Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-05-26
FIFTY YEARS AGO
In THE STAR

The recent concert given by school chill
dren in aid Of the public Fairgrounds move
ment lends interest to the
School following paragraph printed
Concert In The Star May Is. 1857:
I'VE need hardly remind
our readers that the concert Of the female
pupils Of the Fourth District (lfiss NIL
burn's) School. some sixty in number. takes
place under the direction of Prof. Glenroy
at the Smithsonian Institution tomorrow
night. In fact. the interest created by the
late concert Of the First and Second Dis
trtct Schools has by no means died away.
but has rather quickened the desire for
many more such pleasing and satisfactory
exhibitions OF the musical capabilities OF
those school children. The fact that music
can be successfully cultivated In our pub
lie schools by the pupils as whole has
now been fairly demonstrated by Messrs
Daniel and Gienroy, and we heartily hope
they may now reap some more substantial
reward for the time. and patient labor they
have devoted to initiating this movement
The program for tomorrow night Is an In
feresting one. comprising great number
OF popular and beautiful rounds chants,
glees. comic pieces. choruses. as well as
various stirring national airs arranged espe-
cially for the occasion"
In news article descriptive Of the prog
ress Of the work OF extending the treasury
building printed In The Star
Treasury Of May co. 1867. is refer
c,ock ence to the old treasury
clock, which is doubtless re-
membered by the elder Neutrality-suspicious. as
landmark:
The laborers have already gone so far
north Gin preparing the way for the west
'front.' as to render necessary the pulling
down OF that faithful old tlmepiece, the
treasury clock. The superintendent has de-
termined to have 1t temporarily erected In
the court near the west wall Of the pres
ent treasury building, but It Is to be hoped
that the department will allow 1t q more
conspicuous position. The wheels Of the
government viii stop II they stop the wheels
OF that clock. Some gratitude is due from
the clerks of the Treasury and State de-
partments to that time noter. for its always
friendly warning when they have been
tardy. The old clock was purchased by
the State and Treasury departments for the
accommodation of those employed In those
buildings, When the old treasury building
was destroyed by fire the old clock had her
face pretty severely scorched, but she kept
on counting OF the time without any cessa-
ton. and so has she continued to do for
more than quarter of century
without repairs or even being cleaned,
save once. When the present treasury
DUdOiHS was IN inc course OF COnStruC-
ton. which was IN the first Of President
JacksonS administration, the general was
accustomed to walk down to the old clock
tower and seating himself on a plank or
a platform pole, would smoke HIS pipe while
watching the progress Of the works. under
the superintendent of our popular then
as now) feilow-citizen Mai. J. B. Pepper.
chat with great familiarity with the labor
changing his long Turkish pipe for the
short clay pipe Of bod carrier Tor Whit
or two"
The process of erecting the dome df the
Capitol was watched with the keenest IN
terest by residents Of Wash
Capitol ington. In The Star of May
noma 20. 1851 Is a paragraph de-
scribing this wonder OF the
engineers skill:
1.-THE new dome of the Capitol looms up.
day by day. though 1t has not yet assumed
anything like the outline and proportions
1t will take when completed. The present
care Of the architect and workmen is to
secure proper supports for the Immense
weight of material to be used in the con-
struction. The vast size of the brackets
forming the base of the dome strikes the
beholder with wonder. Each weighs 1900
pounds. and their aggregate weight is
sol GOO pounds. The brick wall in which
the brackets are fastened is Of great
strength and solidity. and Is to be raised
to the height of thirty feet, forming the
arch upon which the iron columns of the
dome will rest. These columns are twenty
feet in height and weigh five tons each.
The total weight of iron composing the
1900 tons 1t would seem that such
ponderous mass of iron would inevitably
crush to powder any supports that the In
genuity of man could devise, but on the
NolI %1o& Sb4 foryy,1 do Lane
of the new dome have sustaining power
more than ten times great they will
be called upon to endure.
The disrepair Of the Long bridge was
ing the many years OF Its
Long existence. In The Star of
pr;dea May q, 1857. is a paragraph
indicating that the matter
was then. of acute interest:
with deep regret we have to inform
those Interested that, after thorough in
vestigatlon of all the questions involved in
the proposition, the Secretary of the In
terror has felt compelled to decline to order
the repair Of the Long bridge over the
Potomac. He finds. from careful estimates
of the cost of the work made in detail by
competent engineers. that the amount re-
Quired to that end 10 greater than the sum
subject to his use for such purpose: so
that he could not cause the repairs in
question to be made without creating
deficiency In view of the fact that the
Senate positively and unequivocally de-
chned to make an appropriation for that
particular purpose. he does not feel at lib
erty to use the money for the repair of
bridges in his hands. However much our
fellow citizens Of Washington and the sur
rounding section of Virginia may be dis
appointed In thus learning Of the Existence
Of so formidable legal obstacles to their
qualification In this matter. a genuine pub
lie spirit will surely counsel them that. in
his decision, the Secretary has adhered.
though unwillingiy. indeed, to strict line
Of duty which must increase their respect
for and confidence in him as public
officer"