The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1902-04-14
JUG OF lP2LlJAgE
TURNS on IHF Light?
NJ
Enterprising Schemes Gen
tlemdn to Secure Electricity.
WIRES BUT NO CURRENT
Appealed to Commissioners, But 10 Law
to Cover the Case-Bousht Good
Brandy and Secured the Necessary
Legislation.

The question is freqr entity asked WY
the electric lighting con panies are allow
cd to string wires almost at will west of
Rock Creek and are prohibited from doing
50 east of that stream. To answer the
question one has only to appeal to the
plain statement of the law. but to OK
plain how the law happened to be as it
reads is another matter. To put the mat
ter briefly. an afternoon ride ard two gal
Ions of appIejack were practically re-
sponsihle for the conditions described.
1t appears that an enterprising resident
of enc OF the subdivisions near Cleveland
Park several years ago bought fine prop
erty out there and preceded to fit up
the house for summer boarders. He went
to considerable expense in the way Of
outside furnishings. and among other
things put in about 5000 worth of electric
wires and fixtures. But when the owner
appeared at the District Building to ask
for a permit to connect his house with
the lighting cables a few blocks away
he was told that the District Commits
sioners were without authority to gram
with the authorities, explained the 1ilem-
ma he was in, but all in vain He was
obliged to go home mad and disap-
pointed man.
In thinking the matter over the owner
of the premises described bethought him
of a friend who holds a seat in the upper
house of Congress. and in the same con-
nection he thought of a much reputei
brand of applejack made yearly in one
of the counties of the Old Dominion, which
might be called Appomattox. The COM
bination seemed promising. and the owner
Immediately acted upon the mental sug-
gestion and sent for two gallons of the
seductive beverage to be sent to him.
Fond of King Alcohol.
The Senator in question is reputed not
to be afraid of any beverage in which
king alcohol is the reigning sovereign.
In short. he loves good liquor. and upon
this we!l-known fact hangs the tale of
the extension of electric lighting west
of Rock Creek.
One day in the month of May. so the
story goes the owner OF the boarding
house drove over to the north end of the
Capitol by previous arrangement and pa
tiently waited the appearance of the SEN
ator referred to. When he appeared the
resident of the growing northwest section
took him in his carriage and drove him
by a somewhat roundabout route to the
house out toward Tenleytown. They ar
rived in the edge of the evening, between
daylight and dark.
The Senator was welcomed by the hos
tess as well as the host. who was not
long in producing the apple3a 1t was
sampled and found good, but it was get
ting dark so that the host and his Sen
atorial friend could no longer tell the
difference between applejack and water.
Finally the Senator suggested that it
would be well to have little light 10 en-
Joy their seventh drink of applejack. The
host excused himself and departed for a
remote part of the house. When he re-
turned he bore in each hand an ancient
tallow dip in tin candlestick.
Ta''ow Dins Brought In.
The Sen ar'a..r es. -~-ez.f
but he sal .. Dec ban .st
another 81
his friend u ir r.
could affor "rs . N.-
it was. I
up his house Tor eIectrIc iisnls,
he had been denied permission to connect
with the lighting cables in the neighbor-
hood The Senator was quite thoughtful
during the recital and though he drank
several more glasses of appleiack his