Evening star., 1946-06-23
BY John Clagett Proctor

here who can see, in their
minds eye. the site of the
Internal Revenue Building prior to
the removal of the buildings which
stood there for many years. Con-
stitution avenue, before its present
designation, was known as B street,
and a short distance to the north of
this was Little B street. Between
the two streets was vacant ground
used for years by the farmers as a
hay market. c street was formerly
at about the middle of the block,
and this street, together with Little
B street, was necessarily obliterated.
The excavating for the Revenue
Building was begun in the summer
Of 1928. One of the interesting
things brought to light toward the
Constitution avenue side Of the
square was a number of rows of
piles which showed the extensive
ness of an old wharf hidden from
view for so many years that no one
seemed to know just when they were
placed there. Although buried in
the earth for so long a time, they
had apparently undergone but little
If any deterioration.
AS the water at this point was not
very deep, it was not necessary to
use very large piles, and none of
those taken up seemed to be more
than 10 or II inches in diameter and
10 feet in length.
The writer was an eyewitness
when the excavation was being con-
Quoted, and it was interesting to
see where the different fills had been
made in this vicinity. At one place,
where the earthen wall had slid
away, exposing a clean fracture, at
least six distinct fills were discern
1ble, showing that the filling in of
the area had been going on for a
considerable time.
Coal ashes and oyster shells made
distinct demarcations, while brush
and twigs-still in good state of
preservation-and different colors
of earth indicated other fills.
Area Was Important
Despite the Sewage
To those who have for the last
several decades passed up and down
Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth streets
it would be hard to imagine how
really important this neighborhood
was at one time. No doubt the canal
did not at any time contribute to the
health -of those living nearby. OF
course, it was at its worst when it
was permittei to carry off the city
sewage, and how the people ever
stood it then remains a marvel
However, the vital statistics for 184C
give only 48 persons dying from
fever, as follows: Simple fever, l;
bilious, 4; typhus, /; scarlet, Al; in
fammatory, l. In 1841, the total
from this cause was Is and the fol-
lowing year it went up to 30.
Consumption then-or, as we now
call it. tuberculosis-cut some figure
in tfk death rate, II dying from this
cause in 1840, SIS in 1841 and 66 in
1842. Cancer and heart disease
formed a very small percentage in
the city's death rate then. In the
three years mentioned, only nine
died from cancer and three from
heart disease. It looks as though
our mode of living is responsible fol
the startling death rate today from
these cauGes. The population o1
Washington proper was 1854 in
1s40, and of the entire District
43,712.
There was difference then ir
deaths from accidents, only two be.
ing noted from this cause. But
when we consider that we are now
more than IL times as large as we
were then and that we are living ir
an entirely different age-an age OF
automobiles. airplanes and other
destructive forces-we will not find
our dath rate from accidents, al
things considered, as unusually OF
excessively large.
Until Washington was placed
under the present commission form
of fgovernment-temporarily in 1874
and permanently in 1878-the city
was divided into seven wards. The
first ward ran from Rock Creek te
fifteenth street, the second from
Fifteenth to Tenth streets, and the
third from Tenth to Seventh streets
embracing a larger area to the
north. The Internal Revenue
Building site is, therefore, just in.
side Of the eastern line of the ole
second ward, and an idea of the
former Importance of this section
may BE had from the fact that q.
early as 1917 one-third of the en-
tire population of the city resided
between the Capitol and the White
House.
AS much of the ground in tht
neighborhood was for a long TIM
covered with water, and the tid'
ebbed and flowed as far as G stree
and from Ninth to Twelfth streets
building operations were necessaril.
largely confined for years to area!
east of Tenth street and at placeI
north OF c street. In referring t,
this section a number of years ago
our esteemed friend, the late Jame
Croggon, who once wrote so enter
tainingly for The Star, said:
THAT section Of Washington soutl
Of Pennsylvania avenue, between
Ninth and Tenth streets, which 10'
years ago bordered Tiber Greek
now the scene of business activity
was for many years difficult to de
scribe. Indeed, most of thes