Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-22
FIFTY YEARS Ago
IN THE STAR

AAu 5000 e&eeS
Tuesday. August Is, 1866. Tho Star
printed in it's first edition a news dis
patch from Aspy
Atlantic Cable bay. Newfoundland,
Breaks at Sea. vssas, dscorateS
with flags was in sight of shore, and
that she was supposed to be the Great
Eastern, completing her task Of laying
the Atlantic cable. Subsequent edi-
lions. however, carried the disappoint-
ing news that the cable had parted on
the I'd of August. The schooner First
Fruit had brought the news from the
British warship Terrible. The next
day a dispatch from Hearts Content,
Newfoundland. stated that the cable
laying ship and her consort were try
ing to locate certain buoys which pre-
sumably marked the lost end of the
cable. The Star Of August II. 1865. said:
The question whether or not the
Atlantic cable is hopeless failure de-
Ponds upon the point now at issue,
whether the end sunk by the Great
Eastern is sunk or buoyed up. That
a buoy was placed at the point where
the break was made there is no doubt,
but there is much obscurity in regard
to the question whether the buoy held
up the western end Of the submerged
cable OF simply marked the point where
1t was last seen. It may be said in
favor of the more hopeful theory that
it is scarcely probable the Great East
ern would be lowering so anxiously and
for such a length of time in the vicin-
tf1y oc h4v 111v oof ,ryf~ LN~~
certainly no expectation could be en-
tertained of fishing up the lost end
sunk in $4,000 feet of water. The in
ference certainly Is that the buoy, in
the vicinity of which the Great East
ern was lingering with such pertinac-
ity, was connected with the severed
wire. Consequently there is still a
glimmer of hope yet, though that hope
must necessarily grow fainter with
every hour that transpires bringing no
news of the arrival of the Great East
ern.'
When Washington was put in state
of defense, at the beginning of the
civil war, the govern
The Owners of ment took possession
T..4 Y1 of large number Of
1oA| A'oAus' tracts of land for the
erection of Notifications, without re-
gard to the wishes of the owners and
continued to occupy them until the
close of hostilities. They were then
restored to private possession, and the
question Of compensation arose. In The
Star Of August II, 1865. is the follow
ing:
IAN opportunity has been afforded
by the government to owners Of farms
upon which forts have been erected, to
receive the buildings and other prop
erty left in dismantling the works as
compensation for the occupatfo of the
land. few have already accepted
the offer, but as there still remains q
large amount of valuable property I'M
accepted. requiring guards for its pro-
lection, it is probable that the govern
ment will shortly withdraw the offer,
remove the buildings, ETC., and leave
the owners of the lands the unpromis-
ing alternative of getting their claims
for compensation through Congress-"
ut was certainly to have been ex-
pected,' says The Star Of August 10,
1865, that with the
Water Service grand benefaction of
nc.:..: Potomac water in
abundant quantities
put within the reach Of the citizens
of Washington at the slightest inciden-
tai expense. measures would at once
be taken for it's ample distribution
throughout the length and breadth of
the city. Yet from one cause and an
other this has not been the case, and
might almost say-thickly populated,
where not a foot of pipe has been
laid. The buildings in many of these
localities are largely frame. and with
the growth of the city the vacant lots
once separating these wooden build
ings are now filled up with others of
the same material, affording an un-
paralleled amount Of combustible ma
terial in juxtaposition, inviting dan.
gerous confiagration.
squirted away by shop boys in pure
wantonness and f1zzled out by water
cartmen until Pennsylvania avenue is
quagmire-there is not a fire plug
within reach of the parts of the city
most threatened with fire. 1t would
really seem that nothing but a special
providence has saved the frame-built
portions of this city from such a con-
Migration as visited the similarly built
city of Nantucket. where the same
want Of foresight had prevailed.
But 1t is not only the wooden quar-
tiers that need the water. In fact, a
very large portion of the city Is I'M
provided yet. The requisite bills for
laying we know not how many lines
of pipe have been passed by the coun-
ellis, but fail of execution for want of
pipe. To enable this work to be done
this season it is requisite to give the
mayor authority to anticipate the reve-
nue. of the water fund for the pur-
chase of the needed amount of pipe.
A bill to this effect was postponed the
other night in one board of the coun-
ellis and objection was made by some
of the members that it was desirable
to get rid of the existing water debt
rather than to increase it. Very we'll!
The way to pay the debt is to perfect
the water system and make it an in
come-producing. self-sustaining one
Gridiron the city with pipes. put water
in every street, make the city de-
sirable. healthful and attractive to live
in. Then we may expect to see men
Of wealth disposed to settle here. to
invest money here. and. what is a good
deal to the purpose, to pay taxes here.
1t is this picayune. pennv-wise. pound
foolish system that dwarfs all spirit Of
enterprise and improvement. keeps the
city poor and shabby, drives away
from US all but the can't-eet-aways and
makes US the scof Of visitors Pave
the streets. deodorfze the canal. circu-
late the water and the debt will take
care of itself!''
CARRANZA.