Evening Star Newspaper, October 4, 1931, Page 87

ghat a board of Army officers had condemned the proposition to buy the Masom property upon the ground mainly that it was too con~ tracted for Government use.” Suffice to say that the Government did not Mr. Mason’s foundry, and that gentleman eontinued to own it up to the time of his death in 1849. We who look upon the present period of depression as a condition which has mnever pefore existed in this country, do so because we are not even slightly familiar with the financial history of the United States, In which, of course, we are especially interested. The writer's personal recollections regarding Such outstanding periods of depression, eanl: administration g him back to the second Grover Cleveland, 1893-1897, when in order to carry on the affairs of the Government, was necessary for “Uncle Sam” to borrow of the firm of J. Pierpent Morgan $400,000,000, which, if the writer’'s memory serves him ocor- gectly, was borrowed in two separate loans, fection of events as far back as 1873, he does wividly recall to an extent the results of the great national panic which broke that year, since for at least a decade following that date partly finished rows of houses all over the city ocould be seen, as a @irect result of the closing of the doors of the First National Bank, & branch of Jay Cooke & Co. located in this city. In some cases only the cellars had beem dug, and these the boys often waded in, and sometimes swam in, when they filled up suffi- . ciently with water after heavy rains. To many, at that period, bread and molasses was a lux- ury, and the mechanic with a job paying dollar and a quarter a day was a lucky man, and when he recelved it he usually took it all home where it was greatly needed for the wife #nd the kiddies. Out of it all, however—after the depression fad run its course—gradually came prosperity, and, with the exczption of the depression dur- ing Cleveland’s second term, continued for a quarter of a century. Tm who today are grieving over losing t their money on the stock market, should turn back the pages of history and see how Bome of their ancestors—if they belong to am old Washington family—lost their money m Bhe construction of the Chesapeake and Ohio and the Washingion City Canals. Christian $ines, who wrote “Early Recollections of Washington City,” and his brother, Matthew, Who served in the District Legislature—and who were brothers to the writer’s great grand- mother—lost every cent they had in believing what they were told about the great future of these canals. All Christian had at the time ef his death was a small pension given him by the Government for his services in the sec- ond war with Great Britain, and Matthew prob- ably had the same, as he also “fought” at As early as 1770 George Washington enthu- #lastically championed the idea of building along the upper Potomac, particularly the purpose nf assisting Maryland and Vir- in getting contro! of the commerce then eveloping in the nearby western country. was not alone in his judgment and so, in , when Jobn Ballendine, who owned a at Little Falls called Amsterdam, called subscribers for financing a plan which he had in mind to make the river navigable above tide water, Washington is noted as the first subscriber to the amount of 500 pounds, Vir- ginia currency, the other names on the lst and the amounts subscribed being: | i 4, FEL *Ralph Woimley, 500 pounds, Virginia cur- © rency. 4. Johnson, jr. for self and Mr. L. Jacques, 400 pounds, Pa. currency. @eorge Plaix, 300 pounds, currency. . Rideout, 200 pounds, currency. Daniel Dulaney’s son, Walter, 200 pounds, currency. Pavid Ross for the Fredericksbury Company, 500 pounds, Pa. currency. Pavid Ross for himself, 300 pounds, Pa. our- rency. PDaniel and Samuel Hughes, 500 pounds, Ps. currency. Penjamin Dulaney, 500 pounds, Pa. money. Thomas Ringgold, 1,000 pounds, Ps. currency. W. Ellzey, 100 pounds. Jonas Clapham, 100 pounds, Virginia currency, William Deskms, Jr., 100 pounds—dollars st 7s. 6d. Joseph Chapline, 50 pounds, common current money. Thomas Johns, 50 pounds, common current money. Adam Stephen, 200 pounds, Pa. currency. Robert and Thomas Rutherfore, 100 pounds, Pa. currency. Prancis Deakins, 100 pounds, common U= rency of Maryland. Ph. Carroll of Carrollton, 1,000 pounds—dole lars at 7s. 5d.” G the Revoluntionary War, Washing- ton’s mind was too much occupied with pians for achieving independence to give the £ [y gfi %E £3 3 gk 456 e ter, realizing $238,117.66 in tolls, the merchandise being those days carried only 1s of flour, while during successful operation of the canal, today, the boats carried from 1, barrels of flour each. ‘There is no reason in the world why erable and conspicuous evidence should be present today of the old Potomac Canal, which George Washington manifested such great interest, for it was really a gigantie dertaking involving almost insurmountable I FE it - 5 f g § RE B o'!i 5; L five locks of solid masonry of stone, each 100 feet in length, of various widths of from 10 to 14 feet, with a lift of from 10 to 38 feet; also guard locks and extensive basin, a 1,200 yards in length, lined with stone. two lower locks were excavated entirely the solid rock, and exhibited an impe: monument of perseverance and skill. Little Falls the difference of level and was surmounted by four locks masenry of stone, of the dimensions of in length and 12 feet wide, and by a canal miles long, on the margin of which were inexhaustible supplies of valuable stone building purposes. The canal, at both Great and Little Falls, was excavated of following dimensions: Twenty-five feet wide the surface, 20 feet wide at the bottom 4 feet deep.” :EQ g | 3 Y ikl whp 8 gEriy iz N July 4, 1828, John Quincy Adams turned the first spadeful of earth for the build- ing of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal at a point a short distance north of the District line, and the one hundredth anniversary of this notable event was celebrated three years ago. In 1825, three years before the Chesapeake & Ohio Co. received its charter, the Potomac Canal Co. made an assignment of all its right, title, claim and franchise to the former, and by so doing ended its career after an existence A view of the canal and one G Fh.got s of th inefficient manner in which the work was per- formed. In the year 1831 the corporation was induced to purchase the right and interest of the canal company with a view to the introduc- tion of the business of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal into the city and extending the canal navigation through the city to the navigation of the Eastern Branch River. The work is now completed and is connected with the Ches- apeake and Ohio Canal by a lock at Seventeenth street west, where a spacious basin has been formed to receive the boats descending with the various products of the west, and which is connected by Goose Egg Island in the center, the exuberance of nature presents an object stzikingly interesting. The canal and basin are walled with stone throughout the whole course, its width varies, but from the Potomac to the Centre market-house it is 150 feet, in other sections its width varies from 45 to 80 feet. Substantial bridges are erected over it, at such intersections of streets where they are required, at the elevation of 16 feet from high water, to give the facilities of steamboat navigation. The work has cost the sum of $225,000, and when the coal and iron region become accessible to the canal-boats, these heavy productions will pass through this canal for transhipment in the Eastern Branch to any part.” Along the canal apd on the banks of the from the city's heat, where in the ccol of the woods they might swing their hammocks, bathe in the nearby water or go fishing, and finally, and hungry, lie down for a nap and to dine in real democratic fashion. And what glorious outings these were, for few of us have not enjoed them somewhere in the charm of this waterway in bygone days is no doubt still dear to the hearts of & number of , Washingtonians. One of s principal diree- mem- which, referring to the Washington City Canal, says: “In the year 1809 a company was incorpo- rated to cut a canal through the city, to ex-. tend from the deep navigation of the Eastern Branch River to the Potomac River, taking chiefly the course of the Tiber 'as on the plan of the city. In the han e old boats. Mldnyotrut.mdtbhmthelrny of having a good time—singing. dancing, eating and drinking lager beer. Usually these picnics were great family gatherings, where the spirit of Bacchus was always present and where con= viviality reigned supreme, and where it was not who could hit the hardest but rather who could sing the loudest. Indeed, the quality of the voice was rather a secondary consideras tion—it was volume that counted. Nor when they danced to the strains of the “Blue Danube” was it of any consideration what couple eould dance the smoothest, but who could hop the highest—in real old German style. And, best of all, everybody went home happy. The writer regrets that he cannot give you the names of those appearing in this photoe graph, for he falled to find any one able to identify them. He thought sure Henry Dismer would know, but in this he was disappointed. Yet he knows that some of The Star's readers will be able to do so. At an eerlier date the German residents were also welcome participants of the hosple tality of George Washington Parke Custis, where, however, liquid refreshments had to be omitted, because the grandson of Mrs. Washe ington would not permit intoxicants of any kind on the ground. In this connection the writer has before him an old admission card, which reads: Second Steuben Monument Festival At Arlington Springs, Monday, September 19, 1859. Procession Tickets, 25 cents. The imprint on this little card gives the name of the printer as “Sage,” and the eity directory gives it as “F. H. Sage, Seventh, eor. Louisiana avenue.” Wm the proposition was advanced o put the Capital City close to Georgetown it was enthusiastically received by the people west of Rock Creek, but it was not until after the Capital was moved here that they realized s big falling off in trade, and for a while after- ward every commercial move that was made by the- new city was looked upon with suspielon by the business interests of Georgetown. Georgetown favored greatly the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal, because it would increase its commerce. It was not keen for the Washington City Canal because that would take the trade past its doors into Washington. It tried by injunction to prevent the building of the Alex- andria Aqueduct because Alexandria would be benefited to its exclusion, and it used all the arguments and efforts it could to prevent the building of the Long Bridge. But Georgetown was only human, and was fighting for Georgee tells us that: “Somewhere about the year 1796 or 1797, some of the young men of Georgetown came over on the city side of Rock Creek for the purpose of attending a cock fight and other sport that were on in the neighborhood of what is now called the Circle. This was the usual place. for such sports, on holidays, borers employed on public and other While these men were there a dis~ pute arcse between the laborers and those men who came from Georgetown which re- in & few blows between them. Ordes was soon restored, however, and they cone tinued their sports, but some of the laborers who were not satisfied with what had takem place went secretly and unsuspected by the Georgetown boys down to the branch and cut themselves shelalahs, With thesé concealed their persons they returned to where Continyed on Tonih Page 3 b