Evening star., 1936-02-09
By John ClageH Proctor.

- in Washington, at a reason
able price would undoubtedly find
the condition just about the same If
the Congress we're to meet in any
other city. Indeed. the question OF
providing Accommodations for men,
bers of Congress and their families
is an old one, and dates back to
the very beginning of the city, when
the second session of the Sixth Con-
gress convened here on November
II, 1900.
AS might be supposed, there were
few hotels at that time in the Federal
Capital. Except for the usual num-
ber of patrons that came this way
now and then, for this purpose,
Georgetown, Alexandria and perhaps
Bladensburg were amply provided
with inns, taverns and a few places
that might be dignified with the
name hotel.
At this time, there were 16 States
in all, and, as the States had two
Senators each, just as they have
today, there were consequently, 80
members Of the Upper House.
In the Lower House there were
1O8 Representatives in all, and,
strange to say. Virginia, Massachu-
sets and Pennsylvania had larger
delegations thar did New York, which
then had only 10 Representatives,
while Massa chusetts had IA and Vir-
ginia 10, and that vast area known
as the Territory Northwest of the
Ohio River had as its first delegate
William Henry Harrison, who Al years
later became the ninth President of
the United States.
The corner stone of Washington's
first hotel was laid on July 4, 1893.
little more than two years after the
corner stone of the District of Colum-
bia was laid, off Jones Point, Alex
andria. 1t was given the name Union
Public Hotel, though by some called
Union Pacific Hotel However, it
became generally known as Blod-
gett's Hotel or the Great Hotel.
Samuel Blodgett, jr., whose fertile
mind was back of this scheme, ap-
parently secured the acquiescence Of
the Commissioners in the project to
erect the building by lottery. At any
rate, it was widely so advertised.
James Hoban, architect of the White
House, prepared the plans for the
building, which was to cost 0,000.
THE laying of the corner stone was
one of the big events of the
early history of Washington, and was
participated in by the Masonic Fra
ternity, and about 1,500 other people
we're present and were later enter
tanned at barbercue.
The building, which stood on the
north side of E street between
Seventh and Eighth streets, was never
entirely completed, and in 1910 was
bought by the Governmer as a home
for the Post Office Department. Here
were also housed, Tor a while, the
City Post Office and the Patent
Office.
The drawing fol the lottery was
set for September 2U, 1893, but prior
to this date, the Commissioners dis
avowed any responsibility in the mat
ter and secured a declaration to this
effect from Blodgett and William
Deakins, jr., one of his associates in
the enterprise. After the drawing
was held it was found that Robert
S. Buckley, of Philadelphia, was the
holder of the winning ticket, which
had been bought at the speculative
price of $11. 1t remained. however,
for Bickley to collect, which he did
through several suits, and probably.
by 1918, succeeded in obtaining judge
ment for the entire value Of the
building as originally advertised,
$4,000.
Reflections against Blodgett's sin
cerity in connection with the lottery
scheme are surely not entirely well
founded. Ind, ed, he lost about every
thing he had, and died in Baltimore
In 1914 substantially destitute. For
tunately for his wife, one Of his
agreements, transferring his property
to trustees as a guarantee for the
proper conducting of the lottery, was
not signed by Mrs. Blodgett, and it
was not long before she sued for her
dover right, and the Government,
which had in the meantime bought
the hotel building and completed 1t
for Office purposes, found it con-
venient to settle her claim by paying
her annually $333.33 for life.
Other suits were later filed, and
It was only little over two months
ago, when the writer was talking over
the Blodgett claims with George H.
O'Connor, that he met upon that oc-
casion in MIR. O'Connor's office the
late Mat Horn, for the last time
but maybe not, who knows? Never
theleSs, suits over Blodgett's property,
in one form or another, were still
being decided many years after the
death of this original proprietor, who
once held title to a large tract of
land In the northern part Of the city
known as Jamaica.
THE failure to complete this hotel,
- naturally, must. have been dis
appointing to the Members of Con-