Evening star., 1942-05-24
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star
Fifty years ago the Board Of Distric,

FIFTY years ago the Board Of DtStr1ct
Commissioners was under the fre Of
Senator Mcmillan, chair
Sofety for man Of the Senate Dis
1keoters trict Committee. because
Of an alleged lack OF
safety precautions IN some Of the thea
ters Of the city. His letter. published
in The Star Of May II. 1892. reads In
part as follows: Whether the require
ments you have put upon the present
theaters are suficient to insure the safety
Of the public and whether the theaters
are using due diligence to carry out your
requirements is . matter Of which you
must judge. In view of the fact that
within two months four theaters have
been totally destroyed. and that less
than a year ago q coroners jury made
some very severe findings against the
Washington building authorities. I as
sumo that you appreciate the gravity Of
the present situation, and that acting
under the abundant authority you pos
sess you will adopt and enforce a system
Of building regulations which shall fully
protect the unusually large Washing
ton population which attends public
entertainments, which is housed In hotels
and boarding houses and which uses the
churches and schools" More stringent
regulations were adopted; but they did
not prevent disaster nearly 50 years later,
when on January %, 1922, the roof of the
Knickerbocker Theater collapsed under q
snow load and killed 90 people.
Congress was concerned with the prob
lem Of immigration. The Star OF May
%. 1892, reported:
immigration The immigration bill
LeaisIotion introduced in the
House by Representa-
tive Stump of Maryland ''' is offered
to Congress and the public as the only
measure which is likely to be successful
at this session . - Its provisions make
it obligatory upon captains of immigrant
vessels to deliver to the inspectors of
immigration manifests containing full
descriptions of the immigrants with par
ticulars as to their financial condition,
health, social status, etc. - The reso-
lutions of the committee on the subject
state that in their opinion 1t is mex
pedient to abolish the Office of superin.
tendent Of immigration"
The great relay bike race from Chicago
to New York was under way. Bulletins
of its progress were
ReIov published In The Star
BicycIe Rocs Of May 81. 1892: THE
relay riders reached
Batavia, N. Y, at / 40 this morning. $50
1t is understood that there has been
trouble in getting Syracuse bicyclists
to take part in the race. two clubs claim
ing the honor Of furnishing the men,"
The news from Europe concerned
mainly the celebration in London Of
Queen Victorias 73d
Queen Victories birthday. A dispatch
Birthdoy from London, printed
in The Star for May
IS, 1892, said: THE birthday Of Queen
Victoria was celebrated in London today.
80 There was very large gathering at
the Horse Guards parade, which included
many pIOVlI1ClAl aIlO IOl cl8u SleltOtS.
The American Legation and consulate
were closed and the Stars and Stripes
flew to the breeze. The American flag
was conspicuous in many parts Of Lon
don, flying over numerous shops and
hotels. The military display was, as
usual, the great attraction"
OF interest today Is An article reprinted
In The Star Of May n, 1892, from the
San Francisco Examiner:
Too Manv TT Is singular that the
Jononesa influx Of japanese has
been passed by with 50
little notice. . For many years they
have been coming in twos and singles,
but latterly there has not been q steamer
that has not had its quota Of Japanese
The people should be warned In time,
before the evil becomes so great that its
eradication may require harsh measures"
These words. spoken by the collector Of
the port, Timothy Guy Phelps, were,
accidentally or otherwise. prophetic Of
the present forced migration of the Jap
aneee in California.