Washington, DC, USA
1895 - Washington

Washington, a city, capital of the United States, named in honor of George Washington in 1791, is located in the District of Columbia, on the Potomac River, in lat. (Observatory) 38°53' 39" N. and lon. 77°2'48" W. from Greenwich. It is itself a meridian, and many of our maps reckon their longitude from this city. Its distances from ' principal cities of the United States are—from Baltimore, 40 miles; Philadelphia, 136; New York, 226; Albany, 376; Boston, 432; Detroit, 526; Chicago, 763; San Francisco, about 2000 (in an air-line); St. Louis, 856; Cincinnati, 497; Pittsburg, 223; Richmond, 122; Charleston, 544; Mobile, 1033; New Orleans, 1203; and Nashville, 714.

General Aspect.—Washington is situated on the left bank of the Potomac, and was originally embraced between two tributaries, the East Branch on the E. and Rock Creek on the W., the latter separating it from Georgetown. The plan of the city is unique, and everything is laid out on a scale that shows an anticipation of a great metropolis. Its £ extended 43 miles N.W. and S.E., and about 24 miles .E. and S.W., covering an area of nearly 11 square miles. The city was planned by an architect named L'Enfant. Taking the Capitol Hill for a centre, he laid down streets parallel thereto, and in due lines from E. to W. These are distinguished by letters,—the street immediately N. of the Capitol being called A Street North; that immediately S. of the Capitol, A Street South, and so on through most of the alphabet. Another set of streets, running from N. to S., intersect the lettered streets at right angles, and are distinguished by numbers, the first street E. of the Capitol being 1st Street East; the first street W. of the Capitol, 1st Street West, and so on. The city is supplied with the great est abundance of water, which is brought from the Great Falls of the Potomac, distance some 15 miles, by a conduit which passes through 11 tunnels and over 6 bridges, one of which, crossing the Cabin John Creek, is a beautiful piece of architecture, being of white marble, with a single arch of 220 feet span. The supply from this conduit is estimated at 36,000,000 gallons a day...

Population.-The resident population of Washington in 1870 was 109,199; in 1880, 147,293, of whom about one third were colored; in 1890, 188,932; of the district, 230,392. The numbers are increased during the sessions of Congress by the members and their families, and visitors spending the winter or a portion of it here, for the purpose of enjoying the society and gayety of the capital.

Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ... Joseph Thomas January 1, 1895 J.B. Lippincott

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