Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1873-11-19
Board Of PEJlie Worts District ef Colanbia,
Office Of CAfsf Of Eastnsers,
WAsHIssroF. ID. O., November 1, 1873.

SIR: 1 herewith submit o report OF the vari-
Gus operations carried on mainly under the en-
gineer's dep srtment of the Board OF Public
Works during the year ending November I,
1873, and q recspitulation Of the same since the
organization of the board, June I, ISL. In ad-
dltion 70 the work on new main sewers, the
efforts Of the past year were directed to yard
carrying out the plans of the board and full
development Of the undertaking ma ugurated.
The unusually early winter OF 1872, and the
long duration and severity of the winter sea-
son, which stopped operations suddenly and did
not permit them TO be resumed until quite late
In the spring, caused unusual activity to pre-
An the street Improvements in the heart of
the city, west and southwest of the Capitol,
have been virtually completed, and those yet
cseaiatioSs DO not dees sne Numerous i@prove
nts east and uihesst Of the Capitol have been
ics and gigantic chsnses which became necessary
on all the street, J. aiding to and surrounding the
Capitol in consequence Of the grade adopted by act
a vast al Of ground in the northeastern section
c.utt Of the water traversing it, will be
ssiit ed before long in TACT IN nsnsuTsii9n OF The
ZION Of the city has already assisted in mprovisinS
In nearly ii the mpr sS begun
have been omgle,ed and il i confidently eSP,eted
The raising u Water street, the surface Of which
had been subjected to periodical inundatio0s, has
spriDg tides. II seiiily paved with Bel
tian blocks and the III Irovement Of the intersec'
admit.
the smoubt Of work completed by the board up to
date: Curb set, tlineal fe. 81 '5 brick sidewalks
asTs yyaTd. as'' ISP'.sts a
nausre feeD 1852; roadway. gravel, square
Issdvay, mscadsm GsauSrs SsfGsp is 9.s roadway.
way, concrete, ssausTe ys ar ssios2; roadway,
Nj m m IA nal Ia ar "a fQaf In
width and re adSsy :. i6,rty.t fset in Tidtf 10
SlaStns the county 9grsstone Set in miles Is, Ss
concrete sidewalks laid, $40; gravel roadway, in
s e gTays IN se 1ornty cob
dam pavement, city and county, 7 81; Belgian and
Noed SaEsmenf, S Totsi sdewsi nsTG IN miles
20 49, total improved roadway, in CITY, lis SO; total
The following is a statement Of new work begun
this season and completed Curb, (linoal feet
crete sidewalk, Gusre ardsj issS; lag sldswsIR,
square feef) ISIS 49, gravel roadway, s; cobble
pavement (squsre ysrdsJ IS 10 mac adam psvemsnt,
(squsre yards $50; Belgian and granite pavement,
square Isrds1 lsia1 concrete pavement, 22s,27l;
II. GyadtHE The grazing dons since June, ISL,
hundred and forty Thousand cubic yards During
the past the haul Of the sted earth has
mile. it having been the practice to use all exca-
ystions for street work and d, continue and dsalow
from the excav ations streets The hliing of the
canal especially had to be obtained at very long
thus been rendered rather costly.
Whit he exception of the streets in the northeast
eTn section Of The city, (Tibsr yaley,l and few
shcrt streets in the western section Of the city the
grading of the streets be considered as virtually
nj: GsaTa' Rew!G,s The energy with which
the streets OF Wa hinston and Georgetown have
been Tegenersted within short space of time, a.
cordiDg TO principles which were new in part, is
Credit Of ali concerned 10 call back 70 memory how
the most improved methods OF crushing the coIcre.
by h, sicsl and chemical agencies; of using steam
rollers Of various sizes and construction Of raising
Piled to the one purpose Of o-oserating in system
q IMPROVEMENTS making ample provisions for the
Soon sitter the Board had taken charge the grades
OF the streets we're subjected to thorough revision.
tanned TO follow the surface OF the ground, aud to
cater IN many cases to the notion Of the property
with occasional abrupt dips into the valleys steep
accents into intervening bills. 1t was determined
arrange tho grades according = well-detined sys-
TEN. In doing this the Board was guided BY two
l. To ads pt the grades to natural drainage basins
20 as to avoid ell as may be, the construction or
2. To give to the avenues, as the Characteristic
feature OF this city, uniform and cay grades, ire
this resulted in many cases in heavy cuts and fills,
and oseasioned the ding fmany streets to con
streets in style, salubrlty and comfort beoam
so striking that in msny instances property holders
which would not necessarily have been effected by
the change Of avsnIes TIE ,, streets and avenues
and Slash run required the moving of large mass 81
Of earth AID the ann unit which had to be moved 10
OF streets around the Capitol will not fall short of
two hundred thousand cubic yards
AppiyiyR the prime Piles stated above to the topo-
graphical foImstioR o. the city, system Of ridges
and AZ yaiieJs between which the grades were made
a. A ridge begins at interset ton Of l+th and
~ I'M fnlf
the rade descends westerly to the Slash run sewer
alley and easterly into the ext, enc branch Of th
Tiber sewer valley extending along street to l0;h
"a Between I4,h and 22d streets west the grades
decline from Boundary street southwark T. street
the line Of Sashr sewer, and frem street north
Is J Between III and s2d streets west the grades
descend southsfly from street north to the P0to-
tom.c Iiver the grades descend westerly to Book
street the grades descend southwark from Bound
airy street TO the west branch Of Tiber sewer lying
tween the sboye points the grades descend in a
@ .nd 9Th ives. the
sL.d., de,ssnd az SaifSTIy pos, ,h from
ing sewsr Is loo stsd sionS the line q the old eaSs
teJ Between North CAPITOL street and 18th street
~srd The south 10 Where the ea.ssfn s branch
Of the Tber sewer is and from East Capitol
II Between Let street east and lS:h street east the
RTsdes are adjusted 20 descend directly from East
ta1ioi strcet 10 the kestefn Branch IN sOutnerly
direction.
90 The dividing line Of the drainage on the Isl,
and, between 9Th and l4th streets west 10 Maryland
avenue, the grades running north from Maryland
avenue 80 the line Of street interesting sewer,
Cold canal } sndsouth from Maryland avenue to the
Potomac river.
o. From TIh street. between aud p streets
sou Invest the water is shed directly toward James
creek canal in easterly direction.
This skeleton of the ystem OF grades in progress
In Washington will suffice, without enlarging upon
similar course followed in Georgetown.
In all cases Of street improvement the course was
followed Of cutting down the old fashioned and in
convenient high crowns and replacing them by lower
prohs- such a. would well suffice for our new and
smooth pavemsnts.
" S'dslodILS-The scarcity of brick prevailed
TO still greater extent this season than last year
This relieved to limited extent by laying con-
crete sidewalks.
large amount Of North river tagging was laid
q, will be from the above tables. II was used
around government reservations and In front oil
government buildings.
rep airs Of wood payements laid prior to the ergau
ixafion OF the Board have become necessary this
season. Though otherwise properly laid, they con-
stst, nearly ALL Of untreated wood. An Examination
Of thsir condition does not augur well Tor their du
ration and lustifes the action Of the Board to re-
qure properly treated wood in all cases except the
juniper round block pavements 1t is not time as
yet to draw any conclusions, from our experience,
10 the cieney and paratfve merit OF the va
rs1s tire atments but the question OF wood preserya
ton is not fnsliy and perfectly solved, Il must be
admitted that the methods in use shsw decided
progress in that direction. The respective Efforts