Evening star., 1943-11-07
Fifty Years Ago


with its chance to show how the politi-
cal wind might blow
Elee tion Strows during the presiden-
in the Wind tial election of 1896
Democrats, under
Grover Cleveland, were in office, but
were not too happy over the results of
the poll. Among numerous items on the
subject may be mentioned one appear
ing in The Star of November s. 1898:
Representative McMillin said today
that the victory of the Republicans in
Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota, Massa-
chusetts, Ohio and Pennsylvania was
what was expected. In New York how
ever, they did not expect any such ma
jority for the Republicans, and general
ly the Republican majorities that were
given were larger than were anticipated
''' He did not care to talk about the
causes"
X
The Star of the same day reported
Chairman Dicks statement from Co.
lumbus. Ohio: The
Mckinley Wins Republican victory is
Governorship. complete and unprec-
edented. McKinley's
plurality will probably reach 10000, the
greatest ever given any Governor except
John Brough and a more remarkable
revolution than even the enormous plu-
rality of the war Governor. All con-
gressional districts but two appear to
have gone Republican. The people have
spoken, and free trade is repudiated by
the greatest popular majority that ever
rebuked any political sophistry in our
history Others were not so sure that
the tariff issue was the main cause of
detection. Of interest later was the
shrewd prophecy appearing on the edi-
torial page of The Star of November
6, 1898: Mr.. Mckinley may, tomorrow,
furnish an important recruit to the
ranks of presidential possibilities" Three
years afterward, Mckinley defeated
William Jennings Bryan and became
the twenty-ffth President of the
United States.
Washington was treated to spec
tacular and safe" fire; safe in the
sense that there was
A Ship Burns in no chance of itspread-
the City. ing. According to The
Star of November 6,
1898: THE steamer w. w. Colt. which
since the close of the excursion season has
been lying off the Twelfth street wharf,
was totally destroyed by fire about 2:30
o'clock yesterday morning. When
the Fire Department reached the
wharves it was found impossible to
reach the burning vessel" The lack Of
fire boat would seem quaint today.
Perhaps it was Just as we'll that the
vessel burned when and as it cid. There
was a court order against it to vacate
it's location, as an obstruction to navi-
cation.
News from abroad concerned mainly
the repulse of the Matabeles, an African
tribe in rebellion against the British.
They could not stand up against Maxim
guns, fore-runners of the modern ma
chine gun.
Aviation again was in the spotlight.
The Star of November 4, 1893. printed
lengthy account, by the
FIy-by- -Nioht inventor, Frank Ham,
Affair ilton, of his scheme to
conquer the air The
article was illustrated, and it appears
that his aeroplane was to resemble
gigantic hollow cigar, with propellers on
each end, and airborne by five fiat sur
faces fastened to the body, one above
the other. Permit me now," he said ito
make my first contribution toward the
practical solution of the problem of
aerial navigation, after studying it at
various times during the past Is years"
He proposed to power his craft with a
steam engine, using oil fuel to start and
operate at lower levels while at higher
attitudes, where the air is thinner and
the suns rays more penetrating, he
would focus them IN a hot spot against
the boiler and thus get his fuel free and
unrataonsd77as long ~ the sun shone.