The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-01-14

our agent there.
-
CITY CoUNCIL.-The city council met
in regular session last evening. The com.
mittee. on streets submitted report &C.
companied by an ordinance to provide fol
the election of street commissioners. The
report was adopted and the ordinance re.
ferred to the committee on ordinances.
The city attorney, the president of the
council and committee consisting oil
Messrs. @. U. Williams, P. II. Starke and
Z. L. Davis were appointed to wait upon
the senate committee having charge of the
subject, to advocate the passage Of the bill
to provide for the further extension of the
city limits.
Council expressed itself favorable to the
passage of the bill now pending before
the General Assembly of the state, pro-
posing to allow the city of Richmond the
privilege of increasing the salary of the
judges of the chancery, circuit and hust~
ings courts Of the city 81 900 each.
ihe president was authorized to appoint
three gentlemen to represent the city in
the meetings of the James River and Ka-
nawha canal company. He named
Messrs. Strauss, Higgins and Talbot,
members of the council.
The following ordinance was adopted, on
motion of Mr.. Starke, amended by MIR.
lsaacs-ayes Is, noes 81:
he 1t ordained, That the head of every
household in the city of Richmond be and
IS hereby required, whenever any case of
smallpox or varioloid shall occur upon his
or her premises, to at once hang out to the
public. view in some conspicuous part of
their lot white flag at least one foot
square, on a pole projecting at least three
feet from the front of the dwelling. In case
of failure to put out the said flag he, she or
they shall be fined not less than So nor
more than $40 for each days omission to
do so to be collected on complaint before
the police justice.
The committee on streets generally SUBJ
mitted supplemental report calling atten-
ton to the fact that many ordinances of
the city are disregarded- notably those in
reference to swinging signs and in regard to
householders' having tie snow cleared from
the pavement in front of their premises.
Referred to the Mayor.
On motion of Mr.. Oliver seconded by
Mr.. Manly, the council elected Nelson B.
Vandervaul (colored Republican, member
of the council from jackson ward. vice
Alfred P. Thornton, deceased.
Messrs. w. @. Wilkinson and r. P.
Blackburn were nominated for the Office of
scavenger for the first district, vice W. L..
Peazley, deceased. Mr.. Wilkinson was
elected.
Mr.. Vandervaul was appointed upon all
Of the committees of which the late Mr..
Thornton was a member.
CHURCH HILL GAZING IN-DAM-
AGE TO PRoPERTY.-Y Yesterday after.
noon, about two o'clock, the workmen
engaged at shaft No. 2 of the Church Hill
tunnel observed the timbers were giving
way, and Immediately set to work to
strengthen the weak places. Their efforts
seemed to be unavailing, however, as the
earth above the tunnel, in the square be-
tween Twenty-fourth and Twenty-ffth
streets, continued to settle, and the Rev.
Henry Wall and family, whose house is
situated on the northern verge of the
tunnel, on Twenty-fourth street, were
notified between twelve and one O'Clock
last night of the danger which threatened
their domicile. They Immediately vacated
the premises, and sought shelter for the
time being among the neighbors.
This morning about six o'clock work.
men were sent down shaft No. Q, but were
unable to proceed more than twenty feet to
the eastward from the shaft. Workmen
were also started westward from shaft No.
3, at Twenty-ninth street, and when this
latter force had reached point east Of
Twenty fifth street, the earth caved in sud-
denly, crushing the timber and filling the
whole cavity of the tunnel, the party being
within about six feet of the break at the
time.
A frame addition to the residence of Rev.
Mr.. Wall, which stood Immediately over
the tunnel, went down fifteen or twenty feet
with the earth. The main portion of the
building, which is of brick, remains APP
parently uninjured. The kitchen
attached to the house of Mr..
w. B. Robbins, on the southside of the
tunnel from Mr.. Wallis, also went down,
and the main dwelling, which is fortunately
a frame house, was left with nearly one
half of it hanging over the precipice, al
most ready to topple over. Mr.. Robbins
and his family were at breakfast at the
time Of the disaster, and were of course
much startled.
So far as we could ascertain no person
sustained any injury by the caving in of the
earth, though several made narrow escapes.
About one hundred feet of the tunnel fell
in, the earth settling to a depth of fifteen
or twenty feet. The width Of the tunnel is
about twenty feet. The depth from the
surface of the ground to the tunnel, at the
point of the disaster, is about one hundred
and twenty feet. The occurrence attracted
great many people to the locality this
morning to view the strange spectacle.
UNITED STATES CONSTRUCTION COM
PANY.-A bill has been introduced in the
House, by Mr.. Clopton, of Chesterfield, for
the incorporation of the United States con.
structon company, of which the corpora
tors are Messrs. James F. Grattan, Edga,
Archer, David G. Bib, Ham. P. Morris
S. S. White and G. 0. Manning. The com.
pany proposes to construct buildings
of all kinds, bridges, viaducts, roadways,
railroads, gas works, engines, cars
&c. The company is also to be empower.
ed to borrow or lend money, to buy or sell
bonds or other securities, and to take and
make conveyances of any estate to secure
the performance of their contracts. The
capital stock is to be 5000, 900, in shares Of
500 each but may be increased from
time to time to an amount not exceeding
100000. The principal Office of the com.