Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-25
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

trial of the men accused OF
Hung participating in the election
Jury. rlo's hao resui'eo IA q o''A-
greement, as follows:
''The court met this morning at IL o'clock.
His Honor Judge Crawford is looking very
much worn down with the labors attendant
upon the present term of the court The
jury which has been out in the late cleo
ton riot case was called into court, and
on being questioned by his honor as to
whether the point about which they could
not agree was a point of law or of fact. the
foreman replied that 1t was a point of fact
and that 1t was impossible for them to
agree. They were accordingly discharged.
Mr.. Key announced that he had learned
from the counsel on the other side that
they were willing to have the trial of the
riot cases continued over to the next term.
Several Of the counsel for the defense be-
Ing present announced their willingness to
have the cases continued over. His honor
said that his health was much impaired
that his physician would not permit him
to be occupied with business for the next
four weeks. He therefore ordered that tue
cases now pending, together with all the
unfinished business of the term be entered
for continuance. and the court was ad-
journed finally The hung jury stood, up to
the time Of being called out. seven for con-
viction and five for acquittal.''
What was regarded then as a model Of
transportation. but would now be consid
cred a somewhat common
Great place achievement. is record
Stona ed in a paragraph In The
Star Of August 10. 1851:
Vest erday afternoon a block Of granite
was brought from the stone warehouse
near Georgetown to Pennsylvania avenue
opposite the Treasury building. which IL
to be an antae or pilaster in the extension
in place OF the south pillar of the portico
of the present structure. 1t weighs more
than thirtyfour tons, and was drawn to
the building in the short space of two
hours by five pairs of horses and six pairs
of oxen. each OK of the team weighing at
least 800 pounds. and the horses being
large in proportion. In turning corners 1t
was, of course. necessary to resort to the
of tack-screwS TO turn the so tremen-
dously loaded hinder portion of the stone
wagon when its fore wheels TANNED against
its load These jack-Screws were, of course.
hydraulic. and were two in number. With
them this remarkable load was moved by
two men with as much ease as though 1t
were a mere circumstance. We have rarely
witnessed a greater triumph of mechanical
skill than was involved In the rolseless.
easy and apparently matter-of-course trans
portation of this huge block of granite
The teams of cattle (oxen) used on this oc-
cason were brought hither about week
ago. and are said to have cost the con-
tractors 5000 per yoke. The six yoke start
ed the immense mass before the horses.
also hitched to the load. commenced to
pull"
There was keen interest half a century
ago. in the preparations for laying the At
.lantic cable, then under way.
Atlantic The vast importance Of the I'M
n.h,. dertaking was fully recognized,
as attested by the following
paragraph in The Star of August 20, 1857:
ut is very certain that at this moment
more interest is being manifested in the sue
cess of the experiment of connecting to-
gether the two continents by a rope of iron
by a bridge over which intelligence is ex-
pected to pass between them in an instant
than in any other, or. indeed, all other cur
rent transactions. If successful its imme-
date effect will be greatly to change cur
rent methods and modes in the transaction
of financial and commercial business be-
tween the two continents. The prospective
effect of it's success cannot fail to be to
knit the interests of the great body of busy.
thriving and thrifty people of Europe and
America much more closely together and to
increase their knowledge of each other in
all things. All this must operate to in
crease the emigration to the United States
Of most desirable foreigners: Of persons of
means, attainments, mechanical skill. ETC.:
of persons possessed of minds so enlight-
ened that they will soon seek to profit
themselves by the general greater advan-
tages of American citizenship, than of cit
izenship under any other government under
the SUM-"
Another paragraph in the same issue de-
scribes specimens of the cable then on ex-
hibtion at the Navy Department In all
stages Of preparations: "Iirst the frail cop
per wire: next that coated with the gutta
percha in solution; next, that again coated
with the twisted iron wire protection of the
gutta percha against being crushed off by
the tremendous pressure of the water to
which it will be subjected at the bottom, in
some places at least 1900 pounds to the
square inch; and still again that with the
coating of tar to which 1T Is at last SUBJ
jected.
Proud as are the Washingtonians Of to-
day of the Library Of Congress, now housed
in building of its own that
Library OF Is regarded as one Of the ar
r.,.-.., tistic triumIhs of the period,
the residents Of the District
were evidently quite as proud of the quar-
tiers provided for that establishment in the
remodeled Capitol building. In The Star
Incor fr,tin nj no