The National tribune., 1903-02-26
JUST BEFORE THE WAR.
Warrington Great. Struggling. overgrown
southern village. but withal Very Pleas
ant Place.
RY wILHEMUs BoGART BRYAN,
CltrOnicler of the Columbia Historical Society.

Ky W1bHEMUS btGAhF bh1 An.
Clronicler Of the Columbia Historical Society.
Washington at the beginning of the
civil war, its appearance, its material and
social phases, and the features incident to
the opening scenes of the great drama OF
the war, has been described by number
of contemporary writers. A selection OF
extracts from some of these articles has
been made for the purpose of furnishing a
description. as full as possible, of the city
rs it was 40 years ago.
The picture presented is by no means
complete, for in no instance did those
quoted set out with the purpose of writing
a history of the city. Otherwise We would
have had statistics from official documents,
and details more or less wearisome. The
following rather cosby and pleasant mar
ratives furnish some facts which grave
historians are apt to omit, but which have
a recognized value in forming any just es-
innate of the times that are past.
WASHINGTON BEFORE THE WAR.
Mrs. Mary E. W. Sherwood, whose de-
lightful "reminiscences of the past have
charmed so many readers, writes agreed
bly, of washington Before the War.
From her paper the following extract is
taken:
ut was struggling mudhole in Winter,
but when Spring came it was as beautiful
Tin spots as it is now, and it had gentler
Winter climate than at present. l have
picked roses in January III Mrs. Seaton's
garden.
'sIrs Fremont, her sister. Sue Benton,
some pretty girls named Smith, the gifted
nieces of Madame Calderon, the beautiful
Mrs. Barton Key; in fact, all our neigh
bors, on Summer evenings would run
about to visit each other without bonnets.
People sat on the doorsteps and l have
often seen a set of intimates walk up
Pennsylvania Avenue to the cid Capitol
grounds, attended by Senators and Secre-
taries with their heads bare, at O'Clock
of q fine Summer evening"
METHODS OF LOCAL TRAVEL.
The following is an account of "The
Methods of Local Travel prior to the
building in the year 1862 of the first street
car line in the District. namely the one on
Pennsylvania Avenue which extended
from the Capitol to Fifteenth and G
Streets. This paper was origin lily pre-
scented before the Association Gf the Old |
est Inhabitants:
''The best days of the omnibus were in
che SOS, for besides the two main lines, |
Majors and the Union, which ran by a
schedule for a ive-cent fare from the |
West Capitol gate to Georgetown, each |
with % or 80 buses. were the Peoples |
LINE of Moore, Vanscriver and Cooper, the |
Citizens Union Line, owned by Weldon. |
McDermott, Ryther, and number of liv-
cry men, coach builders, and hackmen.
with some 10 or 20 coaches. There were |
nearly 100 such vehicles plying. There |
were the old lines from the Capitol to |
Georgetown; the Navy Yard line: and one |
from Sixth street by way Of Pennsylya-
MIA avenue, Seventh street, Maryland |
avenue and Eleventh street to and from |
the steamboat wharves."
SOCIAL ASPECTS.
"Social Aspects of Washington before
the Disunion" is the title of an anony-
nous communication that appeared in |
Once-a-Week. The writer is apparently |
of English origin, and from the account |
of the market was probably a woman. 1t |
contains the following interesting para
graphs:
"The great heat in Summer, which rem
ders it desirable to have deep houses, is
another reason for their exceeding ugli
ness. The rooms are always badly pro-
portioned, long and narrow, with windows |
at one end, and often the plan is so de-
fective that there is a dark room On every
floor, merely lighted from the passage.
Four years ago there were but few houses
every drop of water had to be fetched
from the neigkbOring pump. In the Spring
the houses undergo a complete transforma-
ton; cool mattings are laid down, and
mirrors, picture frames, clocks, and orna-
ments of all kinds are swathed in pink net
to protect them from the swarm of flies
who are mathematical under the name of |
bugs. Spring is most enjoyable
season in Washington; in March the heat
begins, and soon the peach trees are COW
cred with white blossoms as thick as new
fallen snow. The magnoiias lade the air
with delicious fragrance, and countless
rainbOw-hued blossoms adorn the stately
tulip tree and afford shelter in their
calices for the fragile humming-bird
Then is the season Of picnics to Mount
Vernon and the Falls; one of the great
amusements at the aforementioned place is
catching the shad, an excellent fish like
white salmon, and broiling it on plank
beside fierce fire. - The great
market at Washington is worth visit.
IT is 10 times the size of Covent Garden.
The stir. the excitement of vendors and
buyers, the quaint old niggers selling their
poultry and vegetables, and the numerous
ladies, Senator's wives included, going
from stall to stall inspecting fish, flesh,
ana fowl, and pausing at the pyramids of
vegetables to fill the immense basket with
which their sable attendant is laden, rem
der it well worth the trouble of getting up
at in the morning. 1t is an almost uni
yersal custom among the thrifty house
wives thus to attend to their household
concerns. One Senator's wife went even
further and avowed with pride that being
unable to get her ballroom waxed to her
mind she 'reckoned she Just sot down on
her knees and did it herself Good, kind
~ souls they are, and if they do pickle
hams and wash up tea cups with their