Evening star., 1919-10-05

market question for q good many
years. One OF the
Ge0rHetown most dramatic Incl
r.. dents in local history
was that connected
with the old Northern Liberty mar
ket, which led to the institution OF
claims that persisted more than a
quarter Of century before Congress.
Fifty years ago Georgetown had
market row, as thus set forth in The
Star of September 2s, 1863:
When the city Of Georgetown re-
solved to build a new market house
on the site OF the old. tumble-down
structure. which leaked even worse
than our Center market and looked
quite as shabby. the conservative
butchers 1--WE do not use the adjective
in a political sense) revolted and pur-
chased the old tobacco warehouse
other dealers they seeded from the
corporation market and set up a
market house of their own in opposi-
tion to the new one built by the city.
AS was to be expected, Georgetown
resisted this attempt but the butch
ers fought the town every step until
the courts decided against them. and
property and established a private
market on Pennsylvania avenue near
Rock creek, known as the 'Etna
BaZar.' Here, close to Georgetown
they managed to bring many of their
Georgetown customers. who sympa
thized with them in their night with
the authorities. They have been DO
ing business there year or two un-
molested. but Washington dealers IN
the corporation market are now com
planning that these persons, who pay
no market charges, are on a more ad-
vantageous footing than other dealers
here. and hence the resolution intro
duced in the board Of aldermen by
Mr. Stewart last evening referring
the question as to the legality OF this
independent market house to the cor
poration attorney With their George
town experience before them. the
'Etna Bazar men will probably sur
render before the matter comes into
the courts again"
When the plan was proposed and
executed Of replacing the Long bridge
across the Potomac with
RaiIroad two bridges. one for rail
road and one for passen
orluse. ger trafic. most Wash
tnstonians cofsidered that 1t was an
innovation to have a dual. structure
On the contrary. there was con-
siderable period during and following
the civil war when there was just
such a combination. In The Star OF
September 30. 1869, is g. news story
telling of a visit to the Secretary
Of War by Mayor Sweeny and repre- !.
sentatives Of the city councils OF
Georgetown, protesting against re-
pairs then being made upon the rail-.
road bridge across the Potomac just
south Of the Long bridge. which, they
feared. would have the effect Of Inn
pairing and destroying the river chan
mel to Georgetown. The matter was
referred to Gen. Michler. who sub
mitted a report which was printed, In
part, in The Star. After noting the
was built in 1893, on the site OF the
present one, he traced the history
Of that construction, which suffered
severely at times from ice and high
water. The supplementary railroad
bridge, owned by the Washington
Alexandria and Georgetown Railroad
Company. was built In 1864, about
to the Long bridge. Gen. Michlel
pointed out that the repairs to the
railroad bridge to which the George
town authorities had protested con-
sisted in driving intermediate piles
between the old piers. subdivfding
the spans into sections OF from eleven
to eighteen feet. This. 1t was thought
would cause a formidable obstruction
and would be the means of greatly
impeding the flow Of the drift and
Ice, which, owing to the greater
upper bridge. Gen. Michler believed
that even II the winter Of 1869-70
proved to be only moderately severe
the destruction of the draws of both
bridges would inevitably follow the
breakup Of the ice. He concluded
that the distractions would also seri-
ously affect the channel of the river.
and he recommended radical changes
iE the plans.