Evening star., 1928-11-25
Fifty Years Ago. J.
In The. Star. y. !:

Half century ago washington suf-
fered in common swtth many other
cities from visitaaons
Tramps Of. trainps. They were
ABROAD. South at this time Of
year, seeking warmer regions and great
er comforts. The Star Of November 20,
1878, has the following paragraph: ! E,
1.-THE extraordinary increase Of tramps
and suspicious persons on our streets
recently has attracted public notice and
the attention of the police has been di-
rected to 1t. It Is believed that many
of the robberieS and other lawleSS acts
committed almost nightly Is the work OF
these tramps. They wander about from
one precinct station to another, apply
ing for lodgings up until o'clock In the
morning. Yesterday Maj Morgan gave
instructions to his lieutenants to put
charges Of vagrancy against every one
of them and set them to work on the
District farm, where they may earn
their rations. The result of it was that
so were brought into the Police Court
emily able-bodied men. The personal
bonds of about dozen were taken and
the rest were sent down."
*
1t was recognized so years ago that
horsepower was not adequate for
rapid transit pur-
Compressed poses. The Star of
Air Cars November 81, 1878, has
AS' the following on the
subject:
"The street cars need some faster and
more reliable motor than horsepower
to enable them to compete successfully
with all kinds of travel with the ele-
waited railways and other rivals. The
search for this motor Is unceasing.
Steam motors of all kinds have been
tried. A fireless locomotive, using
steam that may be stored In tank till
consumed, was one of the more success
full experiments. An engine, driven by
compressed air, which Is stored in
cylindrical boilers of steel, extending in
some cases under the seats and in 9TH
erS under the body of the car for its
whole length, has been in practical op-
Grafton for some months. When the
motor Is once charged, it will run for 10
or IL miles, The movement Of the car
thus driven Is said to be easy and
pleasant. and. there Is no annoyance
from heat or. disagreeable odors. The
mechanism of the engine Is so simple
that 1t may be easily managed by one
man and skilled labor Is not required.
The original cost of this motor is said
20 be less than that of common car
and the necessary teams of horses. Cars
fitted with this motor are, 1t is said,
quick to stop and to start. can go for
ward and backward, and can carry more
and run faster than the ordinary horse
car"
The following letter in The Star Of
November %, 1878. touches upon a
practice of children
Police and prevalent here as else
ponNrns where half century
NVnC'' ago and not entirely
outlawed by time or law in these days:
For a month past nearly every night
a parcel of children have had bonfire
on the lots at the corner Of Maryland
avenue and First street east. It strikes
me that the police ought to stop it for
three reasons: First, 1t Is dangerous to,
the children. have read no less. than
two accounts Of little girls being burned
to death by their clothes taking fire
from bonfires like this-the last in The
Star Of Friday or Saturday. Second, 1t
property in the vicinity. there
being a stable about which is more or
less litter liable to be ignited by the
sparks these windy nights. Third, it Is
a wicked waste Of fuel that poor people
would be mighty glad to have during
the coming Winter. 1t strikes me that
our police pay less attention to such
matters than in any city ever saw.
and am pretty familiar with most of
the cities of the North and West. In
fact, during the ID years that I have
lived in this and the adjoining square,
/ have not seen a policeman in the
on the average. once a.
month. Weekly rapes and from two to-
three robberie2 per night seem to be