Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-01-30
Point Lookout Rail-
road Projected.

Maryland and Virginia, especially the
former. In The Star of January 26. 1856.
there is an item bearing on a project
to this end. which was greeted with local
enthusiasm:
. THE senate Of Maryland yesterday
passed the bill for Incorporating the
Washington and Point Lookout railroad.
and there seems to be no doubt that 1t
will pass the house. Mr.. Garrett, presi-
dent of the Baltimore and Ohio road, who
is at Annapolis looking after the interests
Of his road. as affected by the proposed
opposition Erie road through Maryland to
Washington. makes no objection to
simple line Of road from Washington to
Point Lookout, but opposes the grant Of
the privilege OF laying lateral tracks
from it. AS the passage Of the bill seems
now to be assured. it behooves the bust
ness men of Washington to be looking
about them to insure prompt subscrip-
ton to the stock. so that the charter
shall not become imperative. as was that
Of the previous charter obtained for
failure to accept the boom. The public
spirited citizens who have left their busi-
ness to push the interests of Washington
in the Maryland legislature have done
good service. Now let the business men
generally come forward in the same spirit.
and the Point Lookout road, with all its
benefits to the city. is a thing accom-
plished.
.suth a road will not only open up an
important trade for Washington through
an important tract of country having
probably less trade outlets than almost
any other in the country of its wealth,
but will also serve to build up what must
undoubtedly prove one Of the leading water
ing places of the country. all tending great
ly to advance the interests of this District
as well as of Maryland. 1t is well known
that Point Lookout was selected for hos
pital purposes mainly on the ground OF
it's healthfulness. and it is said that there
was less disease of bilious type there
than at any other hospital station in the
country The bathing season at this point
is also some weeks longer than at the
northern bathing resorts. an important
consideration. The proposed road would
build up this watering place to one of
flrst-class importance: immeaSurably ad-
vance the interests of trade and agricul-
ture through the entire extent Of country
traversed by it, and bring large amount
of trade to Washington city. The winter
trade drawn to Washington by this road
must be especially large, and in this in
stance the benefits to Maryland and the
District would be SO essentially mutual
that we may count upon hearty co-opera-
ton on the part of that state"
Washington was proud of its tele-
graphic fire alarm system at this time
fifty years ago. which
Fire Alarm then was new. In The
Star of January 80, 1866,
necoius. is the following news
note relative to a report made as to
the workings Of this system:
"Supt Talcott of the fire alarm and
police telegraph has kept an exact ac-
count of the times the fire department
has been called for fires, false alarms.
test alarms. etc, since the beginning
of Geographic operations up to this
date, sixteen months. The total num-
Der of calls on the department was
1874 OF these there were by fires, 95:
false alarms and bonfires, IL: test
alarms, 9: chimneys, 6; fires out of the
city, 3. This account shows that dur
ing the sixteen months when our citi-
zens had reason to fear for their prop
erty because of the great quantity of
combustible material stored within the
evilly disposed persons whose visits to
Washington were only for plumber and
who would not scruple to fire valuable
property to favor their nefarious de-
signs, there has been less real reason
for alarm than usual. The number of
alarms in the sixteen months preced-
ing the establishment of the telegraph
is over 200