The Washington union. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1857-1859, 1858-11-17
CITY INTELLIGENCE.
IyrrRrsTINe no PROPERTY HOLDERS.

dsrnen have recently had under consideration petition
AZ Benedict Mburn in which the petitioner states that
"a the erection Of brick tenement on Maine avenue he
ba Inadvertently caused the porch TO project further ON
h pavement than the law allows the pavement being
ureen feet vide and the porch six feet ton inches nom
,be house The neighbors being willing that the porch
should remain he pays the Councils TO authorize It, I'M
Al some good be assigned for It's removal
Last Monday evening the committee reported that no
legislation Was necessary the subject The porch in
QUESTION projects Iess than seven feet from the building
line The existing law allows feet TO DO thus oo
cnpied in all cases where the foot pavements Of the
width Of seventeen feet upwards and preserbes seven
teen feet as the width Of the pavement for all streets and
avenues having width OF from so to 100 feet Maine
anue il IS feet wide and yet has iootway of only Ia
tst This breadth Of footing Is inconsistent with the
law If It were II feet the law requires, the houses
on Maine avenue would be entitled to steps projecting
seven feet But the pavement being curtailed of its
m proportions there is no law which prescribes how far
the steps Of buildings along its line may project The
,tnt of such projections is defined only for pavements
Of II feet or upwards and for those of twelve feet The
nayemeut on Maine is irregular width, fourteen
fe which does not appear to be recognised either in
the law regulating their breadth in that directing the
manner Of constructing steps, porches, &c. The
Mite therefore ask to be discharged from the further
sideration of the subject
The same committee also made report on the case of
E r. Queen which they state is very peculiar one and,
50 far as they know without precedent 1t appears that
Mr. Queen was the owner OF lot the west side
of Seventh street between l. and M streets upon
which there Is frame tenement and upon the
south side of which there is a three-eet alley,
tending westward the depth of the lot, and then
intersecing public alley which in transverse
direction. The property Immediately south of Mr..
Queens and adjoining his threefeet alley is owned by
Messrs. Moore aud Cissel who, in August hast COM
msnced new brick building thereon placing one
half of the party WALL is prescribed by the building
regulations upon Mr. Queens alley against his earnest
remonstrances when, to prevent this encroachment in
cited thereto by indscreet advice he recorded the alley
as public Whereupon, rather than incur any risk
of lawsuit or delay their building Mcssrs. M. c.
altered and narrowed their walls at expense of nearly
$780, 20 as to conue them within the limits of their own
ground Their building is too far advanced towards
completion to permit them TO reclaim their rights in ref
erence to these party walls and the only recompense they
have for the loss these rights and the consequent ex
pense which they have been subjected is the benefit of
the three-fee alley recorded by Mr. Queen and they
protest against its restoration to him. These the facts
Of the case reported by the committee who without
commenting upon them, upon the undesrableness of
such alleys for the public use except drains
under other peculiar circumstances call attention to the
fact that legal opinion placed before the board in
October 1857 from the law officer of the corporation in
which he denies any power of the corporation to ALLEVIATE
alleys in the mode proposed The committee therefore
ask to be discharged from the further consideration
the subject
The committee on improvements have also had under
consideration the subject of pumps. 1t seems that Dr.
N Young and Others had complained of the exorbitant
| for lilo ar
Capitol Hill The committee examined the matter and
report that they find the charge to be in accordance with
the contract made with the corporation for pumps wells
&c, Still they of opinion that the contract exor-
bauty high being but little less than six dollars per
foot, while the work can be done at prices ranging
from 50 rs to 81 per foot The pump which has given
rise to this complaint erected under the provisions
Of the act relating to wells, pumps, springs hydrants
&C. approved May a. 1853; and DR. Young did not avail
himself of the provisions of the 4th section of that act by
which it is provided that if any of property shall
feel himself aggreved by the assessment and SHALL within
thirty days after the delivery of the notice, make COM
plant in writing to the Mayor he shall a reassess-
ment." sc. Under these circumstances the committee
of opinion that it is not in the province of the coun
ellis to grant any redress and therefore make no recon-
mondation in this While they are constrained to
this course, they but express their convic
ton that there manifest necessity for change in the
system now pursued in erecting and repairing pumps
wells, hydrants, &C. 1t will clearly appear to any one
who will examine the subject say they that the present
system Is cxtavagant one, not only to the citizens
but also to tho corporation The sums paid for clean
Ing the pumps are much larger than they should be-
The expense is from twelve to fourteen thousand dollars
per annum, and yet we have constant complaints
OF pumps being out of order. Every one knows how
readily they get out of order, and how difficult it is to
Keep them in repair. This difficulty must arise either
from the improper manner in which pump contracts are
executed or from the defective nature of the pumps and
hydrants used by this corporation The committee be-
eVe that both of these exist and that no time
should be lost in investigating the subject and endeavor
ing to remedy the evil tits particularly important now
view OF the prospect of supply of water from Great
ais to ascertain how better hydrans can be procured
ah those now in use and how better and more durable
pumps can be devised and adopted They therefore rec
mend the adoption of resolution that the Mayor and
TWO members of each board be appointed committee to
famine into the proprey of adopting other pumps n.y.
Ah and five plugs for in this city and that said
ommltee be authorized to test by experiment such
jumps hydrasts and fire plugs may be presented for
eF inspection. This report laid over and ordered
Obe printed
THE PARADE IN GEORGETOWN
yesterday WAC GALA In Gaorgatnvyp II hal hao,,