Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-10-02

DOJuluE Duuuuy IcSOII, "nClG DCODIC
can go and indulge their alcoholic APP
petites. There is a photographer there
who makes pictures of people beneath
and about the bridge, and he has lot
of data concerning the bridge which
people receive and read with great in
terest. He has a pamphlet of history in
which occurs the following statement:
In the year 1895 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 warm hut in lonely retreat.
And lived many years upon fishes and
meat
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 anclents
| was given,
1t was called Cabin 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 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.
as they used to go in buggies, or on
bicycles. These latter ancient modes
OF conveyance are still used by hun
dreds 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 it's limpid
waters into the Potomac river 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.
tional renown.
DIMENSIONS OF BRIDGE.
Length of bridge. e......................45O feet
HelSht .'....''.'...................
Length of span. ........................2 .22O
Diameter of water main............. 8
The bridge alone cost S2S7,0O0
The entire conduit system cost s., ,s05. 500
ibtSSOtSNS
of water daily.
When the bridge was begun in 1856;
franklin Pierce was president, and JET
ferson Davis secretary of war. Their,
was tablet in the keystone of tn,
arch containing the names of the presi
dent and secretary of war, and ais,
names of Maj. Meigs and of Capts. Hut
ton and Chanler, engineer officers
When the civil war began Capt. Hut
ton went with the confederacy, and S,
did Capt. Chanler. A daughter of tn,
latter officer, Amelie Rives Chanler, be
came celebrated or notorious a few
years ago, as an authoress of exceed
, ingly erotic literature.
When President Lincoln's admins
:, tration began he made Simon Cameron
: of Pennsylvania, secretary of war
:. jefferson Davis was then president o
= the confederate states. Simon Came
> ron ordered that his name be cut out o
the keystone tablet. That order wa
:, obeyed and the engineer in charge o
= the work also obliterated the name
= OF the other officers, including Ma.
= MeigA who was supposed to sympa
:. tlize with the rebellion, although h
4 did not participate in it as all of tn
:, others did.
+ Under that order the original table
: was so changed that it now appears a
: follows:
d WASHINGTON AQUEDUCT.
Y. Begun A. ID. 1853. President of the u. s.,
n Franklin Pierce. Secretary of War.
Building A. ID. 1861.
Il President of the U. s.. Abraham Lincoln
IL Secretary of War, Simon Cameron.
u, And now, after all these year
" John" the hermit, the mysteriou
c. man with the guns, dogs, .raeGoons, fis
:, :, and. guitar, is perpetuated in endurih
~ stone, in the greatest single-spa
ie bridge of the world, but we know nc
. his name. His cabin is obliterated,e ebr
rs his assumed name of Cabin John
y still lives. SMITH D. FRY.
II Teacher-What is a pedestr rianP
s. Johnny Squanch-A feller that ge
IL l. -, Ind