Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1917-12-30
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

IN THE STAR
The burning Of the Calvary Baptist
Church ut the corner Of 9Th and 81
streets north
Calvary Baptists' west. fifty years
Temporary Home. eonxrss.tIon
without a home. In The Star Of Decem-
Der %. 1867, is an item as follows telling
OF the temporary arrangements made for
its accommodation:
The burning of the church of the
Calvary Baptist congregation recently
other place Of worship. an arrange
ment has been made for the occupa-
ton of Shiloh Church, Massachusetts
avenue between 9th and 10th streets.
service there for the first time. The
Sunday school was very numerously at
tended in the morning. The pastor.
Rev. T: r. Hewlett, delivered a very
inely referred to the destruction OF the
edifce and expressed the hope that
they would soon be able to rebuild and
occupy the same"
item stating that during the morning
a portion of the sth street wall OF the
burned church fell while workmen
were cleaning bricks in the ruins. but
fortunately they were able to escape
without injury. It was stated that
there was little danger OF any other
portions of the wall falling and that
the steeple might be used in the re-
building of the church.
Occasionally high winds and ice
gorges have caused a choking of the
river at Niagara to the
Niagara extent OF barring por-
1.;s p lions of the bed of the
Au odic. cataract, a phenomenon
that has always occasioned keen inter-
est. In The Star Of December "a. 1867.
is related an instance OF this kind:
THE great gale of last week pro-
duced some curious effects at Niagara
Falls. The strong easterly gale sent
the waters of Lake Erie westward.
leaving the Niagara river and tribu-
taries lower than ever known before.
Buffalo creek was SO low that all the
vessels in 1t were grounded and Mia
CARA Falls was rivulet compared with
its native grandeur. The bed of the
American branch was so denuded that
it was possible to travel in it's rocky
bed without wetting the feet. and mys-
teries that were never before revealed
came to light on that day. Rocks
that heretofore were invisible APP
peared In their full grown deformity
Upon the surface and great was the
CONSERVATION among the finny tribes.
foot passengers and many traversed
where human foot had never teod, with
perfect immunity and dry feet. Be-
low the falls the water was fully TWEEN
~ ft$s a
est inhabitant gazed in wonder at the
grand transformation Near Suspen-
sion bridge the celebrated rock at
winners mill. upon which drowning
years ago. which barely projects Its
head above the water, was laid bare
twenty feet above the surface When
the gale subsided the water returned
70 It's usual course. and Niagara was
herself again"
Washington's skating park. estab
iished north of the canal. q little west
of the present site of the
Skating Pan-American Union build
p.1- ing. proved such a success
a. fifty-one years ago that there
was keen anticipation of pleasure dur
ing the season of 1S67-6S. But accord
Der "a. 1867, there was some delay in
getting it into commission:
THE late heavy fall of snow has in
terfered materially with the prosecu-
ton of the necessary Improvement at
the Washington skating park. The d.
rectors. however, have been unremit-
ting In their exertions.. and notwith-
standing the drawbacks have push ed
the work SO far forward as to cause
The water to be turned in from the
canal on Saturday afternoon, and up
TO o'clock yesterday the pond was
flooded. the water being about eight
inches deep. The main building is not
yet completed, but sufficiently so for
practical purposes. A plank road has
peen laid from the main entrance of
walks have also been arranged around
the pond. A good, strong freeze and
thousands OF our lady leaders and
skatorial patrons will be gratifled with
the pleasure of visiting the park
X 4
Conditions along the water front were
very untidy and even worse fifty years
ago. but some work
Water Front was in progress to-
cJ.4. ward Improvement. In
Cond1tions. The Star of December
81. 1867, is an item which indicates a
rather sad state of affairs:
The mammoth excavation at the
foot of 9th street fronting the river. the
gradual enlargement of which so much
exercised a contemporary a few weeks
since that in the course of a paragraph
1t was termed .McNamara's Cave and
divers surmises were predicted with
regard to it. is on the eve of develop
ing itself into an extension of 9th
street. Work has ceased on the south
end of the high bank and today the
whole force employed by Mr.. John Nc
Namara has been transferred to the
north front. at the point where the all
ready open thoroughfare shears off
diagonaliy to Crouchs wharf Here
the pickaxe and spade are being vigor-
ously applied by a force of stalwart
laborers. and in two or three weeks
1t is expected that the whole work will
be cut through. The contractor ex-
obtain authority to put down a gravel
walkway from the terminus of 9th
street to 7th. These improvements
have long been much needed and the
prospect of their contamination is
cheering to reflect upon"
In The Star of December 2S, 1857. is
an editorial item that indicates a be-
lief in the early tri-
Woman Votes umph of woman suf-
in England. that however Ioei-
cal then may have appeared its i'm
minency, has had to wait until now for
an actual prospect of the admission
of women to the vote in that country:
.,,rha .auSe of female SUFFRAGE in