Evening star., 1933-05-07
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

"The work of laying stone on the
Washington Monument will be resumed
next Monday" says The
MONUMENT Star of May /. 1888.
proorass There is sufficient stone,
marble and granite now
Oh the ground, cut and ready to be laid,
to raise the Monument 80 feet, but it
is thought advisable not to begin plac-
ing it in position until there is better
supply on hand. The laying of the
stone can be pushed much more rap
idly when the stone can be supplied.
Fifteen courses could be laid in as many
Gays, but then there would be a delay
for further supplies. Hugh Sisson, who
has had the contract for furnishing
marble until this year, yesterday sent
his last load. The present contractors,
the Lee Co. of Massachusetts,, are to
send their first shipment from their
quarries on the 4th of this month and
it is desired that good supply of this
shall be on hand before the work is
resumed. As the height of the Monu-
ment increases, the need for granite di-
minishes. so that when the Monument
is a hundred feet higher no granite
backing will be necessary
Furious cyclonic storms prevailed in
this country so years ago, doing great
damage. The Star of May 8, 1883 says:
The late devastating
studying tornadoes have set the
0yeiohes. actively once more at
investigation of the phenomena. with
view to the requirement of useful infor-
nation. The result of this study, so far
as yet presented to the public, is not Of
any great value. It consists of statistics
as to the number of destructive lorna
does or cyclones which have visited the
country in a certain period, the months
in which they have occurred, average
width of the path of destruction, etc,
but contains little or nothing of precau-
tionary value. If the students of mete-
geological science want to do them
selves credit and the country service,
let them find out how people may be
warned of the approach of one of these
death dealing clouds in time to escape
from its track A Western journal axio-
matically declares speaking of the cy-
clone: If its exact path were known,
few minutes would suffice to escape to
+, one side or the other. but this can
never be foretold.' It is not necessary
to foretel the exact path in order to
prevent great deal of injury. If the
approximate route of an approaching
tornado can be arrived at and the in
formation conveyed to the threatened
people very little in advance of the
storm, human life can be saved; for
statistics prove that the average width
of the path of destruction as narrow,
only about 1,085 feet, and therefore
half an hours warning would be in
valuable"
Four prisoners made their escape from
cells in the District Court Building on
the afternoon of May A, 1888. in un-
usual circumstances.
Escape OF The Star of the next
pr;so,ors day thus told the
story of the break and
its aftermath:
Yesterday afternoon. as soon as 1t
was discovered that four of the prison.
ers in the cell rooms below the Criminal
Court room had escaped, the police were
notified and the marshal's officers sent
out to get clue to the fugitives If pos
sible. The prisoners, from the state
ments made, acted upon no plan. but
the scape was made on the spur of the
moment. There were seven at the time
in the cell rooms and they were in
charge of Perry Carson, who was assist
ed by James Leonard. During the morn
ing, when some of their friends called
to see them, they asked for whisky, but
Carson said they could pass no whisky
in while he was in charge. Subsequently
the prisoners commenced singing, Car
son and Leonard being outside the cells,
seated one at each door. In a few
minutes the singing ceased and the door
being unlocked, Robert Chase was seen
in the act of climbing up the caging.
OF the prisoners, four had got out. 1t
was claimed that the ironwork was very
badly put up, the upper end Of the bars
not having been riveted. Today they
are being strongly riveted.
From the statements made, the bars
were first bent by Reddy White. who
was convicted of grand larceny and
Richard Hill, being the smallest pris-
oner, went out first, then Reddy White,
followed by George McCauley, charged
with assault with attempt to kill. Next
came James Waters, charged with
HOUSEKEEPING. McCauley states that
he walked down Four street
to c, to Sixth, to B, through the
Smithsonian Park and across the Long
Bridge, where he remained until night
and then returned to the city, when
he met Lucas, who went with him to
the fifth precinct station. He says he
had no intention of getting away. but
only wanted little lark. witch he has
had. Reddy White went > the jail at
] O'clock last night and gave himself