Evening Star Newspaper, July 20, 1930, Page 68

THE ing business section, with mill, grist mill, stores and boarding houses, and distinguishing the residential distriet was an imposing residence for the su- perintendent of the company. Matildaville, like all boom towns, also had its centers of recreation and entertainment and yefreshment. Presiding over one of the pleas- antest of these social establishments was a popular widow, Mrs. Jane Myers, whose affluence had led her to rent half a dozen houses for $4 each, monthly. The Widow Myers appears to have been a vivacious figure in the little town, and her hos- pitality was much in demand. John Davis, an English traveler and writer, who inspected the new works at Great Falls, mentions the widow quitesfavorably in the fol- Jowing excerpt from his book, “Personal Ad- ventures and Travels of 4!, years in the United States, &c.”: “I beheld the course of a large river abruptly mbstructed by rocks over which it was break- ing with a tremendous roar, while the foam of the waters seemed ascending to the clouds and the shores that confined it to tremble at the convolution. I gazed for some time in silent awe at this war of the elements, when, baving recovered from my admiration, I could not help exclaiming to the Great Maker of Heaven and Earth, ‘Lord, what is man that Thou art mindful of him, or the son of man that Thou regardest him?’ “A little below the Falls on the banks of the Potomac stand a few scattered buildings, which form a kind of hamlet called Charlotteville (Matildaville?). The first settler in this savage wilderness was the lady of Gen. Lee, from whese Christian name the place takes its ap- pellation. In a house of entertainment kept by Widow Myers I was accommodated with a supper and & bed. This buxom widow was a Methodist and possessed of considerable prop- erty.” Mrs. Myers evidently maintained an inn or “pub,” for her place is mentioned by other visitors. In 1802 Manaseh Cutler, proponent of a colony for veterans of the Revolution, wrote: “Arrived at the Great Falls and put up at Mrs. Myers’. The appearance of tht river is singular. Pilled with rocks about three-fourths of a mile—no large cataracts, but frequent falls, and brought into a narrow bed, with high rocky banks at the locks. At the lower locks appeared about 40 feet wide; said to be 35 feet deep. The work of the locks (six in number) very neat. The lower lock cut through a solid rock by blasting about 47 feet deep and 12 feet wide. ‘The water was to have passed this day, but, not being quite completed, is to be opened for the passage of boats on Tuesday, February 2. ‘The canal is three-fourths mile. It is a place capable of much business by water works, but indolence reigns and the country through which we passed the picture of laziness, negligence and poverty.” its forge, saw THE indolence of which Mr. Cutler spoke +T seemingly was worrisome to Supt. Rumsey and his superiors, for much difficulty was encountered in obtainjng good workmen and retaining them. According to Mrs. Corra Bacon- Foster in a comprehensive article to be found in the records of the Columbia Historical So- ciety, “free white labor of the time was un- skillful and unreliable.” Recourse was made to slaves. A large number of “redemptioners,” or indentured Irish servants, were purchased from European ships landing in Baltimore, but these, too, gave trouble. The Alexandria Gazette of January 1, 1786, _Meporied that “several servants who had been SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JULY 20, 1930. A section of the once busy canal of the “Potowmack” Co., as it appears today. purchased ‘o work on the Potowmack Naviga- tion lately ran away, but, being soon after apprehended, were sentenced to have their heads & eyebrows shaved, which operation immediately executed, and is to be contin every week during the time of their servitude, or until their behaviour evinces that they are brought to a sense of their duty.” Supt. Rumeey lost some more men several months later and he advertised: “These in- dented Irish servants, Willlam Fee (shaved), James Nevin, Prancis Cacy, Arthur Mullin (shaved), Thomas Moore, James Munnay, Hugh Taylor, Robert Meighan-Taylor, took a variety of clothes with them, among them a super- fine green cloth coat with bright buttons. Sixty pounds reward for all or 10 pounds for each.” The penalty meted out for inefficiency was Joss of the workman's daily quota of liguor. Each laborer was entitled to three gills of rum a day in addition to his rations of “1 pound of salt pork, or 1% pounds of salt beef, or 1% pounds of fresh beef or gaution; 1% pounds of flour or bread.” Rock borers were required to penetrate 6 feet or more a day or lose theip quota of whisky. Progress of work on the locks at Great Falls and at other points was delayed by financial difficulties, which at times threatened disaster to the enterprise. The works finally were com=- pleted, thanks to the persistence of Washington and his colleagues, and commerce expanded at s profitable rate. In 1811 it was reported that “the portage town of Georgetown” received by way of the canal “27 hogsheads of sugar, 118,076 barrels of flour, 5,718 barrels of whisky, 465 bushels of wheat, 3,600 bushels of maize, and, in ade dition, large quantities of pig-iron, castings, ship-timber, rye, flaxseed, hemp, butter, oa cloverseed, arms and staves.” Most of the heavier cargoes were carried in barges or “arks,” described by an observer of that period as being “large wooden floats, put together in a substantial, though inexpensive manner, with wooden bolts and pins.” These arks, it was explained, were floated down the river and helped along with poles where the current | lagged. After discharging their burdens in Georgetown the barges were dise mantled and sold for lumber, as it was imprac- ticable to attempt to float them back up the river. THERE were regulations governing operation of these craft. An act was passed requir- Ing boatmen to procure licenses and providing that “every boat intended to be employed as aforesaid shall be well ceiled with strong plank, and sufficiently high to prevent the water in the bottom from damaging any part of the cargo, and shall be furnished with a tarpaulin cover, stretched over hoops in the manner of wagon covers, sufficient for defending the weather, and also with a hand-pump, and shall have a plank_footway upon each side of the boat, either on the outer or inside thereof, as the owner shall find most convenient, and shall be numbered.” In 1812 some of the barges were described as being 75 feet long, 5 feet wide and 18 inches In draught. Difficully often was experienced in guiding the larger boats through the narrow locks at Great Falls. One writer expressed his amaze- ment over the fact that “rarely an accident happens to boat or cargo.” There were five locks in all at the falls. Three of them were built of brown stone brought from Seneca and the other two were blasted from the solid rock with black powder. The locks were opented to business in February, 1802, and continued to do duty until 1830, when the Potowmack Co. was taken over by the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Co. The old works were abandoned and left to the whims of the elements. A century of disuse left ‘them in a state of disintegration and nature almost oblitérated them beneath the drapery of weeds and underbrush. The old sluice-way became overgrown with weeds and the natural basin into which it led be- came a field of waving grass. After all these years the ancient engineering project so dear to the heart of the Father of His Country is to have restored at least some sembiance of its former glory. Patriotic hands will seek to erase the scars of time and otherwise make the relics present- able to the wondering gaze of admirers of the Nation’s first hero. News of the finding of one of the ecurious boats that once plied bravely over the ambi- tious route mapped out by the far-seeing first President should prove of consuming interest to those engaged in the commendable work of restoration. “It’s Hard to Tell What to Believe Nowadays” —By W ill Rogers ELL, all I know is just what I read in the papers. Mr. Coolidge had one in the other day that kinder jarred all of us, and made us won- der if he wasent having a Ghost Writer do some of his stuff, It advised the working man to spend his meney, and buy everything that he could possibly afford, and in that way help out the whole economic thing, s0 that it would put more money into circula- tion, and make more jobs for those that had none. Now that is absolutely going against all the laws we have been brought up too, we bave always been taught to save and put by every dollar that we could, and not buy any- thing unless we absolutely needed it, and to spend no money for things that we could do without. Now all at once we are advised by everybody to start spending, so it will help somebody else. Imagine telling the working man to spend, that if he dont put his money fnto circulation why he wont have a job very Jong. That is what Mr. Coolidge said. Now that sounds so unlike him. Here is & man that the whole basis of his popularity is based on his economy and thrift, and all at once to belp out a situation, why he says “Spend.” So itz hard to tell what to believe nowadays. Speaking of Prosperity, which about all we are doing is speaking of it, why I read with great interest the other day the celebrating of the ninety some birthday of our genial benafactor Mr. Rockefeller Sr., and it brought back many happy g.hought.s of my meeting with him every Winter when I would play my little *“talk dates” at RPaytona Beach Florida, he would always come to the Auditorium and bring all the people from his Winter household, servants and all. The three years I did that, he was right there and he would not miss a gingle “Gag.” He was as keen and alert as ‘anyone in the audience, and was always well ‘+vwersed on ‘Topics, as on Oil Gravity. He knew a5 much about the dissarmament Conference ‘as he did what oil were doing. I always had ‘s’ Tew local jokes ‘about him, and would go down off the “Rostrum” and shake hands with . .him and he would quietly ask me to come to -his home on the following morning and have breakfast with him at eight o’clock. In fact after the first time, I would not only give him the chance to ask me, but would encourage it. I would stand by his seat till he had to do something to get rid of me, so the easiest thing would be to “Come have breakfast with us?” The Author-Comedian Discusses Current Events and Gives His Side of Various Public Questions. £33 §E Tt If somebody does something, we are awful liable the same place he did. So its other rich men, that had made Now we have hardly any ““The Blue Danube.’’ By Catherine Parmenter. She stood there—puzzled—hesitant—Dbefore The little music shop. W hat sound was thss That dared to mock her clever artifice, And swept—strange beauty!—through the open door? " She could not understand this subtle thing— Who thought herself so altogether wise . . « Her fuppant smile had fled—her hard young. eyes Grew curiously warm and wondering. « « « Oh, dream of love, surging across the long, Long years to touch illimitable heights!— Starlight and dew of lost Vienna nights, Blent with the pulse of an eternal song! . . . The m: ic ceased . . . Her laugh swift) and sure— oatad 26 o20se sy Bt i M ¥drs that, LiAded e 0 ~eBwWf rud W) ghhlelng SION AGAIN. Now that ought to keep you Jaughing all Summer. They let Congress go home for good behaviour, but they kept the Benate in. They are there argueing over the London out on the Rapidan River last fall. Its always hurt them that they wasent invited to be Mr. Hoover give them the Menu What in the wcrld does what eight months ago have to or an eight-inch gun? boys are argueing something that is to pass, why he is out there in old Vir- dragging in the trout, and giving these has em working after hours half for overtime. In other are just staying for the argument for any results. They know the treaty passed, and to do so at the least expense be the proper thing. But not for a But Mr. Hoover gets the last laugh. (Copyright, 1$30.) ® 2 ZE24FRY i It Financing Squabs. THE delicacy, squab on toast, with the price : that usually accompanies such a delicacy may stir visions of fortunes to be made in squab raising, but the facts in the case hardly warrant too roseate dreams. | % Tests carried on by Department of Agricule fure experts, well versed in the intricacies of the business and scquainted with market-eon-, ditions, indicate that the annual profit from market raising of squabs Mes somewhat between $2 and $2.50 for each pair of breeders. On-this basis a fairly large pigeon population is vital to make the venture a success Of course, if handled as a sideline incidental to other farm-