Evening star., 1943-12-12
Fifty Years Ago

The front page of The Star Of so
years ago, the issue of December IL,
1893, to be precise, showed a startling
headline-one that might seem more
appropriate in the Ber-
THE Poles liner Tageblatt of today.
A,.. co" THE Poles Must Co."
read the caption; but
they were power poles. The overhead
wire must go underground. The attor-
ney for the District, in an important
opinion, rendered to the Commissioners
today, comes out aat-footed for this
and takes occasion to give a strong
argument in support Of his position, to-
gether with the law on the subject. The
Commissioners, who are a unit regard
ing the removal of overhead wires, were
much gratified by the opinion of Mr..
Thomas" The opinion was forced by
an application Of the United States
Electric Lighting Co. for permit to re-
new worn-out poles along a route where
the company also maintained under
ground wires, offering clear choice be-
tween the two methods and an oppor-
tunity to convert from one to the other.
Trouble loomed for management and
patrons of the Ivy City race track, pro-
posed to be open for winter racing. Ac-
cording to law, gambling was forbidden
within one mile of the
Trouble at city limits, and Ivy City
H., c;t, was squarely on the line.
~ Said The Star of Decem-
Der Il, 1898: The survey requested by
District Attorney Birney in connection
with the proposed winter race meeting
at the Ivy City track has been made by
the engineer department of the District
and In map submitted this afternoon
to the district attorney the survey shows
that the greater part of the track and
grounds are within one mile of the city
limits" The betting ring was included
in the forbidden area and there was
some talk of moving it to point just
outside the limits. The district attor-
ney, however, was of the opinion that If
the horses themselves raced anywhere
in the prohibited zone, they thereby
Illegally would contribute to, and affect
the result of, gambling Later, the track
opened and bookmakers were arrested.
A brilliant but fallacious future was
predicted for the Chesapeake and Ohio
Canal, in dispatch to The Star of De-
cember II, 1893, from Cumberland:
THE Chesapeake and
= r ,;,t,
r,,,, opened to this city on
October 10, 1885, and
which was nearly wrecked by the flood
of June /, 1889, is about to have a new
lease of life, as there Is no doubt that
the experiment of using electricity as
mode of propulsion for boats will be
tried during the coming year" Coal
was the principal freight hauled, and
visions were entertained Of taking the
major part OF the traffic away from the
railroads. Improved railroad operating
methods did much to keep it vision.
=
National interest was centered on the
opening, in Chicago, of the trial of
Prendergast, the assassin of Carter
Harrison, Mayor Of that city. The Star
of December 13, 1893, in
An Assassin wire from Chicago, re-
~ T~;.J lated: Assistant States
Attorney Trude opened
the trial of the Prendergast case this
morning with an address to the jury in
which he outlined the plan of the
prosecution. The opening sentences Of
Mr.. Trudes speech we're devoted to an
eloquent tribute to Mayor Harrison,
with reference to the similarity of his
assassination to those of Lincoln and
Garfield