Evening star., 1938-07-31
BY John Clagen Proctor.

believed would happen. In.
deed, the early inhabitant-the man
we call "old-timer"-finds 1t hard
to keep up with the procession of un-
thinkable changes, so rapidly are they
occurring. For instance, who would
ever have believed that the Ninth
street car line would ever have been
abandoned? And yet within the year
not only has this happened, but all
the tracks from G street north have
been entirely removed, and the center
OF the street resurfaced And yet 1t
was this same car line that turned
much Of this street into a business
thoroughfare.
Originally this car line was a part
Of the old Metropolitan system. which
was chartered by Congress in 1864. At
flrst it extended only as far north as
Rhode Island avenue, but in 1873 it
was continued out to beyond Seventh
street and Florida avenue. Its early
route was a profitable one, and its
seven ana eight minute service during
the daytime, established as early as
1881, increased its patronage. The
cars started from where is now the
plant of the General Baking Co.,
2146 Georgia avenue, and here also
were the car barns and horse stables,
opposite which was the famous Chinch
Row, now only recalled in memory.
After rounding Florida avenue to
Ninth street the cars at frst passed
through an almost strictly residential
section until they reached G street. At
New York avenue the line intersected
the Columbia Railway, which carried
passengers principally to the execu-
tive departments in the vicinity of
the White House and to the Govern
ment Printing Office, at North Cap
itol and H streets. For while after
the Ninth street line was established
1t also passed at Ninth street and
New York avenue close to the old
Northern Liberty Market. which then
occupied part of Mount Vernon
Square now occupied by the Public
Library. The market was removed in
1872 ard the library first opened on
the site in January, 1908.
A FTER passing Mount Vernon
square. the cars passed the
Patent Office. the Masonic Temple,
the Critic Office and Lincoln Hall.
Crossing the avenue was Ford's Opera
House, and then came the commits
sion stores and the Center Market,
known almost the world over. Along
Constitution avenue (then B street,
and Missouri avenue. the route con-
tinued to Fourth street (until re-
Gently Four -and-a-half street,, pass
ing on its way the old Baltimore &
Potomac depot, where President Gar
field was shot July 2, 1881. This
site is close to where is now being
erected the National Gallery of Art,
the funds for which were supplied
by the late Andrew Mellon. South,
on Fourth street, the line extended
to the Arsenal grounds, where the
Lincoln conspirators were tried and
executed The steamboat wharves
were also nearby and many will re-
call the Mary Washington, the George
Leary, w. W. Corcoran, John w.
Thompson, Excelsior. Mattano, T. ".
Arrowsmith. Jane Mosely and the
Lady Of the Lake, the latter name
given, in Arthurian romance, to
Vivian, the mistress of Merlin Sir
Walter Scott used the title to one
Of his most celebrated poems.
At first these cars were OF the
one-horse, bobtail type, of which the
reader has probably heard much.
They were very small affairs COM
pared to the streetcars Of the pres
ent day, but the passengers were
more sociable then than they are
now, since the city was not nearly
so large and ones acquaintance more
extensive. AS boy, the writer
knew quite number of drivers on
this line-on which, for many years,
he can recall but few. among them
Henry Gladman and Phil Baker (both
at one time players on Washington's
professional baseball team and Wal
lace B. Lowe. The salary then was
about $l.25 day, and living costs
were proportionately as low.
tomac Railroad materially helped
to supply the revenue for the Ninth
street car line, as did the Center
Market, the commission stores, those
attending the theater at Ninth street
and Louisiana avenue, people attend
ing the shopping center (then at
Pennsylvania avenue and Ninth
street,, patrons of Lincoln Hall, en-
ployes of the old Post Office and Pat
ent ONCE and in summer river ex-
cursionists on their way to and from
the steamboat wharves. There were
always large crowds at the Scheutzen
Park when anything was going on.
The circus and other attractions car
ried on at Ninth and S streets helped
to swell the Golfers of the road
But the jingle Of the bell attached to
the collar of the old car horse will
never be heard again, nor will we
likely ever see again on this line the
electrical car that took the place of
Old Dobbin. In other words, the
buggy days are gone-but
not forgotten. Ninth street of course
Will always VIC oilc VI Jul IlllClpdl
streets and one of our historic streets
as well, for, indeed. it was the first
home of the Post Office Department in
Washington.
This building was located on the
northwest corner of Ninth and E
streets NV, and it was on this site
that the Post Office Department found
quarters when the Federal. Govern
ment moved to Washington in 1900.
Naturally, the requirements of this
branch of the Government were very
small then, compared to the enor-
NOUS needs of the present day, or
the building that then occupied this
corner would never have sufhced.
INVENTIONS and changes have
made conditions considerably Diff
ferent from what they were . hun
dred years and more ago. but human