Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-01-08
CITY N E w S,

| The SKATING CARHIvAL.-The clear. cold wealth
OF the past few days has served to cover the su
lace o1 the lakes in the parks and the various pon
anu small bodies of water about this city with th
anu solld Ice and thosein the community who deIig
'ne nealthful, graceful, and nvigorating exerci
Vi sAatng nave, Tor the last forty-eght hours BE-,
Il" 'ne most gleeful state of mind On Saturday ever
aFalaole resort was enivened by the presence
many OF the youth and beauty of the citv and !
some instances the gayety of the SCENE was
| far into the night ''--
AS the skating carnival may now be said 70 hav
luiiy opened with promise from presenf indics
tloIs' OF oelng an extended one brief summary,
| the location and means of communication with III
most popular resorts. may not be deemed ont :
| place. Jul
FIRST comes the lake at Druid Hill Park. which
30 well known and highly appreciated by everybod,
| aS scarcely TO require notice at ALL The Madiso
| Avenue line of ears. which connect with tbe por
railway the only direct line of communication wit
1t. The lake is, however only about fen minute,
walk from the terminus of the Madison Avenue cars
and many persons prefer walking the short distanc
to riding during the cold weather.
Lake Swami, located near the Relay House n,
Ine me OF the Northern Central Railway. was las
winter very popular and fashionable reso-t an,
olds alr to attract this winter even larger share n
attention than formerly. Several persons waro on
there on Saturday, and it was then thoupht tba+ n
Ice would be in excellen. condition to-day Th;,
spot presents the largest skating surface TO he nd
convenient to the city, Except when the harhor i.
itoI9n uP') and may be reached by the Northern Cen
"%t nal4"ay passenger trains, which leave tho city
nan dozen times during the day. as will be seon by
reference to their schedule published elsewhere in
this paper. III
Inc lake at Patterson Park has been enlarged sinco
last winter and offers attractive surface of ice 10
persons who reside in the eastern section of tbo it
whlle 1t has many admirers up town II is haauti'
fully located, and the surrounding hills protect +t
skaters from the full force Of tho wind The most
convenient eommunieat on for up town people going
to Patterson Parks the BroadYay line of cars -
FROM tue terminus of this road the lake is reached
by short walk.
AT Harris Creek. just where the Canton pas.or,or
Railway crosses it, there is also good skating and Car
two or three days this pond has been crowded. with
ooth sexes. Visitors reach it bv the Canton rs
1here are numerous other places in the eastern rs
well as other sections of the city both Iarro and
small, which offer fine opportunities for skating 60
tnat the lovers of this exercise can scarcely 60 mss
whatever direction they may take.
On Spring Gardens, from the foot of Sharp street
west there Is very superior skating and many per
sons avail themselves of the extended area there
by the Sopth Baltimore Passenger Railway.
Of private ponds there is but one about the cit,-
at the old Charles street Reservoir club of ren-
tlemen have fitted up pond there, with all the mod
ern convenienceS. and they have succeeded in ot
tracing hither large and fashionable class of visi
tors The Charles street line of cars pass in close
proximity to it.
Ihesame cars carry passengers to several public
ponds in the vicinity the reservoir, among them
Sumwat'S, on the left of the road, which is ouite
tavorte resort for many persons.
1t was thought last night that there would he
skating upon the basin to-day. The weather was
intensely cold, the thermometer at one time rang
ing as low sixteen degrees
Annual REPORT OF THE CIrY COMMISSIONER.
annual report Of the City Commissioner Mr.. Jehu
Gorsuch prepared to be presented at the approach
ing session of the City Council shows for the mast
year. that orders have been given for and work done
to the amount of SIPS 66S 5 repairs of paved streets
S3l .8O2l; building the bridge at Eager street $50
25675; work done on Broadway market house and
hall, SZ2932O2 furnishing the hall 81 10. high
ways and bridges 1893 61 furnishing Hoins street
ethall 81 4lO3l; additional payment on account
oil the hall, &c S3,69i3O; repairing Centre market
mousse S1'40li paving and repairing Cross street ST.
l3o2S ilag and stepping stones 81 G22 %: removing
dirt from Hughes street, S6S6SS repairs of sewers
$36l499; building sewer on Holiday street SOM re-
pairs of Hartford avenue S55l 76 repairs of bridges
9i,6O72 29 building tunnel on Pennsylvania avenue,
S4,s9O trimming trees at Union and Franklin SQUARES
Si0O; removing trees from Eastern spring lot Sl65
lamps and pillars, $500 % Mount Vernon square SLED
'st street from Pratt to Canton avenue was graded
and paved at the cost of ST. O3846 Fayette and Uo
iday streets wdened, graded and paved Arch street
graded and paved, and the requisite sewers on the
last named street from Baltimore to Fayette street
placed in proper position.
Cqnt~onts weIu cutrro5 into Co.. A., -
street. nlneent alley3 ifo AiOemare street 70
the city have been repaired at cost of over l 600
leaving unexpended $3l979. The old railroad track
on Paca street. south Of Baltimore was not removed
as some of parties interested desired to repair it,
The Mayor has directed that if not repaired within
a reasonable time the track should be removed and
the street placed in good condition, Eight inlets to
sewers, with the trap, have been constructed at
cost of $S57.99. An arched conduit, $40 feet long,
from Pennsylvania avenue TO Walsh street. was con-
structed at cost of S4S90 thereby passng off the
large amount of water which gathers at that point.
There have been erected 100 lamp posts and lamps
in various sections of the city and So repaired that
broken down by careless persons driving around
the street corners The entire woodwork of Pratt
street bridge was renewed at a cost of 81 2l6s9 the
iron work of the drawbridge repaired, and number
Of other bridges over Jones Fall and Hartford run
refoored and repaired A wooden bridge over the
ravine at the foot Of Decker street, and rude
riage way around Bolton depot have heen construct
ed, thereby enabling carriages to avoid the locomo-
tiyes the depot. Dowlys wharf has been repaired
at cost of 81, ,2434S, and Dugans wharf is in course
of repair. McEIdcrry's wharf will next receive
attention. The platform on West Falls avenue, be-
tween Eastern and Canton avenues has been COM
pleted at a cost, of $3.50. at the eastern city
springs the old elm trees have been removed, and
their places supplied with naples, tulip
and silver NAPLES. No permits to frame build
ings in the city granted. tho alternative was
to grant all or none.
REPORT OF THE FrsE ALARw AND Police TILE
GRAPH-The report Of the Superintendent of tbs de-
partment. Mr.. VIM Barrett, shows that during tl1
year of 1866 1853 alarms given l33 Of which
actual fire alarms 10 by the chief engineers for
tests and exhibitions, special calls for fires
and Il were false alarms. There was not a general
alarm, or in other words an alarm requiring the
presence of the entire department during the year
There were 4Sl messages sent during the year. and
2l received Of those sent 20l7 to the Eastern
Station house. sos to the southern and 6l5 to the
Western. Of those received 759 were from the East.
ern Station; 1743 from the Southern and 7l9 from
the Western. Through the nstrumentality Of th
department 226 lost children were returned to the
parents, 674 males and $50 females; 472 horses, Al
rCulCICs, N;u. Euttle, anu loo mules were ~
cred. The efficient working of this telegraph ha
been of material aid TO the fire department in the
performance Of their duties. The promptness with
which the fire alarms have been communicated, auC
the quick transmission of dispatches, reflect credi
upon the efficient superintendent, Mr.. Barrett vel
as the operators, Messrs- John King, Geo. W. Key
Charles G. Boston and Vim. Uarcourt. The Office 0
the department is situated in the old City Hall OF
Holiday street.
PRAYER FOR TEE CONVERSION OF THE WORLD
The Presbyterian Churches of this city will observ,
the present week of prayer for the conversion
of the world the order of exercises to be as follows
4 prayer meeting daily at 4 P. NJ, in the Centra
Church. corner of Liberty and Saratoga Streets am
a united meeting, addressed by two pastors, thi
evening at ~ o'clock, at Westminster Church cor
of Green and Fayette streets; on Tuesday at tn
Second Church, corner of Baltimore and Lloy
| streets; on Thursday evening, at Franklin stree
Church, corner of Franklin and Cathedral Streets
This special season Of prayer, it is understood is
apart by the General Assembly of the Presbyteria
| Church, and will doubtless prove an eventful wee
in the history of the Church.
| FIRES DURING THE PAST YEAR.-The Fire Inspector
Col. F. II. B. Boyd, reports that of the alarms durin
the year, ll6 proceeded from fires in the city, invov
| ing loss of about $4,000, which nearly approximate
| the estimates of the chief engineer, whose repO
makes it S713S5. A large portion of the loss W,
| covered by insurance. The loss by fire in 1864 wi