Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1875-08-12

couttae'' oue II DOT that Way, why let each
property owner have his own work done 10 his
Own Way-uslng stone wood or brick, or no
material at all, as he might choose, for Couu.
Gil would have 20 right to make him buy stone
curb when wood would do as we'll. The man.
ner 10 which such work has been done hereto
tore makes it almost the sole duty of one Com.
m!ttee Oh Streets or one Council to correct the
mistakes and do over again the work of its pre-
decessor. The Superintendent of Police knows
noShing about grading or fixing lines, and the
only thing that can be done with work done by
incompetent men is to do it over again
1t the improvement is to be made in the
way indicated by the resolution, he fore
warned Council that the money for it would
come out OF the city treasury. There
Is vacant lot on the street-what sort of work
Would lis owner choose to have done on it?
ferhaps ne would not be in a condition to nav
81 cents a foot for stone curling. The work
no" proposed to be done could have been col
pleted year ago for Sl2, and be, the speaker,
aad, at that time, introduced resolution or
derlng 1t to be done. The resolution nassed
this Board but was laid on the table in the
Common Council chamber, and to do il now
would probably cost two hundred dollars, So
We 90, learning nothing by experience, but the
) COMMUNITY insists that the Superintendent of
Police shall stop his extravagaut way of spend.
ing money
| Mr.. Downham hoped the action Of the Cam.
mon Council would be coucurred in, He id
not think the work would cost two or three + 1p
dred dollars, nor did he think that tho Supe,
lntendert OF Police, nor the Committee on
streets Would spend any more money than was
absolutely required. The work ought certainly
to De done, for people, who, in these dull times
built houses certainly deserved to be encour-
, aged.
DR.. johnson said he did not object to the
nently. The mere grading of the street was a
; small matter, but it would leave the street
mlre, when, if put out by contract, Macadam-
7 izeo with the stone now on the lot it would be
, apermanent Improvement. Mr. Francis, under
the resolution, would probably pave bis side
: walk, but would the other property holders ?
Inc vote was then taken ADD the action of
the Common Council was concurred in.
. A resolution authorizing the laying of a
. trunk on Frncess street, at cost not to exceed
$500, between Pitt and Royal, adopted by the
2 Common Council, was next read.
DR.. johnson said that both his experience
and education would compel him to object to
5 any such plan. 1t would be going from bad TO
e worse: 1t was but another sample of the way
IN which matters of the sort had been hereto.
: tore conducted-tbo blind leading the blind and
was merely an effort to cover up 4 bluuder of
S the Committee on Streets committed few
) years ago. II We want the services of LAWYER,
] doctor or shoemaker We 90 to persops who
f pursue those avocations. Why not then when
, we need the services ola surveyor 90 to one ?
2 All men who know anything know that fluids
t ucSplsc acute curves and the idea of making
an acute curve at Pitt street, and another one
at loyal, Tor the conveyance of the large
t body Of water that flowed down north PIT,
street was absurd. The water would dam I'D
. at the intersection of Pitt and Princess, and
9 shoot beyond the bulkhead of the truck, and
1 hno Its way to the river by another route-at-
mospherlc pressure would make it do So The
only Two ways tor the water to be run off were
to let the trunk be extended out Pitt street to
} the point at which the water has been running
= out Tor 1orty years, or to extend the cobble
, stone pavement of Pitt street, with a gutter in
the mldd'e, to the same point $500 would not
3 40 the work proposed by the resolution, but
r Sl,oOO would pave north Pitt street and make
1t the safe conduit of all the water that ran down
, It, But, SAID ne, DO as you please, there is
: plenty OF money 10 the treasury. The sum ap-
2 prOprlated TOR street improvements will 5000
be irlttcd away. See what has been done with
st. Asaph street. Better let things alone than
, half do them.
Mr.. Moore said this matter of draining
Princess street had been before Council for the
last two years, and ii something wasn't speedily
done, oil the houses % the street, between Pit,
and Royal, would be washed away In his opin-
Ion the Committee 90 Streets. who had prepar-
ed the resolution, had reported the best and
the easiest way to answer the purpose. The
water that ran out Pitt street would have to
thn
at Princess street as further north, and he WAS
satisfied the work proposed could be done
| for $500
r DR.. johnson said there was no use in insist
, ing upon the right. Any man who lad ever
walked ten feet knew that to cut across was
) shorter than to 10 all the way around, and WHY
$50 feet of trunk should be preferred to $50
/ when the latter would answer, he could not
: tell. He insisted that $500 would not pay for
, the proposed oaken trunk-a pine trunk would
/ cost 81 foot; but why use oak when pine
would 10 as We'll if not better? All engineers
know that pine, with heart, would last longer
10 the ground than oak. 1t was 10 interest to
him personally how the Improvement was to
DC made, but he protested against the continu.
alton OF the plumbers that have heretofore been
made IN the street improvements
Mr.. Mckenzie said the gentleman seemed to
| eooe eoultaSS HOlh WAC lllG cure OF all
evils, but such was not the case, at least in the
experience Of the City Council He, the speaker,
was sorry this meeting had been called. He
hoped and thought that when the summer re
cess was taken it was until October SO that the
drawing of money out of the treasury could b.
stopped for while, at least. H. wished the
gentleman was member of the Committee on
streets, but We don't gain anything by putting
| work out to contract, as comparison of the
work done in Fayette alley, and on Prince
street will show. He did think, however, that
MIR. Hughes, the chairman of the Committee
on Streets, was too anxious to spend the city's
money on the streets, and was extravagant in
his expenditures.
/ MIR. Dowuham said he was member of the
COMMITTEE on Streets, but being out of the city,
was not present when they prepared the resolu-
tlon now under consideration. He would say
| tfat the trunk plan was the plan be would
have favored, and if we had thousand