Evening Star Newspaper, January 31, 1932, Page 81

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JANUARY 31, Lodge, No. 7, A. F. A. M.; George Mantz, Baltimore, Md.; Ciara J. Hayland, trustee, Philadelphia, Pa.; David Weatherby, jr, trustee, Philadelphia, Pa.; John C. Bullitt trustee, Plilade'phia, Pa.; Wilhelmina Bunau, alias Raute Bernau, Alexandria, Va.; Eleanor D. Skeer and Cecil Moyan, Macon, Ga., and Anna M. Mosher, New York, N. Y.” At the same time the occupants of square 324—immediately to the south of the Post Office site—were given as follows: ‘Robert Connell, William H. Hammersley, Eldridge Scott, John A. Silence, John Hamlin, Bessie Durand, Lula Burke, Thomas W. McKnew, Charles®J. Mc- Cobbin, Henry Browne, John Simmons, Ttomas Dowling, William Miller, George C. Sucro, Robert Nevitt, Peter Daly, Edward 8. Schmid, Frank Schmid, Louis Schmid, the Independent Ice Company, Dennis Crowley, Frank Candioto, George L. Sheriff, Iouis Menikheim, Horace Ropp, Charles G. Nopper, William P. Nicholson, George F. Pogle and Andrew Wood.” T a much earlier date we find the following reference to square 323: “The square now coverei by the Post Office Building was valuei at 8 cents per square foot in 1812 and ltad appreciated to double that amount in 1820. In 1894 a Masonic hall, valued at $1,200, was erected on lot 14, for which $75 was paid by Federal and Columbia Lodges. This was used by them and other lodges till 1826, when the hall at Four-and-a- half and D strects, opposite the City Hall, be- came the headquarters of the fraternity. The old structure was long after used by the Wash- ington Library and public schools and colored Odd Fellows, standing till the land was con- demned for the Post Office. About 1805, besides Masonic Hall, there were on tke square the properties of George Moore, assessed for $400; William Fletcher, $309; J. Anderson, $250; John Sessford, $250; P. Decary, $300, and W. Fitzgerald, $140. In 1824 the valuations were: Masonic Lodge, $800; properties of John Sess- ford. $250; Thomas Given, $1,000; G. Moore, $800; J. S. Stewart, $250; J. Kiler, $2,200; F. Coyle, $1,800; P. Deary, $2,000; John Sessford, $800; W. Stewart, $550; J. Withers, $1,100; Mrs. Jackson, colored, at Twelfth and C strects, was assessed for the same amount. Mr. Appler's tavern building was assessed $1,800. On the corner of Eleventh and C streets Ingle and Lindsay, hardware merchants of Capitol Hill, had a branch building valued at $700. G. N. Bayly and William Steward lived on Eleventh street near the Tiber, and Josiah Simpson resided at Twelfth street below C street. “In the 30s there were on C street the tavern of Jonathan Appler and the homes of Herzekiah Langley, T. H. Hooper and George Gibbons nearby. The valuation of the ground, which in 1802 was 6 cents, had increased to 10 cents per foot in 1820, “The shop of H. Aulb & Co., st the canal and Eleventh street, in 1820 was assessed for $250, and the home of L. H. McPherson for Mr. Croggon tells us: “The cormer of Eleventh street and Pennsylvania avenue later in the 30's was owned by William J. Stone, and here were the buildings of Jacob Hilbus, organ builder, who founded the house of Hilbus & Hitz, now represented by E. F. Droop & Sons; Theodore Barnard, printer; Edwin Green, cabinet maker; P. Emmerich, who con- ducted the European Hotel; The Evening Star, for a number of years, and Cooper & Latimer, auctioneers.” ACK in 1902, when The Star celebrated its fiftieth anniversary, it referred to its oid home, which stood for so many years at the southwest corner of Eleventh street and Pennsylvania avenue, just to the south of its present location, saving: “September 30, 1854, found The Evening Star duly installed in another home, this time in a three-story-and-attic building of brick at the southwest corner of Pennsylvania ave- nue and Eleventh street, where the present massive granite structure of the United States Post Office Department now stands. The build- ing was erected by William J. Stone, an engraver, in thte late 20s. The property was known as lots 11 and 12, in square 323, of the official plats of the city, and was included in the original grant of the farm of David Burnes in 1792 by the original proprietor to the com- missioners to lay off the Federal city. “The building was one of the largest in the city at the time it was built. Mr. Stone carried on the business of engraving, and was engaged to a considerable exient in Government print- ing and furnishing maps in addition to his private work. This old building, which was the home of The Evenng Star until 1881, was possessed of much historic interest. 1833, when Washington was invaded by a cholera epidemic which carried off hundreds, especially from the laboring classes who were employed on the Washington city canal and in improving Pennsylvania avenue, it was used temporarily as a hospital. Few there are living today who remember that scourge, which caused terror and apprehension among the people of the young and struggling city. Many patients were treated within the walls of the building. The older erployes of The Evening Star recall vividly the stories that were told of the cholera scare in the days that The Evening Star made its home there. “Stone needed only a portion of the building for bis own business, and before The Evening Star moved there it had been the hcme of two printing offices. For some time Mrs. Richard- son used the upper rooms and the rear build- ing as a boarding house. Several Senators an4 Representatives made their headquarters there when Congress was in session. " HEN The Evening Star became a tenant of the building there was a music store on the corner. Next to this was an auction store, and then came the entrance to the business office or counting room of The Evening Star. Adjoining the business office on the west was a variety theater. In this old building The Evening Star made rapid strides to the front. It prospered as never before. The counting room was narrow, and on one side was a long counter that extended to the rear, where were located the offices of the owners and the business manager. The press 7 Old view of Pennsylvania avenue and Tiwcelfth street, showing buildings in left foreground which were removed to erect the present Post Office Department Building. room was still farther back and under the stage of the theater. On the second ficor of the building, over the business office and the music store and auction room, were the offices of the editors and reporters. There was an entrance from Eleventh street. with stairways leading to the second and third floors, the latter of which was used for the composing room. “In the composing room the stands and cases were arranged near the windows, that the compositors might have plenty of light for their wark, and habitues of that part of Pennsyl- vania avenue from 1854 to 1881 will recall the sight of the little army of men who were en- gaged daily in standing on end the ‘leaden messengers of thought' the impression of which they were to read that day in the columns of their favorite newspaper. The composing room was heated by an old-time cylinder coal stove that stood majestically in the center of the floor, and around it the men gathered on Winter mornings to warm their fingers and steel sticks before starting in at their daily toil. In extremely cold weather a N~ Evening Star Building, 1853, later site of Franklin Fire Engine Co., D street between Twelfth andThirteenth streets. wood fire in the old fireplace on the Eleventh street side augmented the warmth of the room. This old building, around which were many pleasant memories of the early days of The Evening Star, was permitted to stand until the Government purchased it as a site for the new Post Office Department Building.” F course, in the very early days, on the east side of the Post Office block there was erected in 1804, the first Masonic building in the city, which stood alone on that side of Eleventh street for a long while. This building was a two-story brick 23 by 50 feet. The second floor, which was originally reached by an outside stairway on the south side, was fitted up for lodge purposes, and used by Fed- eral and Columbia lodges for over 20 years, by Lebanon Lodge after its birth in 1811, and by the Grand Lodge after its formation. In 1814 there were 250 members of the Masonic fra- ternity in the city, which, considering the population at that time, was rather remarkable. This old building was known as Union Lodge Rooms, and, besides being occupied by the Masons up to 1827, might also be called the first District Building, for here met the Board of Aldermen and Common Council, and it also housed at one time the Washington Library and the Vine Lyceum Society. Just before it was demolisted to make way for the post office it was occupied by the colored Masons as a meeting place. Perhaps the Avenue front of this block is best known to those whose memory goes back more than 40 years. The Star building, for instance, just described. Then the old Globe Theater, known best as the Dime Museum, where all sorts of freaks were exhibited, and where a good play or a prize fight sometimes was put on. At the Twelfth street corner was & machine shop and the headquarters of the Independent Ice Co. OME time ago the writer came across an account in The Star of a frightful accident which occurred November 15, 1867, not far southwest of the post office site. His attention was particularly attracted to the item because he had heard it spoken of upon several oc- casions by perscns who might be classed as old-timers. It related to the unfortunate burn- ing and death of Mrs. Belinda Talty, wife of John Talty, and this is how The Star told the story: ‘HORRIBLE ACCIDENT—A LADY BURNED TO DEATH. “About 10 o'clock last night, a terrible acci- dent occurred at the store of Mr. John Talty, at the corner of Fourteenth street and Ohio avenue, by which Mrs. Talty, the wife of the proprietor, was burned to death. The lady was closing up the store, and, after fastening the doors, stepped upon a chair for the purpose of taking down ome of the globe oil lamps sus- pended in the center of the store. The lamp accidently slipped from her hand, fell on the floor and exploded, instantly enveloping the unfortunate woman in the fiames. “A colored girl was standing by, and she ran for water. The husband, who was lying in a bed in an adjoining room, ran to the assistance of his wife, and endeavored with his hands to extinguish the fire, being badly burned in so doing. His efforts were, however, insufficient, but neighbors, hearing screams of the woman, rushc4 in, and with water extinguished the flames, but not until Mrs. Tally was burned s0 fearfully ss not to be recognizable. Her clothes were entirely burned off, and her head and body presented a frightful appearance. She died In 15 minutes after the occurrence. “Dr. Blanchard was summoned, but found it impossible to do anything to relieve her. The hands and arms of Mrs. Talty, which were badly burned, were dressed by the doctor. The police and members of the Franklin Engine Co. rendered all assistance in their power. Mrs. Talty leaves two small children.” On November 18 The Star said of Mrs. Talty’s funeral: “THE FUNERAL OF MRS. TALTY. “The funeral of Mrs. Belinda Talty, who was burned to death on Friday evening last by the explosion of a coal oil lamp, as stated in The Star, took place yesterday afternoon at 2 o'clock from the residence of her husband, corner of Fourteenth street and Ohio avenue, and was attended by a large number of rela- tives and friends. The remains were conveyed to St. Matthew’s Church, where the funeral services were conducted by Rev. Dr. White, after whkich the body was interred in Mount Olivet Cemetery.” N the same issue of The Star, the writer came across an entirely different kind of article, but of course the newspapers 60 years ago printed all the news, just as they do today, for the many minds of the people did not run in the same channel then any more than they do today, and, because the sporting fraternity is just as large in proportion today as it ever was, the writer is going to let it in on the way they used to settle arguments when grand- father was a boy. The item said: “Quite an exciting pugilistic affair took place Saturday night, or rather yesterday morning, between 1 and 2 o'clock, by moonlight, south of the White Lot. The pugilists were Mickey, the newsboy, and George Moine, drummer boy of the 44th Infantry. The match occurred in consequence of a dispute at an Avenue restaurant as to the respective merits of the two boys, and to settle the point an adjourn- ment was made to the place in question to settle the matter off-hand. Reddy Welch handled Mickey, and Jack Douglass the soldier boy. Tip Snyder acted as referee. Mickey got the first knockdown, and Moine the first blood. The fight progressed to the twenty-first round with undaunted pluck on both sides, when the fight was stopped by the watchman. “The fight when interrupted had lasted up- wards of an hour, some of the rounds having lasted for six minutes, with 20 blows in the round, so stubbornly and evenly was the con- test waged. Mickey and Moine are both of the lightweight persuasion, their weight aver- aged 120 pounds. “A match has been made for a fight between them for $100 a side, to come off as soon as the regiment is paid off. “Mickey is now bartender for Rash Bolster, at his restaurant, on Thirteenth street between the corner and D street.” The writer was unable to find anything fur- ther regarding the encounter and for that rea- son is unable to say how the final bout term- inated, but from the aggressiveness of Mickey he is satisfied he was an Evening Star newsbhoy. N the picture illustrating this story both the southeast and southwest corners of Twellth and D streets are shown. The sign on the building at the southwest corner plainly tells that it is J. Baier's restaurant, and here fre- quently came the thirsty gentry to wet their whistles, but nowadays the dispenser of liquid refreshments hunts up his customers and de- livers the goods to his home. No, this is not the same old world, for they really do some things differently now. Next to Baier's saloon, on D street, is the old Van Ness property, built by Gen. John P, Van Ness and occupied by him and his wife, Marcia, from 1804 to 1814. Here they enter- tained many noted ‘guests, including Wash- ington Irving, in 1807, and again in 1811. Next to the Van Ness hcuse is the old Franklin Engine House. This building was erected in 1857, and was from this date only the site of the Franklin Fire Co. The building which was removed to be replaced by this structure was one of the first buildings occupied by The Star, and was its home from May, 1853, to Septem- ber, 1854. It was, according to an early ac- count, erected by Everett & Brother, and was used as a blacksmith shcp and a coach fac- tory. A writer who was contemporary with the time observed that it “was a quaint build- ing for a newspaper office, but quite suitable for making coaches.” Entrance to the ground floor of this building, the home of The Evening Star for more than a year, was by two large doors, wide enough for a wagon er carriage to go thrcugh. The writer added: “The office of The Evening Star, upstairs, was compact. Business manager, editor, re- porters, compcsitors were all thrown together in one room. Happy family it was. Three windows in front, the sashes of which extended down to the floor, gave plenty of light. The old single-cylinder press, with a capacity of perhaps not more than a thcusand impressions an hour, performed its daily mission in a shed adjoining the building in the rear, and man power was utilized in place of steam, which was not adopted until several years later.” OWN Twelfth street, midway of the block, can be seen a low building with little windows near the roof. This is the site of the first police precinct, which no doubt ‘has sad recollections for many evildoers and many who were just suspected of being evil. Next to the south, and the last house in the picture on Twelfth street, is the old Night Lodging House, which upon frequent occasions proved a godsend to many a person in distress. There should be many just such places in Wash- ington today. Looking toward the uncompleted Washing- ton Monument, we see the sign of the lumber yard of Nathaniel B. Fugitt, and looking this gentleman up in the city directory for 1878, we find he was not in the lumber business at that time, but was a collector and solicitor for the National Republican. However, at an earlier date he was in the lumber business at Sixth street south of Pennsylvania avenue, which would probably mean Sixth and Consti- tution avenue. Evidently his lumber yard was located as indicated by the sign in the picture. From this it is quite evident that the photo- graph was taken around, or prior to 1870, and the condition of the monument would seem to sustain this approximate date. The early history of the oppcsite side of the Avenue from the Post Office Department Build- ing is also interesting, for here at an early date was a brickyard, followed in the 20's by a frame building; on the corner where The Star office now stands P. L. Duport kept a fancy store. Later an exchange office was kept here some time. Then Charles Lauten leased this property ir 1845 with the privilege of buying, and was soon embarked in the con- fectionery business, and as a chef won a high reputation. In the 20's, we are told, there were the grocery store of Joseph Gibson, the book store of Pishey Thompson, the shoe store of James Lymington, the boarding house of Mrs. Arguelles, the residence of Gen. Walter Jones, with his law office, and J. B. Gorman, painter, and near Eleventh street some small buildings. North of the Avenue on Eleventh street were the houses of Jchn Williams, col- ored; T. J. Mudd, carpenter, and Mrs. R. McReuna; and on Twelfth street, John Tucker, bell hanger; John Rawlings, carpenter, and Willlam Young, saddlers. It does seem a pity to remove the old Post Office Building. Somehow, to the layman, there is a certain massiveness about it that is not matched by the Government buildings now being erected. The cost of this building was $2,585,835, the ground $655,490.77, and the smooth finish given the granite above the mezzanine floor $229.000 extra, making in all nearly three and a half millions of dollars, and it is doubtful if the building cculd be duplicated today for twice that amount. Boron Presents Problem HE agricultural engineer brought water to the desert places in Southern California and Nevada and the “desert blossomed a&s a rose.” This accomplished, the years interven= ing have brought a new problem, and now the engineers must do something about the water flowing through the channels of some of the projects. It has been found, after some years of op- eration, that the water being supplied has a fairly large content of boron, an element beneficial to plant life in small quantities, but decidedly injurious when present in too great percentages. The continual evaporation of the water over a period of years has left deposits of boron, which already have had ill effects upon the plant life fed by the water. The engineers are faced with one of two solutions, either mixing the water with beron= free water or else locating and cutting off the sources of the boron, a difficult task in the latter case, for some of the sources of irriga- tion water come from underground streams.