New-York tribune., 1873-05-17
THE WASHINGTON RING.


NoUs PRICES PAID FOR POOR woRK-SoME NO
TABLE INSTANCES or swNDLING-coSr OF THE
DIFFERENT KINDS OF PAvEMENrs.
ryRou THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIDUNEl
WASHINGTON, May 1S.-Disregarding all OF
the wholesome restrictions Oflaw, national or local. ana
being rcsponsibe TO nobody but the President who has
not seemed TO think IL bis duty TO stand between the
taxpayers Of the District and robbery by the meu whom
ne has appointed handle and dsburse their millions,
it's not strange that among the serious accusations
that have been made against the Washington Board OF
Public Works is one that has been reckeSsly eXtrava-
CANT not only planning its work but in the execution
oft doubt IL the members OF the Board themselves
ever dreamed, during the first few months OF
their official life, Of any such magnncent sysVe"
OF improvements they have slnoe begun and are now
obliged to abandon. half completed. after an expen
ture OF about S0OOOOOl II they did, they dishonesty
kept the secret TO themselves. and deliberately SET aoou
deceiving the Legislature ami the people IN reg rd W
their purposes When the Board asked for Sooo1 tney
cabmitted estimates which, in their own WordS' cou-
templated permanent improvements In every porou Vi
the Distrc- OF Columbia AMI comprSeI almost every
street and avenue in the cities OF washington an"
Georgetown as well az ali the roads IN the county IL
was ON condition that the BOar should adhere to its
original nl,us and include in its improvements all the
streets named that the Legislature appropriated the
money, aud the people mot the tax-P1yersl rat'
fed at action. Who supposes for moment
that the people living or owning the prop
eriv in All that half OF Washin gton lying north, east
aud south OF the CJpito would have agreed to an ap-
propraton to than six per cent OF the
then scd valuation OF their property aud to an in
crease in their annual bis OF 25 per cen had they
supposed that nearly all Of th2 monay was to be spent
III at pay Of the ctv lying between the Capitol and
Gtorecou. and that less than dozen OF the leading
streets aud avenues ont OF tran % In the eastern
hafol .aiu-tou were TO be i'm. ,Ovod at am E''ry-
e. a.. Il ,wF y,.tlt IL l.lIr N Il
audacty ask fog The money at all had Icy not at the
same time = presented 1t their purpose TO so dis
tribute t1c that al the people would be 1.ueh;ed
ana they knew Just as well Oh now that the money
asked for would pay for half the work n-lucd in
their estimates il tley diI it Oh uytAins Ike the
present scale Of eXTiyJ-Lnc
letter 10 the CJJnci dated lnc 20 1871 asking
for tho siOooOO appropriation dnd covering % ir ole
Of estimate, iOr the Improvement OF tae whole s tIe
Board said:
Tue Board satisfied upon careful consideration; That
as a ruo the value pUprrty in Inc district VIII nor
warrant tine general introduction Of wood or Oiher eX
peisvC DaVrm"us, aui that II At all used, they ShOhd
Sc couhnel few Of the principal avenues Of commit
durable equally free frOm dust and mud, can oc CON
truced les, cost than has usually been PAID IO' tho
most Ordinary kinds OI stone pdyements.
But tha Board did not begin its work in accord
ance witt the plan submitted Instead OF limiting the
use OF wood and other expensive pdvemens, II used
at all to few oi the principal avenues Of communica-
Il
iuc table purporug TO show the amount of street pave
mcnt which the Board reported 10 Congress as either
completed the OF November 1872 or to be finished
before the close OF the See Annual Report OF
Board, page 81:
S425 miles Of treated wood pavements; Ballard, NIL
sos miles of Fniin's rouni block pavement.
Os7 mies OF compound wood aud cOucrete pavement.
1880 miles OF concrete pavement
4.Vl miles Ot Belgian ani granite pavement
SIs mites of umra itnized pavement
g. miles OF cUbblestOue pavement.
39Z1 miles OF sayced streets aud roads (mostly in
county,
li455 miles OF improved carriage way payements as
sumHg tue same ds 81 feet wlde'
Given in square ydrd the Board reports the amount
of each kind Of pavement laid as follows;
762905 yards of wood pavement.
SOt,16l yards of concrete pavement.
293U57 yards % granite and macddlmized pavement.
l269U5 yards oi cObUle stone pavement
47SSlJ yards OF gravcled streets aud roads.
I,so2g89 yards.
Omitung from the first table altogether, the last item.
which represents work done in the county and assuming
that the macadamizod and cObbe stone pdvements do
not come the head OF expensive pavemonis" we
ind that o. 1885 miles OF pavement laid In the cites OF
Washington and Georgetown 6o49 miles, or 81 $40 per
cent we're OF wood or other expensive pavements." II
take the work done the streets aud roads IN the
entire District c!sV and county, find that more than
per OF 1t hos consisted of the exravagant pave
ments noylti standing the Board has been from the
first satisfied, upon careful consideration that as
rule the value Of property in the District Will not war
rant" any such expenditures
Before attempting to ascertain what prices the Board
has paid for the work that has done and to deter
mine the extent Of their extravaganza, wish to speak
OF one two special Improvements which have per
sonaly examined will begin with Est, northwest,
from Seventeenth TO Twentythrdst The amount esti-
mated Tor improving this street was $9l4S The Board
reports 20 spent upon it, including coping walls,
er11 ofp * lis was unt ona nj
avenues Of communication" in the city, prop
erty situated on it OF such value TO warrant very
expensive Improvement In the Winter and Spring OF
ls7 examined and inquired the price OF some of the
desirable vacant lots situated on the part that has
been since improved, and OF them we're held at
more than $1,000 each The total Of assessments on pr'
vate property on the Cor this work has been more
than s foot front he for the street and
sewer was 81 60; have the b for the coping,
&C. but dividing the whole cost by the frontage gives
SC lG QO foot which, added to the assessment for the
street and sewer makes $l4 Is 9lO) THIS. 1t Will be
SEEN is more per cent Of tue whole value of the
land bordering ON the Improvement supRosing $1,000
10 be the average value OF vacant lots the street be-
fore the work was begun the whole amount spent by
the Board in grading paving and finishing IL, exceeds
the value OF the adjoining land by IS 7lO per cent Tue
grade OF this street vas lowered four feet average
for the whole length improved but as the greater part
OF the grading done about onehaf Of the street.
the change that part much more tnan four feet
II any one Is curious TO know what induced the
Board OF Public Works spend much money on this
street an explanation may be found the fact that just
before the Board came into power, row Of 10 brick
bouses WIS begun on the street Just the point where
the heavy grading commenced. Tney not built
with reference the old grade but the ss OF the upper
ones were laid below the level OF the sidewalk Since
the woik has been completed thev stand high above
street, with beautiful terraces and Seneca and
granite stone steps and walls twothrds of the expense
OF which has paid out Of the general fund Of the
district The building those houses is said have
been speculaton in which Mr. Alex. II. Shepherd, Vice