National Republican., 1874-05-09

@. When you set far out, though, there is
| rapid descent toWar>is the Anacostia, 10 ther
noti A. Oh, there a q splendid fall there.
Q. That territory must be drained into tn
Anacostiai A. 1t drains directly into the An
Q. And the oriinary-stseet sewers would be
Sufficient, would they mott A.. It would re.
quire brick main sewer five or six feet n
diameter to drain that section. Probably H
would require two sewers. think there (.
one on Seventh street, and one on Eleventh
street 70 drain that section. Up around Lin
coin square, If you will recollect, for the last
ten years IL has been q marsh or stagnant
pond of water all that time. There has been no
drainage whatever to it-down I'm that valley
Of which 1 have been speaking. Talk about 30
cents footI Why q sewer built there would
double the value of the property, because
squares upon squares have been and are over
flowed at every heavy freshet, and there is nc
way to get the water OF, and these sewers are
being built for that purpose. Now, In this
northern part Of the city, outby II street, there
Is one of the best parts Of the city; but it has
been a swamp and morass-no way OF draining
at all. People would not build there; but since
this sewer is being put through people are
beginning to look around and 10 build. viii
give you an instance as q business man.
There Is square of ground between L and
streets north, and North Capitol and First
streets, belonging TO the Todd estate, which 9
few days ago exchanged for improved prop
erty, some property on the Avenue and some
upon Seventeenth street, where live. would
not have touched that square had it not been
for this sewerage, because there would have
been no way of draining It, and could never
have improved it at all. This tar of two cents
feot, while 1t Is q matter of SIX or eight thou
sand dollars ON the square, inereasesthe value
more than double for building purposes.
Y. You take mans property that Is worth
only one cent foot and tax him two cents q
foot, although you increase the value of his
property to double what It was before, that
would just exactly pay the taxi A. You will
find very few cases of that description. / am
looking at this thing in q general point of
view. OF course there are individual cases
where 1t bears somewhat oppressively, and you
can not frame law that will not have such an
effect, in certain cases; speaking on broader
basis, as to how it affects the general welfare,
1t is of inconceivable advantage. Now this dis
trict OF which you speak, the average value OF
the ground per foot, as l submitted this morn
ing in tables, Is % cents q foot. Now, what
has kept this part Of the city back has been the
want OF sewerage. tits swampy, marshy land,
that people would not build upon. You can go
right there, within five squares of the Capitol,
and you will find fifty or sixty houses built be-
cause sewerage is being carried out there and
the land drained. Some one spoke of this fat
down here by Buzzard's Point-ground that
General Washington, In his will, valued at 121<
cents foot. It has never been worth any
thing, never been developed, but the opening
of this James creek canal and the grading of
the streets alongside will double the value of
that property. 1t is assessed now at to 10
cents foot, and would probably lay twenty
years without increase in value; but the open
ing of this canal and the draining of this sec
ton of the city makes It habitable. 1t is a re-
markable fact that General Washington, in his
will, valued some lots down here, at Buzzards
Point, at 1871 cents a foot, more than they
have ever been worth since.
Mr.. Merrick. That was before the day Of
railroads, and 1t was then thought that would
be great point of commerce; that the naviga-
ton and shipping of the world would be con-
centrated there.
By the Chairman: @. Now, right in this
connection, please state the cost of this main
sewerage. What Is the cost Of these main
sewers-the total COST
Mr.. Thurman. That is in the answer.
The Witness. That is in evidence somewhere.
It is in the neighborhood of three million
dollars.
BY Mr.. Stewart: Q. Do you think that the
reason that the improvements in the way Of
buildings have gone out toward Georgetown is
because this part of it was wet, and needed
seweragel A. I think so; and then Il was the
old story, you know, of killing the goose that
lays the golden egg. These people up here
held their properly 30 high that building
naturally went the other way.
Q. Is 1t supposed this swsmpy condition of
the ground had anything to do with the
healthi A. Right up this valley there has
been a swamp foryIars. Until within the last
two years, therere was not q house built there;
but now 1t has been built up from Maryland
avenue to Il street, nice little village built up
there.
Witness. Judge Thurman, this morning I put
in a statement as to the expenditures made
under the old corporations for main sewers;
what 1t had cost these different sections per
foot, which Is very interesting. The section
which Is spokenot being assessed at only eleven
mills has paid some four cents-neariy five
cents foot already under the old corporation
for main sewerage, while this largo section
here has only paid thirty-six and one hundrcdth
of cent-a third of q cent. That Is the dis
parity now. The disparity ought to be still
greater In fact, but the plan adopted was 10
find the cost of finishing the main sewerage in
each one Of the particular sections and assess
It.
By Mr.. Stewart: @. So as to equalize the
sewer-taxl A. Yes. sir.
The Chairman Judge Merrick, do You wisl
to ash Governor Shepherd any questionsi
Nr. merrick. We have great many ques
tions to ask him. do not know whether W.
care about It this afternoon. We seem not X
have q full committee.
The Chairman. Mr.. Mattingly, have you any
other witness.
Mr.. Mattingly. We close our testimony wifi
Mr.. Shepherd, with the exception Of thest
measurements. We do not know what the en-
gineer's report will be.
Mr.. Thurman. suppose It will necessarily
be that when we come to take this testimony
and coilate It; get al the most material points
of it, we may find IL necessary to call some oi
the witnesses back, and perhaps, some of the
officers Of the government to explain particular
parts Of It. have no further questions to ask
Of the Governor now, but when we come to col
late the testimony we may have to call for ex-
PLANTATION from some of tine officers.
The committee thereupon adjourned till to-
morrow morning at II o'clock.
FRIDAY, May g. 1874.
The committee met at 12:45 p. m.
TEsTIIoNY OF @. H. WILCOX.
G. II. Wilcox was recalled at his own re-
quest.
The Witness Mr. Chairman In the testi.