Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1933-04-16

along the Potomac, the fur trade.
and later the shipping OF farm
products, especially tobacco, brought to the
vharves of this old town craft from all over
the world which not only came here laden
with foreign cargoes. but returned with articles
for which there a demand in foreign
countries A foreign flag on our water front
is now a novelty; a. hundred years and more
ago the harbor at Georgetown like the one at
Alexandria. not complete unless dozen
or more flags of Europe were flying to the
breeze.
Occasionally vessel discharged its cargo at
some other point and proceeded under ballast
to GEORGETOWN for its return load. OF course
we had quarantine officers and quarantine regu-
Iations in those days, but there was not the
same rigidity of enforcement that is exercised
now and the history of the Colonies-and later
of the States-recCrds a number of scourges
and pestilences directly attributed to the i'm
portation of foreign goods and to ballast carried
by ships entering our ports.
Richard P. Jackson, one OF the foremost
chroniclers of Georgetown. tells OF an occasion
when the whole town was infe 5ted with ants
from the West Indies, which were not only
destructive at the time. but whose descendants
are probably carrying on the work today left
undone by their little bug fathers Of nearly q
century ago, although the chronicler tells us
none survived. To use his own words
John Laird g. Son, tobacco merchants OF
our town, who shipped large quantities OF to-
bacco every year to Europe in brigs or barks.
had ordered to Georgetown some vessels in
ballast to be loaded with tobacco. The vessels
came and threw out their ballast on the
wharves at the foot of Frederick street. This
ballast contained a large number Of ants. taken
on board in the West Indies, and being cast
into town in the Summer season, they multi
piled by thousands and millions. and entered
into every store and dwelling, they multi
piled and marched onward Cue north. Never
having gone east of Potomac street, they in
tested the walls of buildings and concealed
themselves in the cracks and openings. The
chronicler has many times struck With stone
brick stone wall when thousands would
come to the surface and run in every direction
Their bite or sting was painful and such q
nuisance had they become to the property of
the citizens (depreciating it in valued that our
corporation offered reward for their destruc-
ton by paying 81 per quart for all dead
ants brought to the office After paying out
several hundred collars, the cold Winter of
1840-1841 set in, which completely destroyed
them"
\ Ar. JACKSON also makes reference to an
wi event which occurred recently April,
1848, when the town was turmoil of excite
ment on account of the French leave taken
from the city by number Of slaves from both
sides of Rock Creek who were induced to make
their escape on the schooner Pearl hailing
from White Hall, N j. The attempted liberia
ton took place from the Seventh street wharf
early on Sunday morning, April 16, when fair
wind was blowing and when a good lead could
be obtained. BY 2 o'clock am. II slaves had
been taken notwithstanding 38 men, &c women
and Is male children-and anchor was weighed.
It indeed joyful Sabbath morning for
the fugtives and mournful one for some Of
the best families of Washington and George
town. who had to prepare their own breakfast
o. go to the hotel for bite to eat In recall
ing this incident one chronicler says:
"One expected mufins the second warm
rolls; and the third. buckwheat cakes and fried
chicken. No breakfast being ready the ladies
of the house went to what could the matter
be, when. 10 and behold, there was no Polly
to put the kettle on The fires were out and
the kitchens were dark and cold The servants
had absconded, and where had they gone was
the inquiry. 1t was discovered that a schooner,
named the Pearl, had few days before I'M
loaced her cargo of wood and sailed away in
the night, and was supposed to have carried
of all the runaway slaves"
At Georgetown the steamer Salem was
chartered, manned by picked men, armed and
equipped according to law, and was soon in hot
pursuit of the missing vessel. After day and
night it came upon the Pearl in Cornfeld
Harbor, near the mouth Of the river. The
capture was made without resistance and after
fastening down the matches and lashing the
schooner to the steamer, they headed for
Georgetown where they arrived in few days.
The captain, Edward Sayres, and Daniel Dray-
ton. who had quite probably engineered the
exodus of the slaves. we're brought to Wash
ington and committed to Jail. They were tried
at the June term, convicted and sentenced,
Drayton to pay 10 times $40 and Capt.
Sayres 70 times 500.
The defendants were represented by Horace
H. Act.