Evening star., 1924-01-16
Today and Yesterday
Post Office Clerk Recalls Wash.
ington of Other Times.

10 tne Editor OF The Star:
Touching upon time and events
ever so lightly. it is interesting to
compare today with yesterday. Chill
'dren of today take 1t as a matter Of
course that Pennsylvania avenue,
electric cars and automobiles, have
always been here. Historians tell us
about things that were hero when
'some OF the oldest clerks In the Post
once Department had not yet cele-
brated birthday. Antedating every
thing else mentioned in this article.
could you believe that at ono time
In the early history OF this locality
and its activities. it was a trying un-
|dertsking for party OF men to make
the trip from what Is now the navy
yard to Georgetown? Yes, it was.
During rainy weather. the distance,
so short to US of today, was q jour
|ney to De much dreaded in the early
history Of Washington. An instance
OF the kind is known relating to an
important trip by a party of men to
Baltimore from Washington, and
later by another party from Balti-
more to Washington. This was a
Journey requiring courage, strength,
endurance, good knowledge of
|woodcraft, and It was done when no
steam whistle had ever been heard
At a point where the Post Office
Department now stands in former
days there was creek flowing
through the low ground, bordered
with trees. At about this point there
was a good spring, a fountain visited
by many passing that way. A very
large sycamore tree stood near, and
for years and years this was a land
mark.
In the early days serious floods
early merchants found it necessary
Ito remove their stock to the second
floor to save it from total loss The
river tides in the past have often
lreached torrential flood several feet
lin depth all about this section. in
front Of the Post Oh1ce Department
The trails established by the Indi-
ans either represented a short cut to
some given point or one that was best
on account Of high Wster' .st 10. nx 1t must Tst
area q river OF such magnitude As
the Potomac and its tributaries dur
ling the season Of heavy rainfall be-
comes inundated. ana established
lines OF communication peCoIuo sew
lered from their terminals. Along this
lime of reasoning our engineers and
surveyors followed the Identical trail
made by the Indians, and our rail-
roads were built whore they are for
the same reason that the Indians es-
ltabIished q trail there.
Sea level Is g. matter of. guesswork
lsometines, but when yous2waken In
the morning and find a sea In your
front yard. your back yard and In
the fields, and oil about you, you
|guess you're in q bad way, a nooo
has not been experienced In Wash
lington for many decades This Is
due to the highly skilled work done
lby our engineers, who have pumped
the fiood-making qualities out of the
bottom of the river and converted II
Into beautiful fields of green grass
|fiowers, shrubbery, trees, drives
walks, flowing fountains and bathing
beaches. This Is welfare work.
Department now stands In former
Much important work has been done
and great progress has been made
through the efforts Of the Post Once
Department in building new roads. re'
pairing old roads, building and repair
Ing bridges and establishing better lines
Of communication in all parts of the
country. And so yesterday and today
are only separated by time, and tint
moves on with its events in turn
what will writer's In the year 200,
lhay0 to say about ~ Of 1924f
FRANK McCARRQN,