Evening star., 1952-06-22

NO doubt Tor two or three dec
AIDES after the District of Colum-
bia was taken over by the Federal
Government it was possible-at
least in some instances-for one
figuratively to step out into his
backyard and catch enough fish
for his breakfast, so plentiful
then were the streams of the
District supplied with this deli
cious and palatable food.
Though we know that at least
some of the streams of the Dis
trict were plentifully supplied
with fish. yet it really does re-
quire a stretch Of ones imagina-
ton to believe that at one time
during the early days of the city
they could be caught at Ninth
and F streets NV.
DR.. Samuel Clagett Busey, in
his washington in the Past"
tells us that years ago fish in
abundance were caught near
where the National Hotel now
stands, and as far up as the Ma
sonic Temple. corner of Ninth and
F streets"
Houling Seines Downtown
Martins District of Columbia
and Virginia Gazetteer, published
in 1885, tells us that within the
memory of many then living
"seineS have been hauled and fish
taken where stores now stand in
the part of Pennsylvania avenue
in which most business is now
carried on" This probably had
reference to that part of the ave-
nue. between Ninth and Tenth
streets northwest.
Christian Hines. a pioneer writer
on historic Washington, falls only
block short of F street when he
relates that when the tides were
high fish would come up the little
stream as high as E street, espe-
cially the smaller kind. such as
perch, smelts, eels. ETC."
It is the belief of the writer that
the source of the stream which ran
around Ninth and F streets was
in Franklin Square between Thir-
teenth and Fourteenth and I and
K streets northwest. In the mid
die of Thirteenth street was un-
earthed an old brick reservoir
placed there many years ago.
There were several springs in this
block and in its immediate vicinity
which, when their flow was joined
together, must have produced a
good volume of water.
The stream flowing from this
square flowed southwark, chang
ing to southeasterly coarse where
stands the Masonic Temple at H
and Thirteenth streets until it
reached Ninth and F streets, near
where it picked up St. Patrick S
spring, which helped to swell its
volume, and where it changed its
course to a southwesterly direction,
continuing on to below the Ave-
nue., where it emptied into the
Tiber.
tStreom Was Brood
An idea of the size of the stream
may be had from the recorded
statement of an old citizen, long
since dead, who said that about
1900 the only place it could be
forded with a horse and cart was
a little southeast of the corner
of Eleventh and H streets, where
the Lutheran Church stood.
John B. Larner told the writer
that the stream, after leaving
Ninth and F streets. crossed un-
der where is now the west end
of the Washington Loan & Trust
Building. St. Patrick's spring at
various times was also known as
Federal spring, Hotel spring,
Burnes' spring and Caffrey's
spring, the last mentioned name
being taken from that of Father
Anthony Caffrey, first pastor of
st. Patrick's Catholic Church.
st. Patrick's spring, according
to DR.. Busey, first attracted at
tention during the mayoralty of
Robert Brent, Washington's first
Mayor, 1802-1812, when it's water
was collected into a reservoir built
OF sandstone. From that reservoir
its water was conveyed in bored
logs to the corner of PENNSYLVANIA
avenue and Twelfth street. On
the capstone of the reservoir were
inscribed the words, Erected by
the voluntary contributions of the
citizens of Washington during the
mayoralty of Robert Brent"
During the existence of the
Board of Public Works, F. street
in this vicinity was given a severe
cut, as can be clearly seen by the
sloping lawn along the south side
lof the Patent Office. Because of