Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-03
OLDEST INHABITANTS
MEETING or THE ASSOCIATION
HELD LAST EVENING.
for Membership-Inter
esting Peep into the Past
Springs Of Former Days.

| The meeting OF the Association of Oldest
Inhabitants at the Corcoran building last
evening was well attended. The president.
Mr.. Allison Major. presided and Mr.. B. w.
Reiss served AS secretary,
| The deaths Of Weston Flint John F. Kelly
and James T. Botsseau were reported.
! Applications for membership were receiv-
| ed from Messrs. William p Bateman, VIII
liam Lunsford, w. C. oMeara, George Will
ner. Thomas E. Sniithson. Lexious A Wood
| and Richard Emnlons and referred to the
proper committee. Messrs. Rudolph Eiehorn,
| Henry NJ. Dellnger.- Joseph Geier James
| Johnson, George Meinhurg and Edgar H.
Bates were reported as being Ill unable
| to attend the meeting because of inhrmi-
| ties The corresponding secretary was d.
| rected to express TO them the sympathy OF
| the organization.
A letter was received from Mr.. E. F.
| Droop expressing regret that he was unable
| on account of the illness of relative to en-
terrain the members of the association by
| talk on his recent travels in Europe. How
| ever. he sent a number of pamphlets con-
| tanning views of European scenery.
| Mr.. Ernst Schmidt furnished a picture of
the Capitol. for which thanks were ex-
pressed.
| Mr.. Schamborn presented copies Of the
| Globe and the Intelligeneer dating back to
| the year 1872 He also received the thanks
| of the association.
All Ragan read the following from an
! old paper:
To-day we have had an interesting peep
| into the past Accompanying one OF our old
est citizens. gentleman who has attained
| his seventy ninth year, We descended into
| the excavation where the Masonic Temple
| is being built on the corner OF f and 9th
streets, opposite the patent Office. Here we
| int ha
| about ten feet below the pavement thereof
an arched way of brickwork conducting to
| a spring. On the west side Of the water Is
| an arched recess, within which Is fitted a
| tablet Of stone bearing an inscription to the
| effect that 1t was erected by the voluntary
subscription OF citizens in the first mayorai-
| ity of Washington US0D.
| Our companion well remembered when
| this spring sparkled in the sunshine which
shall visit it no more, ard when around its
| clear. cold waters under the shade of old
| forest trees the young and aged populace OF
| the little city were wont to assemble
| I'm the spring valley, by brook that d.
vided 1t, stood solitary beer house, the
| proprietor Of which had erected large
swing for the encouragement of jollity and
| trade.
THE spring. beer house and brook were
| close neighbors. In the wooden box Of the
swing many three girls and four boys
have been seen at one time rushing to and
fro. laughing pendulum.
| When the storms came the brook 80
grew from the rain that it was dangerous
| to ford. A roughly constructed bridge
| crossed the brook at this point. On a GER
| tain occasion half the population OF the
western side had passed the bridge to attend
| church at the navy yard A tempest rose
| that night while they were still absent. The
! old, broken, .c.eaking bridge was carried
away by the flood All the good people OF
the western shore hurried to the margin
of the water and distributed themselves
| along 1t, each bearing lamp or candle that
| the signal lights might warn their returning
| relatives and friends of peril.
"Our venerable historian unluckily forgets
whether they got across or not. We hope
| they did"
Recollections Of Members
| Mr.. Ragan remarked that when the ex-
| cavation for the National Union building.
| on F street west of 9th street, was being
| made water from the stream referred to
| spouted out.
| Mr. J. B. Mccarthy spoke of a spring at
| Indiana avenue and Sd street, saying that
| a lady in Massachusetts was seeking in
| formation regarding it. 1t appeared that
there was large cistern nearby and in 1t
a pump Mr.. w. W. Birth had described 1t
| and was sure that 1t was used for eight
| DR. Howard remarked that Mr.. Birth
| had several times saved the cistern from
| being filled.
| T. V. Noonan said there was a pin-stock
| pump in the cistern and 1t was known as
| the Saw Mill pump, from its proximity to
| Baldwin's factory The overflow ran Into
| the Nber. Mr.. Noonan also spoke of the
stream which passed through the northern
| part OF Judiciary square and the old pump
| back of the City Hail. whose waters were
much appreciated
Mr.. Croggon explained that the City Hail
| stream came from springs in the neigh
| borhood of Seaton's garden 9th street
above L street, and the stream which ran
near 9th street In a small rivulet from a
| spring north of l. street, west OF Sth street.
The latter crossed 7th street above New
York avenue, near the blue Goose" a
beer saloon. skirting Dutch Georges
east of 7th street between New York ave-
| nue. and K street coursed into Massachu-
setts avenue and 9th street.
Mr.. Raglan spoke of the run from the
vicinity of Franklin square. saying that a
spring in 18th street south of K street was
the head. 1t coursed down 18th street. at
New York avenue supplying Covers tan
yard. and crossing II. street. turned east
ward at 18th street, passing St. Pauls Luz
theran Church, thence to southeast of the
corner of 10th and H streets, making a
bend to the south across G street, through
the grounds Of Gonzaga College and thence
to the canal, skirting Temperance Hall.
late Marinrs. a spring north of K street
had been said to be the source. That this
stream, after a big rainfall, became angry.
the speaker had been told Between 9th
and 10th streets on Z street the waters
once reached height of six feet and the
high-water point was marked on a syca-
more tree.
A conversation followed in connection
with which Mr.. Green. who resides In
Franklin row said that there had been
log pipes In the square. undoubtedly sup
piled from Justa's spring, IN the northwest
part of the square. This spring early in
the century had been known as Davidson's.
Mr.. Nailor spoke of the houses on 18th
and F streets having been supplied from
Franklin square. Messrs. Reiss and Raglan
mentioned that the White House and some
of the government departments had used
the water until a recent date