davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19
Had His Number.

A CERTAIN member of Congress who
1 is an ardent republican recently
took up wheel riding as an exercise, and
every Sunday morning hied him to Great
Falls. He stuck to his trips for about
"A month, and then one bright Sabbath
donned his frock coat and hat and
headed for fashionable Episcopal
church. There he met another member
OF Congress. a democrat. who expressed
surprise al his sudden change of heart
n thought" said the second member
that you always rode d wheel Sun
day."
so l do replied the first member,
that's why I'm here
Il don't understand stammered the
second member, in bewildered tones.
ITS this way" replied the first:
Providence has enabled me tn miss
fifteen thousand gumblaSted automo-
b1leS in the last month. I'm a good
republican, believing in compromise.
Therefore, l visit church in the morn
ing, square myself with Providence, and
then go riding my bicycle in the
afternoon.
1T seems foolish commented the
second member.
"Of course, il does, to you. retorted
the first. You're bowling democrat,
and you'd rather get run over by an
automobile than pay tariff TO Provl-
dence."
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19
Monuments for Dogs.

IT is an out-of-the-way place, though
rather a picturesque one, where many
marble monuments and wooden head
boards mark the graves of dogs Writers
have often engaged themselves with de-
scriptions of the dog cemetery of Paris.
and no doubt there are finer dog tombs
there than here. but the dogs that sleep
in marked graves by the Eastern branch
were just as good dogs. were as much
thought Of and are as much thought OF
by their masters, and are resting just as
peacefully as those that lie under costly
monuments in the dogs cemetery in Par
is. The Washington dogs cemetery Is in
that stretch of country between the Bla-
densburg pike. the Eastern branch. the
Benning road and the District line. 1t is
on the slope of some highland and looks
out far over the drab and brown grass or
the marsh through which the Anacostla
river between the Bladensburg and the
Benning bridges crawls and coils The
slope on which is the dogs graveyard is
grown over with oak trees and pines. and
some pines are growing in the graveyard
There are various ways of reaching TINS
seauestered place One way is by a mud
DIV road that strikes off to the east from
the Bladensburg pike and passes between
the heights known throughout that local
ity as Cottage Hill and Mulligans HILL
This leads down by a pottery and little
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19
The Gray Squirrels.

A NY one travelling over the oiled road
4 or the sandy saddle path i'm tho
southeast corner of the Monument
Grounds and opposite the north face OF
the bureau of engraving and printing
and the gardens of the office OF. public
buildings and grounds may note four
wooden boxes painted bright blue and
stenciled with relatively large white let
ters 'T s II. Il. & c." These boxes
rest on the turf close to ana on the west
side Of the trunks of the great and grace
full elms that border the grounds at that
point. In one end of each OF these blue
boxes is a round hole about four inches
in diameter. Peep in and you will see
that each box is little granary. The
bottom Of the box may be merely covered
or the box may be half full OF sheled
corn.
Now. look up into the bare branches Of
the big elmS that wave i'm the cold wind
that blows down from the north and IL
YOUR eyes are sharp you may some
little furry forms crouched close to the
bark of the larger limbs. il being not
easy to distinguish between bark and fur
You may see that the furry creatures are
watching YOU intently, nay, jistrustfully
and suspciously, though YOU were A
marauder bent on the pillage of the food
store within those blue boxes
You move away and soon YOU NAV see
the frisking OF a bushy tail and some OF
the furry forms climbing or running
headforemost down the trees. Quickly
they go to the blue boxes as If TO make
sure that their cereal hoard has not been
carried Off Then. though relieved at
finding everything all right. each will
take Kernel IN his or her forepaws, sit
on his or her launches and begin cutting
INTO the corn grain rapidly and nery-
cusly.
they are squirrels and those boxes con-
tam corn bought by the Office of public
buildings and grounds for the support Of
the gray squirrels owned 10y the United
States.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19
FIRST PLANS FOR CREATING BEAUTIFUL POTOMAC PARK~

left bank. following nearly the present
main channel of the river
The plan was that a bulkhead of wood.
minerally preserved, was to extend from
Easbys point along the Washington side
of the proposed channel. and that
the area between ii and the present wa
ter front of Washington was to be filled
in to a height of six feet above high
water. The city front was to be moved
out to this line and the reclaimed land
was to be laid out i'm streets and lots.
Wharfage facilities We're to be had on
piers along the front of the bulkhead
wall. A basin 100 feet wide and three
hfthS of mile long was to be kept open
along the Washington channel from the
arsenal northward. the navy yard was
to be removed to the Arsenal point and
the arsenal was to be transferred to
where the navy yard stands. The Long
bridge was to be rebuilt. The plan went
no further than the report and diasram-
mic stage.
In 1878 resolution of the House of
Representatives directed:
THAT the Secretary Of War 10 he made
an examination Of the fats in the Potomac river
from the observatory grounds the Monument
lot for the purpose of ascertaining the prac-
icahilify of the erection of dixie along the
House the feasibility and cost thereof and what
effect such dixie would have the sanitary
condition Of the city of Washington.
The report was made by Lieut. Col
Thomas l.. Casey. Corps of Engineers.
He submitted plan for earthen en-
bankment riprapped on both faces, MAX
ing a lake out of the shoals of the river
the embankment containing sluiceways
for tides.
In February. 1881, there was a disas-
trous flood due to ice gorging at the Long
bridge and the causeway. People in
Washington were becoming indignant at
the attitude of Congress in face of the
numerous surveys and reports. Mai
Tw.ning, then Engineer Commissioner Of
the District came forward with plan of
Improvement which was modification OF
the board of survey plan of 1872 He pro-
posed that the Washington channel be
left open by means of sluicinS basin
Tor changing the water with the tides.
and he also proposed the reclamation of
the fats and that the land so reclaimed
be laid out a park.
In 1881 Congress directed another sur
vey. Mai. Peter {. Hams. who became
closely identified with the Potomac
Improvement work. took charge of the
river improvements in August. 1852 and
early in that year-remember the date.
1-S-S-2-a board of engineers consisting
of Col. .. y. Gilmore. Lieut.. Col. e. Il.
COmstock and Lieut.. Col. w. p. Craighill
had been convened for the purpose Of
considering and reporting on plans and
estimates for the Improvement of naviga-
ton of the Potomac river in, the vicinity
of Washington. ID. c.. and for raising the
flats in front OF the city and the estab-
IIshment of harbor lines
The board reported there were congress
s'onal hearings on the subject. and i'm
August, 1882. Congress made the first APP
preparation for the beginning of the
work-$4tDGO0.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19

For every million exposures made. for
every million fiat, thin or dense negatives
obtained. nearly a million are merely
records and in the lot there will be but
few pictures"
The reason for the difficulty and fail
ures is this: The picture. in which any
part of the scenery is composed must
have quickly moving water and gaunt,
bald rocks that in color are neutral and
plate or film are fast enough to stop
the water there is no motion and the
spume appears to be frozen. IL the
camera does not stop the water or eaten
it at the right speed to show motion ana
not freeze it. the river will appear to
he of the consistency of molasses and the
churning. whirling. rushing and splash
ing effects are lost.
Admitting that the water has been
stopped SO that it shows proper motion.
the rocks come into the equation. These
exposure-mOre time and light-than the
water Water, rejecting so much light
needs "A comparatively brief exposure. SO
that an exposure short enough to eaten
the water is not apt to catch the rocks
and if the exposure is sufficient Tor the
rocks the water is apt to be oVereNposed
There are very few camerists in WASH
ington who have not numbers OF views
made at Great Falls. and when worthy
picture is obtained it is a source OF prlne
and an object that will surely be eX-
hibited to many, many friends
:: =
Great Falls furnishes more Photographic
subjects and more Photographic attrac-
tions than any other spot in the envlrons
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19

mcnt We're consulted. In making maps
of such detail character absolute accu-
racy was a necessity. BY the thickness
of line. or by the slightest slip of the
compass town or city which belongs in
one zone might be thu own into another
and its postal rate changed. Even the
shrinkase of paper was found TO cause
inaccuracy and the printing of tho maps
on damp days was found Ia bring about
similar unsatisfactory results.
:;
Finally. after the map question was
scientifically settled. the contract for :; go
different kinds Of maps with as many
zone centers was given to the geological
survey. There thousands of reproduc-
tions were made from copper plates. The
convenience and low cost of the parcel
post system have proved advantageous to
business houses we'll as to individuals
Mail order houses using this branch of
the postal service extensively will prob
ably be allowed to send the bundles from
their own places of business instead of
being compelled to send them to post
offices. 1T is not improbable that ar
engagements will be made i'm the future
10 send mail clerks TO weigh such bum
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19

Rives finds that "A plan for permanent
bridge at Washington is so intimately
connected with project for the improve
ment of navigation of the river that one
cannot be properly matured without
due consideration Of the other.
Rives had plan for river improve
ment, and 1t seems to have been the hrst
comprehensive plan given consideration
by the United States government. tor the
improvement of the Potomac river at
Washington. Rives' plan was to open
clear waterway Ito feet wide along the
Washington shore by removing the then
existing causeway and replacing 1t tenn
pOrarily by wooden structure on piles
lowering the dam connecting Masons
Island with the Virginia mainland. doing
other things not necessary to indicate
here. and reclaming 1876 acres of the
flats at the mouth of the Tiber and Civ
ing a continuous channel along the
Washington shore. Nothing came of the
report.
After the civil war. or i'm 1867 Maj
Nathaniel P. Michler. Corps of Engineers
L. s. A.. was assigned to make a survey
of the Potomac river in the District of
Columbia with a view to its improve
ment. This Is probably the survey made
in that year by Charles Fendall. Maj
Michler made report urging the re-
the opening Of the Washington channel
to the Georgetown channel near Easbys
point. Here are two of the things that
were recommended in the Rives report of
1897. Agitation against the low Long
bridge and its causeway was getting
spirited and the people of the District
were becoming aroused over the sanitary
side of the question. Congress in July.
1870 made appropriation of 5000 for
the improvement of the river between the
Long bridge and Georgetown. In the
fall of 1870 freshet carried away part
of the Long bridge and caused much loss
of private property. and the demand for
Improvement of the river became louder.
Maj w. P. Craghill succeeded Maj.
Michler and plans for the removal of the
causeway and the rebuilding of the Long
bridge and the filling up of the flats and
the deepening of the channels We're being
generally discussed
In 1872 Congress authorized the crea-
tion of board of survey for the pur-
pose of devising and submitting to Con-
gress a comprehensive plan of improve
ment not only in respect to navigation.
but also with reference to its. sanitary eff
possibility of retaining in any plan of
improvement the swamps and marshands
along the water front. Alexander Shep
herd was a member of this board of
vey and in this act of Congress one
reads first OF a governmental reference
to the sanitary aspect of the matter.
The board of survey submitted three
plans. the one recommended being Ito
have but one channel of sufficient width
and depth for all purposes; a direct con-
tinuatiOn of the river to Georgetown, to
run along the right bank of the river
far down as Gravelly point and thence
directly toward Giesboro point, on the
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19
The Lure of Photographers.

THERE is bit of country near WASH
ington that has been the lure OF the
photographer ever since photography De-
came a pastime or fad with camera anna
tours. That spot is Great Falls The
scenery there, as all Washingtonians
know. is a chaos of bare rock and swirl
ing water 1t looks like chip of the
world at its beginning set down I'm the
present No wilder seeming piece OF
landscape could be carved out OF the
widest west.
The geologist says that the rocks OF the
Piedmont plateau are archean. 1gneous
and crystalline and older sedlmentarS.
Where the Potomac river plunSes to the
coastal plain are exposed great masses oil
the older rocks. including gneiss, schist,
granite, diorite and babbro; then there
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19
" It'll THE RAMBLEB9fd11f
II n cM IAhL1hzhcMZLznnm XM&%4HE&

1903: Washington October IS. 1917
Another reads: In loving memory OF
Topsy. who was faithful unto death.
Born December -. 1908: died August
e5. 1914
Here follow few of the other epi-
taphs:
Major Died May /, 1911. Aged Is
years W. f.. c..
Dear Little Rob. Loved pet OF
Elizabeth Saum. Died 1898. aged
years
Billy Fox terrier of T.. &. Ander-
son. l9o6-1?l0.
Daisy. Darling pet. +. Gregory.
Jean. Died November :. 1911
Beauty White collie. Pet of Arthur
and Mary Tregina.
Doc Weller. Aged Years"
Our Little Pet. TriNie. Fox terrier
"Waif Bishop. Died March -, 1909
W. T. b
Dolly GRAY. January. 1909. Novem-
her 10, 1872"
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19

by the oldest men when he was a boy.
Bishop Meade. in his "Old Churches,
Ministers and Families of Virginia.
writes of the sunken burial ground and
churchyard under Lynnhaven river
Lynnhaven parish. in Princess Anne coun-
ty. In Westmoreland county the oldest
churches of record are the Round Hill
Church, the Pope's Creek Church, where
George Washington was baptized, and a
church at Leeds, or Bray's Church, on
the Rappahannock. But Westmoreland
was carved out of the mother county of
the northern Observation-Disclosures
some old Northumberland church may
have stood on that part of Church point
over which the Potomac rolls.
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19

distance. In addition the government
pays about SD ii square foot per year
for space rates of mali cars. 1t was
therefore decided to send parcels in stor-
age baggage cars at regular mall pay
rates whenever possible.
The settlement of this question of eco
Monies brought about another. The mails
cannot be sorted in a baggage car, and
so it was decided to establish a system
of terminals throughout the country for
the, storing and sorting of mails For
example, all parcels mailed in New York
city are collected and sent to the postal
terminal in the basement of the new
Pennsylvania station of that city and
sorted. Those for Washington are put
into pouches and marked "Washington.
These bags are then put on the baggage
car on the same train with the regular
mail and brought to Washington, where
they are taken to the main office and dis
tributed for carrier delivery.
If the sorters in the New York terminal
find packages addressed to stations in
Virginia or Maryland on local roads run
ming out of Washington. they place them
in pouches marked "Washington Term
inal Dis, meaning to distribute. When
these pouches of mail are sorted in the
terminal in this city the mail clerks send
the packages on their final Journeys in
railway mail cars. AS it is calculated
that no package will travel much over
1870 miles in the railway mail car. it is
expected that part OF the transportation
will be at no extra governmental eX-
pense.
Another matter of economy which is
being instituted by the parcel post is the
carrying of matter marked fragile" in
ordinary mail pouches. Tagged with red
danger signals to show that they must
be carefully handled. Such pouches are
called CLOSING pouches They are load
ed on trucks last and always put in top
of pouches in which the merchandise is
less liable to injury. BY such precau-
tons Easter bonnets may safely be trust
ed to the care of postal employees. IT.
however, there is hesitancy about al
lowing profane hands to handle such
precious cargo the payment of 10 cents
extra procures insurance for the actual
worth of the article up to $50.
In deciding what should not go through
the mails few restrictions were made.
All live animals and birds were denied
the privilege of being carried by parcel
post, but the queen bee and other live in
sects were excepted. providing they were
prepared for shipment according TO regu-
lations. No parcel Of material which 10
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19

1T Of the Shiny and reedy
marshes of the Potomac river
at Washington the govern
ment of the United States has
created one of the beautifu vi
parks Of the world. More than half Il
thousand acres of shrubbery, flower
Mot and lawn, miles of tree-lined
drives. saddle paths and romantic
walks polo fields and a steeple course
have been lifted out of the bottom of
tho river. Where thousands of people
whiz i'm autos. drive or ride fine horses,
walk leisure1y. rest on the lawns or OH
the river side under the branches of
great elms and willows and gather
round polo games or concerts by the
Marine Band. Washington sports used
to hunt while duck and shoot reed
birds.
The story of the improvement of the
navigation of the Potomac river ana
the reclamation of the flats is one IN
which a man might spend weeks of re-
search. but from time to time reports
of engineers. notably one made by
Mai Peter c. Hams, Engineer corps
l.. = A.. in 1888. have given certain
references to early acts of the cOrpo-
ration of Georgetown ana or congress
affecting the Potomac at washington
that one can trace very good out
line of the history of this great work.
II was not until the early seventies
that there was insistent talk of filling
in the flats as measure of sanitation
For three-auarters of a century be-
fore the discussion of and work on the
Improvement Of the Potomac had to do
with deepening widening and straight
ening channels. or changing their
course. or recOnstructing the Long
bridge or with removal of the earthen
causeway across the flats which was
authorized by Congress in 1894. me
citizens were thinking of commerce and
navigation and safety from the ire
uuently recurring floods. but not SO
much of the Improvement of SANTA
ton.
There is no doubt that the District
annals might show that some TAR
Sighted citizen or citizens had urged
the reclamation OF the potomac mats
for sanitary and esthetic reasons long
before such an idea began to inquire In
official papers and reports. IL is usual
" this way with great improvements
Rig enterprises usually pass through
dream state or a nebulOus stage pe1ore
entering upon the period OF concrete
accomplishment.
Tha grand improyement of the Potomac
river. that is. the Improvement compre-
bending the reclamation of the mats, the
removal of the Long bridge and the con-
struction of the two modern bridges, the
excavation of the tidal basin ana the
creation of Potomac Park-was inaugu-
rated by act Of Congress passed august
Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-19

the old chronicles where the corporation
of Georgetown advertised this mud ma
chine for sale in 1894. In the next year
1879 the city of Georgetown authorized
it's mayor ITO employ a suitable person
to stake out the channel made by the
mud machine and to keep it staked
But navigation of the Georgetown
channel continued dangerous and difficult
The water was always shoaling in the
channel. rocks and other debris from the
upper Potomac were being brought down
by the frequent freshets and ships were
being built larger and heavier.
In 1899 Congress appropriated S1:D,000
ITO aid the citizens of Georgetown i'll re-
moving the distractions to their naviga-
ton by causing the cut already made
through the bar below the town to be en-
larged and deepened, and for the further
purpose of enabling them to make a free
turnpike road on the Virginia side of the
river. and to purchase and make free for
ever the bridge at Little Falls. Three
facts of local historic interest are here
Joined. This act also brought out OF the
national Treasury the first federal funds
spent for the improvement of the Poto-
mac river in the District of Columbia
The corporation of Georgetown. in 1873
passed an ordinance appointing Walter
Smith. John kurtZ. Joel Crittenden and
John Laird commissioners to superintend
the Improvement of the navigation OF the
river. They We're directed to cause "a sur
vey to be made for a channel sixteen feet
deep and two hundred feet wide In 1894
they were directed to enter into a con-
tract for having this work done, and the
contract. which later was annulled for
non-fulfllment, was let to c. and =. T.
E,llicott.
All through the early decades of the
nineteenth century one may read in the
annals of Georgetown and Washington
especially of Georgetown because That
was commercial city of the struggles
of citizens with navigation difficulties, UNI
der which head are included the troubles
caused by ice gorges and freshets.
The oldest map giving any detailed in
formation concerning the Potomac river
at Washington is the Ellicott map of
1902 This map shows the soundings
which were made by Ignatius Fenwick
and Richard Johns. There is tradition
that once the main channel of the PotO-
mac river was on the Maryland side. and
Maj. Hams in a report made in 1888,
commenting on this tradition, wrotei
And some Typographical features Of the banks
favor this. hut there seems to be no informa ion
OF authentic character to prove il. In sup
PORT OF this tradition 1t is said thai vessels en-
gagged in foreign trade received their cargoes at
a point not far above the mouth of Tiber creek.
the present southern terminus Of 18th street: also
that Gen. Braddock when he started on his mem
orabe campaign against the Indians in 1913
landed his forces at a rock in front OF tho pres
ent site of the naval observatory. 1t does not
necessarily follow. however, that there was deep
water up the rock. for the landing may have
been made i'm small boats. the larger vessels
lying out in the stream.
At least, the Braddock end of this ira