The sea coast echo. [volume], February 04, 1893, Image 1

About The sea coast echo. [volume] (Bay Saint Louis, Miss.) 1892-current

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CHASi G. MOREAU, Editor and Publisher*
VOL. 11.
WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
It la No Longer Used for the Con
struction of Vessels.
The Famous Gun Foundry on the Kat tern
Branch of the Potomac River—The
Old Warship Columbus —A Pros
perous and nappy Community.
[Special Washington Letter.]
While there may have been good
Judgment in the selection of a site for
Ihe navy yard on the Potomac river,
there certainly was no foresight dis
played; hence there was a lack of wis
dom, no matter what might have been
the favorable circumstances of the
times, which induced the choice of a
point two miles removed from the main
channel of the river.
The eastern branch of the Potomac is
to-day a sluggish stream, bordered by
marshes, unsightly, unwholesome, ma
larial, yet in the early days of this cen-
THE OLD COLVSBOS.
tnry it was a river of considerable size,
upon which vessels were "floated as far
as historic Blndensburg, five miles
northeast of the capital city. The navy
yard is located at the junction of this
eastern branch with the main body of
the Potomac. The water is shoal, shoal
ing constantly, and becoming almost a
morass on account of the neglect of
congress to make appropriations for
keeping the channel clear. The eastern
branch Is scarcely large enough and
deep enough to-day for navigation by
skiff; although occasionally it rises and
floods the surrounding country.
Before the war the plant of the
Washington navy yard was an exten
sive, costly and valuable one. It was
famous all over the world for the skill
of its workmen and the quality and
amount of work done there. It is not
generally known, but it is nevertheless
a fact, that the second largest warship
ever built by the republic was con
structed at this navy yard; the old Co
lumbus, second in size only to the fa
mous Pennsylvania. The Columbus
was rated as a 1 la-gun ship of the line,
but she carried one hundred and thirty
six guns. The Pennsylvania was the
liugest wooden warship ever launched
in this country, and the Columbus was
but little smaller. In 1855 congress au
thorized the construction of six new
frigates, and all of them were completed
in time to participate in our civil war.
One of them, the Minnesota, was built
nnd launched Here in 1857, a staunch
ship of the line carrying fifty-seven
guns. Another of those six frigates
was constructed at the Portsmouth
yard, and named the Merrimac. The
latter vessel was sunken at Norfolk by
the retreating United States officer?,
raised by the confederates, covered with
an iron armor, and went forth to shat
ter and sink the Minnesota, as well as
another frigate, the Congress, in Hamp
ton Roads The Minnesota had been
considered our crack frigate, but the
work done by the confederates upon
the Merrimac revolutionized naval
warfare.
For many years this navy yard wt,s
Bn important one, and there have been
as many as five thousand people em
ployed here at one time, but not since
the war. After the commencement of
the civil war the place was neglectpd
and became a small affair, ceased to be
a construction yard, and was turned
into a foundry, repair and ordnance
workshop. The politician* could do
' '"s
THE MODERN CRUISER “CHICAGO.”
nothing with it, make no capital out of
it, and therefore they permitted it to
die right before them, and during a
time of war, too. It is but justice to
the statesmen of that day, however, to
say that the constantly shoaling condb
tlon of the river Induced them to cou
ilder it tiaclcM to keep ©n appropriating
ite Jjea test tel
money to keep the channel dredged. If
the navy yard had been located at Alex
andria, originally a part of the District
of Columbia, it would have been bettor;
for there can always be found from
twenty to thirty-five feet of water clear
up to the wharves of Alexandria, only
five miles below us on the main channel
of the Potomac. The original selection
of the site was a blunder. But, despite
of all the neglect, and when the other
works were permitted to cease opera
tions, the gun construction was contin
ued. The plant for this class of work
has been for many years in a superior
condition, but it is to-day the most ex
tensive in the country, and the work
done surpasses anything ever before at
tempted on this side of the ocean.
This work has gone on, quietly and un
obtrusively, so, that those engaged in
the business alone knew of what was
being done, until recently.
It was not my intention to enter upon
a detailed description of the work of
this great national gun factory, but
rather to speak of it as a part of the de
velopment of this rapidly developing
city. The section southeast of the Cap
itol was formerly known as the Sixth
ward, in the days of local politics. It
is an ancient part of the city, many
of the houses having been built in
1816, taking the place of others which
had been destroyed by the British
soldiers when they came here and
burned the capital. They came over
the navy yard bridge, entered from that
point, and spread devastation in their
pathway. The neighborhood has of
late years been settled almost entirely
by employes of the yard who have
erected handsome, neat and commodi
ous houses, mostly of frame. There are
pretty little flower gardens in front or
back of almost every house, and occa
sionally a little patch of garden may be
seen where onions, radishes and pota
toes are cultivated by the sturdy work
men who toil all day in Uncle Sam’s
great shops, oiling, trimming, boring,
rifling and mounting hundred ton guns;
and who handle their little spades, hoes
and rakes for recreation in the evening.
These Workmen are mostly religious
and moral people, the major portion of
them being Methodists and Baptists,
while there are also a few Episcopalians
and Roman Catholics. They constitute
a separate village, practically, although
they are a part of the great city; and
their temperate lives, industrious ef
forts, steady habits, would make them
desirable in the population of any com
munity. There are fewer saloons in
this section than anywhere else in
Washington, and nearly all of them arc
supported by sailors from men-o'-war
which come to_ this point, and by the
marines, who are located in the marine
barracks, right in the center of the old
Sixth ward.
The average number now employed,
in the navy yard is about two thousand,
and about one million and a half dol
lars are disbursed annually to these
people. Not less than a million of those
dollars arc spent right here in this city,
and the major portion of it is expended
in the vicinity where it is earned. This
means prosperity, as any business mind
can plainly see. Year by year the num
ber of employes will be increased; year
by year the amount of money to be ex
pended will be augmented; year by year
prosperity will become more notice
able, and ultimately the long neglected
section of the city will become more
beautiful and inviting. More school
houses will be built, more churches
erected and dedicated. The old navy
yard is practically to-day the national
gun foundry. It will never again be
used for the construction of vessels.
Tremendous guns will be made with
all modern appliances for effectiveness
and long-distance firing, skilled work
men must always bo employed, and
that suburb known as Anacostia, across
the eastern branch, will blosson as the
rose. Whole squares of ground, which
are up to this day unfenced and left to
the tender mercies of dog fennel, smart
weed and low cactus, will be converted
into homes for the yoemanry who build
up our naval bulwarks in times of peace.
There is now before the house a bill
for the reclamation of the eastern
branch, but it will not become a law
during this congress. The proposition
is to wall in the lower part of the
stream, near its juncture with the Po
tomac, and cover the other portion as a
great culvert or sewer, thus preventing
disastrous overflows in flood times, and
preventing, the continuance of marshy,
unhealthful flats for several miles
along the eastern border of the citj
Over this culvert is to be built a beauti
ful driveway, clear out to Bladens
burgh, and a zoological garden is to be
located there. This work will some
day be done, and the nucleus for it is to
be found in the navy yard. It is also in
contemplation to start anew navy yard
at Alexandria, for the purpose of build
ing warships, cruisers and other naval
vessels. This is as it should be. There
is where the original navy yard should
have been located, and the inaugura
tion of anew plant there will prove
beneficial to the entire capital citv. It
is the policy of the statesmen of this
latter day to build up the national cap
ital by concentrating government works
here as rapidly as possible. With the
national gun foundry at the old navy
yard, and anew plant at Alexandria,
there would be a business boom at each
end of this district which would soon
become manifest in new homes on all
our hillsides. Smith D. Fry.
A I.atler Day Proverb.
“ Be sure you're right, then go ahead,"
Is what old Davy Crockett said,
But this will boat that out of eight—
Jut gtl ahead, sod you'll be rlghu
•■Brwmy# i4fe>
BAY ST. LOUIS, MISS., SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 1893.
TA-RA-RA-BOOM-DE-AYEI
Alex. Sweet Sees Lottie Collins In
Her Great Dance.
What He Think! of the English Fairy
•net Her ‘‘Art**—Reform in Police Cir
cle*—Abolishment of the Hick
ory Club.
[Special New York Letter.]
HERE is every
HWaaf reason to be-
In lieve that danc-
V ing and singing l
SbftuWtl' are no means
J§B& modern institu
ilTOS!!^^r' r tions. For some
thousands of
years in the
early history of
the world danc
ing was exclusively a religious cere
mony. The dancing of David before
the ark has frequently been quoted, and
many commentators express the opin
ion that each psalm was accompanied
by a distinct dance. St. Vitus, also,
danced. Our American Indians have
their ghost dances which consist of a
wild, grotesque series of leaps and con
tortions to the weird music of a dirge
like mournful chant. It is not at all
like the dance described by an old Eng
lish poet:
“ A line sweet earthquake gently moved
By the soft wind ot whispering silks.”
These preliminary remarks on danc
ing are caused by my having been to
see the great and only Lottie Collins.
For months the atmosphere of Man
hattan island has been saturated, so to
speak, with “Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-aye.”
With the possible exception of those
who are so fortunate as to be deaf the
residents of New York have been
obliged to listen to the dreadful re
frain. It is whistled by boys on the
streets, twisted by the tail, as it were,
out of hand organs, pounded on innum
erable pianos, to say nothing of brass
bands. When balmy sleep seeks to woo
the drowsy eyelids the aforesaid balmy
sleep is disturbed by some belated re
veler trying, with whisky-laden breath,
to warble the familiar strain. This has
been going on ever since Miss Lottie
Collins, and her husband, Mr. Cooney,
were injudiciously released from quar
antine. At last my curiosity was
aroused, so I went to the Standard
theater where Miss Collins was adver
tised to Ta-ra-ra-boom-de-ayo between
the second and third acts of “Jane.”
As she flippantly asserts in the song
she is “not too young,” although she
has quite a youthful appearance. She
wears a long dress that comes down to
the tops of her shoes. She has a
wealth of long curls and a hat that is
immense. I think the curls and hat
must be fastened to her head by some
new kind of adhesive cement, other
wise they would bo shaken off, so
violent are the wriggles and contor
tions.
She sings the well-known song in a
very fair voice, tossing her head and
smiling. Then the band, and particu
larly the dram, strikes up ta-ra-ra-boom
de-aye, and she makes a circuit of the
stage. She does not dance at all. She
wriggles and cavorts around the stage.
Every once in a while she leaps into the
air and kicks. She bends forward until
her curls are on the floor, and the audi
ence is filled with dread that she is go
ing to stand on her head. At times the
audience sees a confused mass of curls
and black stockings. The impression
that she must have four feet and that
at times .they are higher than her head
is a cleverly-managed optical delusion.
Her gloves, which extend above her
elbows, are black and so are her stock
ings. Her movements are very rapid,
■something like those of a man putting
down a hot plate.
These gyrations are repeated with va
riations after each verse, and, like the
famous ballad of the “Battle of the
Nile,” there are twenty-four verses, all
pretty much alike. The dance, if dance
it can be called, reminds me very much
of the antics of a Texas broncho with a
long mane, when he undertakes to buck.
The broncho shakes his head, snorts,
jumps up into the air, and comes down
hard on all four feet. Then he takes a
LOTTIE TA-KA-BA-BOOM-DE-AVK.
couple of jumps and tries to turn a som
ersault. Then ho shakes himself all
over, rears up on his hind legs, and
paws the air.
1 feel morally certain that Miss Col
lins must have made a bucking Texas
mustang an object of exhaustive study
before she invented this remarkable
song and dance movement, and it is
only fair to say that she has improved
un the model.
n letter published About a yew
“ FEAHXIEBB I3NT at.t. THINGS.”
ago I called attention to the brutality
of certain members of the New York
police force, particularly in the reckless
use, or rather abuse, of the club.
“Pound sociables” were a matter of al
most daily occurrence. In the item of
unprovoked assualts the police took tho
cake —the pound cake, presumably. The
crack club of New York was not the
Manhattan club, or the Fifth Avenue
club, or any other social organization,
but the policeman’s billy.
Of course, the local papers • com
plained, but in time these complaints
were very weak and flabby The
worst feature of these outrages, and
the one which was the cause of most of
tnem, was the almost utter failure of
the courts to punish as they deserved
the guilty parties. In many cases the
injured parties failed to prosecute, and
some of them had the best of reasons
for failing to do so. Just now tho
New York papers have been thrown in
to a spasm of delight by an order from
Superintendent Byrnes. He has abol
ished the night-stick, which as a dead
ly weapon can cause the blush of envy
to mantle the cheek of a sandbag or a
pair of brass knuckles.
The congratulations of the press on
this concession to law and order re
mind me of the remark of the little boy,
whose father was in the habit of com
ing home drunk and dragging his wife
around tho room by the hair. On one
occasion, not being as drunk as usual,
he forgot to subject his wife to the usual
daily maul, much to the surprise of the
children, one of whom exclaimed with
bulging eye: “O, mamma, ain’t pa get
ting to be so good?”
But that is not all. The policeman
must no longer carry his small locust
club in his hand, when he has no occa
sion to use it. He must carry it in a
pocket, and must not use it except in
cases of extreme emergency. Hereto
fore the policeman’s club was always
being twirled in the air, as if some sud-
KXIT OF THE POLICEMAN'S CLUB.
den emergency was expected. All this
is very well as far as it goes, but—like
modesty with a ballet dancer—a little of
it has to go a very long way. Of course,
the great majority of the police are ex
cellent officers. The complaint is that
the black sheep are not punished, as
they seem to have a mysterious pull at
headquarters. It seems that they are
protected by some higher power.
Another gleam of sunshine is to be dis
covered in the fact that a roundsman,
Daily, by name, is being actually tried
for a most heinious offense, and there
is good reason to hope that he will bo
put in the penitentiary.
It would almost seem as if modern
civilization was working its way back
ward to the manners and customs of
the ancient Romans when gladiatorial
shows were popular entertainments.
Tho Coney Island Jockey club can af
ford to offer a prize of $45,000 for a
slugging match, but the city of New
York is too poor to stand the expense of
keeping the Museum of Arts open every
day* Alex. E. Sweet.
Hi! Opposite.
PlraAer—There are some men
whose clothes never fit them, no matter
how they try, and others with whom it
is natural to dress welL
Gingerly—Ycs, that’s so. That makes
me think of a friend of mine. A fellow
I think everything of, but who is quite
my opposite.
Strawber—Comes natural to him, does
it, to dress well?—Truth.
A Wise Resolve.
Barrows—These railway accidents
are becoming too numerous. I shall
travel hereafter on a bicycle.
Mrs. Barrows—But accidents are just
as common with bicycles.
Barrows—True; but there are never
so many people killed. There's only
one victim in each case.—Harper’s Ba
zaar.
Trap, for Train Rubber!.
Mr. Gotham—Well! well! A train
robber is likely to bo caught at last.
Tho paper says he held up a train and
robbed everybody, including the immi
grants.
Mrs. Gotham—Are you sure he’ll be
caught?
Mr. Gotham—Yes, indeed. The chol
era’ll catch him.—N. Y. Weekly.
The Dlaeato Left Him with Nothing.
Miss Washington—Did de scarlet fc
vah leabc yo’ wif ennything?
Mi\ Johnsing No. indeed; nuffin. ,
Eben mah henhouse was stolen.—
Judge.
The Explanation.
“’Tis strange, 'Us very strange!" so X com
plains,
“That I so seldom meet a man of brains."
Poor Xi 'tts melancholy, yot 'tU trim,
Tht Of bi'iHas Bvpia 10 Chat wIU you.
Mutual Concession!.
Manning—Were your differences hon
orably and amicably settled?
Banning—Yes.
Manning—Who conducted the nego
tiations?
Banning—l did.
Manning—And what |vas the settle
ment?
Banning—l agreed to retract my re
marks and he agreed not to horse-whip
me.—Puck.
Proof of Affection.
Rich Merchant (to his daughter)—!
ay, Emma, I think that young man
who calls on you so much really means
business.
Emma—What makes you think so?
Merchant—Nothing, except he called
at the commercial agency last week to
find out how much I was really worth.
—Texas Siftings.
> r-
BABY’S GRIP.
Irate Passenger—Madam, what do
you mean by letting that brat snatch
off my wig?
Mother (with sigh of relief) —Oh, it’s
a wig, is it? 1 was afoared fur a minute
that he’d scalpt yo alive.—Life.
Too Good an Bar.
Visitor (admiring the new piano)—
Yes, it’s very pretty, dear. And you
play it already, do you? Can you play
by note?
Little Girl—O, dear, nol But papa
can, 1 ’spcct. I heard him tell raa ho
was going to pay for it by note.—Chica
go Tribune.
Liked Church-Going;,
Little Boy—l’m glad I’m goin’ to
church to-morrow.
Good Minister—l am delighted to hear
that. You love to go to church, don’t
you?
Little Boy—Yes, indeed. I always get
so hungry that dinner tastes twice as
good.—Good News.
Good Cuuro for Pride.
Butler—Say, John, what makes you
look so jolly to-day? Have you won
the big prize in the lottery?
Cab Driver (whose steed is very an
cient) —No, but I was fined five dollars
this morning for driving too fast.—
European Exchange.
An Instance Given.
Teacher—Does heat always expand
and cold always contract?
Tommy Taddlcs—Cold expands some
times.
“Indeed? What does cold expand?"
“Coal bills.”—Detroit Free Press.
Ab's Compliments.
“I wish those horrid mosquitoes would
let me alone,” said mamma.
“I don’t blame ’em, mamma,” re
turned Abner. “You’re pretty sweet."
—Harper’s Young People.
DAD OUTLOOK FOR A CHICKEN DIN
NER.
Doacon Watson—Doan’ yo’ t'ink it
crule ter keep dat dog- chained up all
de time?
Farmer Smithers—Oh, I let him loose
at night!—Puck.
Not Quite Free.
New Arrival—Oi was towld this waz
a frei country.
Friend—Well, isn’t it?
Now Arrival—lndade it is not. Oi
had to sthay at Sandy Hook foivc days
an’ then be fumygated befar Oi cud get
on the police foorce.—N. Y. Weekly.
School Ventilation.
Mamma—ls your new school well ven
tilated?
Little Girl—Our room isn’t, but the
room next to ours is.
"How do you know?”
“The childrens in that room all has
colds in their heads.”—Good News.
She Thought There Would Be.
“Are you coming when I call you. or
is there going to be trouble?” said papa
to his four-year-old daughter.
“I t’ink dere’s going to be trouble,
papa,” replied the tot, keeping out of
reach.—Truth.
Lore and Millinery.
She took u single sheet and wrote
How ranch she loved him on It,
And then sho added half a ream
About Hist autumn bonnet
•*; v mrftli
TERMS: SI.OO Per Annum In Advance^
A Nice Way of Putting; It.
Lawyer—Now, sir, you say the bur
glar. after creeping in through the
front window, began to walk slowly up
the stairs; and yet you did not see him,
although you were standing at the head
of the stairs at the time. May I
venture to inquire why you did not sea
him?
Principal Witness—Certainly, sir. The
fact is, my wife was in the way.—Puck.
The Unexpected.
Judkins—l saw Sommers drunk last
night. What’s the matter? He's going
to the dogs.
Mudkins—He proposed to two women
’this season.
Judkins—Ah, yes. Got rejected, of
course?
Mudkins—No; accepted by hoth--
Judge.
Making Him Tlilji.
Great Physician (cheerfully)—Yes,
sir, I can reduce you at the rate of five
pounds a week.
Patman—How often shall I come
around to see you, doctor?
Great Physician—You needn’t come
at all. I’ll just send you a bill at the
end of each week.—N. Y. Herald.
Decidedly Handicapped.
Aunt Nancy—Think of studying to be
a doctor, eh? Don’t you do it.
Young Man—Why not, aunty?
Aunt Nancy—You can’t git no prac
tice till ye git married, an’ ye can’t git
married till ye git practice, that’s why.
—N. Y. Weekly.
Selfishness.
She (of Chicago)—l don’t (/link I could
ever marry an eastern man I
He (also of Chicago)—l dare say not.
But why?
She—They nearly always refuse to
supply their wives with grounds for a
divorce!—Truth.
Hard I.uck.
“I had awful hard luck,” said the
forger to his companion in Sing Sing.
“I spent a month getting the signature
of a reputed millionaire down flue, and
just when I got his check ready the
darn fool went into bankruptcy.”—Jury.
A Satisfactory Aggregate.
“Madam,” said the lawyer to his
client, “the jury gives you 8500.”
“Goocj!” was the reply. “That, with
the $15,000 we are suing the railroad
company for, will make quite a nice
sum."—N. Y. Sun.
The Difference.
“We doctors have the advantage of
you clergymen; we practice while you
only preach.”
“Very true; we can only toll people
to go to Ileaven, but you send them
there.”—Life.
Polite, Anyway.
Mario—Do you say “farewell, “adieu”
or “auf wiedersehcn” when gentlemen
friends are leaving you?
Jeannette—Neither. I say: “Oh, stay
a little longer.”—Chicago News Record.
The lieason Why.
“Well,” said the baseball captain,
“our cake is dough.”
“How do you account for it?”
“We haven’t a good batter.”—Dcm
crest’s Magazine.
Offered In Evidence.
Judge (to plaintiff in divorce) —Vou
say this woman induced you to marry
her while you were intoxicated, do you?
Plaintiff—Look at her, your honor,
and judge for yourself.—Brooklyn Life.
Philosophical.
Closeflst —I saw in the paper that your
son had accepted a situation.
Hanks—Ho did—accepted it philo
sophically; he was fired.—Truth.
VAKIETY THE SPICE OF LIFE.
earth did you buy that chattering par
rot for?
Husband (absently)—Oh! For ■
change, I suppose.—Jury.
Only a Matter of Endurance.
“You are standing on my foot,
ma’am,” said a big, good-natured man
in the crowd at the corner of State and
Madison, to a lady in front of him.
“Sir!” she replied, haughtily, turning
her head. “I haven’t moved in my
tracks for half an hour!”
“I know it, ma’am,” he rejoined.
“But the foot you’ve been standing on
all that time has begun to get tired.
Would you mind occupying the other
one awhile?”—Chicago Tribune.
An exception.
Miss Spinsterre—The women In our
family have always died young.
Jack Dashing—Then you must be tho
exception -hat proven the vuls.—ai'ooU’
Vv* Ufo.
• 4 ■ * •
NO. 4.