Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1873-11-12
CITY COUNCIL.
A regular semi-monthly meeting of the City
Council was held last night.
BOARD OF ALDERMEN.

BOARD OF ALDERMEN
There were present in the Board Nlessrs.
Janney Moore, French and johnson, and im-
mediatey upon calling the body to order, the
President administered the oath of office to
Messrs. Hugh Latham, member-eect from the
LIST Ward. and h. Nj. Lawson from the End
Ward, who thereupon took their seats, when
the clerk proceeded to read the minutes OF the
last meeting.
4 resolution passed at the last meeting Of.
the Common Council to 90 into joint meeting
for the purpose of revision of the laws codi,
fed by Mr.. W. f.. Carne, coming up,
DR.. johnson said that the Committee on tile
Laws was not ready to report, aud that the &C
ton of the Common Council was, as usual,
premature. There had not been codi6cation
of the laws, nor was it SO intended, but simply
collection of all the laws so that it might be
known what they were If they were to be
considered and ali sorts Of amendments offered,
it would be an endless work. He would move
that the resolution be laid Oh the table, and it
was so ordered.
Upon the resolution from the Common
Council relative to the procurement Of Il room
for the use of the Board of Public Works, rc-
tcrred to the Committee On Public Property by
he Common G u lcil,
DR.. Johnson moved to non CONCUR 10 the ac-
ton of the Common Council aud To grant 10
the Board Of Public Works the Mayors vtfcc,
on the Royal street side Of the market build
iog. He did not think that the Mayor should
have SO many rooms but If it was necessary
that he should have two offices, one In whlcn
to try A when sober aud one to try y when
drunk he might use the committee room next
to the chamber OF the Common Council as Que
OF them.
The motion falling to re ceive second the
Board concurred iu the action Of the Common
Council referring the question to the Commit
tee on Public Property.
TIE Board accepted the resi- guatiou of Gil
ter, Simpson, jr., as member OF the police
force.
The President appointed Mr. Latham as
member OF the Committee Oh Public Property
aud Schools and Mr.. Lawson GU the Commit
tee Oh Light, on Claims, aud on Schools, to fill
vacancies.
The following communication from the May
or was received, read aud accepted:
MAYORS OFFICE,
ALEXANDRIA, VA, Nov. II, 1878
T5Mc Noa City Council:
GENTLEMEN In response to the resolution
OF The City Council adopted October 18th, 1873
That the Mayor be requested to inform the
City Council why he permitted the alleged
agents of the BE- 4 Z. H. Il. to take up and
carry off on or about the 18th Of September,
1873, lot Of railroad iron bcougiug to the
Corporaton, | have respectfully to say that,
10 the dispute respecting the railroad track on
Henry street, Ito which suppose the resoIu-
ton reters,) | considered it my duty simply to
maintain the public peace aud order, leaving it
to the proper courts to determine the respective
rights of the parties claiming it. No pertuis
sion has ever been given BY me, aud no act
dune in the premises TO impair or prejudice
the legal rights Of the city.
Very Respectfully.
VIM \. BERKELEY, Mayor.
DR.. johnson offered resolution directing
the purchase of 900 feet of hose for the use
OF the hand fire engines.
In moving to lay it over he gave his reasons
for Introducing it, stating it would make the
Fire Department more efficient aud bring into
active service men, who always had aud would
make the best hrcmen, 1t only needed the
purchase Of hose to make the TWO hand CON-
panies more efficient aud render them valua
BILE in the event OF fires when water FROM the
reservoir was not available. Ii was in his opin.
ion matter of economy as the present ire
apparatus was totally inefficient and hand en-
yines were necessary. Human power could
not manage the large hose of the steam
engines, and Il consequence there were
maYy large fires in the cities. Snall hose
were more advantageous and the thought OF
throwing the Nduu euStuCS uut VI 9"ifieS
was only entertained by one Idea people.
DR.. johnson introduced bill to repeal all
the privileges granted to the various railroad
compauie, 10 the use of he streets OF the city,
passed February 49, 1866, with provlSo that
the City Council tuay graut such privileges to
the said companies upon application to Council
with such restrictions as it may deem proper
and have power to repeal the same grant at any
time.
l.1,, ba
said he offered to repeal the one passed at the
Instance of Mr. Lewis Mckcuzie by sixteen
men calling themselves the Council of the city
iu 1876 whereby four mics Of the streets OF
the city had been given away without cumpen-
satiou. He contended that not one OF the com
paues to whom the privileges had been granted
were now in existence by name, aud cited the
Alexandria, Loudoun aud Hampshire, Orange
and Alexandria, Alexandria. Washington aud
Georgetown, aud Alexandria aud trederlcks
burg, the last of which, he said, had died be-
fore it was born. He was not opposed to rail
roads, but wanted each to come to Council and
have separate privileges, with such restrictions
as Council ulig hit impose. tie contended that
the railroad companies did as they pleased !;
paid no attention to the orders of the city au
tborties, and that 90 street upon which there
is railroad track could be used without the
consent of the company. The cars blocked up
the way, and while he was not allowed to leave
a barrel of ashes 10 front OF his premises with
out being liable to fue, the railroad companies
occupied the streets with iIupuuity TO the detrl-
ment of the community, and i'll defiance OF the
authority of the city.
Mr.. Latham called for the reading of the act
of Feb 18th, 1866, in which the ri ht OF way
over certain streets is granted to the Alexan-
dria, Lcudouu aud Hampshire, Orange and Alex
audria, Alexandria, Washington and George,
town, and Alexandria and Fredericksburg rail
roads, with restrictions aud provisions tor
keeping the streets 10 order, having fag-mcn
at the eros iugs not violating the sanitary reg
ulatiops, &C. -,
No motion having been made that the bill OF
Dr. johnson have second reading