Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-04-22
Capital Sidelights
By Will P. Kennedy.

~ W1u +. hennedy.
Outgoing President Andrew Jackson
and President-elect Martin Van Buren,
rode to the Capitol on March 4, 1887,
in an elaborate phaeton constructed
from oak timbers taken from the frig-
ate Constitution. 1t had been made
in Amherst, Mass, and was the gift
Of so admirers. There was a single
seat for two persons, with big box
seat for the driver in front draped with
a deep hammer cloth" The implanted
wood was highly polished, and the beau
tiful grain was brought out by a coat
Of varnish. On either side was panel
displaying a representation of "Old
Ironsides" under full sail This equi-
page attracted great attention along the
mile stretch from the White House
to the Capitol. 1t was drawn by Gen.
Jackson's four iron-gray carriage horses
with brass.
The old hero, Jackson, had risen from
a sick bed against the protest of his
physician, to participate in the inaugu-
ration Of his personally selected sue
cessor. At the Capitol, he stood lean
ing on his cane with one hand, holding
in the other his crepe-bound white fur
hat. With Mr.. Van Buren, he then
returned to the White House and en-
dured a three-hour reception. Later
there were two inaugural balls. Tired
visitors at midnight sought vainly for
beds; hundreds slept on bundles OF hay
in the market place, and it Is recorded
that party Of distinguished Bostonians
camped out in the chairs and on the
floor of a BARRIERS shop.
It Is far cry from the swimming
pool solarium in the White House to
the days when President John Quincy
Adams used to walk out early in the
morning and battle in the Potomac
River lin state of nature" 1t is writ
ten history that one day, after arising
at am, making his own fire and
reading his Bible, he betook himself to
the cooling river water. only to find
when he emerged that some one had
walked of with his clothes. And there
was amazement at the Executive Man
sion when small boy vigorously rang
the front door bell, demanded to see
Mrs. Adams, and blurted out that a
short, fat, baldheaded man was stand
ing naked on the riverbank and had
yelled at him to tell Mrs. Adams to
send him a suit of clothes. That was
120 years ago.
VI ~ Lott
adjacent metropolis to his native Brain
tree, made the use of bathtub illegal
save by advice of a physician. Other
large cities-Hartford, Providence and
Wilmington-puta heavy water charge
on the use of bathtubs. The first White
House bathtub was installed for Presi-
dent Fillmore in 1850 by Harper Il
Gillespie of Philadelphia, and it was
replaced during President Clevelands
administration. The Stephen Girard
estate installed bathtubs in a row OF
model houses between 1832-1837. But
the water rate for bathtub then was
So a year, and their use between No
vember l and March IS was prohibited
as health measure.
One of the most humiliating punish
ments ever inflicted on a Washington
correspondent was ordered by Gen.
George G. Meade, commander in chief
of the Army of the Potomac in the
Civil War, who won the Battle of
Gettysburg, July Is, 1858. It was soon
after Lincoln had presented Ulysses s.
Grant with the revived commission of
lieutenant general and personal instruc-
tons to beat Lee and the rebel army
In his own way. On Marcn 4, Grant Or
dered forward movement and Gen.
Meade crossed the Rappahannock with
his Army, 117,000 strong. It was under
stood that Meade hesitated to cross the
river, but Grant peremptorily ordered
him to move forward. Edward Crapsey,
who had been connected reputably with
several newspapers sent dispatch to
a Philadelphia paper stating that Meade
had been ION the point Of committing
great blunder," but that Grants order
had saved the day and the Nation"
Meade ordered that Crapsey be arrested,
paraded through the lines Of the Army,
with placard marked "libeler Of the
press" then put outside the lines and
not permitted to return-which was
done and Crapsey sent back to WASH
ington.
Thomas Bracket Reed Of Maine, one
OF the all-time-great speakers, once de-
clAred, sarcastically-"the wisdom of
this world consists Of shouting with the
majority"