Evening Star Newspaper, February 9, 1930, Page 84

. markers. 2 SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, Been concentrated in its parades, from the time when a “great erowd” acompanied President Washingtgn to ‘the laying of the eorner stone of fhie:Capitol: Every four vears two men, ¢hosen froin' among all the people, drive to : and- from the’ €apitol ‘on inauguration day. with thousands following in procession and thou- sands cheering from the Avenue sidewalks. Down this broad thoroughfare have passed visiting kings and queens with military escort; solemn - funeral processions and flag-draped caissons; the weary troops of returning armies; a Dewey or a Pershing to be welcomed. Here have passed parades for every great occasion— Armistice day, the vote for women. a District centennial; but always flags flying, bands play- ing, people marching in inspiring pageants to _illuminate the records of history—on Penn- sylvania avenue! Memorial sites are often chosen because of military engagements, but the District of Co- Jumbia has had few of these to commemorate. ‘The northwest corner of Second street and Maryland avenue northeast may be mentioned as the only place here wherc an armed defense was made against the British in 1314. Fort Stevens, beyond Brightwood. is known as the only battleground in the District of Columbia during the Civil War, and it was here that Lincoln -stood under attack. The site was marked by a memorial in 1912, Another boulder in the grounds of the Wash- ington Cathedral is a memorial of still earlier wars, for it marks the road over which one division of the British army under Gen. Brad- dock marched on its way to Fort Duquesne, April 14, 1755. ‘The landmark known as Braddock's Rock, which has practically disappeared from public view, is an example of the difficulty of welding tradition with historical fact. Now situated in the grounds of the Nazval Hospital and having lost most of its original bulk, this ToCK was once a great lcdge extending to the former shore line of the Polomac, and it was supposed to have been the landing place of Braddock's troops in 1755. When historians began to search for the foundation of this tra- dition, nothing tangibie could be learned, al- though old residents of the little settlement which formerly existed in that section could remember the one-time glery of the “Quay of Quays.” Z IT may be said that age chould be the qual- ity most respected in deciding upon the rank of historic spots. In that case there is the giant “reaTty Oak” on Temple Heights, which is estimated as being over 900 years cld, and under whose wide-spreading branches a treaty is said to have been consummated between the Indians and the white settlers. Or should we consider the claims of Ana- costia, which Capt. John Smith located upon his map in 1612? There is also that other Indian village which occupied the site of Georgetown and was seen by the venturesome Potomac traveler, Henry Flecte, in 1631. Georgetown, as a thriving maritime city be- fore the boundaries of the District were deter- mined, might be expected to claim that the most historic spot in this region lies west of Rock Creek. She still boasts many interest- ing mansions and quaint buildings dating from the latter part of the eighteenth century or the early years of the nineteenth, but no other spot there seems more intimately connected with District history than that upon which Suter’s Tavern once stood. Mr. Suter had several taverns at different times, but in the one which he operated on March 30, 1791, the owners of the land needed for the Capital City met President Washington and formally ceded the Federal territory. There also, on Septem- ber 9 of the same year, it was determined by the Commissioners, Gen. Thomas Johnson, Dr. David Stuart and Daniel Carroll, that the Capi- . tal City should be called the “City of Wash- ington.” Another place in Georg:town of more than - ordinary interest was the Key Mansion, at 8518 M street, where Francis Scott Key lived for about 20 years. If we believe that history is best served by scientific achievement, we would certainly select for honorable mention a site on the west side of Seventh street between E and F. Here, ac- cording to a bronze tablet placed there in 1913, Samuel B. Morse, artist and inventor, opened and operated the first public telegraph office in the United States in 1845. " This building, however, housed the develop- ment of but one scientific triumph, and per- haps, our vote in this class of historical value should go to a red brick structure on the Mall. To mention all the sci:ntific wonders which mankind shares through the Smithsonian In- stitution, as well as the cultural growth the District owes to it, would be impossible. The science of meteorology had its birth there, and it was Joseph Henry, the first secretary of the Smithsonian, who helped make possible the electric achievements of today. To the sec- ond secretary, Samuel Pierpont Langley, and his experiments In aerodynamics the world Ppwes the evolution of the aeroplane. The marking of historic sites in Washington by an authorized committee seems to have had its beginning in 1902, when the Grand Army of the Republic met here for encampment. The sites to be marked and listed at that time inciuded those which were of general historical interest, but particular attention was paid to sites which would appeal to the old soldiers— camps, hospital sites, homes or headquarters of great military leaders. . With various additions and corrections sim- ilar lists have been prepared since then for the visitors at succeeding jnaugurations and for other notable gatherings, such as that of the foreign delegates to the Conference on . &dmitation of Armaments in 1922, For the most part the tablets marking the . choszn spots have been wooden, but in 1909 a ., committee of 50 citizens was appointed to ar- ., range for the selection and use of permanent Two brogze tablets were dedicated that year, one of m placed on the home of Commadore Decatur, at the corner of Jackson . place and H street, and the other marking the “old brick Capitol,” where Congress eonvened during 1815-1819, while the Capitol was being rebuilt. BT GaNTIR IO D, C, FEBRUARY 9 1930. A drawing of Suter’s Tavern in 1791. FOR several years the Daughters of the Amer- ican Revolution in the District have been placing handsome markers on buildings of au- thenicated interest, such as the house at 2017 I street northwest, now the home of the Arts Club of Washingon, and formerly the residence of James Monroe as well as of other noted men. The building at the northwest corner of Pennsylvania avenue and Nineteenth street is another marked by the Daughters of the Ameri- can Revolution State historic committee, for it served as the President’s house for about the same period that Congress met in the brick Capitol. The Society of Colonial Wars, the Colonial Dames and the Daughters of 1812 have all taken part in the interesting pastime of find- ing and labeling historic spots, so that different periods of histcry are receiving due attention. Two years ago the American Institute of Archi- tects issued a plea to save American land- marks, and urged the co-operation of all so- cieties interested in such work. As this asso- ciation has its headquarters in the Octagon House, on the corner of Eighteenth street and New York avenue, we may hope for the preser- vation of one of the most interesting land- marks in the District. Like Tudor House in Georgetown, it deserves mention for the beauty of its architecture as well as for the part it played in history. Quite strong arguments could probably be advanced in favor of certain sites by a few District D. A. R. chapters whose names indi- cate where their votes might be expected to go. There is the Marcia Burnes Chapter, for in- stance, named for the beautiful daughter of one of the “original proprieters” of District terri- tory. Although David Burnes' property extended as far east as the site of the Patent Office, he chose for his home lot the square where the Pan-American Building now stands, and while his story has been often told, it may not be generally known that this lot was the center of the original “10 miles square.” His cottage, often called the “oldest house in Washington,” was razed in 1894, but its old mantel was pre- served and is now in the possession of the District of Columbia Historical Association. The Maj. L'Enfant Chapter, D. A. R, can find a number of locations, throughout the Dis- trict connected with the life here of the man to whom credit is mostly due for designing the plan of the City of Washington. Although many others carried on the work which L’En- fant began, it was his plan which was approved by President Washington, without material change, in August, 1791. The house at 3049 M street, said to have been used by Maj. L'Enfant as surveying headquar- ters during his work of city planning, is still in good repair and at least on the M street side Maj. L'Enfant’s headquarters at 3049 M street. - Mountains. By Daniel Whitehead Hicky. Beware of mountains; they will shake your heart, Wilk shake your heart with pity and with tears To see them struggling up, aloof, apart, And gain no snch of height through ‘all the yegrs. For I have heard them sobbing n the night, A sobbing deeper than the wind has known, When fragile wings have swerved in eager flight Above their tallest pinnacles of stone. They know a torture only sad hearts know, The mountains almost reaching to. the sky; Prowd mountains wearing laurel blooms and snow, Brave smountains reaching through. eternity Like prisoncd men who beat unyiclding bars, . Forcver reaching, grasping for the stars! TE LR R R R ) .. proofing canyas. | Jooks much as it did 100 years ago. A bill how before Congress to have this and sur rounding property purchased by the United States Government, thé building to form thg nucleus of a great engineering museum werthy of honoring two famous surveyors whose care ful planning gave us a beautiful National Cap ital—Gen. George Washington and Maj. Pierrd L’Enfant. B ONE of the buildings or localities men- tioned have, of course, ever boen designated| as the most historic spot in the District of Columbia. One District historical directory lists more than 500 notable places, and a selece| tion is going to be extremely difficult. In the present vote no restrictions nor suggestions| have been made except the possible elimination of the Capitol and White House as belonging rather to the entire Nation. In the different States where the question| has been voted upon, subjects varying from an entire city to a set of resolutions, have been presented. Arizona selected the Church o San Xavier, “the most historical and interestin mission in the Southwest.” Arkansas voted for the old commissary building at Fort Worth.,| In Maryland, St. Marys City received th largest vote. Massachusetts submitted the first| naval engagement of the Revolution; Nebraska voted the site of the first United States home-| stead, and New Mexico chose the Palace of the Governors, while North Carolina cast a ma- jority vote for the Halifax resolutions. 1In Hawaii the most historic spot selected was a printing office, and in Jowa a burial place. Indiana has the site of Fort Sackville, where $600,000 of public funds is being devoted to the creation o fa memorial to the event which gave to America the old Northwest. Kentucky has selected the site of the battle of Blue Licks, spoken of as the last battle of the Revolution. Here the State has erected a memorial and patriotic citizens purchased 35 acres for a shrine and park. New Jersey, after considerable deliberation, has submitted two sites whose claims seem to have equal weight. In the District more than 500 historic spots means an average of eight for every square mile of territory. Alaska has offered the City of Sitka as its most historic spot, and perhaps we may be obliged to de- cide upon the District of Columbia itself, sur- rounded as it is with its original historic boundary stones. Testing Rock-Dust Barriers, THE so-colled rock-dust barriers, which' are being recommended by the Bureau of)| Mines to prevent the tragic, progressive exe| plosions which take so many lives in the mines| of the country, are effective only when prop-! erly installed. Inspections carried on by the bureau have, indicated that in many mines the barrier is a| hurdle only and not a true barrier. In other words, the hinged shelves, upon which are placed large quantities of very fine rock dust, are erected anywhere from two to five feet from the ceiling of the mine passages, and, when tripped by an explosion, present a fine fireproof curtain from that point to the floor but leave a sufficiently large opening above the dust for the flames to go leaping through. Other shelves have been found so sturdily erected that no ordinary rush of air from an explosion would unseat them. Nothing short of a heavy charge of dynamite would get them into action. Device Barred From Mails. | A FRAUD order, recently issued by the Post Office Department, barred the mails to a device which would “cure hardening of ' the arteries, high ‘blood and low blood pressure, enlargement of the heart, kidney trouble, dia- betes, rheumatism, dropsy,” or what have you? The device was a heel plate, which was to be worn in the shoe and which set up an electric current, according to the claims of the inventor and seller, which raised the blood temperature two degrees, thus dissolving the acid in the system which was held to blame for all the ailments listed. Investigation disclosed that the heel plates were cut from an ordinary sheet of copper by an ordinary tinsmith with an ordinary pair of snips, but not even in an ordinary good manner, The plates were sold to the company dispensing them for 10 cents a pair and were passed on to the gullible at $5 a pair. Long Terms in Postal Service THI: postmaster of Gypsum, Ohio, who has g just been reappointed, has held that office for more than 45 years, yet he has been ap- pointed to it by only four Presidents. His first appointment came August 18, 1884, when he was selected by President Chester A. Arthur, after serving as clerk in the post office for eight years. He held the office continue ously until the policy of naming a postmaster for four years only was adopted. Under the new policy he was reappointed by President Harding, and, in turn, by President Coolidge and now by President Hoover. The oldest postmaster in point of service is John N. Van Zandt, who has been postmaster of Blawenburg, N. J, since April 23, 1866. New Waste Elimination. "THE Department of Agriculture, in its cam- paign to eliminate. waste, has even included the scourings from raw wool in the field of ‘re- search, with the result that an appreciable amount of grease and potash, which formerly went down the sewer, is now saved, The grease, when refined, has been found to be of value in curryirig leathers and watere ward . FELm