Evening star., 1924-11-02
f famous Old Avenue Bridge
Made History i'm War Time
Rambler


and he is also under contract
to write a bit of history. To
give facts and write history at the
same time is literary job that has
proved too hard for many eminent
authors. Yet the Rambler means to
tell you something. or some things
about two old bridges, and although
he will introduce few facts here and
there, he hopes that it will also be
historical.
Whether it will interest you Is un-
certain. That is up to you. To write
history and use facts requires art
and cunning, but to make history in
teresting calls for greater genius
= than most men have. On this point
let me recall that the soul of Ana
tole France, master of letters, passed
10 the stars fey days ago. Beside
me is his story. 1.-THE Crime Of SyI-
vestre Bonnard." He is telling of
homunculus, or little man. Coccoz,
who came to sell him books. The
liambler doubts that he can write the
story better than Anatole France. or
rs I.afcadio Hearn translated It, SO
here it is from the book:
1T is Il historical book he said
10 me with a smile--'a book of real
history
In that case l replied, 1T must
." very tiresome: for all historical
books which contain no lies are eX-
trcmely tedious. | write some au-
thentic ones myself: and if you were
Hniucky enough to carry a copy of
my of them from door to door you
would run the risk of keeping it all
Your life in that green 'baze of yours.
without ever finding even a cook
foolish enough to buy it from you
Certainly, monsieur, the little man
answered out of pure good nature"
a. Anatole France thought it diff
cult to write history use facts and
make the thing interesting.
It is good policy not to cross a
bridge till you come to it. but We
have come to the new" Pennsylvania
Avenue Bridge over the Eastern
Eranch. You were told last Sunday
that the bridge was opened to traffic
without ceremony March 20, 1890
Eut on August % there was a cere-
1nony taken part in by a large num-
Der of US. and the report of il was
'ead by nearly everybody in town.
There were a parade, speeches, gun
fire, boat races, brass bands. and all
the things usually compounded to
make a celebration.
If man were to invent a celebra-
ton without speeches he would be
charged with upsetting the Consti-
tuition. Plans for dedicating the
bridge were in making all Summer
and August % was an anniversary
y bridge was built in 1867 from
he foot of kentucky avenue, which
is few yards from where Penn
sylvania avenue comes to the East
"rn Branch, to place known long
before the building of the bridge
as MAYORS Ferry Landing.
marching triumphantiy without
opposition from Benedict to Washing
ton. In the morning of August "a
the enemy was Il few miles from the
Eastern Branch, and it was believed
that he would try to enter Washing
ton by crossing the wooden toll
bridge between MAYORS Ferry Land
ing and Kentucky avenue American
troops. regulars and irrcgulars, were
on the bluff on the Washington side
of the bridge to attack the invaders
as they should cross the wide river
by the narrow bridge. Then it seems
to have been thought safter to attack
them if they could not cross the
bridge.
This plan originated with Navy
ofhcer, and men from the Navy Yard
rolled barrel of gunpowder on the
bridge, piled wood about it and set
not been seen near the other side of
the bridge, and were marching on the
road from Marlboro to Bladensburg.
When that report was brought US the
defenders of the bIown-up and burn
ing bridge took the road from Wash
ington to Bladensburg and were met
by the enemy. We did not stop him.
We delayed him, but not long.
The Rambler, in other years, has
written all he could read and other
wise learn about the BIadensburg af-
fair, and on foot followed the way
"f the British from their landing
place. the village of Benedict, on the
Patuxent. in Charles County, Md,
through Nottingham, Lower Marlboro.
Upper Marlboro, Meadows and Long
Old Fields to Bladepsburg In other
years he also wrote as full a story of
the bridge of 1861 as records would
supply. He will not revamp those old
stories in this account, though the
temptation is great. You have forgotten
them, of course. but if they were re-
used by the old chap who wrote them
some readers with long and hairy
ears would lay down the Sunday pa
par and say: "Ah! Pears to me that
I read that same thing bout 20-year
ago. This here Rambler is a fakir."
Devoted reader, much Of the origi-
nal matter you applaud today was
written longer ago than 20 years.
You laugh at stories that had moth
holes in them when the Carncross
Minstrels. Thatcher. Primrose & West
Hy Henry's Troupe and Jack Haver-
ly's Mastodon Minstrcls used to come
to town.
:. = !: =
NIELI, let US get back to the bridge.
w The stock company which own
ed it brought suit against the Gov
ernInent because the Navy Yard peo-
pie blew up and burned the bridge.
The company recovered enough
money to repair the bridge, and in
1s45 or 1876 sparks from a steamboat
passing or which had just passed
through the draw" set the bridge
afire and it was so damaged that it
was unusable. 1t was not repaired.
/ say "in 1S43 or 1886" because l do
not know in which of those years the
bridge was burned. / talked with the
late NJ. j. Weller on that matter many
Years ago and he said that he had
gone through the files of the National
]ntelligencer for an account of the
second burning of the bridge and had