Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-11-29
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

IN THE STAR
The first detailed information of the
advance of Gen. Sherman through the
heart of the Confederacy
Sherman's from Atlanta to the sea
~, reached the Washington
Hn"A9A' public through the Rich
mond papers. In The Star of November
%. 1864. is the following:
Richmond papers of the 21st give
the thrilling information that Sherman
is pursuing his grand movement with
magnificent success. creating the wild
est CONSERVATION throughout rebeldom-
He is, according to these papers, cut
ting a forty mile swath through the
very heart of rebellion, and while he
is, from the grudging admissions OF
the rebel press, undoubtedly now in
possession at Macon, his cavalry have
swept on. capturing Milledgeville and
other important points. and are by this
time laundering at the gates of Au-
gusta. He has scattered the militia of
Gen. Howard Cobb and Gen. Gus
tavus Smith to the winds. has captured
C.
as he did not skedaddle, and has cap
tured and destroyed an immense
amount of Confederate property. the
very lifeblood of the Confederacy.
THE Richmond papers of the 22d are
barren of news. showing that the di-
judgements of the previous day concern
ing Shermans damaging career were
considered by the Confederate authori-
ties as too dangerous to the Confeder-
ate cause to be repeated. and accord
ingly the papers have been admonished
to be num-"
From time to time during the war
word was received here Of the assem-
blage in Canada of
q. S. Deserters deserters from the
o Federal army who had
III Sonooo. abandoned their colors
and fled to British soil. In The Star Of
November %, 1864. is the following:
There are at this time, according to
reliable information in the possession
of the authorities here. some 5000 de-
serters from our army in Canada.
whittier they have fed to escape the
vigilance of the local provost -marshals.
whose arrests Of them are daily in
creasing in number. Recently there
was large meeting of them near the
Canada end of the suspension bridge,
resulting in the forwarding Of a petit
ton asking that they be received back
into their respective regiments with
out being subject to the military pun
ishment usually accorded in cases like
theirs. Their condition is as pitiable
as deplorable. Half of them are bare
footed and not half clothed at this in
keeping body and soul together Is in
working upon the Great Western rail-
road and other Canadian public works.
at pay which scantily feeds them.
They are intensely unpopular with the
people of Canada. who take every
means in their power to crowd them
back into the United States"
It was just fifty years ago that the in
terror of the Capitol dome was exposed
to public view, after having
Capitol been under construction for
n.. a number of years. In The
~' Star of November 30, 1854, is
the following news Item
I'VE are glad to announce that the
temporary wooden roof that was erect
ed in the rotunda of the Capitol, to aid
in the construction of the iron one
above it. has been removed and the
all its massive grandeur. 1t is painted
in subdued color, but the work of
gliding and other appropriate colorings
will be a thing of time to complete.
This is to be, done under the direc-
ton of Mr.. James Galway. who has SUI
pervised the hazardous business of
painting the exterior of the dome. with
out an accident Detailing a single per-
son engaged in it. One does not read
tINr hnH 70 ,,rfa Of no
ceiling Of the rotunda is to be painted
but we were informed that it was to
be effected by a shaft securely fastened
at one end above the eye of the dome
while the other rested on the cornice,
a hundred or so feet below, along which
said shaft would be moved upon rollers
or wheels. The cornice in question is
about two feet wide. although from the
floor below it does not seem to be more
than four inches. The lower cornice is
four feet wide. When we have seen
painters let down the outside of the
dome upon narrow platforms. by appa-
rently mere lines. II seems almost in
credible that not the least accident has
befallen one of them. So of those who
have been employed in placing iron
| castings at dizzy heights. The tens of
thousands of people that have walked,
with sense of perfect security, across
the floor of the rotunda from one house
of Congress to the other little knew of
the heavy masses of iron which were
DeIHS SW uIS lllo pldCt ABOVE lnelT
heads. which, had there been any want
of care by workmen. or n slip or brea k
of machinery. would have been precipi-
tated through the roof to the floor be-
low"
Incendiary fires occurred in New York
city little more than fifty years ago
and were attrib-
Precautions Against uted by the au-
Incendiarism. n nt .s y. ,vt, ~ ne a.
not agents of, the Confederate govern
ment. These fires occasioned serious
alarm in all northern cities. In The
Star of November IS, 1864, is the fol-
lowing:
There being reason to apprehend
that the rebel emissaries who recently
attempted to fire the city of New York
might attempt similar game here, the
authorities very judiciously took such
precautionary measures Saturday night
as to render any such scheme imprac-
ticable. The various department mill
tary organizations were called out Sat-
urday night and last night and pla ced