Height ............."....1O5
WlQtn .........................2 ~
Length of span..."................ .22O
Diameter of water main.............
The bridge alone cost $237.OOO.
The entire conduit system cost g. .905, 500.
Capacity Of water main. 75.0O0.O0O gallons
OF water daily.
When the bridge was begun in 1859
Franklin Pierce was president, and Jef-
ferson Davis secretary of war. There
was tablet in the keystone of the
nrch containing the names of the presi.
dent und secretary of war, and ulso
names 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. Chanler. A daughter Of the
latter officer, Ameiie Rives Chanler, be-
came celebrated or notorious q few
years ago, us an authoress Of exceed.
in2ly erotic literature.
When President Lincoln's admins
tration began he made Simon Cameron,
ct Pennsylvania, secretary of war.
Jefferson Davis was then president Of
the confederate states. Simon Came.
ron ordered that his name be cut out Of
the 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-
tlize with the rebellion, although he
did not participate in it US all Of the
offers did.
Under that order the original tablet
was SO changed that it now appears ~
follows:
WASHINGTON AQuEDUcr,
Begun A. d. 1853. President of the u. A..
Franklin Pierce. Secretary Of War,
-- Building A. D. 1861
President Of the U. g., Abraham Lincoln.
Secretary OF War. Simon Cameron.
And now, after all these years,
"Jchn" the hermit, the mysterious
,nun with the guns, dogs, raccoons, fish
End guitar, is perpetuated in enduring
stone, In the greatest single-spun
bridge of the world. but VIC know not
his name. His cabin Is obliterated, but
his assumed name Of "Cabin John"
still lives. SMITH D. FRY.
Teacher--What II . pedestrian?
Yrh~r,, C-unn~A <oIt~. 49, -.