Evening star., 1899-07-08
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soda apparatus house to Star reporter the
other day. I've sold founts all over the
country and have had occasion to observe
the business pretty closely for several years
II Washington people, as a people nave
fad It is soda water drinking. The baby,
the school girl. the young man, the staid
business man, the matron and the lean and
slippered pantaloon' patronize the SODA
fount alike.
I've studied the soda water trade Oh
Washington a bit during my frequent Vlslts
here, with some very interesting results
I've gone so far as to locate its center
that is the locality where the most SODA
Is consumed. Take a trip over on Capitol
Hill some evening and you will be surprised
to see the amount of business done by the
drug store fOunts in that section Along
toward the close of the day extra men are
put behind the counters to draw the Gool-
Ing fluid. and they have their hands 1uil 10
keep I'D with the steady demand, wnlch
lasts until 10 or II o'clock
'rT-he soda water druggists have provided
all sorts of accommodations for their Gus
toners In the soda water center, Capitol
Hill I mean, the corner drug stores, and
nearly all of them are on corners. nave
seats arranged under the trees OUTSIDE the
store, on the sidewalk
In fine weather these seats are always
occupied. and it. Is hard to get one after
dark. Soda water parties are quite the
tllnR over IQeTSr anu frequently dS many
as half dozen glasses are disposed OF
by the same drinker during the evening.
Then there is the can trade Oh. yes,
there are soda water GROWERS as well as
beer GROWERS 1t is uncommon sight to
see man put his pitcher or bucket down
on the counter and get quarters worth
of soda water for his family at nome a
block or two away. This sort or trade
helps to swell the days receipts materially.
ice cream soda is the most popular drink
and chocolate the flavor most desired At
a Maryland avenue drug store the other
night saw party representing three gen
erations sitting in a group just outside the
door burying their noses in the foam OF
chocolate ice cream sodas. There was the
grandfather. with snowy beard: the grand
mother, with lace cap and SpectacleS; the
father and mother. weIl-to-do people who
live In a nice little fat close by. and three
children all Of them enjoying themselves to
the utmost AS 1 said, Washington Is the
banner soda water town, and If you don't
believe it just run over on Capitol Hill some
pleasant night and you will need no fur
ther proof This sidewalk soda water
drinking bids fair to put some of your beer
gardens out of business"
THE colossal statue of Washington, exc
cuted by the sculptor Horatio Greenough,
now fronting the east entrance of the Capt.
tol.'' says an old resident of the hill, was
once in the center of the rotunda, the floor
OF which was strengthened to support its
weight ne WOTh TtQuTeu ScNcfdI years
after it had been authorized in 1892. and on
its arrival here in the ship Lea, in the sum-
mer of 1911. it was landed at the navy yard.
The late Capt. Easily contracted to remove
1t to it's destination, and essayed to haul it
up Sth street and the avenue. He succeed
ed with his men and teams, in getting it
to the gate of the yard, when 1t was found
the opening was not large enough, and the
truck wheels broke into the roadway The
ponderous statue stuck fast, and 1t was
found that Washington would have to take
another route for the Capitol. The old
Washington canal had an outlet near the
foot of Sd street east on the branch Thus
there was waterway open to about Mary
land avenue and I'd street southwest. Capt.
Easily adopted this route, hauled the statue
back to the wharf and on a lighter prepared
for the purpose it was fioated to Maryland
avenue, whence ii was by means OF trucI,
safely drawn to the east front of the build
ing and Into the place selected, the center
of the rotunda, five months after It's arrival
from Italy. Here it remained for about two
years, but at the request of the sculptor 1t
was, in 1S43, removed to the position it now
occupies on the east side of the plaza. 1t
mas apparently withstood the elements, and
with the exception of having suffered the
loss of toe through vandalism some years
ago 1t is just as 1t came from Mr.. Green
ough's hands,
The numDer of men who have forsaken
the barber shop. and who. in the seclusIon
of their own domiciles, essay to remove the
superhuOus hirsute growth from their
faces with more or less satisfactory re-
suits. IS rapidly increasing. That this
should have any effect on hotels hardly
seems probable, but the proprietor of
New York hotel, who was in the city a few
days ago. insists tina. his burden of trouble
has been added to considerably by the
shave-yourself habit.
His experience is that of all the hotel
managers in the metropolis. and he told it
to party of friends during his stay here.
Six out of every ten men who register at
his hotel carry their own shaving outfits
with them. The strop has a screw attach
ed to the end of it. and this is used in max
ing the strop fast to the wall so that the
razor can be sharpened just before being
used.
The rayorite place to fasten the strop, he
says. is on the window facing. because it
offers the best surface in which to twist
the screw Recently he noticed that the
window facings in all the rooms of the no.
tel were thickly punctured with screw
holes, the work of guests who shave them
selves. AT first he was not inclined 20 re-
lard the matter seriously. but the thought
that the continued scrcwing of strops 20
the woodwork would soon reduce the win
dow frames of his hotel TO splinters forced
itself upon him.
He talked with other New York hotel
men and found that they were troubled
with the same habit on the part OF their
guests. Finally he arrived at a solution of
the matter by which he hopes to prevent
the destruction Of his window frames. In
every one of the rooms of his hotel he has
placed stout hook. firmly fixed in the wall
alongside of the dresser. over this Is a
neatly printed. politely worded notice to
the effect that guests will confer favor
on the management of the house II they
VIII hang their razor strops on the hook
beneath.
Since his visit several Of the hotel men
here have found out that the woodwork in
their houses shows the mark of the shave
yourself guest, and in at least sxo of the
big hotels the New York mans idea has
been adopted
Not many people know that the average
growth of the finger nail is 1-32 of an inch
per week. little more than an inch and
half per year" observed a physician to
the writer recently. THE growth how
ever. depends to q great extent upon the
rate Of nutrition. and during sickness and
abstinence from good nourishing food IT is
retailed- Nails grow faster in summer
than wi nj nd he