National Republican., 1874-05-16

eS.tS Wotho W Ot lniofWeu OF tno lA " HI
stood upon my rights. ! do not knoR DO, er
by conversstfou with some OF the nSsmo>
probably as Occasionally saw some Of then,
But this matter Of getting this redress wa.
suggested, and thersupon, think, the board
sent me these printed blanks for q petition for
lrdress. looked at one of them, and found
thst it rally conimitted me, As thouyht, "a
leaNng u 70 tho Board Of Public Works aud
the Legislative Assembly, or somebody in the
District who belonged to the concern, TO be the
Judge, without any right Of sppeal, Of whether
yoa had suffered anything OF not, and how
much. did not propose to put myself In that
attitude. thought understood my rights as
a citizen, and did not propose to submit those
rights to anybody except g judicial tribunal q,
. inality. But, isasmuch as 1t was stated that
these gentlemen desired-and I donot mean TO
question it-dssired to do justice by everybody,
l consented to put irB q claim for damages, not
In the form they furnished, but in this form
which now read.
PETITION TO THE BOARD OF PUBLIC woRKs ToR
ASSESSMENT oY DAMAGES.
WAsHISGroN, ID. c., February 6, 1873.
70 the Board Of Public Works Of ths DiStrscs Of
GBSrLEMEs: The undersigned represents that
ne re, . ne owner q the following real estate in
House and lot, (3o feet -front,) square M, on
massachusetts, avenue, northwest OF Fourteenth
street. and that under your direction, the follow
the lowering OF the grade of said avenue thereto
fore established, and the removal OF the available
street line far toward the centre Of said syonue,
aud the consequent destruction OF existing Sen-
ers, water anu gas-pipes and other things; that,
in consequence Of said alleged improvement,
special damages have beon sustained BY him in
Connection with the said property; that this
damsge has been occasioned by said lowering OF
grade, removal Of available street, making said
property comparatively inaccessible, and Perched
n hair ah ha afr nd hvk 4 kha
destruction Of existing pavements, sewers, gas
and wster-pipeS and already paid for; that said
property IS worth twenty-five hundred dollars less
In value than before said improvements were
made. He therefore prays that you will person
ally Inspect said property or make an exsmina-
ton thereof as respects said improvements and
the damages hereby claimed, and make \ report
thereon as provided for in the act Of the Legfsia
tive Assembly of the District OF Columbia, en-.
daSaus. aSS P50bSnS w ioT m the payment Of
ments or repairs" approved June %, 1872, TO the
end that saId damages may be speedily paid.
justice otherwise, and makes this petition so as
to enable said District to do him Justice by its
own processes, If it will.
GEoRGE F. EDMUNDs, Petitioner.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ss:
Before me, James Ii. McKenney, notary pub
lie In and for said District, personally appeared
George T. EJmunds, who, being duly sworn ac-
cordtng to law, says the statements contained
in the foregoing Petition are correct.
[sEAL.l GEO. F. EDMUNDs, Petitioner.
Sworn and subscribed before me this lith day
OF March, 1873 JAS. II. McKESNEY,
Notary Public, District OF Columbia.
That was sent to, the Board of Public Works.
The other neighbors sent similar petitions
perhaps in the same words, or perhaps in the
form that the board had approved. The whole
subject was we'll known TO all the neighbors
on all sides, and was talked over and discussed.
heard nothing more about it; and being about
to depart for Europe the 1st Of March, LEFT
with Mr.. Bayard my next next ne!ghbor, with
General Babcock, the Commissioner of Public
Buildings and Grounds, and who from having
charge of the circles Ut both places there-the
squares In Fourteenth and Sixteenth streets,
and 30 on-had occasion. to know what was
going on there, and In whose judgment and
character had entire contidence-I left with
him memorandum or word, l do not know the
form of 1t exactly, to tell the Board of Public
Works that If they would contrive some
method, which pointed out in little diagram
to him, of letting me have little carriage
drive by means of which I could get to the
street directly IN front of my house-not this
great long drive which they have there now
that it would make very serious dlminution
In the amount Of damages which / should
claim. In Vermont 1t would have cost about
800 to do what wanted DONE. General Bab-
cock said he did not knew whether they would
or would not, but he undertook the mission
for us both to make that suggestion to them,
that Il could be done at very small expense,
and diminish very greatly the amount we
should insist upon as the damages.
Then, on the 11th of March, Iieft Washing
ton and went to Europe, and returned 20
Washington about the LIST of December, IN the
meantime, knowing nothing about what had
occurred. When.H. got back from Europe,
about the 10th Of October, came over to
Washington for q day or two, but did not
come back with my family until about the lst
of December. Then 1. found the thing in its
present condition. found that instead oi
this little driveway In front of our two houses
which could have been made at very small ex
pense, they had made driveway along where
tho old sidewalk used to'be for the benefit oi
the whole block /, of course, had no objection
70 the others receiving the benefit of any I'M
proyement, or of being relieved of the distress
that we were In. OF course, l had no CON-
plant to make on that score, but instead OF
making driveway for the whole block, so that
Il could be available in.the best way by being
wide enough for the carriage to turn round
IN, they put down an asphalt driveway, so mar
row that you cannot turn round with carriage
while, as was saying, it would have been Just
as cosy to put it out three feet and further,
and from there to the grass-to the slope they
had made so that carriages could have turned
around. What the reason was for their adopt
ing this course do not know, as was not
present, but there 1t was-and in order to get
out from the house you have to go to the other
end of the square-the whole length of that
long block. do not know how thick the as
phalt is that they have put down in the drive
way, but l know that in the summer, while
the sun is shining, q horse cannot step on it
without his feet sinking into it. 1 was not al
together pleased with the arrangement, as you
may naturally suppose, when it was so easy to
have had 1t otherwise. After Z little there
came to me by mai orotherwtse, printed form
of what was called Assessments for special
improvement" on Massachusetts avenue, where
my thirty feet front was charged with the ex-
cavation in the middle Of the street.-the whole
thing being done in the middle-ard these
bridge terraces being the whole lay of the
land-they were not put there.
It was the old ground left, only erased over,
and blank wall built along 50 as to keep
them from falling down-to keep everything
from tnmbling In. The whole thing moved of
in that way. I was charged s425.65, that be-
ing only sixth part of tho whole Of the ex-
pense for thirty feet; that would be about SIS
in round numbers running foot for me, which
multiplied by six would be 800 running foot,
or 81 800 rod for excavating, about. 10
not know how wide the avenues are; they are
not excavated at the sides because they are
our side down to where the "dig" Is, say les
feet in width, or excavation 10 the amount Of
10 feet in depth, which would make 81 500 the
rod for digging out that amount Of dirt and
putting in a roadway, which is less than foot
In thickness altogether, for noticed It when II
was being laid In. am very sure It was con
siderably less than that, although they weni
on the theory of It's going to be from IL to 1;
inches thick. They put the asphalt pavement
of about 10 feet In width on the south side
which they tell me Is not done according t.
the contract, because there should be q gras:
plat there and on the north side, next to tbs
curbstone, is q sodding abour six or seven feet
and then an asphalt footwalk Of ten or twelve
feet, and then this blank wall, as IL is called
of unhewn stone, which is, entirely improper
for the place.
Then there Is q slope, and then this drive
way Of twelve or thirteen feet wide above
which, in my opinion-althoueh do not speas
of that as an expert, nor as iutputfng any neg
ligence to the board-bus IN. my opinion the
expense of the whole thing, according to the
rate charged TO me and 70 the other people
along there, is certainly, speaking within
bounds, double what 1t is justly worth. Well
/ was indignant some more, Of course. Then
I set about inquiring what had become Of my
claim for damages, and Of course gave pretty
speedy notice that did not propose to pay any
assessments whatever, being satisfied, as
have stated before, that they were wholly flle-
gal in and Of themselves, in q place where II
was an improvement. But waving that ques-
ton, inssmuch as the law only gave them the
power to assess where property was specially
benefited, and inasmuch as my property was
specially injured, did not see the propriety ei