Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-18
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

L Occasionally the question Is seriously ask
ed whether the Potomac river was not at
one time salt to the Little
SAT- Falls, some local historians
Water. declaring that ancient tradi-
ton so held. However that
may be, an accident to the schooner VIII
liam Henry. which occurred June II; 1856.
certainly caused the river to be decidedly
brackish in the vicinity of the Long bridge
for time. As explained in the Georgetown
correspondence of The Star of June II, the
accident was caused by the schooner being
snagged' while attempting to pass the
draw, her bottom being so badly damaged
that she sank in few minutes. She was
laden with salt from Baltimore, and her
cargo was a total loss. The Stars CORE
spondent seized the opportunity to call at
tention to the leng-suffering patience of the
merchants of Georgetown with intolerable
river conditions, which had been seriously
Affecting the trade of that busy mart.
An echo of the skirmishing preceding the
civil war was heard in this same issue.
paragraph appeared as follows.
On Friday evening last some abolition
emissaries succeeded in enticing from the
residence of the Hon. c.. J. Faulkner six of
his slaves. After they had been run of,
the telegraph wires east and west of Mar
t1nsburg were cut to prevent the transmits
sion of the intelligence"
Charles James Faulkner, of what was
then Virginia, was at that time member
of the House of Representatives. He had
taken an important part in the discussion
of the slave question While a young man,
as member of the Virginia house of dele
gates, he introduced a bill for the gradual
abolition of slavery, declaring that all chill
dren born of slave parents after 1910 should
be free. 1t was defeated. In 1913, while
serving as member of the same house, he
introduced a bill, which was passed and
sent on to the federal Congress, which be-
came the famous fugitive-slave law of 1850.
He was later minister to France. His son,
also Charles James, Is well known in WASH
ington owing to his service as United States
senator from West Virginia some years ago.
x x
AS an illustration of the mild outlook of
the press Of those days upon matters not
political-just the news Of the
Arson happenings of life-the man
SUSPECTED. ner in which fire strongly
believed to have been of in
cendiary origin, which occurred In the early
morning of June 10, is treated in The Star
of that date is interesting, especially be-
cause 1t is type of the newspaper method
of the period. The fire was set between
midnight and l O'Clock to the frame house
of Lieut.. Hunter. on G street near 9th. The
jacent brick tenements were damaged. The
Star closes the brief account of the burning
as follows:
I'VE learn that several persons have been
arrested, charged with the commission of
the crime
Close search of subsequent issues fails to
bring to light another reference to the fire.
the suspicion Of incendiarism or the arrest
of the several persons" In 1855 the COM
munty did not demand to know all about
such happenings, being SO small that the
news Travelled by word of mouth fast
enough to suit the gossps.
Half a column of space was, however
given up to a humorous description of the
first meeting, held at the Park Hotel, of a
new organization, the Independent Order of
Do Nothings, the objects and accomplish
ments OF which were not stated, save to
the extent of the closing paragraph
Several propositions were offered look
ing to platform of principle. but these
were, after debate, IN which the fire-eaters
and fire-drnkers INDUCED, defeated. 1t was
contended. on the one part, that to do some
thing would initiate against the Do Moth
ing policy This was the view entertained
by the majority. And so the meeting broke
up In disorder and the human fragments of
the convention RECALLED themselves at the
bar and INDUCED in various little private
sports peculiar to themselves"
~
In the days of long ago the hand fire en-
CINE was dependent for efficiency not alone
upon the Drawn of the COM
FIRE pany, but upon the supply of
Plugs. water as well. Consequently
a demoralized on dit n
among the fire plugs and pumps reflected
seriously upon the safety of property The
Star of June Ii urgently called attention to
the neglect of the authorities in the mat
ter of keeping the plugs and pumps In re-
pair. 1t especially noted the pump at the
southeast corner of 10Th street and Penn
sylvania avenue, which not only ran a riv-
ulet over the street but was actually falling
to pieces.
The enactment of a local code of laws is
of such recent accomplishment that the fol-
lowing news note relative to the opening of
the June term of the Criminal Court in 1855
is Of especial interest:
Judging from the past, the usual num-
Der of cases of petty larceny, assaults, and
assaults and batteries will engage the at
tention of the court. 1t is to be regretted
that there is no tribunal In Washington
which admits of the last-named class of Of
tenders being summarily adjudicated; but
we trust that this defect will be remedied
by the Improvement of the laws; provision