davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

ways provided bountiful table, his tav-
ern was a favorite resort. Here. day
after day for several weeks, Washington
L'Enfant. and the commissioners met to
confer about the plan for the Capital
City, and here also they met the pro-
prietors OF the land and arranged with
them for Its transfer to the Government.
Washington generally rode from Mount
Vernon to Suffers on spirited horse,
which would come galloping up the Alex
andria turnpike to the ferry from the Vir-
ginia shore to Georgetown. near the site
of the present Aqueduct Bridge.
EIIicott His Associate.
When the details OF LEnfant's plan had
been arranged he made a finished draw
ing Of 1t and it was approved by the
President and formally adopted by the
Commissioners. L'Enfant was appointed
to superintend the execution of the plan,
and he selected a corps Of assistants.
among whom was Andrew Ellicott.
young Pennsylvania of marked ability
as a surveyor Ellioott afterward received
the title of "Geographer General"
In the office of the Superintendent of
the Capitol is a torn and dingy paper.
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Cron,zoeH al Blndn1an's Buff.

oliver Cromwell is said to have some
times cast aside his Puritan gravity and
played at blindman's buff with his daa5h-
ters and attendants. Henri Quartre de-
lighted to go about in disguise with the
peasantry. The most innocent amusement
of Charles II consisted in feeding the
ducks in St James Park, and in rearing
numbers of those beautiful spaniels which
still bear his name Beethoven would
splash In cold water at all times of the
day, till his chamber was swamped and
the water oozed through the flooring to
the rooms beneath. He would also walk
out in the dewy fields at night or morning
without shoes or stockings.
Shelley took an unaccountabie delight
in floating little paper boats on any piece
of water he CHANGED to be near. Sir Wal
ter Raleigh found his chief amusement IN
gratifying his vanity. His shoes on court
days were so gorgaously adorned with
precious stones as to have exceeded 5000
guineas in value. and he had suit of ar
NOR Of Zolid silver, with jeweied sword
and belt. the value Of which was almost
ln6hleulable. Poor Goldsrnith'e innocent
amusepl&nts also consisted in dandyisms,
and tie story of his peach blossom coat
Is almost proverbial.
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Noah WeDSter'S Interesting Home.

TN HE old house is still standing one
mile south of West Hartford. on
L Newington Road. in which. IN
1853. was born Americas great
photographer. His father. a descend
ant in the fourth generation from
John Webster, who previous to 1860
was Governor of Connecticut. was militia
captain in the time OF the Revolution, and
the son. who had already begun the
studies which we're to fit him for his toll
as a Iinguist, abandoned them for time
and served in his fathers company.
The house OF the Websters is on the
west side of the way, and fronting sun
rise" and the city of Hartford, commands
a fine view of the surrounding country.
1t is shaded by naples and an elm, which
latter tree as the easily believed traGi-
1ion runs. was planted by Captain Web
ster when his scholar son was boy.
The house stands with the side to the
street. and the front door. in keeping with
the style in vogue of yore. is ornsmented
with a knocker. Two stories high in
front. the house has two large front
rooms on the first floor, one on each side
of the front entry. In keeping with the
old style. these rooms show the large
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
prOdigiOus AppetifeS Of Walters.

100 pounds. went through the steak pro-
gramme every two hours regularly until
o'clock in the morning. and every steak
weighed about two pounds.
Il once had another waiter who was
Unfortunately fond of pie. l really believe
he would eat Satan himself if he was put
between crusts. Well, this pie fieud be-
gan work on his favorite before he had
been in my place half an hour. Once in
about every fifteen minutes he would step
up to the case, slip a piece of pie on to
a plate and take it to the back part OF
the restaurant and eat it.
Il stood it until l saw my supply run
ming so low that / was afraid l wouldn't
have any pie for my customers; then my
patience gave out. l went to the fellow,
took him by the collar. and led him up to
the pie case. Now 1 said. you get TO
work and eat all you want. Don't you
stop while there is a pie left unless you
are filled up.
Instead of being embarrassed the fell
low seemed to feel that l was being good
to him. He took :ac at my word, and you
should have seen him eat, l soon saw
that l was getting the worst OF my own
bargain, so l paid him off and discharged
him while L had enough stock left to do
business with
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Chased the Dog.

He had no sooner lit upon it than the
overfed cat lit upon him In his desper-
ate fright he shook her loose almost as
quickly as he dropped the bone. and with
his long, lean tail between his legs. he
beat a bowling retreat. But the cat has
a match in store for her. Here is tale
OF the young Roosevelts aboard the
Dolphin when that ship took them down
to the launching of the Missouri, as told
by one of the tars aboard the boat:
what a time we had, The ship had
Just been vanished and painted when
we left. but it needed another coat by the
time we got back. Most of the crew had
been suffering with too much Of nothing
to do when we started, but at the end
we felt as though we would be in our
element in a mad house.
Besides young Theodore, who was
spending the holidays at home, then there
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

enterprise unless he was given carte
blanche" a proposal to which the au-
thorities would not submit. Whichever
view of the matter is correct, certain it
is that I.'Enfant was removed, and the
CARRYING out of the plan left to Ellicott.
An offer OF 500 guineas by the Commis-
sioners, as compensation for his services,
was Indignantly refused by LEnfant. Old
Fort Washington on the Potomac was
planned by him; but, as usual, he did not
agree with the authorities. and so did
not complete that work.
At present there is no mark to indi-
cate where L'Enfant is buried. He died
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Philippine Substitute for Whisky.

ether. but there is never seen a trace of
amylic alcohol tfusel oiD.
The Misunderstanding those of the
larger cities, who have adopted civilized
habits-does not get drunk. 1t is rarity
to find a drunken native. OF the 500 or
more natives we had in our command. we
never had a case of drunkenness. The
only case OF intoxiestion that ever saw
among the Maeabebes was our major
domo," or head servant. when we lived at
Colonel Blanco's. and he had surrepti-
tiously emptied bottle of cocktails that
belonged to the commanding officer.
The native never drinks vino az s Is
in the markets. He dilutes it with S9ter,
adds sugar and oil of anlse and dsanks
it as "ansette," in the manner THAI his
civilized brother takes cordial For a
"long'' drink he has bottled beer. made
at the native brewer1es OF San Miguel
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Pity for be President.

When l applied to Rear Admiral siias
W Terry. commandant of the Washing
ton Navy Yard, for permission to inspect
for this article the Presidential craft,
was ordered in the tone rear admira1s
generally use to the Chinese cooks in the
navy, when they deign to speak to those
creatures, not TO apply the term "Presi-
dents Yacht TO the SyIph.
From his tone l gathered that the
reader might be deluded into the belief
that the President was extravagant with
the readers money. If my wits were not
frightened out Of me and surmise Alright.
now that / am out of the terrible adj
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

yellow and faded with age. Some of its
lines of ink have entirely disappeared,
and others are almost invisible. One
can see, however. that 1t was once an
elaborate and elegantly finished design.
drawn with great skill. 1t is the original
plan OF the city Of Washington. made by
LEnfant's own hand, and his writing
upon it is as fine and perfect as copper
plate. This plan was never published by
the Government. which, however. had en-
graved and widely circulated a plan made
by Ellicott in 1892. The Ellicott plan is
stated to have been drawn from sketches
Of LEnfant's plan; it differs from the
original only in minor details.
Quarrel With the Government.
The story of L'Enfant's disagreement
with the Government authorities has been
variously told. 1t is said. on one hand,
that he was OF such domineering and
irascible temper that he would not sub
NIT to any species OF control. 1t is also
stated, with every appearance OF plausi-
bility. that he was subject to such an
amount of petty badgering by spectators
and others. who regarded his plan only as
4 means for the attainment OF their own
ends, that he refused to be engaged in the
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Ethel Wins the Race.

They started. the three of them.
climbed the pilot house. breaking one
window and scratching the varnish I'M
mercifully- How they ever got up the
front of it so quickly, I don't know. on
they CO. a ten-foot jump. Then over the
galley skylight, and take a tumble
through the roof, you might call it, of the
captains cabin. From the cabin they
jumped to the deck, and then up the
poop, not by the ladder. put right up the
side OF the house. The race finished af-
ter the trio had climbed over the reliev-
ing steering wheel, and the girl won"
Quotations are very handy articles
sometimes. l would not dare to write
this last tale without them. But the
children are a rough and ready set, and
while the SyIph is not a model Presidents
Yacht. il is a sturdy little craft and OF
the kind that is needed for youngsters
like the Roosevelts-
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

on the Chellum Castle estate, near
Bladensburg, about Ave miles from Wash
ington, June 4, 1924. in the seyeatieth
year of his age. His body was inferred
in the garden, with no stone to mark
its resting place; it is traditional, how
ever, that a tall cedar tree, which Is
visible from the Bladensburg Road, marks
the spot.
L'Enfant is described as a man of me-
dunn height, with bright, intellectual
face. and courteous manner. E-e usually
wore a blue frock coat OF antique fash
ion and a bell-crowned hat.
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

Of engineers in the Federal Army. He
had charge of the reconstruction OF the
old City Hall in New York when 1t was
prepared as a Federal House" for the
First Congress, and had also designed and
arranged the building in Philadelphia used
for the same purpose.
First Mansnrd Roof in America.
He had constructed for Robert Morris.
the wealthy merchant and statesman of
Philadelphia. a mansion having the first
mansard roof ever seen in America, and
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Edwin Forests Home n the Hudson

bay. Its style OF architecture gave it a
military appearance consistent with the
frowning palisades of the opposite shore.
Forrest named it Fonthill Castle, and 1t
was his intention to establish here a
dramatic school for the encouragement OF
American talent.
Later. however, when the unhappy do
nestle incidents occurred which made
mockery Of its enchantment, he disposed
of the castle by sale to the Sisters of
Charity. 1t is now a part of the Convent
Of st. Vincent, an academy for girls, but
It will long endure as monument of For
rests love for his profession and as a
scene from his own life not less pathetic
than many Of those which his genius was
accustomed to portray.
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
BOIK IN 1903.

The little craft was built in 1898 for
service as despatch boat in the Span
ish war; but like a great many of cur
troops, never saw service, as she was
never commissioned. not being needed be
cause Of the abrupt termination of the
war. An officer en- the Illinois once said
to me that the hardest work the officers
had was the finding CT work for the men
At the close Of the war the Navy De-
partment's most difficult task was the
finding Of places for its small ships-thc
mosquito feet, despatch boats and the
like. Some were loaned Indefinitely t.
the naval reserves Of the different States
some were put cut of commission and laid
up in the navy yards, and one was placed
af the dfeunsaf of the President
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

latter will come nicely into play on sum-
mer fishing trips.
There Is one thing in which 1 know
no other yacht of nations chief excels
the Sylph. From Mr. Cortelyou down
every member of every force that serves
the President has to be a man of brains.
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

n connection with the proposed monu-
ment to Major Pierre Charles Len
L FAINT in this city of his own design
ing a few details relative to that
extraordinary man may prove of interest.
L'Enfant vas a French engineer, who
came to the United States from Paris in
17T7. He served during the Revolutionary
War in the French contingent, under the
Count d'Estaing, and. when the French
troops departed for their native country,
L'Eniant remained and became a major
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
RicbeiIeu's Amusement.

Cardinal Richelieu used to seek amuse-
ment in violent exercise, and was found
by one of his servants jumping with boys
to see which could leap the highest. The
great logician, Samuel Clarke. was equal
ly fond of such saltatory interludes to
his hours of meditation. and was frequent
iy discovered leaping over tables and
chairs. The learned Petavius used to
twirl his chair round and round for five
minutes, at the end OF every two hours.
Tycho Brahe diverted himself with pol
ishing glasses for spectacles. Paley. the
author of Natural Theology" was so
much given to angling that he had his
portrait painted with q rod and line In
his hand. Louis XVI, of sad memory.
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
A LiOeh Girl.

ut is the greatest crowd of children 1
ever saw. Ethel is as bad as the boys. She
climbed the rigging and had a fall. Sit
ting on the deck. rubbing her bruised
spots. she dared the boys, who were
mocking her, to try the same climb, and
this they were game enough to do.
They had race that beat me. 1t was
an obstacle race. They agreed to start
at the bow of the boat and race amid
ships, going over all obstacles and bar
ring nothing but the two masts and the
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

~ the many historical places
along the Hudson River there
~ is none more interesting than
the village of Mount st. Vim
cent, located about fifteen miles north of
New York, says the -Four Track News"
Here a half century ago Edwin Forrest,
the ira gedian-then at the very height OF
his career-~Rcquired an extensive tract of
land wheison hs proposed to erect. as
mark Of his appreciation of the beautiful,
and to crafty the eyes Of his country
unsurpassed by the ruined structures Of
the Old World.
The castle WIS built of grey silican
granite. with six octagonal towers, COM
manding q view from Sing Sing to the
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

four times during the three years it was
at his service, and then for short runs
in the spring and summer down the
Potomac in the afternoon or evening.
But he and Mrs. Mckinley had not the
same taste for outings as the Roosevelt
family, and while none of the latter have
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
The "Sylph'S" MoScofs.

There is a terrier of remarkable breed
a pet, aboard the boat, and maltese cat,
and these furnish considerable anuse-
ment. They are very playful and full OF
tricks, the teaching and performance of
which whites away some of the crews
odd moments. The cat is very jealous of
the dogs affection. If any other canine,
the size matters not. approaches the ship
she drives him off. She sneaks along the
deck like the rest of her family sneak
after birds and suddenly springs at the
unfortunate, and always unknowing, ami
mails eyes, with the ferocity of a tiger.
A poor, hungry creature. only about the
size of large cat. happened to pass the
boat the day l visited it and smelled
meat. He drew near and quickly dis
covered a bone, thrown out from the neon
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

miral's reach. l am bold enough to say
that he guessed wrong The American
public, if l am any judge, would pity the
poor President for having Il yacht no bet
ter than some OF the mere members CT
the House OF Representatives possess, and
some Of the mere Democratic minority
at that. End would be so jealous of the
royal yachts OF other nations that they
would send in b. big majority any party
in the next elecLion that would stick in
its platform a plank promising a decent
yacht for the President OF the United
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
THE FHVOPITE DIVERSIONS
OF FIISTORY'S GREAT MEN

sheer inactivity; lie rose late, and when
he had risen, sat down to his books ana
papers. A woman who waited upon MIN IN
his lodgings said that he would lie abed
and be fed with n spoon" Contrary ex-
smpIes to that of Sir Walter Scott, who
wrote all his finest works before break
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
FORWARD DECK OF THE "SNPH"

were Ethel Archie, and Quentin along.
The last three named made most OF the
fun, for Theodore and DR.. Rixey got of
at Quantico and were there most OF the
time bagging game. Archie said he had
been aboard the Sylph. but did not like
the boat because they would not let him
carve his name in the deck house. He
also told one of the other jackies that
he wished his father was not President,
because he did not have time to play
baa
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02


is a fact that most walters are
prodigious eaters. l remember
one instance in particular that is worth
telling about.
"One day slender, sickly locking
young fellow came in and asked for work
He had excellent references and l liked
his looks. SO L engaged him. l told him
to come to work at 2 o'clock in the af-
ternoon. You may not know it, but 1t is
rule in most restaurants that the help
may eat when and what they wish. So |
was not surprised VIXEN, at o'clock, l
saw my new waiter sitting at side table
in the rear with a big steak and all the
accomplishments in front of him. He dis
posed of the meal with relish, and | con-
fess he looked as though he needed it.
But l was taken a little aback when,
at o'clock, l saw him repeating the
steak performance, this time with pie snd
pudding to top of with. l said nothing to
him, but 1 resolved to quietly watch him
and see how far his appetite would carry
him.
We'll. sir. would you believe that that
slim waiter, who didn't weigh more than
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

Judgment, suavity, tact, diplomacy, and
a gentleman. the first essential of
gentleman.
The crew of the sylph are, Of course.
very proud of their assignment, but very
tired of having SO little TO do. They
are under the same regulations as to
hours, etc, as other men in the navy, and
ha,-o n,.ar, Iass To 10
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Knock" AND "JOCK," THE rAJCOTS.

yet called the sylph into service. there
is not doubt that its long rest will be
counteracted by overwork when Theodore,
Jr., has thoroughly recovered his health,
and returns for the summer vacation.
The Sylph carries four small boats. one
of which is q gasoline launch; and this
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

~ OMPING and joining in the sports
of his children has been largely
Il y instrumental in endearing Presi-
dent Roosevelt to the Ameri-
can people. Those who know him
best express the belief that he will never
reach that point in life where he will not
enjoy extracting all possible pleasure out
of this world
The amusements Of prominent and re-
markable persons have been various. and
often eccentric, furnishing a peculiarly
interesting study. The great Bayle would
frequently wrap himself in his cloak and
hasten to places where mountebanks re-
sorted. and this was his chief relaxation
from the intensity of study. spinoza de-
lighted to set spiders fighting, and would
laugh immoderately at beholding their
insect warfare
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
Only Three State Rooms.

The Sylph is 152 feet long and "a wide.
There are in it but three state rooms
worthy to be called by thet name, and
they are only worthy by comparison with
the holes in which the crew sleep. The
room allotted trc President is twelve
feet long by eight wide. and is equipped
with single brass bedsjead, wash
stand painted white, cupboard for
,lctaes, ana tEo chairs, one of which
folds so that a stout person may cross
the room.
Beside this, on the other side OF the
beat there is another room CT about the
same size, to be occupied by anyone who
may accompany the President. But the
bed in it is a little smaller than the
Presidents, SO that any guest for over
night must be of a smaller stature than
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02
The Dining Room.

The dining room IS aft of these, about
midship, extending full across the boat.
and, accordingly, little larger than the
combined size of both sleeping rooms.
1t will accommodate possibly eight
people. 1t is needless to say, after this
Information that the Presidential sleep
ing apartments have never been occupied
by Mr.. Roosevelt.
The third stateroou? Some readers. l
know, will ask that. 1t is above deck,
and is for the occupancy of Lieut.. w.
H. Buck, the officer in command of the
Sylph.
President Mckinley used the yacht but
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-03-02

T INTO is manufactured in the nipa
~ swamps around Manila Bay
and the contiguous Iagoons.
Nipa does not grow inland or
in the higher lands. The greatest
nest OF distiIleries is in the vast
swamps in the delta of the Rio Grande.
The parent stalk OF the nipa fruticans is
tapped and the sap collected much in the
same manner that we collect maple sap.
At the distilIery the sap Is mixed with
the juice of the sugarcane-about % per
cent of the latter being used-fermented,
distilled, and. in a crude way. rectitied.
The product is vino, taking that name
from the Spanish word for wine.
Vino is a pungent, colorless fluid, ex-
hibiting an alcoholic strength of from 80
to so per cent. and showing some butyric