Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-20

never comes around this way without drop
| ping in to thank me, but he says he Is still
| living on 15-cent meals, and will keep 1t up
| until he has a good bank account. This fell
| low Is gentleman and will come to the
| front even If he did sleep in vacant houses
| y \ X
| All sorts of things can be turned to all
sorts of uses, and an additional illustration
in this line was given last week, when
wireless telegraphy was used to help out
the building of the House and Senate office
buildings near the Capitol. Mr.. Elliott
| Woods the superintendent of the Capitol,
| and who has charge of the construction OF
the two new office buildings. is regarded as
| an expert in wireless telegraphy. There Is
one of the finest wireless plants in the
| United States in the Senate laboratory,
| and the relations between this plant, which
| is Mr.. Woods, and the regular naval plants
! is cordial
| Last week there was a much wanted
cargo of stone for the House office build
| ing missing. 1t was needed to get up the
| street front of the building and 1t was
known that it had left New York and
| started down the coast Saturday evening
| There had been bad weather and there was
no telling what had happened to the flo
| tilla and no way of getting at 1t out at
sea- So the wireless plant was called into
| requisition and with the sanction OF the
| Washington navy yard station, messages
| were sent to all of the naval plants along
the coast where the stone cargo was likely
the other points were all notified Tuesday
| morning to keep lookout for the stone
| cargo and report to Washington If it were
| sighted
Cape Henry was the first to pick it up
| and reported Thursday afternoon that the
boat had been having trouble with the
weather. but was then off the capes. Sure
| enough by Saturday morning the boat
| reached Washington and the building was
going merrily.
Orders have been issued to the captains
, of the stone boats hereafter to set the in
| ternational signal when they are passing
| the wireless stations on the coast and Mr..
| Woods will thereby be able to keep tab on
| the vessels movements all the way from
New York without going out OF his once
| on Capitol Hill. And the captain and crew
| won't be able to put in at any OF the COAST
| ports for a quiet rest and spree even II
they want to and as they have been known
| to do in times past. Truly the wireless is
a mighty source Of trouble to the one-time
Independent sea-faring man.
X x x x
Drinking water put saloonkeeper out OF
business right here in Washington said
an old-time newspaper man. Yes. sir, it
| caused him to close the shutters and re-
tire. Poor fellow, he is dead now. but the
story might serve to cause other gin dis
pensers to steer clear of trying to work
! crooked lunches on their patrons. If this
fellow had been on the water wagon in the
right way there would have been no kick,
but he was not. 1t was this way He had
| a coy little place around 10th street. not
| far from the avenue, he and had a
corking good trade. even if most of it did
come from the newspaper men. John-yes,
| Wen call him John-sold strictly for cash.
and he would see a fellows tongue lol1
out half foot before he would agree to do
the trust act. He sold good stuff and set
out about the best lunch in the city at that
| time. There was one thing John would
never refuse to dO-take drink every time
he was asked He'd yank the bottles down
| on the counter and when asked to join he
| reply Cert old boy, being as it's you,
and then he'd take down plain white
| bottle labeled Gin saying that he al
| ways liked gin and could take 1t with less
| injury than any other drink. l think I've
! hid away couple of thousand drinks IN
that joint and l never saw John decide
to join and 1 never saw him pour his
fluid from any bottle save the white one
boys was in the place and John had his
/ bottle ready when he called to one
| side by fellow who had smashed a mir
! ror While he was getting the fellow out
! one of our boys picked up the bottle OF
! gin and stuck his nose to it. There was no
smell and a little of the stuff poured in a
ass showed that it was simply Potomac
| water We all liked John first-rate, but
this development simply broke the camers
back. We realized that the foxy fellow had
been drinking plain water at 12R cents per
at our expense for 10 these many days and
we took our drinks and departed. but not
! before told him of our discovery He
even had the nerve to contend that we had
fixed up the trick on him, but hope never
to write another line get my pay en-
velope if it wasn't just as 1 tel you. The
trick SO far below the belt that we
scattered 1t broadcast and his trade
dropped off until from buying by the bar
rel he could only get it by the quart and
finally he closed his joint altogether There
is no romance in this story. and 1 think
a barkeeper who would work such a game
deserves to go broke.
There's fellow continued the old
timer, who runs a wet goods emporium
over in Georgetown who works altogether
different game. This Georgetown man
has been in business many years, and he
has never been known to refuse to sell a
drink tick. All you have to do is to
ask for it, and the bottle and glass is pro-
duced without ceremony. While you pour
, out your drink he sizes up the drink and
just soon as soon as your back is turned
he pours like amount of water in the .,ot-
| tie to take the place of the whisky you
! got out This Is the way he keeps even
and If it should happen that the drink OF
drinks ever paid for he Is just that
much in. I am of the opinion, as Control
Ter Tracewell would say. that the George
town mans method Is far more honorable
than that practiced by the man who drank
Potomac water and got paid for 1t at gin
rates.
MY slip of grammar just now" said the
high department official, reminds me OF
an incident in the life of a former mayor
of one of our biggest cities. Although ar
able and keen politician he somewha
illiterate During his administration a dis
tinguished French official visited the city OF
which he was the official head and arranged
to pay his respects. The mayor sent his
secretary to the visitors hotel to escort
him to the city hail. The French officia
wore all his medals and decorations ir
| honor of the occasion AS he and his escor
| were driving to the mayors Office, he re-
marked in an apologetic way that he was
somewhat embarrassed about the coming
interview Because" he explained, 90
don't speak very good English" "Oh, DOM
let that worry YOU" replied the majors
| representative; "the mayor doesn't either