Evening star., 1937-05-23
BY John Clagen Proctor.

AAieC1AASCllISi
~ which stood for many years
4, \ on the northwest corner OF
Seventh and D streets, which the
writer recently. saw, certainly depicted
most accurately what this part OF
Seventh street looked like during the
days Of the Civil War. It was a low
tWo-story structure, occupied by this
newspaper from 1918 to 1865, after
which it took up its quarters on the
south side of D street between Sixth
and Seventh streets, in the building
Z later occupied by R. O. Polkinhorn,
Tor many years one of Washington S
most prominent printers.
Next to the newspaper Office to the
west, the picture shows a building
with a curb roof, and to the north is
q three-story-and-attic brick building,
erected between 1880 and 184O, by the
proprletors of the Intelligencer pri-
marlly for the purpose of taking care
OF their congressional printing, of
which they had considerable at this
time. 1t is most likely that the COM
posing room and the press room for
their newspaper were also in this large
building, for it would hardly seem pos
slole that the smaller building at the
corner would have been adequate for
this purpose, since the Intelligencer
had quite circulation and was the
leading newspaper of Washington fCI
more than half a century.
TO THE north of the large building
referred to, facing E street, was
the home of Col. William Winston
Seaton, one of the editors in-chief of
the Intelligencer.
In the street in front of the news
paper Office on the Seventh street
side can be seen street-car tracks, and
as these were not laid there prior to
1852, the picture may be said to be of
about that date.
Opposite the Intelligencer Office, on
the northwest corner of Seventh and
D streets, was the book and stationary
store of Shepherd and Riley later
conducted by Germand Crandell. A
large sign in the foreground of the
picture indicates the location of this
store.
The National Intelligencer and
Washington Advertiser, as it was orig
lnally called, was started in this city
October 81. 1900, and continued un-
lnterruptedly until January TO- 1870.
From the first it was published trl-
weekly, its editor and publisher being
Samuel Harrison Smith. who trans
planted the paper from Philadelphia
to this city, and it is recorded that it
took just six weeks to make the trip
via the Delaware River, Cheapeake
Bay and up Nle Potomac. Upon
reaching Washington, quarters were
taken in a row of houses erected by
Thomas Law, on the west side of
New Jersey avenue between B and C
streets southeast.
The residence of Mr.. Smith and the
publishing Office were in the same
building. Later, in 1901, new quarters
were found for the paper on the south
side OF Pennsylvania avenue between
Sixth and Seventh streets northwest,
in one of row of three houses, erected
about that time. This block has
recently been cleaned and new
public building Is now in course of
erection.
1t was while occupying this spot
that Mr.. Smith, in 1909, took as a
partner in the publishing business,
Joseph Gales, jr., who had been en-
ployed by him for two years pre-
viously. In 1910 Mr.. Smith sold out
his interest in the paper to Mr.. Gales,
and the latter, in 1872, took into the
business his brother-in-la law, William
Winston Seaton. The partnership
then formed, continued until the
death of Mr.. Gales. which occurred on
July 81, 1860, at lexington, his
country home. He was in his 18th
year, and the interment took place in
Confessional Cemetery.
Col. Seaton, who built the E street
residence, before mentioned, and who
occupied it from about 1923 to the
time of his death, June, 1866. married
Sarah Weston Gales, daughter of
Joseph Gales, sr., and sister of Joseph
Gales, jr, and it was in this commodi-
Gus nome, that he entertained in
1924, the celebrated patriot, the
Marquis de Lafayette, when that dis
tinguished Frenchman visited this
country.
Col. Seaton served in the War of
16l2-15 and was in the ranks when
the office of the Intelligencer was de-
stroyed by the British on August IS,
1914, the day following the triumphant
entry of Gen. Ross and Admiral
Cockburn into Washington. It was
the admiral who took great pleasure
in destroying the Intelligencer's print
Ing plant and pulling down its build
ing, which he would have burned in
stead had it not been for the impor-
tunlties OF several women in the
nelghborhood, who said that if the
building were set on fire the flames
would spread to nearby property. To
this he is said to have replied, We'll,
good people, I do not wish to iniure
you. but l really am afraid my friend
Josey will be affronted with me if
after burning Jemmy's palace I do not
pay him the same compliment-so,
my lads, take your axes, pull down
the house and burn the papers in the
street"
ROTH of the noted editors of the
Intelligencer became Mayor Of
Washington. Mr.. Gales served from
1927 to 1929 and Col. Seaton from
184o to l849. Undoubtedly both men
were popular, and surely Col. Seaton
was also sympathetic, for during the
potato famine in Ireland in l845 and
1846, when thousands died from
starvation and hundreds of thousands
emigrated to America, and at other
times when Erin was in distress, he
always had kind word for the little
nation, whose people rendered such
valuable service in our own Ameri-
can Revolution and in all our other
wars as well.
The Seventh street block in which
stood the Intelligencer office is num-
bered 43l, and was originally laid off
Into IA lots, the newspaper Office
being on lots and 2. The square
was one of many included in David