The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-03-21
CRY WTELLIGENCE.

y
noon Mayor Brown sent to the City Council the
written opinion of |. hewitt Steele, Esq, on the
power OF the city to repeal the ordinance directing
lhe widening and opening of Holiday street. The
opinion Is very voluminous, covering some twenty
pages. The following is synopsis of the opinion.
1t will be seen that Mr.. Steele believes that the or
dinance can be repealed.
lst That the Mayor and City Council have the
power to repeal the ordinance of 1858 for the widen
ing and extending of Holiday street. go
I'd That the receipts by the city from some oil the
property holders of the benefits assigned 10 them
creates contract on her part to go on with the
proposed improvement and only imposes on her the
duty of returning what she has received, if the i'm
provement should be abandoned.
3rd. That an assignment of damages bv the pro-
perty owners and its acceptance by the city, con-
stitute an agreement on her part to use the con-
demned property of the assignor, and to pay tor
that use the damages allowed, setting OF the ben
have been assigned.
4th. That this agreement will be violated by the
repeal of the ordinance for the widening and eX-
tending of Holiday street, and that the city will
be responsible to the property owner for the dam
ages he NAV sustain by of this violation; |
and that those damages ought in any Judgment to |
be limited to the loss of the rent or of the use of
the condemned property, or other losses of the |
same character which may result to the property |
owner in consequence of the city's agreement
5th. That an assignment of damages by the pro-
perty,holder, IN SO far as it covers benefits as
sessed against him, will give the right to have
those benefits paid to him in money, in the event
of the repeal of the ordinance.
9Th. That the contracts for the sale of "materi-
ais and the residue of lots" made by the Commits
sioners, may be regarded conditional, and will
not be violated by the abandonment of the proposed
Improvement
7th. That the city, having acted in good faith,
and without malice, in her proceeding in this at
ter, is not legally responsible for damages which
may result from her action to those with whom
she has entered into contract
As this opinion is for the use of the Ciy Council
1nE rJpht 10 oHh rIOk. . 4
to mention if the opinion was intended for YOUR
self only, that the questions involved in this in
qury are full of difficulty and doubt and that the
conclusions at which have arrived ought to be
taken with that qualification.
New UNITED STATES CouRT HoUsE.-Messrs. N.
Osborn d Co., the contractors for the erection of
the new United States Court House, have not al
lowed the general depression in business circles to
inerI ere with much less retard, their operations.
During the entire winter their stone cutters have
been hard at work preparing the granite, and
within the last few days their number has been in
creased, with the purpose of pressing the work.
There is at this time finished sufficient quantity
OF granite for the basement and the first story.
The house which occupied as the parsonage
and which was allowed to remain until within a
lew days, has been taken down, and the entire lot
Is now clear OF membranes. 1t is the intention
OF the contractors to commence the work of exca-
vatlon TINS coming week, which will be no light
JoD IL VIII take couple of months labor to pre-
pare the basement to enable the masons to 90 to
work, and consequently the foundation will not be
laid until about the first of June. This delay,
however, does not retard the work in the least a.
the preparation of the granite will go steadily on
Each block is carefully designed and measured,
and when finished is numbered, so that no difficulty
will be experienced in assigning it to its place in
the building. The quality of the granite is yery
fine, and its color beautiful. 1t is remarkably
hard and difficult to work. but finished with an ex-
ceilent face. There we'll on to a hundred per-
sons engaged on the work now, and as soon as the
excavation commences the number will be greatly
increased.
The MARINE HOSPITALITY esterday afternoon the
Physician to the Marine Hospital sent to the First
Branch of the City Council communication, in
which he gave an inventory of the articles which
he found in the Hospital when he took charge of
it. The Doctor also complains that the dwelling
and Hospital buildings are in very bad condition
and need much repair. The fences around the
grounds have all been destroyed, and the cattle of
the neighborhOod range at large over them. The
following is the inventory:
safe, curtains, table cloth, dining table, 6 chairs
Groken cooking stove meat dishes vegetable do.
Dows and saucers. a tea cups, mugs, knives and
forks dozen table spoons, half dozen tea do In the
6itchen:-l water bucket, milk do, slop do tables
broken benches, stove fiat IRONS and several tin
cups In the wards of the Hospita:-4S single blankets
II double do SO sheets is bed Spreads ticks (a
worn outl "a pillow cases. towels stoves comforts
Is pillows, "a iron bedsteads lamps all bad repair
The Commissioner of Health also sent a commu-
nlcation up relative to the Marine Hospital stating
the financial condition of the institution, from
which we copy:
Amount overdrawn jan l. ls6l-, Il 531 7s
Bills for which orders have been drawn upon
the Comptroller since Jan. l, 1861 .......... $3.50
Dhls unpaid now IN the Department........... 6lI3
Deficiency to this date ..................s3 Oo1 l
vi the bills unpaid now in the Department Their
Is one OF $500 for lamps furnished for the use of tn
patients.
FREs.-At halfpast three o'clock vestarda,
morning private Waterman Cavano discovered
IRE on the ground floor ola mahogany saw mil
situated on Uhler's alley, between Charles ant
Sfr n1.a
tyre were summoned, and assisted him in extin
gushing the flames, with but slight damage and
without sounding an alarm. The fire is supposed
10 nave originated from the boiler.
About twelve o'clock Yesterday an alarm of fir
was sounded from the corner of Baltimore and Han
over streets, caused Ly discovery of smUke isau
ing from the large brick warehouse, No 10 Hanove
street, between German and Lombard, in the occu-
pancy OF Messrs. Isaac Coale, Jr. & Bro. The Fir
Department were promptly on the spot, bnt thei
services were not required. The damage wa
small, principally caused by water, and is covered
by insurance.
SEVERE GALE dtarAcc The bark Clifton
Capt. Lewis, from Palermo, arrived in port yester
day morning. The captain reports experiencing
very severe gale on the 9th inst. The gale com
menced from the southeast and for twelve bonr
there was a terrific blow. The wind shifted to thf
northwest, and for several houls the gale was al
most as severe from that quarter. One of the crew
named Antonio Ferranta, an Italian, fell from the
masthead, and was very seriously injured He was
carefully provided for and attended to- until the
park reached this port, when he was removed to
the Lombard Street lnfrmary but had scarcely en-
Sereu the Institution, when he expired DR.. Mil
holland, the resident physician, states that death
was caused by an injury of the spine and infamma-
ZION OF the brain. Ferranta was about 35 wears OF
age, and unmarried.
lax ON PERSONAL PRoPERTY.-Y esterday after
noon Mr.. Nicholas of the Committee of WAYS anC
Means, presented in the First Branch of the CITY
Council an ordinance relative to the collection O.
taxes on personal property. The bill provides
that TIA, the tax on real estate and that persona
effects shall be kept separate, and that on persona
property shall be payable within four months from
the list OF May OF each year. If paid before the s.
OF May the Collector is directed to abate the sun
per cent. If before the ls of June 6 per cent: be
fore lst of July, per cent; before LIST of Auenst
per cent; before the lst of September, per cent
II not paid by the LIST of September payment ma,
De enforced The bill was read and laid on the
GAs.-Last evening George NJ. Gill, ESQ.,. Cit,
counsellor, sent his opinion to the City Council il
regard to the right of the Mayor and CITY Council
10 pass certain inspection laws in relation to gas
Mr.. Gil is of opinion-lst, that the gas compan,
use the streets of the city for the pipes by per
mission of the city, and that the city has power t.
revoke the grant. 3D.. That the Mayor and CITY
Council have the power to pass law for the in
spection of gas Sd. They have the power to an
point an inspector of and sealer of meters 4tb
lhey have the power to regulate the quality of
ana prohloit the sale ofbad gas. He is not of the
upinlon mat the city has power to set price OF
Committee on Police and Jail
RAILROAD AcCIDENT.-Ye sterday morning anon
0 CLOCK, an accident occurred on the Norther,
central Hallway, near Texas, in Baltimore county
winch Will probably prove fatal to one of three ner
sons who were injured 1t appears that by som
delect IN the track an engine attached to freigh
tram was thrown Off causing the boiler to explode
Dy which the engineer, named Whitley, was, as i
supposed, fatally injured and the brakeman, nam
ed Eschberger, was severely scalded upon the lowe
portions of his body; the fireman, whose name w
did not learn, slightly injured. All the partie
reside in the city, and were brought hitber las
evening and conveyed to their homes.
THEFT OF MoNEY.-Yesterday morning, a woman
named Hannah Ambaugh, occupying the SECOND
story OF house on Bond street. near Bank left he,
room to go out to wash clothing. few minutes
after, young man named George Hess entered the
mouse, and proceeded to Mrs. Ambaugh's apart
ment. lie first forced the door of her room and
then prised open trunk and stole therefrom 81 G.
the womon's hard earnings He then fed but the
woman occupying the lower part of the house re-
csgnized him, and informed the police who soon
arrested Hess, and took him before Justice Duncan
lie denied taking the money, but offered to refund
the amount if he let off. He was Committed
to Jail for court.
The CASE OF ERASMUS LEvY.-Our inouirv VOC
terday, In relation to the disposition of the case NJ
Erasmus Levy, who was charged with assaultino
John X. English, with intent to KILL has ELECTED
from the States Attorney the following explana-
tion-The case was brought to the attention of the
Grand Jury early in September last, but before 6
bill was found, Levy was presented and indicted fol-
the murder of Franklin ii. Naff. In consequence
OF the action of the Grand Jury upon the gravel
charge, the case of assault was postponed to await
the result OF the murder case, and has never beer
called up since. No presentment has, therefore
been made, and of course no indictment found.