Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1867-10-23
The Police Commissioners Report.

the force proper 2GS persons, basItss tre =, :,
jor, captain, and ue .e,ci yes, 10 lieutsnants ~
ssreeanis, and 2Of pr Yates. Besides these the
Board has commissioned as additional pri
Yates 50 persons 10 duty At the expense ct bar
ICES applying for their appointment Under
the reao OF ''sfat on house" the report says:
'.Ine Corporation Of Washinsiun has Cro
yid'd new s'arion houses in the First sud
seventh precincts since theisst annuatr-port Of
lois beaTd WAS made. Tue buildings which
nsse peer provided, although not d"siguea
sEu outit foT the purpose for which tbey are
NO" neid, are quite convenient except that
thp cells for the confinement Of prisoEers are
not sufficiently secure. There remains but the
SIItA pTecipetin Washington wi;uout &C COM
modat'ons, and for this an eligible site has
been purchased upon which it Is designed Ct
an early period to eIecta station -house superior
tt any now in use. The THIRD precinct WINCH
includes Georgatowr. is still without proper
accom- rnodations for the police force doing
duty there The building now being used rs
station house Is small. badly ventilated. and
nnwbolesoIne. The Board is very sorry to be
obliged to report that there is but little pros
pect that the Corporation of Georgetown will
soon provide better mmodatIOns
The Levy Court which has jurisdiction in
the county OF Washington. outside the two
Cities. has provided NO police accomm adations
Whatever, and declines to do SO fro"I the fact
that the law Of Congress which requires the
Corporations OF Washington and Georgetown
TO provide the necessary accommodate for
the police. does not include that portion Of The
OF said court 1t is absolutely necessary not
only for the comfort OF the policemen or duty
outside the two cities, but also in order 10
secure proper police surveillance that arrange
ments be a. once made towards providing
station houses in the county. 1t is therefore
respectfully suggested that Congress De re-
quested TO enact such law as Will speedily
remedy this evll.'
Under the head of ssdiscpIine OF the force"
the report refers to the fact that the night and
day system has been discontinued. and the
liz Gya7s pc4 HI chn1 hSoh
cnange has worked a ked improvement n
the discipline. efficiency and health of the
force. The members have been frequently
drilled in the school of the soldier.
The board say S lit gives them much pleas
ure 10 report that the efficiency and discipline
has greatly improved during the past year.
NOT Only IN the usual routine, but on extraor-
binary occasions OF The most exacting and ex-
citing character their efficiency and discipline
nave been thoroughly tested and at some
length ii speaks OF the manner In which the
force operated during the first election under
the free suffrage bill in GEORGETOWN.
Under the head of the sanitary company"
it speaks Of the great number OF com.
plants which received its attention as result
ing from a lack of drainage 1t says tina,
the CITY is eXpendIng large sums OF m oney for
sewers. which. owing to the extensive scale
on which the city was LAID out. and the sparse
manLer on which building lots are I'M.
proved or built upon, a thorough system
OF drainage will cost SO much that the value
OF the lots along the line Of q Sc wer would, in
construction. Such a burden as this is 100
much TO be imposed on the property owners.
Nor is this all: Comparatively few OF the streets
are paved. and CT course all deposits made
therein are absorbed or become a part OF the
soil, SO that the effect OF the suns RAYS is to
draw from our unpayed streets eXhaiatioIs
which are both unpleasant to the smell, and
more or less deieteTiOus to health. Notwith-
standing these adverse circumstance pestilen-
ual diseases nor unusual number Of diseases
induced by want CT cleanliness have pre-
in h0 -
have promptly attended 10 thereTno val OF nui.
sances when GoifisC. and the CORPORATION
officers for their cordial cooperation are com.
plmented, and the report says .!to great
measure to the Sanitary Company is due, un-
der Providence, the exemption from pestI-
lenre"
The report speaks Of the marched portions
OF the public sewers which run through the
thickly populated parts of the city, and saws
they are emitting an intOlerable and poisonous
oder which can only be realized from the fact
that besides being source Of deposit from nu.
merous waterclosets they are convenient also
as q receptacle for all kinds of offal and dead
animals. Open los within the thickly popu-
lated portions Of the District are spoken as of.
len being con venient places OF deposit for Of
fensive Stops and garbage. and suggestion is
made for the passage of a law compelling prop
prevent their being used as dumping grounds
for filth, oyster shells and rubbish of all
kinds.
The law passed a the last session OF Con.
gress regulating the proceedings before m agis.
rates is represented to work badly and cases
have been reported where the offences were of
so trivial nature that they would not have
been entertained except that the justice is al
lowed 70 retain costs. and in other cases op.
pressIve fines have been imposed upon the
poor and unfortunate for very trifing offences
Under the heading of filthy and over. crowd
ed tenement houses the report says: .'In refer
eDce to ibis class ofnuisances, which are to be
found principally on the borders of the city,
and which are mostly occupied by coIored
people, 1t is worthy of remark that the utmost
attention has been given by the GERS of the
trsedmens Bureau, in connection with the
Sanitary Company OF this Department, in
having all those habitations OF misery and un.
healthfulness cleansed and whitewashed dur.
ing the present summer. Importance of this
end, the Freedmens Bureau has furnished
besides brushes, buckets, &C., with which
three thousand four hundred and twenty
seven tenements have been whitewashed,
cleansed. and purified. In cases OF infirmtty,
old age. or sickness, abOr has been furnished
by the Fleeomen's Bureau in accomplishing
the above object 1t is probably owing to the
timely precauiion, together with the efforts of
the Sanitury Company, and The judicious meas
ures taken by the city authorities, In disinfect.
ing the alleys, &s., that the health OF tie Dis.
trict mas been pres erved.'
In compliance with an ACT of Congress the
Sanitary Company have visited and inspected
the ferry. boats, boilers. &c and in nearly all
caees have found the boilers, life -preseryers,
DC, as required by law. There are now, the
report ssys, over one hundred and fifty
steamboilers in use In The District, which mum.
her Is being constantly increased.
Under the head Of Police TELEGRAPH il saws
It's value cannot be overestimated There has
been transmitted over the wires I7,459 mes.
sages. OF which record has been kept, and
fully as many were passed bet ween station.
houses OF which NO record is kept at the Cen.
trail office. Through Its agency l36 LOST chill.
dIen nave been restored to parents, 81 lost
horses TO owners.
Accompanying the report are tables showing
the disposition Of the force. time lost By sick
nets. number OF arrests, &c.
The Sanitary Company during the year i'm
posed fines amounting to S06437; sent 26 sick
and destitute persOns to hospital: buried 80
flendIess persons restored lost children To
parents; reported and reno we'd SCI dead horses
and cows; removed 80 dead hogs and dogs
The report OF the Treasurer OF the Board
shows that he has drawn from the treasury
S19a,3s2.75, and has balance to his credit OF
s19.4s7 IL. -
The surgeons report that during the wear ao0
we've under medical treatment, an thew trea ted
$40 cases and but one death occurred on the
force. ~
The following is Q recapitulation of the work
OF the force:-Whole number OF arres te, 2O,U75:
OF which l6, 2s2 were malee, 37e3 females: 7.9s
were arried, u, I67 were single; y, 7O2 couId
read and write, 1873 could not read and write.
There were of offences against the person.
l0,l64 males, 3,06G females: offences against
property, e,i2s maiee, 723 females or the
held to bail for court; 2O0 turned over b, mill.
tary: $3.50 dismissed; 1857 committed u work.
house; $40 gave security TO keep peace, and in
$50 cases various Hight pnnishments were in.
htcted. Fines were imposed in al2S Cases
amounting in all to S3s, SEAS, as follows -