The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-04-01
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

Rock Creek basin. just at the terminus
| of Massachusetts Avenue extended. is an
extremely active place just now. Look
| ed at from above. II resembles a good
| deal small ant colony so continually
and rapidly do the men at work there
| move to and fro. Work on the founda-
/ ton for the big bridge Is being push
| ed rapidly. bu: II will be nearly year
and half before the structure will be
completed All day long engines puff
men wheel barrows and blasts are fired.
The piers of the bridge arches are now
being put In. They are made OF heavy
mixed concrete sunk far below the sur
face OF the water One has already been
constructed and the second Is partly fin
ished. Upon the piers a brick arch Will
be raised and the whole will be faced
with a fine Maryland granite. In order
to put In the piers it was necessary to
turn Rock Creek out of its bed and run
II through "a fiume. Farther up the stream.
at Connecticut Avenue, similar work Is
being done on the Connecticut Avenue
bridge. To that bridge there will be seven
piers, two of which have been completed.
The structure will be l,40O feet long and
Will span two driveways In addition to
the creek.
The Presidents gardener is making
ready for the thousands of children who
will invade the White House grounds
Easter Monday He is looking after his
fences IN a material and not political
way. Stored away are yards and yards
OF wire netting. many stakes. and much
snake fencing. that he has put by for Just
this event. Every flower or shrub that needs
protection will be fenced about by wire
or wood, to keep out children. The amount
nj n ntf1s, Iona oh T.. 81.
crowds is great, Notwithstanding all pre-
cautions. The gardener takes It philo-
sophically. however, and makes his fences
higher and stronger, hoping to save his
most cherished bushes and shrubs
Automobilists practically take posses
sion of Pennsylvania Avenue from the
Treasury to the Peace Monument every
evening when the weather is fine They
recognize in the broad thoroughfare an
Ideal place for spin. and after the
heavy traffic of the day has ceased they
have 1t almost entirely to themselves and
can speed their vehicles down its mile
length without much fear of being inter-
fered with. Beginning at about 10 O'Clock
the number of autos increases steadily
until nearly midnight. They have the
field and make the most of it, They
pun or buzz along at high speed often
racing at velocity that would be dan
gerous In daytime. The lower stretches
of the Avenue are most frequented. from
about Sixth Street to the Monument
The soda water season will soon be
here said the representative of large
soda apparatus house in Boston to a
Times reporter last night. at one Of the
uptown hotels. and of all the cities In
the United States Washington easily
takes the lead In the amount of the
foamy beverage consumed 1t is a fact
well known to all men in my business. A
study of the soda water trade of Wash
ington il interesting. / have given il
some attention during my frequent visits
here, and have actually located its centre
I mean the locality where most OF the
soda is consumed. II Is on Capitol Hill.
and trip over there any evening dur
ing the summer will convince you that I
have made no mistake. Extra men are
employed behind the counter after dark
to attend to the rush Several of the
drug stores have chairs placed on the
edge of the sidewalks under the trees
for the accommodation of their soda
water customers The cooling fluid is
carried to them by boys from the fount
1t is hard to get one of these seats on
hot night between and 10 o'clock. Soda
water parties are common among tho
people Of the northeast and southeast
sections of the city. Then there is the
can trade. Sounds funny, doesn't ftZ
IL is common thing here TO see man
Dr woman walk up to fount and put
Down d bucket or pitcher and call for so
many glasses of soda. When their order
S filled they hurry away with II to their
homes, sometimes several blocks distant
where the whole family takes a drink
or am hn s1Gf far- 1rirR
and chocolate the flavor most desired.
This is true wherever | have been