Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-22
RESTORES DAVIS NAME
President Orders It Put Back
on Cabin John Bridge.
ICUT OUT DURING WAR
Erased From Tablet by Official
Order, It Is Said.
NO RECORD EVER FOUND
Today's Action Result of Years Of
NO RECORD EVER FOUND
Today's Action Result of Years of
Effort on Part of Southerners.
Maj. Cosby's Adverse Report.

'The Secretary Of War, by direction Of
the President. has instructed the chief
of engineers. United States Army. to take
the necessary steps to restore the name
of jefferson Davis as Secretary of Wal
to Cabin John bridge
The above brief but significant memo.
randum was given to the press at the
office of Secretary Wright in the War De
rartment today. 1t marks the triumph o.
the persistent and long continued efforts
of the southern people to remedy what
they considered a blot on the memory o.
the president of the Confederate States
At intervals since the civil war the ques
tion of restoring the name to It's former
place on the bridge has been presented
to Congress and the President. but with
out avail until the present time.
1t came up during the Cleveland ad
mnistration, as well as before and since
that time. It was left. however, for the
present War secretary-himself a Con
federate soidier-to induce President
Roosevelt to order the restoration Of the
name so dear to the southern part of
reunited country.
Inscription as It Stands.
Cabin John bridge is one of the longes
an1 most imposing single-span masonry
arches in the world. 1t lies on the Con
duit road, about six and one-half miles
northwest of the Aqueduct bridge. and
was built to carry over a small valley
the aqueduct conveying the water supply
of Washington. Two inscribed stone
tablets are built onto the masonry IL
corresponding positions on the south sides
of the two abutmentS. The tablet or
the east abutment bears the following
inscriptions:
Union arch.
Chief Engineer. Capt. Montgomery c.
Meigs. L. s. Corps of Engineers.
Esto perpetua.
The tablet on the west abutment con
tains the following inscription:
Washington Aqueduct.
Begun AID. 1853. President OF the U. s.
sF'ranklin Pierce Secretary Of War,
Building AID. 1861.
President of the L. s.. Abraham Lincoln
Secretary of War, Simon Cameron.
The blank space in this latter inscrip
ton originally contained the name o.
Jefferson Davis.I
Erased in 1862.
Although it IS still a matter Of dispute
it is generally accepted as a fact tha
the name was cut out in 1862 by ordel
of Caleb Smith. Secretary OF the In
terror then in charge of the aqueduc'
tive Galusha Grow Of Pennsylvania, aft
erward Speaker of the House.
The most recent well as the mos
determined effort toward the restoration
of Jeff Davis name was made in 1907. II
that year the Society of the Daughter
of the Confederacy. at Richmond, adopted
strong resolutions in favor of the restora
tion of the name, and w. P. Phillips, W
B. Smith and other citizens joined th
movement. Representative Adolpl
r,r ,fyio Gin $o0
a specially active part in the matter AM
induced the Secretary OF War (Mr. Taft
TO have the matter thoroughly investi
gated.
Maj. Cosby's Report.
Maj. Spencer Cosby. Engineer Commfs
sioner of the District. was in charge o
the Washington adueduct system at tha
time. He made an examination Of al
available records and made full repor
of his researches in July, 1907.
After giving a short history of tn
| bridge and telling Of the erasure Of Jeffer
son Davis name. Mai. Cosby SUMMARIZE
| his report as follows:
While l have been able to find nothing
in the official records as to the erasur
| of this name. 1t Is understood that it wa
cut out in 1862 at the order Of the Secre
| tary of the Interior under whose depart
| ment the aqueduct had at that time beel
| placed.
I'm view of the name given the arcl
and inscribed on the corresponding pane
| of the opposite abutment, the replacing o
| the name OF Mr.. Davis at this time woul,
| partake of a certain grim irony whicl
would mar what otherwise might seem
gracious act The policy of such an &C
| is not thought to be a proper matter 70
discussion in this report.
Not Secretary at the Time.
The argument Of Mr.. Phillips for tn
restoration of the name Of Jefferson Da
| Wis loses force from the fact that h.
| is mistaken In his principal point JET
| ferson Davis was not Secretary of Wa
| when Cabin John bridge was built. an,
I can find nothing in our records to shov
that he ever saw or approved the plan
War when work on other parts of th
aqueduct was started, in 1853, but th
plans which he then recommended 70
approval showed bridge of five arches
struction work on the bridge was begun
in 1857, shortly after Mr.. Davis ceaset
to be Secretary of War.
Many of the drawings and estimate.
| made during the early period of the con
struction of Cabin John bridge bear tn,
name of Alfred l.. Rives as assistan
)r division engineer. in addition to thai
of nj. c. Meigs chief engineer
| 1oes not appear that Mr.. Rives' name wa.
ever placed on the tablet at Cabin Johr
bridge, although it is engraved with thai
of five other assistant engineers in the
gatehouse at Great Falls. 1t has beer
stated that it was the intention of Capt
| Meigs to have Mr.. Rives' name placed or
the bridge, but that he changed his mind
when Mr.. Rives left the work in 1861
when it was only partially completed.
"At the present time 1t is not usual tc
place the names of public officials upor
structures erected by the engineer de-
partment. If it is decided to have any
names inscribed on Cabin John bridg,
there are many Presidents, Secretaries OF