Evening star., 1925-02-15

Not for many years has the WASH
ington Navy Yard been regarded as
a possible item in the defenses of the
Capital. This idea, however, was ad-
vanced in a measure
Navy Yard as by The Star half a
n>f.n century ago in its
OSA0AoS' further comments on
the proposal to abolish the naval es-
Establishments in this city, in its issue
of February 10, 1875:
THE gentlemen of the congress
sional committee who recommend the
abolition of the Washington Navy
Yard seem to forget that about SO
years since the Potomac bore on its
usually placid bosom number of
British warships which made things
rather warm in this vicinity for q
time and even compelled the Presi-
dent to take to his heels in flight to
get out. of. the reach of missiles of
death and destruction. How would
the Capital figure after the abolition
of the navy yard here in case of war
with a foreign country? 1t was dem
onstrated during the rebellion that a
feet of war vessels can run any
number of forts and batteries, and
consequently Forts Foote and Wash
ington would present no serious. OBJ
stacles to the passage of a feet up
such an emergency we were fortunate
enough to have a fleet of gunboats
between US and the advancing enemy.
they would be liable to be disabled,
and with no facilities here for speed
lily repairing them they might soon
become the prey of the enemy and the
Capital left at the mercy of the foe."
X X
Street railway companies so years
ago were trying to find a method of
protecting themselves from the pc
culations of their
Street Railway employees. But their
Bell Punches %ere aerseeI not to tnlf reissed sed
by the latter. In The Star of Febru-
ary IL. 1875, is the following on the
subject:
'The introduction of what is COM
monty known as the bell punch on
certain lines of street railways has
met with strong opposition from the
conductors, on the ground that Its in
PRODUCTION by the companies assumed
the dishonesty of conductors as a
class. This view has also been taken
by many others, but scarcely with
justice. A charge that the companies
regard all their employees as dishonest
is too sweeping. They doubtless be-
Iieve the great majority of them
trustworthy men, but are compelled
to recognize the fact that a few OF
them. and it is always difficult to tell
hich ones, are not entitled to their
confidence. Hence they apply a gen.
eral rule which they claim is effectual
against the cupidity of the few, while
1t ought not to be regarded as de-
tracing from the good name of the
many.
Aside from the objection to the
bell punch referred to, 1T is an
unhandy contrivance, as it Is worn on
the person Of the conductor, and all
improvements on it are in order. Two
street car lines in Brooklyn have
adopted new device which will
just as effectuaHy prevent peculation
as the punch, while not being as dis
tasteful to the conductors. Each car
contains at either end a clock-ltke
contrivance, on the dials of which are
numbers ranging from to 80. The
contrivance has hands like the hands
of. a clock and a strap. which hangs
from it.. when pulled rings a bell
within the instrument. The con-
ductor pulls the strap every time. he
collects a fare, and the event Is duly
registered on the face of the register.
But even this contrfvance would seem
to be open to the objection that pas
sengers might pull it by mistake"
X
The protest against carrying cleo
trio wires in the streets Of Washing
ton was sound so years
UnSlghtly ago. though the city was
n- not freed of these incum-
AVAeS. brances until several dec
ades later. In The Star of February
IL, 1875, Is printed.
1--WE have reason to complain in
Washington of the high handed and
insolept manner in which the tele-
graph companies take possession of
our streets and not only disfigure the
principal thoroughfares with the
huge, clumsy telegraph poles--or
rather logs-but also without ap-