Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-06
FIFTY, YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

Nv luU O1AN
In Wow Of the various railways crossing
the plains and mountains Of the western
United States and the dense
winning population now to be found
the wext In the region west OF the
Mississippi, the skepticism
OF many Americans during the middle OF
the nineteenth century as to the future OF
that section Of the country is now somewhat
amusing But Jefferson Davis was clear
vfstoned in this respect. as an extract.
printed In The Star of April g. 1S56, from
speech delivered a few days before at a
dinner at the Metropolitan Hotel in this
city attests
But still greater difficulties exist In the
sterile plains which can never be crossed
until science shall produce the means
which shall render them not only passable
but fertile. The public generally have been
considering the means Of crossing the
mountains; they skip the desert; and yet.
venture to assert, there Is not noun
tain region on the continent that cannot be
more easily crossed by roads than the
sterile plains which lie near to the noun
tains. Still they may be made passaole
We may find the dip and the elevation of
stone, and may pierce 1t and bring water
" LILO SAIidCc w q S1dil Iluu HOW ulOueS
of crossing the mountains Science with
the energy of our people, will find q way
across the desert and over the mountains.
and We shall solve the problem which
history has therefore taught US to believe
must remain unsolved. That problem is
to give the people on opposite sides Of
snow-covered mountains a common inter-
est. common feeling and, with their own
consent, to unite under one government
countries which the hand of nature has d.
yided by barriers to ruder men commercial
ly impossible. If this hope, may I not
say expectation, should be realized that
progress of civilization and of art which
you have assembled to mmemorate and
promote will have achieved triumph in
the science OF government of which YOU
the great contributors to physical science
in its application to art, may be justly
proud at the addition of a new element in
the peaceful connection and extended
brotherhood of man."
Washington was keenly interested In the
aqueduct problem just then and much acrl-
nlony was displayed In the
Queer Water discussion of ways and
Project means of furnishing the
capital with good water.
In The Star Of April 30. 1856. appears the
following description of the proposition Of
certain boomers of scheme opposed to
the project of the government engineers:
In the handful it Is proposed to pur-
chase convenient SITE not less than twen-
ty acres and to erect thereon suitable
iron railing, with reservoirs to hold So 0O0.
coo gallons of water Then to purchase a
site on Rock creek, near Boundary street,
and erect two pumping engines capable Of
pumping 100000 gallons Of water daily.
To lay certain mains and section pipes;
one Of the latter to take water from Rock
creek; the other, two miles long, from the
Potomac near the mouth of the canal; thus
insuring when Rock creek does not furnish
100000 gallons of water daily, a supply
Of water from the Potomac at a point be-
tween Washington and Georgetown SO stu
ated as to insure a fair share of sewerage
water from one of the cities. whether the
tide be food or ebb. He also proposes that
the government shall appoint a civil and
mechanical engineer to inspect and receive
the work. whose salary he and his asso-
ciates will pay"
The cry of railroad discrimination was
heard then as now, as this paragraph from
The Star of May 1, 1855, suggests
"A writer in a morning paper calls atten-
ton to the arrangement of trains on the
Washington branch of the Baltimore and
Ohio railroad, as discriminating unjustly
against this city. Passengers from the
way stations cannot reach this. city before
1:15 o'clock am. and must leave at 3
O'clock pm. unless they would pass the
night here while from the same stations
they can reach Baltimore at 8 o'clock or
1880 O'Clock am and return at 8:15 a. m.
or 3 pm. The railroad company should
certainly afford. II possible, as much ac-
commodation to passengers visiting WASH
ington as to those visiting Baltimore. There
Is growing population along this end Of
the road, whose custom belongs properly
to this city"
Washington was favorite resort Of the
light-1ngered gentry and the confidence
men in those days before the
Sharpers war. In The Star of May 2,
of Work 1855, is to be found this
warning against craftsmen
OF that character:
'tAt the present time there Is quite a
number of the fancy In this city. who
have been operating very successfully upon
the unscphisticated. All their tricks, ex-
cept the ball and the box game, have been
tried here within a month past. The plain,
honest farmers. who sometimes have bust
ness here, and who in spare moments visit
the places of note in this vicinity, seldom
suspect those smooth-tonguet. well-dressed
and apparently richly ornamented young
gentlemen as thieves until their watches
are hid and money scattered. The first
oneration was performed on gentleman
from Pennsylvania, who was deiighted
with the conversation of young gentle
man from Missouri, whom he met In first
class restaurant near Browns Hotel. He
was SO pleased with him that he would
go nowhere without him. and finally In
yited him to take a hack ride. The Mis-
sourian consented and they rode to GER
tain spot, where they were to be left. When
the old gentleman searched for his pocket
book to pay the driver 1t was non est. The
sharp one proposed to wait for him while
he drove to the hotel where he had left 1t,
probably. But after the drive and search,
to his great dasmay and mortifhcadon
money and friend had both 'sloped. A
few days since stout lady wished to
visit some friends in Georgetown. She was
a fine mark for the sharps. having sew
eral very handsome jewels on her per-
son, and otherwise displaying articles OF
value She was assisted to the omnibus
by a very .nice-looking. polite young gen.
tleman, slightly deaf He entered into
conversation with her, and 1t was neces-
sary for him to place his ear near her
mouth that he might hear her easily. Just
before they got to town the omnibus
stopped the gentleman got out parted
with her very politely and the coach went
on, But when she got out at the stopping
place her jewelry was gone. so 1t Is with
ali the unsophisticated. They look at the
clothing and listen to the conversation. but
seldom watch the fingers OF their tempo
rary companions.
FREE SEEDS.