The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-15
LIVE TOPICS ABOUT TOWN.

It Is becoming known that there is one
place In Washington that IS nearly al
ways cool That place is the little cir
Gle around the base of the Monument
No matter what may be the condition
IN other parts Of the city, there is al
ways cooling breeze stirring there The
wind comes straight across the Potomac
and travels over no heated asphalt. It
brings all the freshness Of the water over
which it passes The mound around the
Monument base Sstands high enough to
eaten every zephyr that stirs, whether
II be from the city or from the river
Even in the daytime. in the shadow Of
the tall shaft and in the winds that play
around the base Of 1t, one can be cool
Last Sunday there was evidence of the
fact that people realized this, for the few
benches around the walk We're all filed
and people were spread out on the grassy
slopes OF the hill
The White Lot is also becoming a fav-
orite place for Sunday afternoon Ioung-
ing The seats which have been placed
under the trees on the west side are so
situated as to give a fine view Of the
broad green oval, the bordering trees. and
the white shaft of the Monument rising
above them. The cooling breezes play
the base of the great shaft on the mound
Perhaps the place in all the city where
there is most surely TO be some wind stir
ring even on the most suItry summer night
IS the northeast corner of the Capitol
Building. The winds Of heaven seem tocen-
ire there, and during the winter the gusts
mat circle around the corner are almost
strong enough to sweep even bea w
weight Senators off their feet The com
pensalon for this discomfort comes when
the DreeZeS have been tempered to a sum
ner softneSs. and then the northeast cor
ner IS the place Of all places to sit in the
evenings when the mercury has touched
the hundred mark.
The White Lot is being turned into a
speedway for horseIess vehicles. Men who
run the public automobiles have discov-
cred that they can give their fares a good
/ sharp spin around the oval when they
take them to view the Monument The
dirt road around the big lot IS getting
into good trim and the automobiles can
make good time when driven to their
| highest speed. 1t gives the cabbies an
opportunity to show off the PAGES of the
machines and they have not been slow to
take advantage Of it There are no other
vehicles to be looked out for and the
driver can put the handle clear over with
/ out any fear that he will get called to a
matt AIN kLlt llDlatt or LIlIlL ne viii run
over some one Nearly every Sunday the
White Lot sees some impromptu automo-
bile races. There are usually plenty Of
spectators on the seats under me trees
TO enjoy the contests One sharp Cabby
stationed himself just behind the " hite
| House last Sunday and carried parties
of half dozen or more around the circle
/ at high speed He made quite q little out
| Of it and says he is going to take up his
stand IN the same place next Sunday and
trade
Il ask all these people if they want
| transfers, but l can tell nearly every time
where they want to CO." said n cOHduC-
tor on the Metropolitan line yesterday.
He took a yellow ticket from a passen-
ger. Without asking any questions he
punched q North Capitol Street transfer
and handed it to him. The passenger
smiled, said All right" and tucked the
transfer in his pocket Il never saw that
man before said the conductor, as he
climbed on the back platform, but he
was easy to guess 1t takes only a little
Sherlock Holmes work tc do the trick
and frequently surprise people by letting
them off at the right place when they
have not told me where they want to go,
or even asked me for a transfer. The
different color of the tickets is my cue.
That man gave me a yellow one That
yellow ticket could have been bought only
on an East Capitol Street car and about
the only man who would he buying tick
cts on an East Capitol Street car would
be a man who lives out that way The
rule is not infaIIible, but it works pretty
nearly every time. When man gives ne
blue pasteboard I punch him New
York Avenue transfer on suspicion, and il
I get one OF the brown backed ones put
I eli
for Anacostia- Lots Of women from the
shopping districts, when they come up
from town at noon. present me white and
bIuC. tickets They get put off at 'Herdic
Transfer Station and get the little white
transfer ] like 70 watch how the thing
works and I find that l don't miss my
guess more than once out OF ten times
People keep me busy with their ques-
tfons about those gates said the watch
man who stands by the first entrance 10
the east side OF the State. War. and Navy
Department. He pointed 70 the gates that
head the avenue between his building and
the White House Everybody that comes
here wants to know what has happened
TO them. and all their history, and I Ger
tainIy would be glad if somebody would
do something about them. When I tell
the people that one of the Inaugural
stands vas burned and the gates ia ma ged
they va ut TO know If the White House
was hurt- They all say II is a shame that
nothing mas been done to repair the dam
age and that somebody ought TO take the
matter in hand. They do look badly. and
thag'S the truth The rain has rusted the
iron where the paint was burned of but
IL has not washed off the black marks of
the flames The stones are badly cracked,
and pieces are falling off all the time
Even the stone coping around the corner
of the White House grounds has begun 10
snlit up. and the flags in the walk are
en- mblinE-'