Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1871-05-12
Largest Circulation in the District
Beading Matter on Every Page.
WASHINGTON CITY:
4 ........".........Nsy IL, 1871.
The seventh street. Paving Hob

Next 20 Pennsylvania Avenue, Seventh rect
Il the most important business street in m,
city. In fact from being so much narrower.
and also from being the main thorouehfars
from the country directly through the heart Of
the city to the river, there is more and heavier
travel over the same extent of surface on
seventh street than ON the Avenue. IL Is of
importance, therefore, that the sewering and
paving of this street should be done in the best
manner; yet the indications are that the work is
10 be executed in an imperfect, hasty and SUPER
1cial sty lie for the benefit jobbing contractors
The property holders on IN street were assured
at the City Hall that the contract for pavi,g
from Il street To the river should not be oiven
out until the Territorial Government came into
5over. Yet, as we stated some DAYS AGO. !,
turns out that the job was given out in March
last, but has been kept secret while the con-
tractor has been making his preparations for
pushing the work through in double-quick time.
YESTERDAY the work o; pulling up the street was
commenced with large force OF laborers; ana
rom appearances the job is to be rushed
iDioueh, the sewers laid, the wood pavement
'hoNh over the sewers without time being
gwen tor the ground to settle, ard the
Wto.e thing engineered and finished
without any adequate supervision to see
that the work is properly done.
The bill for this job is altogether mos extra
Ordinary one. IL authorizes "the Nayor tn
cause the eaTriageway OF Seventh street south
H.st from 70 Water street southwest, to be
iaved with a wood pavement, and the second
ection has the vague provision that "the work
hall be executed in the manner and under the
superintendence provided by law" Wha.
.'nauneT?'' what "superintendeuce?" what
''lsw:" To the Mayor is given the power to
select the pavement-s most extraordinary
l.,
to the street railway, or any requirements upon
the railway company to pave their portion of
the street or lower their tracks to the grade.
Their track is now above the grade for most
part OF the distance from street to the river,
giving the street q hump-backed appearance,
and making it unit for any other travel than
railway travel. Will the company be REQUIRED
to bring their tracks 70 grade, or will they
manage, By manipulating the superin-
tendence' a. they did on north Seventh
rect and on other streets, 10 bring
the street mp to their tracks There
is 10; word in the bill in regard to the
sewerage Of 9TH street, and, according to report
the sewers to be laid under this JOB are not only
inadequate, especially on the west side of the
street, to carry OF the drainage, bat the coct
upon The property holders is at least a third
larger than IL sbould be. When 20 this il sdded
the fact that the kind of pavement (ths FolIans
beeJ selected, Is an untried one. and has a plank
iounc-lIon, rendering it particularly un At for
'th street, 1t VIII be seen that the property
h"Iders on that street have some reason for the
uneaSiEcss they have manifested.
Tbs hiii, so remarkable both for what il does
AID what II fails to DO, should never have been
executed, but since Mayor Emery has under
taken TO carry it out he ewes it both to his own
cTedlt as Well A. TO the people OF South WASH
lneton TO see that the work is done under some
sort o. SUPERVISION; that the street is adequately
severed and that the railway company are not
I'rih''ied to carve the street to suit their own
purposes.