Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-02-23
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

r., Washington, now be-
Street Railway fore Congress" says
Legislation. The Star OF February
20, 1885, that ought
to be struck out and many other things
that ought to be there have, no doubt,
been omitted, Intentionally or otherwise.
But in whatever shape any OF them
may pass there is one clause that each
and all of them should contain. The
District Commissioners should be en-
powered and required, after due public
advertisement, to sell the proposed fran
chise in each case, with all its privi-
leges and obligations, at auction or by
sealed proposal, to the highest bidder
and pay the proceeds therefrom into the
District treasury. There can be no good
reason assigned why any community
should give away for nothing an i'm
mensely valuable franchise merely to
make itself the bound vassal of a cor
poration forever The time for that sort
of thing should be regarded as having
passed away never to return. 1t is a
great pity that the companies now in
existence cannot be put on the same
footing or made in some way to pay Tor
the rich privileges which they enjoy
but since the past cannot be recalled
and its mistakes corrected. the future,
at least, ought to be provided for and
properly protected"
In view of the need of new bridges
across the Eastern Branch now urged
for consideration,
Eastern branch the following in The
Bridge Needed Star Of February 20,
1886, is of interest:
"A meeting of citizens interested in
the project which has been presented
to Congress to restore the old bridge
which formerly spanned the Eastern
Branch at the eastern terminus OF
PENNSYLVANIA avenue was held last eve
ming at McCauley's Hall, Capitol Hill.
DR.. S. A. H. McKim presided After
brief interchange of views committee
was named to take charge OF the sub
ject.
"The old bridge was burned in 1914
said one of the gentlemen present 1t
was burned when the British sacked
the city, not, however, by the British,
but by American soldiers who were COM
manded to burn it to prevent the British
crossing it.
"'That is what we are trying to find
out said Col. s. T. Suit; who burned
the bridge? Now let me tell you the
story of the bridge. When the British
entered the city a portion of the British
Army under Gen. Ross came over that
bridge. After the city was sacked ana
the Capitol was burned Gen. Ross MADE
a speech in which he said he would
eat his dinner in Baltimore the next
day or eat it in Sheol. Two young men,
Wells and McComas, heard this remark
and, taking their horses, rode down
through Maryland to North Point and
there waited. When the British Army
came along they fired from behind a
tree and killed Ross. The whole British
Army then fired on them and they were
riddled through and through. But to
70 back to the bridge. When the British
left the city, crossing the bridge the
second time, they burned it. I know
there is story that an American of1icer
was stationed there with instructions 10
fire the bridge when he saw the British
coming and that he did burn It,
"The gentlemen who advocate the
restoration of the bridge urge that 1t
will not only benefit property IN the
eastern section Of the city, but be of
great value and convenience both to
residents of the city and adjacent por.
lions of Maryland. The extension OF
Pennsylvania avenue across the bridge,
connecting with the river road there,
will, it is claimed, provide most in
viting suburban drive. The present Navy
Yard Bridge, which was built after the
other was burned. is, 1t is claimed, too
narrow for the travel which it has to
accommodate"