Evening star., 1943-09-26
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star.

Fifty years ago dangerous lunatic
managed to penetrate the inner defenses
of the White House and almost reached
President Grover Cleveland. AS described
in The Star of
''s''oe"' !" Sc tie m b er %,
Danger Of Attack 1893: This morn
ing at about 9:45
o'clock the timely appearance of Police
man Jacob Heller in the White House
prevented scene and a probable assault
on the President. There was a mys-
terious visitor in the Executive Mansion,
and how he got inside the building no
one knows. The man was not seen to
enter either the front or rear door. He
appeared in the hall on the lower floor
as suddenly as though he had come
through the ceiling" The rest of the
account is too long for reproduction here,
but it may be condensed into the state
ment that the intruder claimed to be
the son Of the President, and Policeman
Heller, following the usually advised
technique of dealing with maniacs, very
politely agreed and offered to conduct
him to the President, outside in the
gardens, where he was arrested. Later in
court he maintained that the White
House was his own personal property,
and as result was held for an inquiry
into his sanity.
Capt. Powell, Engineer Commissioner
for the District accused Congress of not
appropriating enough money to have
Washington well lighted. "Visitors to the
W.T.. National Capt.
"osnih9ton tai find an
lnodequoteIy Lighted ever present
topic in the
gloom which settles over the city after
nightfall," he was quoted in The Star of
September 25, 1893. only two or three
OF the principal streets are lighted by
electricity. There were in operation
at the close of the last fiscal year, 5,496
gas lamps, 322 electric arc lamps and TOO
oil lamps. The price for each elec-
trio light is $3.50, said to be the highest
price paid in the United States. $50 AL
though this condition of affairs has been
the subject Of bitter complaint Congress
shows no disposition to remedy it." 1t
Is interesting to note in this connection
that Washington is today lighted by no
less than 34,646 electric lights, the very
smallest being of so candlepower. and
that the cost to the city, which includes
the price of lamp and standards, varies
from SITS year to $45.1 year, accord
ing to the size and brightness of the unit.
Train banditry flourished to such an
extent that measures had to be adopted
to combat it, as described in dispatch
from Chicago to The Star of September
26, 1893: Armed men
''oPP"9 will accompany every
Train Bandits train hauling express
or mail cars from Chi
cago to any point East or South in the
future. Two roads have already deter
mined to arm their men, and in few
days orders will be issued by other roads
running into Chicago to supply Win
chesters to all trainmen connected with
trains hauling express cars. This has
been found necessary preparation
owing to trains carrying large amount
Of money"
X
Another form of protection was pro-
posed for ships under torpedo attack, as
mentioned in The Star of September Is,
18s3:. Seldom have there been so many
important experiments under
lorPeoo way at the United States
Defense torpedo station at Newport
as at present. Perhaps the
most important will be the testing of the
torpedo defense nets" Each ship was to
carry its own individual net in time of
war Many tankers use steel nets, which
at least slow up torpedoes, minimizing
their damage, and sometimes even stop
them completely. The main drawback
to the nets Is that they slow up vessels
too much.