Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-02-07
WHO is ALEXANDER r. SHEPHERD ?
What Are His works?
The Editor If The Star.

tells us ''that the art o. governing cities and
eommonweslths is the chief excellence of man."
that is, of governing ably, wisely, and justly
This observation is as true in the present as il
was in the early days in which Plutsrch wrote
Let Us therefore apply this observation, and
the maXims ii embraces, TO the rule in this Dis
tTict.
For nearly three years the District of Colum
bia has been a territory little common
wealth-embracing within its limits the political
capital of the nation and the city of Georgetown
and the county of Washington. From It's crea-
ton as a territory by Congress Alexander X
Shepherd has practically been its ruler. How
has be governed it? Has he governed in justice
and with wisdom for the common good? What
are his works? DO they prove that he possesses
''the chief excellence of man?"
In june, 1871, MIR Shepherd was appointed
by the President of the United States a member
of our Board OF Public Works under the act OF
Congress of February u, 1871, ''to provide
government for the District OF Columbia"
Shortly after the board formally organized.
MT. Shepherd was elected its vice president
and executive officer-practically its head or
chief-aEd entered, Immediately, upon the
preparations of plans to build the capital OF ths
nation. Truly, Titanic work. Under the
niggardly policy, the stupidity, and petty job
berry OF our old municipal corporations, the
capital had improved but little; it was in
miserable condition. Our cities were without
regular system of grades-were, indeed, utterly
destitute of all system in regulating grades
age, and innocent of all proper or effective
sanitary regulations-with an open pesti-
lent breeding ditch, known as 1.-THE canal"
in the very heart of the city-an unsightly
receptacle of all manner of filth and the putrid
and purifying csrcasses of animals. Our ave
nnes and streets, although magnificent in their
widths and lengths and in their plan or design,
were yet little better than uninterrupted ranges
in hill ard valley of mud and mire aud fifth.
With wretched sidewalks. With no proper build
ing regulations, no inspections of buildings, and
houses consequently h3fiv
with but few OF the conveniences and comforts
of modern life. The few roads in the county
leading to our cities out of repairs and almost
impossible. In word, with all public spirit
or enterprise dead or dwarted, the natural re-
suit OF the petty policy of our previous NUM-
cipal rulers, and all and everything in the ex-
teTnal appearance efour cities combating TO give
them the general panorama OF semi blrbar-
Gus towns.
This condition of the District alike disgrace
tul TO our citizens and the nation, Mr.. Shep-
herd proposed 10 remove. He proposed to do IL
thoroughly. The ugly dilapidatiOn; the mud,
filth, and squalor; the demoralizing, semi-ba
barous aspect which Overspread our cities like
dirty, ragged mantle-he proposed to change
| into the humanizing habilaments of civiliza-
| ton. Has he not done so? And has it not been
an AlOidian work? In its execution Mr.. Shep-
herd has set 81 $50 lineal feet, over Isl miles
OF curling. He has lad 3,6l1 sos square yards,
or near 565 miles, of the different kinds Ofpaye-
meDts on the sidewalks and carriage and road
| ways Sf our cities and county. He has eNcava-
t. d ari removed 1910 600 cubic yards OF earth
| in reducing our avenues, streets, and roads to
| common or uniform grades, hauling the cath
| so eXcavated al average distance OF mile, ana
| utilizing it for purposes OF public improve
| ment He has laid $4,000 square yards, or IS
miles, lSfeet wide )of parking, and planted thou
sands of the finest shade trees along our parks,
| avenues and streets. He has constructed3IT, Ig6
nea feet, or over 60 miles of II, Is, and Is inch
| pipe sewers, and as many feet and miles OF g.
| inch lateral pipe sewers. He has built p ,O15
| lipeal feet, or nearly fOuTmiles, of main sewer
age, of brick and stone, with arches of 6, 9 10,
| II, 20, and 80 feet span and 3l.6S2 nnea feet.
| or nearly 81 miles, OF brick barrel sewers Of
| from feet inches to I feet diameter; in all,
| over 100 miles of all kinds of sewerage. He has
| laid more than 80 miles of new water mains.
/ and lowered and reaid miles of old water
| mains in conforming them to the new grades.
| He has increased the number of public lamps to
| over 5000, and has laid 80 miles of gas pipes,
| together with much more work of great value,
| such as erecting thousands OF wooden and stone
| steps, and miles upon miles of wooden and iron
fences in front OF the residences of our citizens
| erecting many drinking fountains for man and
| beasts constructing water reservoirs, and erect
| ing HUNDREDS OF hydrants and fire. plugs, build
| ing palatial market houses, and constructing
wooden and iron bridges over the streams in our
| cities and county.
And this vast amount of work has been done
| in about sixteen working months An achieve
| ment uneXampled in the history of cities-the
| work of years in as many months! Nor is that
| all. BY the projected system of main sewer
age, now nearly completed, MI Shepherd will
| reclaim vast area of ground, hitherto a value
| less marshy waste, in the northeastern section
| OF this city, and the value of the land thus re-
claimed. and rendered inhabitable, will be
| many times the cost of its sewerage. He has
| redeemed Water street-aheavy business street.
| the mart of tie commerce of Georget0wu-from
the hitherto periodical foundations to which it
was subject, by raising its bed above the level
| of spring tides, and has s0lidly paved il with
Belgian stone blocks. An invaluable boon to
| Georgetown.
lie has added to our city "a street west, from
Pennsylvania avenue to street north, by ex.
| tending the arch over Tiber creek from Penn
| sylvania TO Indiana avenues. filling over il TO
the grade Of the street, laying the sidewalks and
| paving the carriageway. This has proved a
| tine improvement. Where but short time ago
was wide and dangerous ravine, with filthy
ana ais. ase- breeding stream meanierlng
| which is built row of elegant press-brick
| fronts in the finest style of modern architecture
He has also added to the streets of the capital Il
street north, from 9th to Il tn street west. Only
| two years ago the site of this street was a
| hideous ditch known as "the canal" filed with
all manner of filth and decayed and decaying
| carCasses of animals. Now, that really fright
| full cess pool, filed with new earth excayated
| from the streets, and paved and parked, has,
almost by magic, from deadly pestilent- breed
| ing nuisance, been changed into prominent
| street beautiful, a magnificent avenue one
| hundred feet wide and a mile in length. In fill
ing gu up that ugly ditch MIR. Shepherd RECLAIMED
| ton OF surrOu Dding property. =, 900 900.
| The face of the whole District has changed: il
has been wonderfully improved. In the county
| plars Many new ones have been opened aud
| built upon systematic plan, interesting one
another like network, and creating new, easy
and convenient access TO our cities for the traf-
| hc OF the surrounding country, and new and
| beautiful drives for our people. In our cities
| even gTander results have been obtained. The
old ntolerable zig-zag grades of our streets
| the long impossible nuIsances of street mud
| and dust-tbe wretched guttering and dilapi-
| dated sidewalks-all the old squalid parapher-
MALTA OF semi barbarsm-bave disappeared.
| The carrisgeways of nearly all our streets-alI
| in the heart OF the capital-haye been system
atically paved with the finest pavements of
| concrete, wood, and stone. Our sidewalks have
been relaid Along and bordering all but our
| business streets long lines of parking and ter
| races, skirted by lines of the finest
shade trees, makes of our city one ex-
tended garden, blending the city with
| the country, and opening out far as the eye
can reach, as on Massachusetts avenue and X
street north, cheering vstas, rich, rare aud ele-
CANT. Throughout the capital, at the intersec-
lions of our avenues and streets, numerous little
| irregular shaped plats, ornamental with foun-
tains, unite with the parking, the terracing
the sbrubbery and rich foliage of our public
| parks. and other splendid improvements, to
| give to our city a surprising picturesque