Evening star., 1937-03-14
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

Though the Forty y-ninth Congress
made no progress in the actual improve
po;1ra ment of the steam and
o street railway systems of
Prohlems the city" says The Star
of March 8, 1887, "it ar
ranged for the collection of information
necessary to the intelligent consideration
OF the matter in the early days of the
tlftleth Congress. The District has
much to hope from the labors of the
Senate subcommittee which will inveSti-
gate during the recess the whole prob
lem OF street travel in Washington. The
chairman of the subcommittee, Senator
ingalls,, has wide acquaintance with
District affairs, and intelligent appre-
citation Of the needs of the city and has
won the confidence and gratitude of
our citizens by living up to his duties
as legislator for the District No man
can in all his decisions meet public
sentiment exactly and invariably, but it
is great satisfaction to the District
to have legislators like Senator ingalls,
and some others in the Senate and House
who give thorough, impartial and in
terested attention to District matters
and who do not neglect it altogether or
attempt to grind from it's helplessneSs
some benefit to self, section or party.
In Senator ingalls, expressed views as
to the proper treatment of the steam
railroads entering the city, the District
finds great encouragement He favors
compelling the Baltimore e. Ohio Rail-
road to join its Metropolitan and WASH
ington branches outside the city and to
enter by single line In this connec-
ton it will be of interest and profit to
examine whether the connection can
not be so made and regulated that trains
on the two branches will not be eternally
humping together and sending pas
sengers flying through the air. The
present Y is a dangerous nuisance
Senator ingalls, would also clear Sixth
street of the Pennsylvania tracks, re-
move the station of that road south of
the Mall and restore the reservations
south of the Avenue to their original
continuity and harmony In this effort
he will have the hearty and unqualified
support OF the great body of District
citizens. Such declarations in these
days of railroad domination are refresh
ing and when made in behalf of the
District are free from even the suspicion
OF demagoguery and vote seeking. The
Senator also favors union depot. but
will not sacrifice the Mall to it. On this
point, too, his opinion is sound. The
Star trusts that he will be able to carry
his views in this matter into practical
effect and that the questions arising
concerning the street railways will be
treated with the same intelligence and
courage"
Going back ninety years from now,
The Star OF March 9. 1887, printed the
r, wy, following descrip-
AAeA ioioh I'LL ton of the area
In Early Days. @ Ina wa ,,os;ata In n n
Hill. north of Florida avenue and east
of Thirteenth street:
THE recent purchasers of property
on Meridian Hill have probably but little
idea how that place looked in l847. The
house was then on the eminence over
looking the city, but from the foot Of
the hill down to as far as P street north
there was a mass of bushes with bogs
and streams that extended from Rock
Creek to North Capitol street and were
known as the 'Slashes.' In the Slashes
every Fall was very fair shooting. In
deed, sportsmen often captured bag
full of birds in few hours. On the
east of Meridian Hill were the Columbia
College grounds and northWard was
Eslin's, a famous Wayside inn in those
days. At Eslin's was located the race
course, where the flyers of that date
tried to lower the record. To the east
and northward of the house on Meridian
Hill was an orchard of very respectable
ci