Evening star., 1942-02-08
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star
The year 1892 was an election wear

ana, as Is usual, there was much specu-.
lation about the presiden-
BIoine tial candidates of the two
Declines major parties. The Star of
February observed: The
letter OF Mr.. Blaine announcing that he
would not be candidate for the presi-
Dental nomination and that his name
would not go before the convention has
not occasioned surprise at the Capital,
though there are many who deeply regret
his decision. 1t can scarcely be said
that the letter was expected, but it has
long been regarded as extremely prob
able that such letter would be written
before the Republican National Conven-
ton should meet. :. 1t was clear to the
mind Of every politician that the choice
would lie between Blaine and Harrison
and that IT. Mr.. Blaine postponed the
announcement until the last moment
and then declined to be a candidate it
would insure the nomination of Mr.
Harrison. There are a number of men
who would like to take the field against
Mr.. Harrison who would not venture to
>AAs>A SSAAsSoS "Atll V1l Us a
rival. These men and their friends have
been very importunate to know what Mr..
Blaine intended to do. This, it is be-
lieved, is the reason for his making an
early announcement, and it is expected
that there will be many entries at the
Minneapolis convention"
There were, but President Harrison
won the nomination 1t meant little.
however. Grover Cleveland, the Demo-
Garlic nominee, won the election in No.
vember.
Fifty years ago there was week end
OF disasters. One reported by The Star
of February 8, 1892. concerned
Hotel the loss by fire of the Hotel
E;,s Royal in New York: From
careful examination of the hotel
register and the journal which was fur
nished by Night Clerk Underwood the
number of persons in the building when
the fire broke out was 152 OF these
eight are known to be dead. Eighty-one
were rescued by the firemen. assisted by
citizens. before the walls collapsed, and
sixty-one are still missing"
Another much greater fire, although
involving no known loss of life, occurred
in Memphis. A dispatch,
Bio Fire printed in The Star of
In Memphis Feb February ,;2,s . said: IT,: The ne
$50 last night is now beyond control and
gaining rapidly on the firemen. The
fire started at the corner of Monroe and
Main streets and leaped across Monroe
to Luthermann's Hotel; reaching Union
street, 1t turned east, and reaching Third
street, started north again. ;. Owing to
the lateness Of the hour it is impossible
to get an accurate statement of the
loss, but it will not fall short of a mil
lion dollars"
1t was a field week. for shipwrecks.
The Star of February 6, 1892, told OF the
wrecking Of the Greek
Shipwrecks steamer Embiricos in the
Galore OCllly 1SlduQS, anu tle
grounding Of the Norwe-
gian vessel Loo Choo in Queenstown
Harbor. The British vessel Parkgate
was stuck in Buttermilk Channel, New
York, and the Venezuela in the Brigan-
tine shoals of the Jersey Coast No less
than two ships went ashore at Cape
Henry, Va, both being bound from Liv-
erpool to Baltimore, the Polychian and
the Polynesian.
The Star of the same date printed a
scientific article on the problem of flight,
entitled with Gauzy
with wings" SUGGESTING
Gouzy Wings" that the flying ma.
chine Of the future
would be designed on the principle OF
insect flight and not bird flight. Even
today. with bird-type flight common
place, there are inventors working, at
least on paper, on the idea Of rapidly
moving wings instead Of fixed surfaces
and propellerA