Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-16
FROM THE VERY FIRST
The Star as Seen by an Old
Washingtonian.
THE EARLIEST ISSUES
WHAT THE LITTLE FoUR-PAGE
DAILY CONTAINED.
The Stars Steady Growth-Always
the Friend Of the
District.

The following article was written ioL AHe
Star on It's semi-centennial by MT. hus'-
II Bates who was for twenty years
police magistrate of Washington anu "h0
has read The Star daily since It's nrst lssue :
The Evening star was hrst observer os
the people OF Washington In the "1i'e'
twilight of December l.. 1852 1t tnen gave
little promise of becoming n&eo stdi
for It disappeared for four nights thereaI-
ter. invisible to the human eye alter sheu-
ding It's tiny beam for one orlef evening
Upon the 10th It appeared again ana LOON
its place In the newspaper world Oh "Ash-
lngton where many before II hao spd uile
tn a brief existence-and oblivion Realm
too. which seemed amply supplied by It's
powerful and prosperous neighoor' Inc
National Intelligencer." Many nave peer
the newspaper failures before and since
upon the very field so bravely entered by
The Evening Star, one lnLaht eItei fn tSr
having gone out Of life only tWenty-Iou'
DAYS old The lougeSt-hved, the IntelASeh-
GER in 1870. with a record OF seventy mono
able years. discontinued publication ne
Star, however, was destined inquire IN tne
horoscope of national affairs, and desplte
It's puuv size; despite the dead past; despite
competition, the little light shone on olmly
for six months.
About that time It attracted the attention
of two gentlemen who were looking Tor a
business investment. They bought the lit
tie paper from Its owner, Captain j. b.
Tate, commander of the Washington Ligh'
Infantry, who regarded 1t as fortunate
speculation-so blind is mankind to fate al
times!
The Evening Star has proved fortunate
speculation to all who have been connected
with It. ard It has pr9yed more thar that,
/; s.as be.CIse 4 positive iSctoc III tti9 We
fare not only of Washington, out OF tHe
country al large.
Under W. D. Wallach.
The history of The Star may be said to
have begun with Its new proprietors
Messrs w. D. Wa!lach. brother of Richard
Wallach. ersiwhile mayor OF Washington
and w H Hope. When on July 8, 1858
Messrs Wallach and Hope entered the edi-
torial rooms of The Star which, having be
gun its existence AZ the corner of Sth and
streets. had shifted to 9th street and Penn
sylvania avenue. and from there to a more
permanent Judgment on ID street near 18th
they were ensCOnsed in the second story
over a carriage shop, and the floors Were
dusty, the walls dingy in accordance with
the traditional newspaper office. They
climbed the staircase, knowing not the ease
and facility with which their successors
would mount in elevators to the top floor
OF their palatial nine-story building.
AS their quill pens moved rapidly In the
performance of their arduous duties as edi-
tors-iu-chief-and editors In general-no
vision disturbed their tranquility of hand
somely appointed offices, marble and luxuri-
Gus sarctums sanctorum connected by a
vast network of wires with all places Of
Importance in this and other cities.
Two Hundred and Fifty Per Hour.
In a nearby part of the building a small
hand press was laboriously pounding out
stars at the rate of $50 per hour, leaving
them damp and inky to be folded by the
carriers II the hardworked pressman
could have beheld in a day dream the mag
nifcent machinery which science would
come day cause TO melt and mold type,
print. illustrate and fold, in thirty minutes,
S5,O 600 papers, each paper containing about
twenty-five times the amount OF matter
which he labored so hard to produce, 1t is
safe TO assume that the pied condition
of at least one edition would have aston
ished his few hundred readers and teopar-
died his position. Fortunate It was for
him, therefore. that he had no such i'm
sginings. Eight hundred sheets were daily
wet down to supply their subscribers.
Very soon thereafter 1t became necessary
TO Increase that number by 80, but still
the demand exceeded the supply. There
upon $50 half sheets were struck off,
containing the most important Geographic
and city news"
The kerosene light and tallow tips by
which Messrs. Wallach and Hope wrote
manuscripts and read requests for free ad-
vertising were perfectly satisfactory be-
cause expedient, for. though gas was used
In some of the larger establishments of the
city. its rate Of $500 per 1000 feet placed 1t
upon the list OF luXuries unnecessary in a
carriage shop.
1 fear, however. that now. the humble
mental employed within the stately walls of
The Stars home would consider his inalien-
able rights considerably abridged were he
deprived OF the blaze of electricity which
Numines its furthermost underground re-
cesses.
Contents of The Star.
A few days after Wallach and Hope had
taken charge OF The Evening Star its ap-
pearauce may be described somewhat as
follows: Size. about twenty-one inches by
ffteen-fOur pages OF six columns each.
Upon the first page. the first column was
dedicated 10 the merits Of several never
falling remedies which set forth in their ad-
vertisements. with funereal solemnity, their
power to cure all the ills flesh is heir to
from sprained ankles to bad manners.
Agricultural implements-then more In de-
mand by citizens of Washington than now
were also highly recommended In this
column.
Next. the pleasure-seeking public was IN
formed that Pney Point and Fauuuier
White Sulphur could be easily reached and
enjoyed The print, however was so small
and close that the cost of the trip-to ones
eyesight-was dear enough.
The travelling public was next advised the
time of the departure of trains. also dates
OF the sailing Of ocean lners-one column
suffcng for both.
In the fourth column business and pleas
ure were laid aside for literary profit
This department always opened with {
poem-"An Ode to the Grave" My Soph
roma" THE Drunkards Return or upor
some other equally inspiring subject Fol
lowing this came 4 story, sometimes a con
nnued one, with moral always with