Evening star., 1922-08-13
wv JAMES A. BUCHANAN.

prise to many that the maniioio
advantages of the beautiful
= streamn the Potomac river, have
sof hcen utilized It one stops %
think of the many things that couio
the done he will find that here. at
our very door, is body of water on
which there could be held entertain
ments for thousands, and there Would
he the means of bringing hundreds
of visitors to Washington.
There could be, for instance, motor
boat races from ten to 200 miles long,
saw from here to Alexandria and re-
turn. or to BealeS and back. Tne
river also affords vast stretches on
which could be held sailing contests
over courses of any desired length
Then again. there could be flights OF
hvdroplanes and some of these could
be in the nature of stunt races
fiying fve mites. then descending to
the water and picking up dummy
representing a canoeist clinging to
the bottom Of his upturned craft
There could be other flights of all
kinds. some Stimulating conditions
while many others could be evolved
by the naval aviators. Aside from
the entertainment feature. it would
be excellent practice for the young
men that handle the controls OF
, these huge machines. Dummy BOMBS
also could be dropped.
~
T EAvING the amusement feature
IL entirely out of the question.
think of the demonstration 1t would
be for the men in Congress. many
of whom have but hazy idea of
what the sea birds can really DO
There could also be regattas and
pageants that would show the early
history of the river, a stream that
is associated with many incidents
that are not mentioned in the his
tories used in the schools.
1t is not beyond the power of man
to give exhibitions OF how the sub
marines work. how they dive, spot
an enemy ship. emerge from the
waters depth, prepare for action, and
how they can glide along the surface
of the water smoothly and with but a
faint swish from the bow of the
deep-sea craft.
We might also have sham battles,
showing how the dashing marines
operate when they are sending
landing party ashore to fight foe.
The river affords a great opportunity
to show how the engineers work,
how they build pontoon bridges and
do dozen or more things that the
general public believes impossible OF
accomplishment.
were written:
All quiet along the Potomac tonight:
Where the soldiers lie peacefully dreaming:
Their tents IN the rays Of the clear autumn
moon,
Or the light Of the watch fires are cleaning,
A tremulous sigh. as the gentle night wind
Through the forest leaves softly is creeping;
While stars up above, with their glittering
eyes,
Keep suard-for the army is sleeping.
sAn quiet along the Potomac tonight:
No sound save the rush Of the river;
While soft falls the dew on the face Of the
dead
The picket's of duty forever.
And the line. "All quiet along the
Potomac" has for years been re-
peated by thousands of people
throughout the land.
"A CCoRDING to reports that have
been handed down from generation
10 generation. members Of a company
of Spaniards, from the state of Florida, |
were the first white men to navigate
the Potomac, making the trip about 1870.
but as no complete records were left |
the discovery of the river has been gen. !
orally credited to Capt John Smith, and |
according to the records, he followed I
the stream up as far as Little Falls, just |
above the site on which this city now
stands.
The average American is, as a rule, |
,keenly intent upon seeing something |
that is afar. but if those who live in this
city will take the time to journey up
and down the Potomac they will hnd
that the far-famed Hudson river, even
with its beautiful scenery, does not by
and many of the streams in Europe |
which some Americans admire do not
begin to have the wealth of beauty that |
one can observe from here to the mouth |
Of Chesapeake bay.
Just few miles up the stream we
have the Great Falls, a beautiful spot
and one that Is replete with historic I
assooiofiona II one uere IN doIve into fhe |
archives of tidewater Virginia, and also |
secure access to many Of the letters and |
records in the possession of old Vir- |
xinia families, he would find a wealth |
of material which would form the basis |
of a most interesting series Of stories |
telling of the early days of the nation. !
In fact, the country through which the |
Potomac flows may well be called the |
cradle of the nation"
Stop and think Of the many famous |
men and women that have lived in |
Washington, Virginia and Maryland and |
the great deeds they performed. Cen |
Grafton after generation played a most |
important part in the building of the |
great structure that is known as the |
United States of America.
y y + -
BOARD steamer that makes a trip
Il down the famous stream and one
finds at the end of the journey that /,
he has learned much about a won
derful section of the, country. Just
before he leaves the dock his gaze
wanders across the acres of reclaimed