Evening star., 1869-10-28
RE.NuMBERIrG THE HOUSES.

lpEtoo, WHICH recently passed tne board OF
Common Council, was under consideration IN
the Board Of Aldermen on Monday evening"
but It was, After q short discussion, postponed
for q future meeting,-only three Aldermen
(Messrs Connolly. Davis, and Slater,) volinz
for immediate action. On the whole, this dis
position, for the present At least. seems best
FOR, while an Improvement on the present de.
iectlve arrangement is highly desirable,
enange should not be made until the SUBJECT
mas been maturely considered, and the best
and most perfect plan adopted And to our
mind the Dill in question does net meet these
requirements.
Ii provides, as we are informed, tor q re-
numbering OF the houses, on what 10 called the
Pniladelphia plsn,-thar Is, allo wing one hun
dred numbers for each square or bloek,-so
that the number ON each mouse Will in every
case designate Its locality. Ii proposes, also,
that the numbering shall commence az the
eastern side OF the city, or at the Anacostia
river. and run west; aGd at the Potomac oG the
south, and run north. This is substantial
the Philadelphia method; but, owing to the
peculiar plan Of Washington, and particularly
10 the duplication of streets, that system can.
not be adapted to our situation without a ma.
terial variation as to the initial points For
instance, in Philadelphia a house situated ON a
given street crossing the numeral stesets.
which bears any number from 100 to 200 Is
understood to be located between First and
Second streets; from 2O0 to 300, between Secoud
and Third. from 1900 to 1870. between Twelfth
and Thirteenth, and so on TO the end; and, as
the numeral streets in that city commencs at
its eastern boundary, or on the Della ware river
and run regularly and uninterruptedIy to ths
other side, the system works admirably there.
Here, however, the case is different The
MINERAL street living on the Anacostia IS Twen.
ty-fourth street, East, instead OF First street.
Plain and simple, and to adapt the Pniladel.
pnla plan TO the present plat Of Washington
would be to exactly reverse its principles as
TO all the territory lying east Of the Capitol
and To lose It's peculiar ad vantages a. to the
whole city. Thus, for instance the houses sir.
uatsd on one of our Iettered streets between
Twerty-fCurth and T wenty third streets East
corresponding 70 First or Water ana Second
streets IN Philadelphia) would bear numbers
from 1G0 to 40. while houses between Second
and First streets East would bear numbers
from 2,3Co to 2.iOo; and houses between twenty
third and Twenty-fourth streets West would
bear numbers from 4,6OO to $500! Under auy
such arrangement. the PhiIadeiphia plan
would be, as any one can see, a cause of CON.
slant confusion instead of q natural and ever.
present guide TO localities.
To make the ad dvantages OF that system avail.
able TO Washington, IL will be necessary, on
account Of the duplication of numbered and
lettered streets, TO divide the city into four
divisions or districts, by drawing a cardinal
line through the Capitol east and west ana
another north and south, or rather by adopting
East Capitol street on the east, North aud South
Capioi streets on the north and south, aud the
public grounds on the west, as the dividing or
initial lines, and numbering each way from
h.a Uf "A
more particular Indication Of localities, to
designate these four grand divisioos or districts
respectively as the North. Eastern, North.
Western, South Eastern and South Western
Then, for example, what Is now 1870 street
north, between 18th and lith streets west"
would simply be, say, "l31i X street, N W."
and so on the same way for a given locality
IN either of the other divisions or districts
The same principle VIII apply with equal ad.
vantage to the streets designated By Numbers
instead Of letters, by simply considering given
letter as occupying the position in the plan
which is filled BY Its corresponding number, as
A, b, 4. &C.. for First, Second, and Third, &c.
Thus, a house on Eleventh street west b..
tween and q north, for instance, instead of
being as now, mo. i62 Eleventh street west
between Z and streets Iorth," would be, say
mo. 90 Eleventh street, ". w" The avenues
which cross or are crossed by The initial lines
should also Be numbered by the same rule; that
u. Tunning higher eaca way from the points
of intersection. The locality Of the others
could be briefly and in,eIlizsn.Iy indicated by
stating the division or district IN which they
lie. .-.lrl r-.
1t may and probably will be urged against
This plan that the designation by districts
would be cumbersome, and that 90 radical
change would be for time bewildering, and
liable 10 encounter bitter opposition. Quite
likely. Rut any plsn in a city having dupli-
cate streets is necessarily cumbersome IL cer-
taInty is 70 be secured; and most Of them are,
from the nature Of the case, open to the charge
OF both inconvenience and uncertainty. And
surely mo. -, q street, s. W." 10 less cumber-
some than s'No. -, q street south, between
and - street west" and "No. -, Massacau-
sets avenue, N. E." Is better than ssNo.-,Mss
sachusetts avenue, between Third and Fourth
streets east" The whole dificulty In the case
lies in getting used 10 the cidn1e. Once adopted,
the advantages OF the new plan would make
themselves more and more apparent every day,
as our ciuzens became familiar with its simple
and Ineligible principles. That the present
system 10 defective, awkward, cumbersome,
and confusing. no one can deny; and the pro-
blen to be solved in adopting another is Given.
the peculiar and Objectionable plan OF Wash.
inston, what is the simplest and m ost iEtelli-
gioie manner Of numbering Its housesl In our
opinion the modification or adaptation OF the
Philadelphia plan above indicated Is the best,
all things considered. that can be devised; but
If better one can bs suggested we stand ready
TO urge its adoption.
ltmsy well Be Questioned, however, whether
any change should be undertaken by our citv
authorities at the present tim., In view of the
fact mat The charter of the city expires In Nav
next, and thai it b not unlikely there NAV by
that urae be some legislation on the part OF
Congress Thieh viii materially affect the whole
subject, and necessitaes q change or rnod,dcn .
tion Of any plan which might be adopted now
But however that may bs. we trust that No
system viii be selected by ths Councils whieb
does not provide for uaiformisy In n umssr,n, ,
by prescribing . hxsd space for sseh numb.r-
say twenty or twenty five rrnnins tat frou,.
ing on each street-whether such spec 4. 4,
present occupied by an improvsmsnt - NOT
s1d VI wh,ch does not also carefaily guard assn.,
IAs possibility Of any job or the charging !,
s1tor,iOsezs price, In carrying out the WORK.
AxorHln OAuARD Dtsroe Nd ON oeS
Z. stone, Of the firm q stone. Nichols Go
which was said by some Of the ,fsv fof
papers TO have been the brokers Of NJ. Oor osi
and 10 have asalt In 0overnnsns oonos on u
count OF me President, publishes . card
vhich he sts,ex positivelv IN at the members