Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-24
FIFTY YEARS Ago
In The STAR

About this time fifty years ago a serious
outbreak of sickness In one of the hotels Of
Washington attracted atten-
Sanitary ton as never before to the
Troubles. dangerous exposure Of the
residents to the sewer ema-
nations. and to the necessity of a more
sanitary method of caring for the local
drainage In The Star of March %. 1857
Is an editorial on the subject, in part as
follows
I'VE will not attempt further to excite tho
public feeling the drainage question.
though We avail ourselves of the present
opportunity to remind the city of the i'm
portance of considering some effectual sys-
tenn of drainage. not only for the surface
water and such as percolates through the
building walls into cellars, particularly on
the level of Pennsylvania avenue. but the
entire and efectual removal of the offensive
matter to the channel of the Potomac. In
constructing the canal through the low
grounds of the city the great object was
drainage. Experience has now taught us
that to expose the entire offal of a large
city to an open canal is to menace the
health OF the residents The first move
ment to ensure the health will be to &C.
cupy the bed of the present canal with
brick tubes or sewers. of as small dimen-
sions as will secure sufficient fall and be
of an aggregate capacity to carry of all
matter to the channel of the river above
high tide, to prevent the pressure of the
water forcing the obnoxious gases into the
dwellings. Thus occupying and covering
the canal will make the surface available
for building or other purposes. Those who
have prepared places Of business on the
canal may at first glance, fear injury from
the change. The result will be advan-
Justly nface the Island in n0QapS2iOU
of the advantages to which It's location Is
entitled. On the shores of the Potomac the
natural and proper place Will be found for
lumber. coal yards. etc; while the citizens
will not pay an advance in price. Neces-
sity will compel the authorities to keep the
river channel open on the Virginia as well
as that on the Washington shore as pro-
lection to Pennsylv anie avenue in case of
extraordinary freshets. The flats in the
middle of the river are convenient places Of
deposit for excavation and such leveling as
may be REQUIRED. thus making available
many acres of land"
The new administration was gradually
getting settled in place and the Office seek
ers were still buzzins busily
federaI around the higher officials
Offices. twenty days after the in
auguration when The Star. in
its issue of March "a. printed the following:
Inc announcement tnal the aQmlnlStrd-
ton designs rotating leading office hold
ers out of place in sections of the Union
where that practice Is common and ap-
applicants for thousands Of federal offices
of all degrees. II our Information be cor
rect, there Is hardly a tide-waiter's place,
or a seat at the car Of a boarding offfcer's
tiny craft. occupied by a democrat north
of Mason and Dixons line, in search OF
which there are not half dozen patriots
clamoring already. protesting their right
to share the patronage Of the federal gov
eminent. AS for the post Offices bushels
of applicants for them are daily reaching
Washington. The understanding was that,
except for good cause. no removals would
be made except on the expiration of post
masters commissions. The pronunciation
of that understanding turns out to have
been enough to start the patriots after not
only the POST offices paying enough to make
them presidential appOintments-to require
their nomination to the Senate every four
years-but even after such places the emolu-
ments of which are in some cases not more
than $50 per annum. AT the rate at which
such applications are said to be pouring
into Washington just now it strikes that
in some quarters of the country there are
not few democrats who write down all
as political enemies who happen to be in
Office
Washington was in the main proud of its
transportation facilities regarding it's ON
nihus service with a feeling
Rapid that the capital could show
Transit other cities how to solve the
problem of rapid transit.
Still. there were DIRECTORS then as now
In The Star of March 2.t 1851. is a news
article which will doubtless be of interest
to the present generation accustomed to
electric ears and automobiles:
'Vanderwerken yesterday placed upon the
avenue six new and very handsome omri-
buses, named the AnacoStia Minnesota
Gen. Henderson. Phil Otterback Robert d.
Clarke and Lem. Gaddis. They are to run
navy yard until the eighteen are completed
for the War Department line. Believing
as We do that a better managed line of
ornnibuses cannot be found in the United
States than this, which for some six years
has been under the personal supervision of
Mr.. Vanderwerken tone Of the most expe-
rieneed and painstaking omnibus proprie-
tors In the country. we cannot but think
that the fault finding upon his line is I'M
just. and moreover ungrateful.
Few people. we imagine. have an ade-
quate idea OF the mental and physical wear
and tear requisite to conduct such an ell
terprise properly, and as to the monstrous
profits supposed to be realized, we venture
to assert that hundreds of our citizens are
getting larger returns from investments of
a few hundreds in some small business than
Mr.. Vanderwerken with his eighty or nine
ty thousand dollars sunk in omnibuses and
horses. Not infrequently he is called upon
to sustain some such loss that some
four years ago. when in less than ninety
days he lost $3.50 worth of horses of
CHAMBERS. No reasonable man. we think
can complain of paying six cents for ride
of two or three miles; and all past expe-
rience has shown that a line cannot be
sustained at a less fare. If the drivers
ever as complained, manage to get seven
cents fare in making change. We presume
they do to get even with their no
change and five cent customers. Mr. Van
derwerken. however, does not recognize this
mode of balancing accounts. and now that
IT has come to his knowledge. has given
strict orders to his employees not to go
mill beyond the regular fare"
In The ARENA.