National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-12-08

)eing directly opposite the original letter OF
he street, both designations could be allowed s
% remain if any confusion be appTehcnded {
rom the change. II has been proposed, to
avoid the duplication OF numbered streets by !
numbering them COnsccutively from west to
east. The change of plumber would soon be :
learned and all confusion avoided by leaving
the old numbers and placing the new ones
upon the lamps; but it seems to Inc that the
present system of numbers is preferable, pre-
serving as it does the reference to the Capitol
which the proposed substitution OF names for
letters still maintains.
Under the present municipal regulations
some difficulty is experienced in retaining the
exclusive control of the work of repair and
improvement upon the streets and avenues.
Uniformity of design is essential to the ap-
pearance of streets, and it is not practicable to
conform to the wishes of each prOperty-holder
in the improvements which are made in front
of his premises, or the regulations adopted to
prevent the Disagreement Of the street. The |
streets should never be opened for work upon
the sewerage of the city, except under the i'm |
mediate supervision of this office and, prefcra- |
bly,, by the employees of the office especially |
selected and organized into permanent force |
for this purpose. More emcient regulations
under which summary action can be taken
against offenders are very much needed.
COUNTY ROADS AND BRIDGES.
luCsC arc BGuCIaIly III SOOu SOhultlOh1 anu
upon those which arc not under contract
small force is constantly employed in repairs.
The iron pivot bridge over the James Creek
canal is of faulty construction, and cOnse-
Quentlv out of repair. A mistake in the charac-
ter of the estimated strain upon the lower
chord of the truss has resulted in the buckling
up of the latter. The defect can be remedied
or the bridge can be removed to some other
point and used as a fixed bridge, and another
one substituted at this place. No immediate
action is necessary.
PROPERTY.
The property yards of the District were five
in number on July 6, 1874, and contained ma
terial to the value of sos, j4T.9I. Under your
directions the number of yards has been re-
duced to two.
In conformity with the decision of the Com
missioners, no other material has been pur-
chased for the use of contractors than such as
were due upon orders of the Board of Public
Works. This has been received, subject to the
stipulation that payment shall be accepted in
3-G5 bonds, upon the certificate of Board of
| Audit, and the bills have been forwarded to
the latter.
The greater part Of this material, suitable
for work now in progress, has been issued to
contractors and charged to them, and enters
into the total of expenditures up to date.
| The value of the remainder cannot be used
!
contracts, not being in general suitable for the
purpose, but it can be used hereafter.
! All the material found upon the streets
| under improvement has been measured up and
| its value assessed and charged to the contract
ors: each contractor being made responsible
for all of the old material upon the line of his
work This material was principally laid upon
the streets under the old corporation, and each
property-hOlder has paid the entire cost OF: the
improvement in front of his own premises.
| They claim, therefore, compensation in full
! for this material if removed. Much Of this
has been reused and charged TO contractors,
| but it is not practicable from the records TO
account for it all satisfactorily. Whatever
! loss the District may have sustained will APP
pear when the amount allowed by the board
! of audit upon claims for old material is known.
Tabular statements arc appended.
GAS AND LAMPS.
| OFFICE OF The COMMISSIONERS OF TmE)
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,
NAsHINGToN, July II, 1871. } .
IL. That the Office Of tho superintendent Of
lamps be abolished, and tho duties Of the same
be transferred 10 the engineer, who is author
| lied, with the approval of the Commissioners,
TO employ an oycrsccr at the rate of $3.50 per
annum.
W. DENNIsuN,
HENRY I. BLOW,
J. II. KETCHAM,
Commissioners District of Columbia.
! The report Of the Overseer is appended.
| INSPECTION OF BUILDINGS AND wHARvEs.
With the duty of inspector of buildings de-
vOlving upon me as the successor to the
! engineer Of the late Board of Public Works,
have been combined, by order of the Commits
sioners, the care and preservation of the pub
| lie buildings and wharves. The building regu-
latiOns of the late Board of Public Works,
adopted by the Commissioners, lack the force
of legislative sanction, and require some reYi-
! sion.
Additional legislation will be necessary to
sanction summary enforcement of the building
regulations by intervention of the police or
| order of the Police Court, the present method
of resorting to guilty injunctiOns being, prac-
ticalIy inefiicic :! In certain extreme. cases
violators ar tn building regulations should be
promptly arrested and punished.
The public buildings aud wharves lravc been
inspected under my direction as far as has
been practicable to do so, and such repairs
have been made as were urgently required.
When this work is well in hand it will require
larger force than is at present employed.
Tabular statements are appended.
WATER DEPARTMENT.
By direction of the Commissioners the opc-
ratiOns of this department have been carried
on under my personal supervision. The re-
port of the Water Registrar is appended.
As the water department is designed by law
to be self-suppOrting, no estimate is made for
expenditures on this account. 1t will be ne
cessaTy to make some provision within few
years for increasing the supply of water to the
inhabitants of Washington and Georgetown,
and in the event OF the General Government
withdrawing from the city the right to tax its
mains, this necessity will be preCipitatcd.
ASSESSMENTS.
OPTIC OF THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.
WAsHINGTON, July -, 1874.
Lieutenant r. L. Horie, Engineer, DC, &C.:
SIR:
<
1t is made your duty to procure such prompt
action as will secure the early
preparation of the assessments and their do
livery TO the deputy comptroller of the District
after you shall have satisfied yourself of their
accuracy.
Very respectfully, WIN. TINDALL,
Secretary.
In the preparation Of the statements of ex-
penditurUs upon each street, TO be assessed for
special improvements, it was necessary to
obtain the cooperation OF the board of audit.
The act of Congress of June 20, 1874, re-
quiring the auditing of all unfunded or float
ing debt of the District of Columbia and of
the Board of Public Works, necessitated the
examination of vouchers for final measure
ments upon which statements of expenditures
were to be made up, and l did not feel author
lied TO make use OF these bills until after such
examination. An arrangement was effected
by which these were taken up for cOnsidera-
ton by the board of audit in the order in which
they were required for assessment, and trans
mitted, with 4 statement OF expenditures, to
the auditor of the District, from whom l re-
ceiVed them. The work of preparing the as
sessments has been commenced Immediately
upon receipt of each statement of expendi-
lures, and has been done by Mr.. Forsyth under
my immediate supervision. An intimate knowl-
edge of localities and improvements was indis-
pensable TO an intelligent apPOrtiOnment of
these assessments. The rule of the Board of
Public Works, requiring that each measure
ment should be accompanied by "perfect
plat showing the lots and parts Of lots along
the line of the improvements, the names Of
the owners thereof, and the proportion TO be
assessed thereon" has not been observed in
single instance in the bills which l have re-
ceiYed, and it was necessary to make these
plats long after the work had been completed.
Mr.. Forsyth, as surveyor of the city for the
last twenty years, and in charge of all the as
sessmeuts for special improvements up to this
time, was eminently fitted for this work, has