Evening star., 1936-02-09
Sleigh Racing on the Avenue
Told in Georgetown Chronicle
RigOrs of Other Winters Recalled us
Historical RecOrds-LOcOnOtiUe
Crosses on RiUer Ice.

everything before 1t, even strongly
built stone houses and stables erected
too near the rivers bank. The East
ern Branch of the Potomac In those
days was used by mariners as the
channel for their incoming ships, but
so great was the force of the freshet
Of 1784 that 1t tore open the western
branch Of the river to such an extent
that a new channel from "27 to 80 feet
deep" was chiseled which would have
admitted the passage of an Indiaman"
up to the wharves of Georgetown by
this route.
OF personal experien which Mr..
Jackson had during the long, severely
cold Winter Of 1831-32 we are told in
graphic fashion. He was a pupil in
Mr.. Hallowells School in Alexandria.
On January 20 of that Winter, after
two-night freeze" he came down to
the water front with his skates. with
the thought that he would attempt to
cross over by the Long Bridge. Upon
arriving at the bridge he found that
no track had been broken for the
feryboat, but, not liking to turn back,
although it was considered impossible
to cross the river on the ice, as 1t is
more than mile wide at this point,
he put on his skates, took a branch of
tree in his hand "for safety" and
finally made the opposite shore, to
the satisfaction Of the crowd who had
gathered to watch what he describes
as his "foolhardy venture" As you
read oyer the description of his skating
over ice so thin that it would crack
and bend under his boyish weight,
and Of his distinctly seeing the leaves
and twigs floating" under his feet, you
sigh with him in satisfaction at his
making the Washington shore in
safety and understand his not being
willing to make the return journey for
the wealth of Stephen Girard, the
philanthropic capitalist of his day.
1885 Winter Was Cold.
The Winter of 1885 also was an ex-
tremely cold one, so Mr.. Jackson tells
us, with the boys all out skating from
the Hallowell School on March 8, and
the Potomac River sufficiently frozen
over to permit them to play handy"
and prisoners base" with ease upon
the thick ice.
If Winter severity we're at a pre-
MUM, that Of 1840 would. come in
for distinction, for we are told that
the ice broke in the Potomac on
February 10, carrying away the Chain
Bridge and the draw of the Long
Bridge.
February IL. 1841, made history as
the coldest day of that year. its severity
being well remembered by Geoge-
townians generally, as it was the day
that Gen. Harrison paid the town a
visit just before he was inaugurated
President of the United States, and
many members of the Welcoming
Committee almost had their ears and
feet frost bitten in connection with
their duties as patriotic citizens and
cordial hosts.
The present drive against speeding
and collisions in Washington, despite
the inevitable casualties attendant
upon icy streets, undoubtedly owes
its success to the summary dealing
with miScreants which is being meted
out by our city authorities, if we
are to judge by naive account of
speeding on Pennsylvania avenue dur
ing the severe Winter of 1857. Sleigh
ing, it would appear, was the city's
chief pastime, as well as means of
vehicular locomotion Fleet horses
were brought on from other cities
to race on Pennsylvania avenue, and
when the drivers would be arrested
for driving at an improper speed they
would pay the fine, crack the whip
over the head of the justice, and go
1t again.
Our chronicler further relates that
the Winter of 1857 was the one dur
ing which locomotive was run across
the river from Maryland to Alex
andria and that sleepers and rails
were laid upon the ice at Havre de
Grace across the Susquehanna River.
Upon them he claims trains of cars
crossed over for more than a month.
He also Is of the opinion that one
extreme Is liable to be followed by
another, so we may use our imagina-
tions, if this be true as to the Sum-
mers that followed these Winters that
have been described, and try out the
theory with our own judgments as to
the kind of Summer we are likely to
have in washington upon the heels
OF the present Winter.