Evening star., 1935-01-20

tended to both sides of the Bladensburg road,
both within and without the District.
The old turnpike road leading to Baltimore
through Bladensburg. and having its starting
point at Fifteenth street and Florida avenue
northeast, was not completed until 1920, and
did not pay a dividend until 1891. An old
tOll-gate statement for the month of October,
1851. loaned the writer by Cecil Calvert gives
a record for this period of the business done
by the keeper of gate No. Of the Washington
and Baltimore Turnpike road.
At this date the total population Of the
District Of Columbia was 48, 366, made up as
follows: Whites, 10000; slaves 2,100; free COL
ored, 1900, and all persons in Georgetown.
1866. The totals for the month show that
ATS horses (Which included led horses) and
l06 riders passed this particular gate; los
carriages, 86 wagons, 43 carts and 941 cattle.
287 OF which passed In one day. The total
amount In tolls collected was $44.34 and the
tickets from gate had value Of 1856. The
gatekeeper, s. w. Wilson, certiies to the cor
rectness Of the addition and further, that on
November 8. 1851, he paid over to Mr.. Charles
B. Calvert $38.
A S THIS was only one of number Of high
ways leading into or out Of Washington
at this time, the number Of horses then en-
ployed in everyday life can be assumed as
considerable, and the fact that upon four sepa-
rate occasions, during the month mentioned,
as many as 287, 124, 1873 and 225 cattle were
driven along this road, can convey an idea of
the congestion that must have existed in our
streets in the days when cattle were driven in
this same way through Washington.
Today we see much to complain of, but with
In little more than SO years ago, in certain
parts of the city, when drove Of cattle hap
pened to overtake us on the highway We just
had to back into some ones yard and close
the gate after us, in order to save ourselves
from being run down and injured.
The chances are that Mr.. Rives contributed
IarQ6lV DrODOrtiOp tn
by Gatekeeper Wilson, for until Rives Station
was established, he necessarily had to do all
the travelling on horseback or in horse-dra
conveyance, and it is probable he travelled in
the former way, for 1t is said that when he first
came to Washington from Edwardsville he
came on horseback, bringing along his violin
and his trusty rife, and we are further told
that from the time he gave his horse into the
keeping Of the groom, friends focked about
him.
CPEAKING of the Rives rif1e-with which he
- was a dead shot-it was with one of his
pieces that Jonathan Cilley, a Representative
in Congress from Maine, was killed, when he
fought his celebrated duel with Representative
William ]. Graves Of Kentucky on Sunday, Feb
ruary "a, 1888. The latter, it seems, had some
difficulty in finding an acceptable rife, but
finally secured .44-caliber piece from Mr.
Rives.
It must have been good rifle for it had
been used by David Crockett for target prac-
tice, and it was so perfect that its owner was
known to have demonstrated his great accuracy
by shooting two balls in identically the same
hole. The Rives rifle, or the one used by Graves.
had an octagonal rfled 45-inch barrel, and a
total length Of 81 inches 1t had curly maple
stock, percussion-cap lock, set trigger and was
made in January. 1880, by Henry Deringer for
Mr.. Rives, for $50.
Cilleys rifle was not so large a piece. its