Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-10-29
FIFTY YEARS AGO
In THB STAR


s-4- -.
Half . century ago the District was
under three separate jurisdictions NUM-
cipally, the cities Of
A Levy Court Washinston and
Dill, Georgetown and the
"1' levy court. which con-
.trolled affairs in tho county" or that
portion Of the District lying beyond tho
city limits. This division Of RESPONSE
bility led to some peculiar complications.
one noted in The Star Of October "a. 1856:
'Ths lieutenant Of the second precinct
has been notified that the gas will be cut
of from the station because the bill IL
not paid. 1t appears that the station Is
In tho city limits and the police Of the
county occupy 1t Jointly with the officers
doing duty in tho portion Of the precinct
north Of N street north. It was under
stood that the corporation should pay
one-half the expense of the station and
the levy court the other half. Mayor
Wallach has paid tho portion Of the cor
poration. but the levy court has decided
to pay any of 1t. If the station was To-
Gated a few yards further north the
entire expense would be chargeable to
the county. It has been suggested that
the board Of police will do we'll to To-
cate a station in the county. build It
upon the Same plan as the stations in
the city and make the levy court pay
the entire cost Of maintaining It."
Nowadays II base ball game runs to
twenty scores on one side 1t is regarded
as something extraordi-
Remarkable nary. Fifty years ago.
however. the game was
double-number scores were the rule In
The Star of October "a. 1866. is the score
Of a game which would be regarded with
countrywide amazement now. The Ma
tionals Of this city were playing the
Pastimes of Baltimore on the grounds
south Of the Presidents house. The
Pastimes had only four Of their first nine
present. and consequently put up COM
naratively poor game. as the scores
show, the Nationals winning by SO to IL.
Nine full innings were played. Twenty
one runs were scored by the victors in
the first inning. seventeen in the third
and fourteen in the fifth. The lowest
number Of runs scored in one inning was
three In the fourth. The Stars account
Of the game does not give the time occu-
pied in playing It. but It does give the
names Of the scorers. who. considering
the amount Of tallyfng. deserve to be re-
membered. They were n. s. Munson Of
the Nationals and George B. Baynes Of
the Pastimes.
X
The following editorial in The Star
OF october rs. 1865. bears upon condi-
ton in Southwest Wash
Waterfront ington which at that time
gave great concern to the
halfway. people of the District:
at is sometimes charged that our city
councils are 4 century or two behind
the times. and 1egislate upon important
city improvements mainly upon the
theory Of how not to dot IT. ,,+ THIS ms
casionally their style Of doing business
furnishes an argument very much TO
the advantage Of the take-away-the-
charter advocates. Snch was tne ieeis-
night upon the bill permitting the
Richmond. Fredericksburg and Potomac
Railroad Company to lay a. track along
Water street from 9Th street to tn
road connections for their passengers
and do away with the delay and IN
convenience Of omnibus connection. fof
this privilege they offered to build up
substantial sea wall along that entire
line of river front and to keep the
same in repair. The sole return they
ask for this heavy outlay IS the privi-
lege of using the street for, the con. n,
yevance of their passengers by rail- TO
connect, with the It'll street railway.
So apparent were the advantages to
the CITY Of having this great improve.
:rnent done without expense to 1t fand
rfoHA
city's finances might not otherwise be
done for years. that 1t passed the
board of aldermen without dissent
ing voice. In the lower board. how
ever. 1t found some singuiariy jealous
opponents, who managed to kill 1t ut
terly by loading 1t down with hun
bred and one impractfcable provisions
The result Is that the company. dis
eusted with the treatment given to
their more than liberal offer have
landing place to the 18th street wharf.
The apostles Of how not to do 1T have
triumphed, and the river line from 9Th
to 7th street will remain probably Tor
the next twenty years a malarlal nui-
sance, the receptacle for black slime.
dead dogs, surgeons heads and rotten
horses"
It was not long after the close Of the
civil war that the Indian troubles on
the western from
Indian Troubles tier began TO gro"
into a serious prob
Developing. lem. In The star of
October 26, 1865. is an item bearing
upon this condition, which grew stead
ily worse for dozen or more years:
1.-THE superintendent of Indian affairs
of Colorado, territory has forwarded to
the commissioner Of Indian affairs
letter of Gen. Carson, commanding
Fort Garland. Colorado territory. In re