Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-09-09
TO THE SOUTH BY RAIL
Facilities of Capital City Prior
to Civil War.
TRACK ACROSS LONG BRIDGE
Rails Laid by the United States
Government.
DEPOT ON WEST BANK OF TIBER
First Steam Cars Pass Over Long
Bridge Between 9Th and 18th
of February, 1862.
DEPOT ON WEST BANK OF TIBER

Of transportation of passengers and mer-
chandise in and about the capital city it
was not until the civil war that connection
by rail was made southwark, or that it
was the United States government that laid
the rails across the Long bridge and united
the sacred soil of Virginia with the rest of
the country north.
The Baltimore and Ohio's Washington
branch had been operated over twenty-five
years and the Washington and Alexandria
road had been several years in use between
the south end of the Long bridge and Alex
andria. From the Baltimore depot tracks
had been constructed in list street and
Maryland avenue to the bridge, and between
the Washington and Virginia ends of the
bridge the connections were made by stages
or BUSES and wagons until the breaking
out of the war, when communication ceased.
As stated in a former article in The Star,
steamboats, were plying on the river in
the twenties, and stage lines connected
with Baltimore and other points in Mary
land and Virginia. In the thirties there
were three lines of stages to Baltimore
Stockton & Stokes, Fuller's and Beltzhoov-
er's-to which Thomas Cookendorfer and
John Brown succeeded in the management.
These left Fuller's City Hotel. Jesse
TAM and Gadsbys National Hotel at $50
and o'clock daily
The Virginia accommo da ton Vine left for
Leesburg and Winchester tri-weekly; the
Annapolis stage and the Port Tobacco and
Leonardtown. semi-weekly, and the Fred
erick line daily. There were also lines to
Alexandria and Georgetown, quarter
and levy being the fare, respectively.
1t is said of the Georgetown buses there
was little patronage from the male popula-
ton. as the men of that day were walk
ers.' This line was run daily between 8
o'clock and sunset.
The steamers Essex and Joe Johnson were
the ferryboats to Alexandria, at a levy a
head. and there were then on the river
the Sydney, which connected at Potomac
creek for Fredericksburg daily for 1913;
the Chesapeake, for Norfolk at S4-the
Fredericksburg, every Wednesday for Bal
timore, 81, and Columbia every Wednesday
for Baltimore and every Friday for Nor
folk.
The whistle of the locomotive was not
heard here until August 1895. The Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad Company incor-
porated in 1896 had butt portion of it's
main stem and the stages connected with it
at the Relay House, and as the work was
completed on the Washington branch, at
other points-in July, 1885, at BlaGensburg.
The road did not reach the city till August
%. Niles Register had a number of para
graphs relative thereto. Under date of
March Is one reads:
"A riot took place on the railroad from
Baltimore to Washington about four rnifes
from the latter place last week. Five or
six Germans were wounded by muskets and
other deadly weapons, and eleven Germans
and one Frenchman, with arms in their
hands, were taken into custody and held
over for trial. The riot had commenced
about a demand for higher wages. They
had made an assault upon those who were
content with the wages paid them
The Register gives statement of the
March receipts, follows: 1892, $13. 703.50
1893. s15yO5s.27; 1884 s15,043.41. and 1895.
s23, 1859.
Delay in Construction.
On July the Register said: 1.-The road to
Washington from Baltimore would have
been finished and opened this day but for
the unaccountable delay of iron for the
rails However, a locomotive and cars were
placed upon it, and it was Travelled into the
District with great satisfaction and high
speed on Wednesday last 1t was ascertain
ed that the time employed between the two
cities will not exceed two hours. Later 1t
gave the time between Washington and New
York as about sixteen hours. July 20 it is
recorded that the road was open to Bla-
densburg, and the rate of going about
twenty miles per hour.
August 20 the Register says: I'VE had the
pleasure-and truly it was a great pleas
ure-to make one of a party of about 500
that attended on Tuesday last, 18th instant,
to witness the ceremony of formally open
ing the Baltimore and Washington railroad.
1t was n grand and glorious sight!' The
procession consisted of seventeen cars
loaded with about fifty persons each. seated
entirely at their ease. which were drawn by
four locomotive engineS-the George Wash
ington. John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and
James Madison, and, arriving at Bladens-
burg. there met another train from Wash
| ington, also drawn by a locomotive and
| filed with public functionaries and other
| invited guests, when congratulations on the
| n he lahOrS q he rai INV
were passed between the mayor of Wash
| ington and the president of the company
| The whole party then proceeded to Wash
ington and soon arrived at the foot of Capt.
| tol HILL where a vast crowd of people was
assembled, and rent the air with their &C.
carnations at this victory of science over
time and space" etc.
The National Inteligencer of August q
| says
Yesterday was a great day on the new
| railroad between Washington and Balti.
more. being the first day of its being opened
| for travel all the way from Baltimore tC
| the foot of Capitol Hill in this city, II
| was a glorious sight to see four trains OF
| cars with each its engine extending alto
| gether several hundred yards in Length
| making their entry by this new route to the
| delight of thousands of spectators ON the
| elevated grounds directly north of the Cap
| itol. These cars, besides bringing bach
| corporation and city guests who wen
out to meet them, brought as man.
| ladies and gentlemen of Baltimore a.
made up the whole number of about 8
thousand persons carried by the cars. These
| accompanied by two bands of music, after
| debarking, marched in procession to Gads
| by's and Browns hotels, at both of which
sumptuous and bounteous entertainment
4 was provided and literally partaken of
| The cars arrived a little before 1 o'clock
| and at our friends from Baltimore re-
| embarked and returned to their homes
without, we trust, any accident or other in
| convenience than what was occasioned by
| dust on the roads and streets"
| Location Of Depot.
| The depot was on the west bank of tn,
| Tiber. abutting Cd street west, the she'd
extending from the avenue toNB street ani
in little time a freight depot was erected
about the site of the census building wher,
1t continued till about 1853, whenAthe depo