Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-09
Capital Sidelights
ny WILL p. KENNEDY.

L
The entire afea in the National Cap
ital which Is undergoing so tremendous
q Transformation. unequaled in any
capital city in the entire history Of the
world. is OF historic interest. and daily
old landmarks are passing. Readers
of this column are repeatedly asking
for brief human interest stories of
these historic srets.
The recent wild ming OF Constitution
avenue between he new Commerce
Building and the Lincoln Memorial
necessitated the relocation and recon-
ditioning of the steae pillars carrying
the high-w water mark Of the District of
Columbia. The old stone pillar was
moved back about 20 feet TO the south
to make way for the new roadway and
| for the first time left the foundation
on which it rested during the famous
food Of June, 1889. The waters of the
Potomac River in the first week Of that
month rose higher than ever known
before All day on june 2 parts OF
the CITY were submerged and the entire
area to be occupied by the new Federal
buildings. in the heart of the city were
| inundated.
Pennsylyania avenue was flooded
from Second street 10 Seventh street
west and also in the aeighborhood OF
Ninth street. All the streets leading
south from Pennsylvania avenue be-
tween the Botanic Garden and the
Treasury were canals. The Easements
| water. The old Center Market House.
now demolished to make way for the
monumental Archives Building. was in
/ the center of a great lake. The waters
rose up nearly 10 the top step OF the
old Baltimore and Potomac Depot, long
since torn down.
x
The entire Mall triangle area. where
ths Federal building program Is in prog
ress, was more than century and q
half ago the happy fishing ground Of
the Indians who made their council
camp fire where the Capitol stands
today, Anthentic record OF the early
Indian councils here Is found In rare
! copy of THE Historical Sketches Of
the Ten Miles Square" published by
Jonathan Elliot in 1880. This Elliot
was forebear of Charles w. Elliot, Sd,
who is now city planner Of the National
Capital Park and Planning Commits
sion, engaged on the building OF the
Greater washington.
Elliot states on the authority Of some
Of the early Maryland settlers that the
valley at the foot of Capitol Hill,
mac and Eastern Branch, was period
ically visited by the Indians, who called
| 1t their fishing ground, and they as
| sembled here In great numbers, in the
| Spring months, to procure FISH. Green
| leafs Point was the residence of the
chiefs, and councils were held here by
the tribes assembled The location of
the Capitol is quite near the site of
the council house of the Indians.
| About $50 years ago fish and game
were plentiful in what Is now the heart
of the Capital City. seines were hauled
| in Tiber Greek on the identical
portion of its course now covered by
Pennsylvania avenue between Ninth
and Tenth streets, which viii soon be
| the site of the new Department of
Justice Building. All old buildings have
now been cleared from this site and
the monumental new structure will
| rise this Fall where the seines were
formerly hauled.
Canvas back ducks could be killed by
| the hundred and brought in the market
| about rs cents pair. The shad and
| herring fisheries on the Potomac were
1 Vi B4C0b NAAuC 40 - 1OAACC Va @C0tbAt W
| the owners of the landing. Three hun
dred thousand shad were often caught
! at the good landing on the Potomac
during Spring fishing, commencing
about the middle Of March and termi-
mating early IN May. Hall q million
herring were taken during the season
Sturgeon, q lone specimen of which is
| in the Bureau OF Fisheries aquarium at
its old location, Sixth and G streets
southwest, and win be moved 10 the
New Department of Commerce Build
ured as is the sacred goldfish In the
State House OF MassacilusettS-wer
common In the Potomac. The sturgeon
weighed from 40 TO $50 pounds.
y = y
The restoration of the old Ford
Theater Building, on Tenth street,
where the "Martyred Lincoln" was shot
| by James Wilkes Booth, and the acqui-
sltton by the Government of the famous
collection of Lincoln relics preserving
this as one of the shrines of the Cap
ital City. recall the old controversy as
to what happened to the horse that
Booth rode on that fatal night Care
| full research shows that Booth and his
companion, Herold, hired two horses
from two of the best stables Of that
day in the Capital These horses they
rode across the Navy Yard Bridge,
pursued by one of the liveryman's
helpers who did not know of the
assassination. After Booth had been
shot and Herold was a prisoner on
board gunboat, the latter told the
Government detective that they had
killed their horses in swamp in lower
Maryland. 1t was later revealed not
to be g. swamp, but q pine thicket.
They had concealed themselves there
| and killed the horses so they would not
betray their presence by neighing
Another claim is that the horse
which bore Lincoln's murderer out OF
the Capital had been confiscated, sold
at auction to the Soldiers Express Co.
Of New York. finally coming into pos
session of Col. John A. Peale of
Abingdon Conn, who treated it kindly
until it accidentally fell in q ditch and
was killed. Local liverymen disputed