Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-09
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR


| Washington witnessed numerous ex-
periments during the civil war for the
determination of the suitable
Testing ity of various military APP
MIL pliances for use by the north
ern armies. Not all of these
devices. however, We're of death-deal
ing character. In The Star of Feb
| ruary .. 1863, is the following para
graph referring to one of these tests:
To-day being the time fixed for test
ing the various hand mills advertised
for army USE quite a crowd assembled
on the commissary's premises on q
street. to witness the compel. lion for
the contract to furnish them. a dozen
different mills We're shown and timed
No decision has yet been arrived at
Wildcat banks were not confined dur
ing war times to places remote from
centers of official &C
fraudulent tivity, but the most
Ronk No+es unexpectedly promi-
A'0'eS' nent locations were
chosen for them, as far their al
legged currency was concerned, as shown
by the following news item in The Star
of February 4. 1868:
"Supt. Webb has received information
from the chief of police of Louisville,
Ky, that "A man giving his name
Holland has been arrested with the sum
of 10000 on the Free State Bank
of the District of Columbia. The
bills were of the denomination of
ones, fives and tens. The backs of the
bills are green somewhat in the style
of the United States Treasury notes,
with the words. Secured by special de-
post with S. A. Mills. banker, 81 Ex-
change place. New York s. Ross is
represented as president of the bank
and VIII. Bernes cashier. The bills
bear the imprint of the New York Bank
Note Company, so Wall street. In APP
pearance the bills are we'll calculated
executed. OF course. there is no such
bank as the Free State Bank of the
District of Columbia, and the whole
thing is a fraud on a grand scale
Sympathizers with the south were not
at all times careful to conceal their
sentiments here in Wash
Secession inston, but took occa-
p.;o;o;, sion wherever oppor-
heJolclns. tunity offered to demon
strate their advocacy of secession. not
necessarily in public, but by no means
with strict precautions to keep out OF
observation. Word had reached WASH
ington early in February of the sinking
of Union blockading vessel. the
Mercedita. by two Confederate IRON
clads at Charleston. This caused much
rejoicing on the part Of southern sympa-
thizers. In The Star of February >. 1863,
is this brief item on the subject:
1T is an i'll wind that blows nopody
good and the liquor dealers certainly
made money last night for the general
disposition of secesh in town TO stahd
treat over the news from charleston.
Perhaps the next news from charleston
viii not be as acceptable to the Con-
feds.
Notwithstanding the careful patrol Of
the Potomac river the smuggling OF con-
traband goods across into
Smugglers the Confederate lines con-
tinued. The Union patrol.
CauSAt. however. was sufficiently ac-
tive to effect occasional captures. In The
Star of February ). 1863, was a news item
on this line:
yesterday the King Philip; arrived at
the navy yard. bringing up a lot 0f con-
traband goods in charge Of MastersAsMate
W. H. Hunt of the schooner Dan Smith.
which is stationed in the lower Potomac
Saturday last Mr.. Hunt, With cutter
containing six armed men. was sent
out on reconnaissance in Herring bay
(St Marys county,, and found on the
shore a lot of goods in boxes and bales
which were being got ready for transporta-
ton to the Virginia shore. The crew was
landed and searched through the woods
for the persons who were to take the boat
over, but without success. About an
hour later large fiat boat was discovered
on the way to the Virginia shore. which
was at once pursued. when it was roWed
up the bay. the party in the boat firing
several shots at our men, who at once re-
turned it and closely pursued them. They.
however. succeeded. in getting their boat
near shore. when most of the party, con-
SiSting of five white men, three black
men and a woman, jumped out and made
good their escape by going through an
almost impossible swamp The cutters
crew at once went on shore and for three
hours searched around for the contra
bandists, but without success. Two of
those in the boats, Richard Golfer Of st.
Marys and a Mrs. Frances Solomon. were
taken prisoners. the former having been
wounded in the shoulder by "A shot from
the cutter The boat. containing a lot of
goods was brought off The goods taken
in the two boats are worth about 81 200
Washington experienced some severe
weather at about this time fifty years
ago and the city street
Street Car railway was put to its first
test on this score. In The
4TouOleS. Star of February {. 1868,
is this news item:
During the present week, as We'll as
the one just past, the street railroad
company have had a trying time in keep
ing their track in running order, owing
to the snow mud and the cold weather.
For several days the superintendent and
the foremen of the roads were out with
a force night and day engaged in salt
ing and cleaning the tracks of mud. etc.
Through their eXertions each car was
enabled to make the required number of
trips per day. no matter how inclement
the weather. We learn that the directors
are considering IA plan in order to remedy
the alleged defects in the transfer sys-
tenn and that in the running of the road
material changes will soon be made which
will greatly add to the accommodation of
the public Among these alterations for
+ho I,at+ar will praha hly no tho nj