The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1897-10-07
POTOMAC EXCURSIONS.
Neutrality-suspicious. Would swelter to
Death Without Them. e.
Attractive Scenery and Cool Breeze.
Make Suffering Humanity For-
get the TOrridity OF
y. the Capital. -. 81
Especial washington Letter.


Although the maievolence Of the heat
Cd season fingers with us here, the
worst has passed. This capital city
never sweltered through such Septem-
Der as the one which has just gone
seething and kissing into the torridity
OF temporal oblivion. The only relief
accorded the people from intense suf-
fering and possible prostration was in
the cheap Potomac excursions.
The cool resorts along the upper Po-
tomac are numerous, and have never
been fifty described. The travelling
center of the city is at the Junction Of
Seventh street and Pennsylvania av-
enue, where the car tracks cross each
other, transfers are given and the
crowds are greatest. It 10 low ground,
and in the spring time has frequently
been covered with water foot deep,
60 that marketing at the great
'mash" market, near by, has been either
done insskiffs or has been entirely sus-
pended. ~~:
Into this low locality, on the burning
and yielding asphalt pavement, the hot
and almost fainting people congregate,
hurrying and scurrying from car I'd car,
where they hang on by the strap, sit
in some fat mans lap, or else stand on
the platform and draw up their feet"
The ride thence to the river landings
is continual perspiration and swelter.
The little puffs of air are laden with
the heat above and reflected heat below,
and life is only endurabl because of the
hopeful certainty of speedy delivery.
The arrival at the wharf brings the
cool-air seekers into density of still
furnace-like air, in which there isnever
a breath of moving atmosphere, and the
rush for tickets is an awful nightmare.
Fortunately there are boats enough to
prevent that crowding to suffocation
which used to be the bane of the river.
AS soon as the steamers are COM
1ortably full, the bells ring, the en-
gineers put the machinery to work, the
pilots whirl their wheels, the bands
commence their alleged music, and the
motion of the boat produces breeze
which is at once revivifying. Almost
Immediately we are brought alongside
the arsenal grounds. There, under q
shaded lawn, about a mile in length,
lying under the trees, at or near the
edge of the stone wall which rises per-
pendicularly from the water, are
stretched hundreds of men, women and
children. too poor even to take the ten
cent ride down the river. But they are
cool and comfortable, so long as quiet.
There is always breeze on the arsenal
grounds, that is becoming one of the
most popular resorts in the city for the
residents of south Washington.
Unfortunately, the half civilized COL
ored people, the uneducated and per-
sistently ignorant and ill-bred class, are
crowdiug hard upon their more clearly
and deserving fellow-citizens, often ex-.
hibiting such rudeness as to almost
make it necessary for class discrimina-
ton by the officers of the Third artil-
lery, who are garrisoned in the grounds.
As we pass the barracks, the long line
of brick buildings used as the soldiers
quarters, the "sundown gun" comes in
sight. This little piece of rifled artillery
has doomed forth an announcement of
the rising of the sun and of the goir g
down of the same for many years. It
Is situated almost exactly on the spot
where the gallows were erected upon
which were hanged the accessories to
the assassination of President Lincoln.
The breeze grows fresher and cooler
as we glide along towards the south
land. That little wharf extending out
into the stream is all that remains of the
immense landing places for Camp
Stoneman, during the war. That great