National Republican., 1873-12-01
OUR PUBLIC WORKS.
THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THgyo,Rp

" ~ ~ = ~ "
THE ANNUAL REPORT OF THENOARp.
Eskibit Of Work Accomplished for the
Miles sf Sewers and Pavement COM
ssructed-IsdcbtedBcss Of the District y
Our urIuprsvcmcutsC Compared with those
Of Other cities -Resuiss sf the Cassi
Imprsve.ent-rhe street Railroads.
What Congress should Do.
10 ne rr.idsnG
The Board Of Psblic Works have the honor 70
. submit their annual report As required by the
act Of Congress 10 provide government for the
District Of Columbia, approved the alst day Of
February, 1871.
In asking attention 10 the accompanying re-
ports, Riving In detail the operations Of the past
year, the board point with pride and satisfaction
to the vast results accomplished 10 the improve
msnt OF the scat OF Government since the date
Of their appointment During the period that
has intervencd two Of the three main sewers
have boon completed, and have stood the test Of
the heaviest rain storms that have ever occurred
In this latitude.
sxwxR AND sipzwAKs CONSTRUCTED.
One hundred and twenty three miles Of sewer
varying In slne from thirty feet 70 six inches,
have been constructed; ne sry two hundred and
sish, miles q sidewalks, and upward Of one
way have been laid; while the grading has
amounted 70 the enormous .ageeFate Of three
million three hundred and fcrJ thousand cubic
respect 10 gAysnents, and upo1 thin subje the
Ieport Oh me chicf engineer gives Information
q interest and value. Since October, 1871, more
than thirty miles OF water-mains have been put
down, and nine miles have boon lowered and re-
,,., ,SsTiaS n: ! "a: ss.ss a.. ,s.. t;.n!s.,sa M
and the number o. public ismps =, 4, incssssed do %
apot. Materiaia to the anosnt Of sIsl, ,Ss1 have
been ssgsd cgs sareSan 'se sspssisssnde.. p prop
the Inspection Of tho board; e,sss trees have
been set out, and $3.50 prepared for the next
rn nAsfnsx MARTINIQUE
has been completed u cost, including the |
ground, Of sp1,ooo, xphe the Northern, North |
eastern and WsstsM, narket-bulldings are In |
process OF construction. 'HI7-I n |
washinston and aeorsesoSn Il u and strse1s |
nave been finished, and on tho Lnnean Hill road |
ROCK creek has been spanned with Substantial |
In every department o. he board tho work Of |
Improvement has been euergeticaly prosecuted, |
snas and earnest eforis msde % sscurs sconomy IN
snpsns,,ule, ,, snd hisnfui performance Of con-
Il sppssn rom The rspor. Of The .r,..ursr ,s..
r,ss rcosp sa % Sss % q s a.
dlturs. for The ssns period have Been sis,sss,-
ass.s'. leaving Balance 81 81, eos, ,ssTis.
Tm ooSrRAcn
entered into by the boari number o5i, and. de- \
Quoting the amount estimated for water services |
S g. 81 PiSs tSs gS ,S PSRs' SR SsI e
expended for the completion Of tho work under |
contract, u, sss,osIbt.
rue INDEBTEDNESS
Of the oeueral 0ovenmeut to the District OF |
s.H -
sh sso.n In the stasensas hereto sppcndsd, Is ss
Tis is...sss 81; e "a AZ sssa ss
For work on svcnucs ................ ious,sIl %
For man sewerage '.,,..-......... abtoss1 % |
ss,iTotsT A
QUE nrAovnnsss coxrAnsp wrrn orHss cnsfu. 4
Of the improvements, tho board submit q state |
ment, carefully prepared from oficial rpcords, |
Of the poPuiauon, taxable pfopesty, snnusi e1.
number Of our principal cities. Il sppsars from
First Tnst LOCALITY coasidered, the cost Of
improvements In ne Dlstrict has been less than
Second. That In tho number Of miles Of nrst- |
class pavements the DISTRICT OF Columbia "a
largely IN advance Of any city within the limits
Third, That the rate Of taxation 10 the DIS.
tIict s less than In any Of our leading cities,
however sss, personal properly, which IN sss
District u not taxcd, forms In Boston q yeryI
large proportion OF taxation, IL viii be seen that
tns ale Is In reality much less hero than In that
Fourth. That Notwithstanding the heavy ex.
pendltures Of the past two Year,, and the fact
was created by the late corporation Of wash
inGton and 0eorgetown, the debt per capita 10 |
the District is less than IN either New YORK,
,sa Boston, BROOKLYN, jersey City, Elizabeth. Port
Il may DO stated, In this connection, that the
property in the District Of Columbia held In fee |
simple by the Government Ia as follows:
In PARIS and reservations, 81, $50
square feet valued, as BY the
statement Of the assessor, at. $40, ,bea,lJs a
In streets and avenues, 1iS,&i0,0t0 = |
square feet, valued At % cents. t3.ISl,0ia 90
10 public uildings................ so,1sT,90T 10
IN tne y...................... 10000 90 /
In town-.................. Ib11s 90
Assessed al the same rate, ihe private prop
ery IN the District amounts TO e60lss. 10; and /
II is thus made apparent that here the Govern
ment Of the United s.ates Il the owner OF real /
estate equal in amount 10 one half Of eli the real
10 view Of this fact, IL need hardly 6e suggested
that an expenditure on the part OF the General
Government equal 70 that already made BY the /
provement necessary 70 make this metropolis
the pride and boast Of the nation. While, since /
the year isIs, the citlsens OF the District have
e@pohtot Aot improvement VI btTtttb
avenues and for sewerage ls,its,tt5.99, tho
total appropriations granted By Congress for /
those purposes reaches the comparatively small
to urge the plain duty Of the Government In the /
benent derived BY the United States from the
the land reclaimed for the Government by the |
nlng Of the canal and other improvements |
amounts TO Aaso, iet square feet, worth, at the
eued with patriotic PRIDE our citis.ns viii at ali
times cheerfully bear their Just proportion Of the
expenses necessary for tho .dornment Of the
SS sses BURDEN aoSsa aon ms ~ BE-
amply ask that the nation, mindful Of Its own |
oSisations. wiil psrfoIm IL par; IN the iandaole
republic the grandest OF the cities Of the world
Justified BY the favorable
SANITARY AND FINANCIAL RssuLrs
which have followed the nlllng Of the canal and
portion Of the low grounds south Of the Exec |
immediate legislation TO reclaim the extensive
accretions In the Potomac river, between Eassyh
wharf and the Long bridge, In sccordance with
the commission appointed TO investigsts that
subject The importance Of this subject
can not DO oysiestina.sd. q z would
purposes Of commerce, and relieve the citics OF
Washington and Georgetown from the only
cause q complain. respecting ihs healthtalnsss
would, doubtless, be more than reimbursed By the
value Of the lands reclaimed.
rns RECENT FINANCIAL TROUBLES,
unfortunately, prevented any realisation from
sale OF the sewer certificates authorised BY an
act Of ths Legislature, approved June %, ISIS,
which had been negotiated In the city Of New
York q rates deemed advantageous 70 the Dis
trict. Thus suddenly deprived OF ths means Of re-
source, the board were, In many Instances, CON-
PEELED 70 pay the contractors with these oertn-
cates, which, In common with all securities, had
been seriously Affected In value By the disas-
trous condition OF monetary ahAirs. The c0nse-
quent loss has generally been cheeriully borne,
commendable spirit evincea under such adverse
circumstances By the principal CONTRACTOR. II
Is earnestly hoped thai Congress will make I'm
mediate provision for the payment OF It's IN
debtedness TO the Dlstrict, In order that the ne
rslievsd.
10 their last annual report ~ 70 the nomenca-
ture Of streets Of Washington. A mere letter OF
the alphabet Ia hardly In keeping with the mag
nlnoent proportions Of streets unrivaied BY an