Evening star., 1937-08-15
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Fifty years ago site for the new Naval
Observatory, the old one then standing
w., where the Naval Hos
@'"A pltal Is now, was
Observatory. chosen on the line OF
possible extension OF
Massachusetts avenue. The Star OF Au-
gust IL, 1887, says:
Captain Pythian, the superintendent
OF the Naval Observatory has recently
returned from New York, where he went
to look over the plans which are being
prepared by Mr. Richard M. Hunt the
architect. The plans, he says. will be
completed by the lst Of October and at
that time the proposals for contracts will
be made. Between 30 and 40 days will
be necessary to let the contracts and the
foundations will then be begun if the
weather is favorable.
Captain Pythian says that the style
OF the building will be severe and impos-
ing of characteristic architecture. so that
1t will be recognized for what it is when
seen from a distance and not be mis-
taken for country villa. 1t will be sit
uated so that it can be seen plainly from
that part OF the city near the Capitol and
will look we'll from various points. Speak
ing of the Massachusetts avenue extern
sion interfering with the observatory,
Captain Pythian said that to have the
avenue 60 where the Commissioners pro-
posed would greatly endanger the observ-
atory and that he had no idea that they
would ever be permitted to make the
extension in that way. The District
Commissioners had unofncially suggested
that they might make curve in the line
OF the avenue so as to take it 1000 feet
away. but in doing this they wanted to
locate the observatory at a point not
considered desirable by the observatory
officials"
The following letter printed in The
Star OF August Is, 1887, signed &C. E. D.
n, treats of the ques-
Oosel'atAohs on tion Of water
Water Witching. witchng':
In The Star Of
August 6, under heading of Common Err
rors Corrected l notice that the locali-
zation Of water by means Of forked
stick is given as one of the thousand
vagaries that gain credence.' Having
had some experience in 'water-witching'
I desire to say few words in its favor.
About fifteen years ago very dry Sum-
mer caused a great scarcity OF water In
that part of Illinois known as the Great
Half-Moon prairie John Wallace, a
prominent stock raiser of Woodford
County and one Of my neighbors, was
one Of the arst to need more water, but
before digging he sent conveyance some
twenty miles after water wizard to
locate the proposed well. The man came,
found a suitable vein Of water and told
It's approximate depth. Mr.. Wallace dug
at the indicated spot and found plenty Of
water and at the depth foretold This
fact so interested me that inquired into
the mans method, tried it on two wells
on my fathers farm and did some water
hunting for a number of neighbors. The
method was very simple. Get 4 green
peach switch of less than one years
growth, strip of leaves and grasp by the
smaller end at such place as when the
smaller end is held vertically the larger
end will bend over and lie horizontally
across the path of the operator. Then
walk about, holding the switch as steadily
as possible. On approaching an under
ground stream the switch will be drawn
toward 1t, When over the water the
switch will be depressed and. on going
beyond the water 1t will swing backward"