Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-04

Continued from First Page.)
and finally how nearly 200 sites were col
iected and marked appropriately.
"A catalogue showing these places was
published and the work met with APP
prevail, he said, not only from the visit
ing soldiers, but from the citizens Of
Washington, and especially with enthu-
slaSm by the local press. 1t was a sue
cess. In 1863, at the time Of the Inaugural
ton of Roosevelt and Fairbanks, Gen.
John NJ. Wilson. Washingtons most pa
tr1otlc citizen. designated Mr. Van Wickle
again TO be chairman of a committee to
undertake a similar work. and again the
work was taken up and one hundredsand
forty sites marked and catalogued. The
task was well done and the popular sat
isfaction was the pleasing reward of the
committee
Other Sites Marked.
DR. Benjamin then told of how the
same committee was called into active
existance at the time of inauguration of
President Taft. marking s93 sites and
cataloguing them. After this the District
commissioners named select committee
of fifty citizens to carry out the task of
permanently marking the historic sites of
the District, he said, and three years ago
permanent tablets were placed on the
Decatur house. and on the old brick
Capitol. He told finally how during the
last inauguration, Mr.. Van Wickle and
his associates again took up the work
and issued an illustrated booklet describ-
ing 30 points of historic interest and
giving views of a number of important
buildings
Tells Of Morse's Work.
George c. Maynard then read a paper
on the development of the telegraph, and
told of the part played by Morse. He
said, in part:
The year 1s;i2-eighty years ago
marked turning point i'll the worlds
civilization and the beginning of a new.
benefcent, revolutionary era. At that
time the first practicable telegraph sys-
tenn was invented
Mr.. Maynard recited how the idea for
his telegraph first came to Prof. Morse
during voyage home from Europe and
how he completed his telegraph code
during the same voyage. He then told
Of the inventors struggles against dis
appointment and adversely, until the in
strument now in the National Museum
was completed. 1t was exhibited in
New York and Philadelphia, he said.
ana then IN the rooms of the House
committee on commerce. In 1888 the
question was taken up by the govern
nent. and the House passed resolution
requesting the Secretary of the Treas
ury 10 report on the advisabilty of
establishing government telegraph sys-
TEN. Finally, March ,, 1913, Congress
appropriated S5O,otD for testing Morses
telegraph.
Made superintendent.
Under the first appropria ton Morse
was made superintendent of the sys-
tenn, at Il salary of $4,000 a year. and
among the assistants was Leonard D.
Gale, j. c. Fisher, Alfred Vail and Ezra
Cornell, the last two at a salary of
An do
first tried, Mr.. Maynard said, but this
proved unsuccessful because of bad
Insulation. The first line was ten
miles long. The work OF stringing
The station in Washington, Mr.. May
nard said, was first located in the
Capitol. but was later moved to the
site marked today. The line to Balti-
more was used in sending press mes
sages and other messages of public in
terest, and June 10, 1914, it was used
to compare the time between Washing
ton and Baltimore by Capt. Charles
Wilkes. L. S. n.
Describes the Office.
THE building on 7th street." he con-
tinued, was an ordinary two-story
dwelling house. with an outside stair
way leading to the second story, on
which the telegraph office was located
occupied as an operating room, the
other rooms by the main batteries and
Other accessories"
In conclusion, Mr.. Maynard recited
how, in 1915, Congress appropriated
IS coo for operating the Baltimore
Washington line, naming Morse super
intendent, and Alfred Vail and Henry
j. Rogers assistant superintendents
Vail generally worked In Washington
and Rogers in Baltimore, he said with
Morse filing in whenever needed The
business brought in u very small reve-
nue. The next year the government
made no appropriation aud the telegraph
ceased to be run under government
supervision
Blodget Hotel Described.
Caleb c. Magruder jr.. followed Mr..
MAYNARD with an address on the old
Blodget Hotel. He said. IN part:
I'VE now stand on the crest of the F
street ridge. and to be more exact, the
building described stood at the north
east corner of Sth and + streets north
west site now covered by a portion
of the Department OF the Interior
Its corner stone was laid almost CO.
incident with that of the old Capitol, in
1913 but its building progressed slowly
only the foundations having been com
pleted Two years later. IL was the sntey-