The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-12-29
CITY OF TWO MILLIONS
Washington Likely TO Reach Those
Figures in the Year 2000.
An Arithmetscni Demonstration By n
District effteiai-An Increase of
Twenty Per Cent ia Each Decade
All That Is ReauireG-Predictisn
CT Great Indastri=I Centre.


recent statement in The Tines rela-
tive TO the growth OF Washington within
the next century was the subject OF an
animated discussion at The District Build
ing one day this week The statement re-
ferred TO vas made by an army officer and
was to the effect that the City of Wash
ington might De expected TO outgrow the
present bounds of tAe District of eolum-
bia before another century should roll
around
opa of the employees Of the District who
has to do with the inspection Of street
work challenged this statement IN the
presence of his chief as being news
! paper dream, with no possible reality in
/ fact 1t was the off-tand opinion CT this
man that il would tals two hundred years
to I'LL up-the District with peopie so that
there would be any feeling Of oppression
on account Of space.
/ The chief ( the division asked the man
what he thought would be the population
| Of the city IN 1856. for example The
! subordinate replied that it could not pos
sibIy be more than zSe. 600. and that The
million mark would not he passed for
hundred years from that time, and the
man again expressed his disgust At RE
way newspapers SIX things up 10 suit heir
lofty ideas. But the chief was not sasss-
fed Re began to question his suoordl-
nate about The growth Of population IN
/ the past. The fact leaked out that The
| city had grown in q hundred years iren
practically nothing to large city OF
/ 2TS.7IS people. It was also admitted BY
/ the subordinate that the population might
/ be expected to increase II the rate ofaze
J. - To- 4f.sa4 n
dred years.
1 The Two men then took their PENCILS
| and began to figure. The population WIS
I estimated at sten-year periods On the Ia
/ sis OF a % Per cent increase for each dec
/ ade. L was soon discovered that the
] population at that rate would pass the
/ half-TnilIion mark in 1910, and would
reach the aggregate of one million and
! over IN 1886. At the rate mentioned the
century would be rounded out with pop
j ulation for the District of nearly J, 500. Gee
The chief. not yet satisfied with his
! subordinatess theory. suggested that the
population be figured aut or the basis OF
| 25 per cent increase for each ten-ySaT
| period. This brought the passing Of the
half-miliion mark in 1886, and showed
| million people for the District IN 1860
and at this rate the century would close
| with q population Of 2.500 Gee people
There said the chief when their fig
| ures we're completed. lis what you VIII
1 have to face in considering this problem.
! Now suppose that there are SS6eee PEG
/ pie here in 1850. as the figures show
where are We going TO put them2 VIII
! they I'LL the District or net2 NoE. put
| 4GG. Gee people on top OF that before 1886.
! and the city viii certainly begin 10 crowd
4 upon its boundaries. On a basis of 10
! per cent increase by ten-yesr periods
! there would be close u TO S25-o people
in the District nj the year 2,000.
The Two men then fell to discussing the
/ outlook Of the city ana District from
J the standpoint OF the population shown
/ BY their estimates Several problems
| were suggested net easy OF solution. One
/ Of them was The simple question Of what
| is to be done with such a population;
/ how II IS to Re employed a-ad supported
It was suggested that such r crowd OF
| people could not get into the Government
ferns OF business now represented N the
| city ard District The idea vas that
| q population Of 1.e00.66e people could net
be kept busy II Government work and in
catering directly 10 the wants Of those
| who are
The chief OF the bureau. who hal evil
! IDENTIFY given the subject some thought.
said. with reference &c this problem. that
| long before the next century has reached
its meridian industry VIII come 10 Wash
ington II the form OF manufacture and
| business apart from the Federal Govern
| ment I do not mean said he. that
| this manufacture shall be iron smelling
or the work that attaches 10 machine
| shops and foundries I Should think that
! hundreds OF small manufactures would
] spring I'D IN the District for the purpose
of supplying in measure the home de-
mand YoH know that It Is true Of city
as Of everything else that IL viii be an
expensive city in which &c live il a con-
siderable number Of the things that il
consumes are net manufactured on the
spot. It is true now that We manufacture
our bread. cakes, pies ice cream, and. to
great extent. our baer Now carry that
idea out to its logical result and keep IN
mind the improved methods md ecofo-
mics Of the twentieth century and YOU
can readily see that Washington viii re-
uuire and viii have Z constantly fncreas-
ing number Of industries. It IS as inevi-
table as fate. You can't gather together
1 GEO. Geo iato city without at the same
time giving them something t. do to earn
their daily bread II this IS not done, the
/ people viii so away and the city wiz Aot
grow, because il cannot
Tie clerk replied: You must remember
| that there is a tradition that the Capital
/ CITY must not be manufacturing city.
and that there has been a constant dis
| coura cement Of the establishment Of any
thing ike manufactures II the District
ssWen, that foolish notion viii die with
the nineteenth century, said the chief
cone OF 4he things which the people Of
| washington viii nave TO aecustom them
selves to within the next twenty five
| wears Is coal smoke, and IL viii not be q
strange sight to see it floating UP from
South Washington and floating about the
/ high dome Of the Capitol in years tc
/ come. as an indication that the people oi
| the nation are workers and not 2 nation
Of dilettanti- Yes, there viii be business
in Washington It seems to have es-
capped the notice Of some people that this
city is directly in the track Of traffic be-
tween the South and the North. and yoJ
may rest assured hat Washington viii b
the next city after Baltimore in the tracE
Of that traffic to feel the thrill OF com
| mereiaI activity. As Washington grows
II sill become commercial city.
The discussion then turned to questions
relating 20 the municipal administration
of such z city as this might be expected
to become. It was pointed out that greai
changes would necessarily take place II
the way Of getting into and out of tbs
| city as the suburbs grow. Washington, Il
| was thought. would have 30 face CUES
lions OF street traffic similar to those o.
| other cities. There might be elevated
roads or underground roads The hills oil
| Virginia would be thiekly Feopled and
there would be need rot of one or swe
bridges over the Potomac. but OF three
times as many. The chief expressed the
belief that Rock Crook ard the Eastern
Branch would be placed under ground
!