Evening star., 1935-04-28

quite likely George Christopher Boil
linger.
Congress later appropriated sl44,S0O
for the wounded and disabled.
COMING down to more recent
~ date, the Terra Gotta wreck OF
December 30, 1905 - on the same
branch of the Baltimore & Ohio Rail-
road as occurred the accident Of a
fortnight ago-was due to a rear-end
collision, when train No. 66, standing
at a siding at Terra Gotta station.
4 miles from the center of the city
and within the District Of Columbia,
was telescoped by another train. The
deaths at the time Of this wreck were
placed at 43 and the injured at 30.
Still more recently was the Knick-
erbocker Theater disaster cf January
%, 1922, with its startling loss of 96
lives, which included in the promi-
nent list Edward H. ShaughneSsy.
Second Assistant Postmaster General.
The number of injured was very high
This accident was directly due to
a fall of Is inches of snow, the weight
of which caused the roof Of the thea
ter to fall in. the balcony being also
carried into the orchestra by the i'm
pact. The rescue work was carried
on under great difficulties, due to the
almost impossible streets caused by
the heavy fall of snow: and it was
several days before all the dead bodies
could be reached and removed.
MUCH has been said Of the bus acci-
A'A dent at Rockville which occur
red a little over two weeks ago, but
not so much has been said of the lit
tie town of Williamsport. Md, with
its historic background, where resided
the IA high school pupils who were
so suddenly taken away on the
11th day of this month.
Roughly estimated. this little town
of about 1000 inhabitants is about rs
miles from Washington. 1t is on the
Potomac River, in the lower part OF
Washington County, and when site
was being sought for the Nations
Capital this embryonic village, at
that time, was q bidder for the honor,
not knowing, Of course, that II Its
request were granted, and the Capt.
tai were moved there, that the po-
litical franchise of its people would
be lost, Just as 1t was lost in George
town and in other parts Of the Dis
trict of Columbia, because Maryland
did not protect the political rights OF
its residents when it ceded its part
of the 1O-mile square to the Federal
Government
Nevertheless, 1t did, unconsciously
as to results, petition the Maryland
State Legislature for its aid in Sc
curing the Capital. and is recorded
ss having said:
"The subscribers, citizens Of Wash
ington County, most respectfully rep
resent that the law Of Congress re-
specting a district for their perma-
nent residence presents us with an
occasion to hope that the said dis
trict may be located in this county;
and as we are willing to make every
contribution toward the necessary &C
commodation of Congress that can
reasonably be expected or that our
circumstances can afford. we pray
that the General Assembly will be
pleased to pass an act agreeable 10
the aforesaid law Of Congress and the
Constitution of the United States, to
appropriate a district 10 miles square
within this county, wherever it may
please the President to make the loca-
ton. And we will ever pray, etc"
Williamsport was shown every con-
sideration, and we are told that Presi-
dent Washington, much to the de-
light of the busy but patriotic towns
people, paid them visit in order to
see what the advantages Of the sit
alton were as a suitable location for
the Capital.
UOF COURSE" as scharf, the his
" torian, says, "the Presidents
visit was a great event for Williams
port. He arrived on the evening Of
the 18th of October, and a Hagers-
town paper, in a brief account of the
visit, states that he was in most ex-
cellent health, and was received with
every demonstration Of affection and
gratitude.