The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-15

The Washington Centre Market. Seventh
Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. "as'
during the fIsi lalf century Of ats -N.st-
ence. in very fact. the center Of the capt
tai. It's site was fixed by General Wash
ngton himself al has ap1'.oNai oI lhe o'lsi-
nal plan Of the city Authorized by Con-
gress in 1891 il was built in the shape Of
c!ostd I4a4as sueu wan Outs.ue Dcucnes
in 1902 and grew. decade on decade, 10y
addition Of other frame sheds. The market
was laid out on the waters edge Of the
Washington Canal and was Specially To-
Gated there in order 10 be a convenience
10 boats bringing fish or other river
side products as wei as to wagons haul
ing the fruits Of the highlands in the
neshborhood.
Even as late as the fall Of 1926 the
National journal Of this city. announced
that "a steamboat is ABOUT TO pay lrom
the wharf at Centre Market TO AleNan-
dria." IL would be strange now TO see
the Estelle Randall sail from Centre
Market along Is Street 10 Seventeenth or
Eighteenth Street northwest. and turning
south into the Potomac make her way 10
the old Virginia city Of the District. Yet
N
seventy years ago. The first supplies 10
the market were grown an the fields
within city limits. The neighborhOod Of 81
Dominic's Church was the kitchen garden
Of Motley Young and the site Of the
church and monastery is said to have pro-
duced the finest onions then grown in
this section Of the country. Washington
ceased TO grow tobacco as soon as the
farm-lands were mapped out into building
md fafl les 4
considerable portion Of its product even
down to the DAYS OF John Quincy Adams,
and even now the newsboy on his rounds
through the outskirts passes occasionally
a bed or two OF kitchen stuff grown within
The corporate limits OF the Nations Capital.
1t was not however. until about 1915 or
1916 that the writer first became an in
hahitaut of the Centre Market for one CT
two nights each week OF that time. Then.
as nov. the market extended from Seventh
to Ninth Street. with PENNSYLVANIA Ave
nue. on its front but the tuThid waters AID
mud Of the Washington Canal washed its
south or rear end. Il did not Te1uire
freshet to inundate the rear of the mar
ket and oftentimos the square itself
seemed amphibious. 1t was On some oc-a-
sions quite possible TO catch large Fl b
from the fish benches. and at times some
kinds OF fish actually swan into the fish
market.
Original Area of the Market.
The original site was laid out on the FIRST
plat of the city as two acres, three roods
and thirty-three perches, but a greater
area was really enclosed within the mar
ket precincts The market. however. I'D
not ill up. as now. the whole OF Eight
Street, but space was left there between
two large market sheds one west and The
Sc b.
space was partially occupied. on the front
by a handsome brick engine house Of TIE
Perseverance Fire Company, with a cupola
which made. in that day. one Of the adorn-
ments OF the Avenue. 10 the rear was Tire
old Watch House Of 1902. the first OF the
city buildings. and il remained in use 10
time within the memory OF no ineonsid-
cradle number OF living WashinstoniIns.
This building was not only the first Court
House and the first mum ipal prison. but
was the headquarters Of The successors O.
the original police constabes-JaeOb
Crawford. James b. Heard, Glen Nenab.e,
and Zeph. Ward. who went into office
September 20. 1893. The force at the tine
numbered tWenty-one men. and fer a time,
at least they were under the command OF
the late Captain Pearson, whose memory
still fingers among those who care 10 go
back to the days before Washington as
sumed its present princely proportions.
Members OF the Fire Companies.
Il was the custom Of the writer and an
other newsboy who carried papers in a
town not far from Washington. or as we
then called it. the city. to come in about
nightfall to the Perseverance Engine
House az the market. knock about" with
the boys until about II O'Clock. and then
with a company Of half dozen or more Of
the FIRE ladies cross the bridge bid them
gOOd-by and wend our way homeward.
The Sunday market which continued until
1921. had then been long abolished. but the
Saturday night market ran well into sun
day morning and was the gala night OF
the week 10 the Percy boys The mar
ket supplied us with all the food we de-
sired. Sometimes there was cash in the
crowd but the faces were good with
most OF the dealers and We were far away
from Cuban condition. The buckets az
the engine house were in season full OF
fruit Root beer was the only tipple. for
all the boys were Junior Brothers Of Tenn
perance and faithful to their pledge taken
al he meeting held in the hall OF the Old
Northern Liberty Engine House on Eighth
Street al its junction with X Street and
the tWo avenues where Mount Vernon
Park nov stands.
whether the Perseverance was as much
q a naval company a. the Auac0Ttia which
was located at the Navy Yard he writer
never knew. but the Percy boys owned
a boat which was anchored In the canal
about a hundred yards IN the rear OF the
engine house By an anchor made Of three
coils OF condemned hose To navigate The
boat needed what now would be-
called bathing costume and IT'S
motor would have astoui-hed Erics-
son. The dremens vessel had no
more bottom than a fouudered horse
but the engineers OF the company had fur
nished her a midships with a cart wheel to
which they geared part OF an old horse reel
with brass handsroLes and while the
wheel would not prope the galley through
the water az an for it had no paddle il
was quite effective In mud, and as The ca
nal had very lit;le water and very much
mud the engineer was obliged to run his
legs through the bottom OF the boat and
wade her along until she came 20 a mud
bank: and then b. vigorous plying OF the
hands pOhes the wheel 90 he middle Of the
boat was forced 10 turn and carry he boat
over he mud bank. This frsmen's fricate
was the wonder and amusement OF the
market. This little fiigate goBd0Ier. OF
galley was stolen of one night by tho
Franklin 6remen and left stranded near
the mouth Of the canal No reclama lion
was ever attempted and the tradition was
afterward that the Secretary OF the Treas SUI
~ had made IL a present TO the Secretary
OF the Navy as the model OF a vessel TO 20
better on land than on water.
Two basic d0gmas OF belief made nd the
creed OF the Percy boys. One, that Dick