Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-12-01
REPORT OF THE BOA RID OF PUBLIC
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A Complete sfat~tnent lrspor taut
sugx e-ttons The Great Improve.
Haeuts fn Washing fou-Ehe asoyern-
mest and Private Property.
To Tie Prestdsat:
The Board OF Public Works have the honor to
submit their annual report, as required by the
act OF Congress to provide government for ne
District OF Columbia, approved the 2lst day OF
February, 1871
In asking attention TO the accompanying re.
ports, giving in detail the operations Of the past
year, the Board point with pride and satisfaction
to the vast results accom- plished in the improve
ment of the seat of Government since the date
of their appointment. During the period that
has Interviewed two of the three nam sewers
have been completed. and have stood the test
OF the heaviest rain storms that have ever &C.
CURED in this Latitude. One hundred and TWEEN
ty-tnree miles of sewer, varying in size from
thirty feet to SIX inches, have been constructed;
nearly two hundred and eight miles OF side
walks. and upward OF one hundred aud fifty
seven miles of improved roadway have been
Iald; while the grading has amounted to the
enormous aggregate OF three milton three nun
dred aud forty thousand cubic yards. Valu Aole
experience has been gained IN respect to pave
ments, and upOn this subject the report OF the
Chief Engineer gives inform ation OF interest
and value. Since October, ISL, more than
thirty miles OF water mains have been put down,
and nine miles have been lowered and celaId to
suit new grades
Daring the year which has inst terminated
tEiItl nine miles OF gas mains have been laid,
and tie number of public lamps incre .sed 20
1854 Materials To the amount OF 5 81 49, have
been Issued thfOua n the Superintendent Of
property; Ul2 buildings have been erected
uhusf me inspection OF The Board; $3.50 trees
have been set out, and % ,2l0 prepared for the
next season.
The Eastern Market house has been COM
pleted, at cost including the ground, IF S91 % %,
while the Northern, Northeastern. and We-teru
Market buildings are IN process of construction
The handsome and costly bridges connecting
Washington and Georgetown ut NJ and p stre-ts
have been finished, and on the Linnesn Hill
road Rock creek has been spanned with q sub
siaDtIal wooden bridge resting on stone abut-
ment-. In every department of the Board the
work of improvement has been energeti sally
prosecuted, and earnest efforts made 70 secure
economy IN expenditure, and a faithful perfor-
nance o contract stipulations.
1t appears from the report of the Treasurer
that from July !, 1871, to November, 1873, the
total receipts have been Sl4, 7S9, 692S5. The ex
pendtuTes for the same period have been
Sl3 1856 1866 leaving balance of Il ,403, 237 is
The contracts Cnteredi into by the Board nun
her 95l, ind, deducting the amount estimated
for water services ana chargesble directly tn
property, aggregate Sf3 sol 1929. Of this IN
there remain to he expended tor the compile
ton of the work under contract, Al $50, 037 "a.
The Indebtedness of the General Government
TO the District of Columbia, on account of i'm
proven ents, as shown in the statement hereto
apFeI de d, is a. follows:
For work IN aud around Government re serva-
tons and pubic bulldlng5.......S 13,1I1 10
For work on aveDues................1,0 56 574 50
For main sewerage. ,ji0, 65l SO
4,17O,427 81
In respect TO the alleged burdensome nature
OF the improveme uts, the Board submit a state
ment, carefully prepared from Official records,
OF the population, taxable property, annual eX,
perSes, detts, and public improvements of a
humber OF our principal cities. 1t appears from
thus statement
FIst. That locality considered, the cost of
improvements in the District has been less than
i'll any American city.
Second. That in the number of miles of first
class lavements, the District of Columbia is
largely in advance OF any city within the limits
of our country.
Third That the rate of taxation in the Di s.
tIict is less than in any of our leading cities,
Boston alone excepted. When it is explained,
however, that personal property, which in the
District is not taxed, forms in Boston a very
large proportion of taxation, it Will be seen that
the rate is in reality much less here than i'll that
city.
Fourth. That notwithstanding the heavy ex-
penOitures OF the past two years, and the fact
that nearly One-half of the present bonded debt
as created by the late corporations of Wash
ingtOn and Georgetown, the debt per capita in
the District is less than in either New York,
Boston, Brooklyn, jersey City, Elizabeth, Port
land. o Roche ster.
1t may be stated, in this connection, that the
property in the District OF Columbia held in fee
simple by the Government is as follows;
In parks and reservations, 81 ,159 800 square
feet, valued, as by the statement OF the
assessor, at S26, 1922, l79 Al
HI HtEttlN anu AVENUES, liz tU,UfD
square feet, valued at 80 cents. 33,74I ,O12 90
IN public buildings IS, 18I ,207 Is
IN me county .'..'................ 100000 90
IN Georgetown .................... 1888 90
Total ..........................S 95, 1856, 1856 60
Assessed at the same rate the private prop
erty in the District amounts to 500, 4S3 ~; and
IL is thus made apparent that here the Govern
ment OF the United States is the owner of real
estate equal i'll amount to One-half of all the
real property within the boundaries OF the Dis
lgt ~ Wis az aat n Il. L.
suggested that an expenditure, on the part OF
the General Government, equal to that alresdy
made by the citizens OF the District, would in-
sure every Improvement necessary TO III AXE this
metropolis tue pride and boast of the nation.
While, since the year 1902, the citizens of the
District have expended for the improvement of
streets and avenues and for sewerage : 49, lIS-
A5.52, the total appropriations granted by Con-
gTess for these purposes reach the comparatiy We
~ small sum OF -, 4i6 105.49. Deeming it unne-
cessary to urge the plain duty OF the Govern
III ntin the premises the Board, as a single in
stance of the benefit derived by the United
States from the expenditures thus made, men,
ton the fact that the land reclaimed for the
Government by the filling of the canal and
other Improvements amounts to 2, $3.50, 1874 SQUARE
feet worth, at the valuation of adjacent prop-
erty, s., 100000. Imbued with patriotic pride,
our citizens will at all times cheerfully bear
their just proportion of the expenses necessary
for the adOrnment of the national capital. They
petition for no relief from such a burden,
heavy though it may be, but simply ask tn At
the nation, mindful OF its own obligations will
perform its part in the laudable effort to make
the metropolis of the American republic the
grandest OF the cities of the world.
justified by the favorable sanitary and
financial results which have followed the ill ng
of the canal and portion of the low grounds
south OF the Executive Mansion, the Beard ur-
gently recommend immediate legislation to re.
claim the extensive accreations In the Potomac
river, between Easily s Swharf and the Long
bridge, in accordance with the plan presen Ted
during the last Congress by the commission sp-
pointed to investigate that subject. The i'm
pOrtance of this subject cannot be oyeresti-
mated las 1t would give the capital harborsl
able for the purposes of commerce, and relieve
the cities OF Washington and Georgetown from
the only cause of complaint respecting the
healthfulness of the District. The expense of
the undertaking would doubtless be more than
reimbursed by the value of the land reclaimed
The recent financial troubles UNFORTUNATELY
prevented any realization from a sale of the
sewer certificates authorized by an act of the
Legislature, approved June %, 1873, which
had been negotiated in the city of New York at
rates deemed advantageous TO the District.
Thus suddenly deprived Of this means OF re-
source the board were, in many instances,
compelled to pay the contractors with these
certificates, which, in common with All securi-