Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-11-05
Telegraph Poles and Wooden Tree
Boxes Viewed as Nuisances.

To the Editor of THE EVENING STAR:
The thanks OF this community are due you for
the persistency and force with which you have
for some time past advocated the removal ofthe
nnsightly telegraph poles which cucumber our
beautiful streets in almost countless numbers.
congratulate you, Mr.. Editor, on the sue
cessful result Of your labors in this direction for
it is now only question of time and compare
lively of very short time. when all telegraphic
wires within city limits will be consigned be-
meath the surface of the earth, where they
should have been originally placed. Allow me
to invite your attention to another eyesore, or
rather multitude Of eyeSOres. disfguring the
streets in every direction, hoping for your CO.
operation in endeavOring to abate such an
refer to the wooden tree boxes, dilapidated
and decayed once whtewashed, but now faded
and dirty, wrecked and tOrn-many of them
Ornamented with strips Of various colored W ood
together with an abundance Of old rusty straps
of iron, leather, tin or cotton clOth-which
abound as far as the eye can reach. from almost
every point of observation one can take
The parking commission in its report for 1879
states the number Of trees under its care at
$1,000, all of them, it is presumed, furnished
with wood boxes. The entire cost of these is
not stated, but in their report Of October, 1880,
they state that for 800 new boxes. setting the
same and repairing old ones, including white
washing, there had been expended during the
then past fiscal year 81, 500 &c 1t may be safely
assumed that the average cost of the boxes is
gregates $4,000 so far under this head. And
still the work goes on without any practical
steps being taken to curtail this expenditure at
any point. This might very readily be done by
removing the boxes from the more advanced
trees after they have acquired size of about
four inches diameter at a distance of four feet
from the ground. because any tree of that size is
capable ordinarily of sustaining itself without
adventitiOus support. That an improved con-
ditiOn of the trees would result as a consequence
of such action there can be no doubt. On this
subject the same parking commission in their
annual report Of November 18th, 1878, olid:-
"When trees attain size that supports are not
needed, the boxes are decidedly injurious as they
prevent the trees from swaying to and fro with
the wind, thus rendering them unable to
recover the perpendicular position which
their elasticity enables them to do, unless
counteTacted by the rigdity of the box. 1t is
observed that those trees without boxes are
not SO liable to injury as those provided with
thirds of all the trees in the city would be inn
proved by the removal of the boxes" The
only objection they suppose to exist to the pro-
posed removal is that in few instances horses
may injure the trees by gnawng the bark. l
say few because, prOportionatey, not more
than one In a thousand is likely to be so inter-
fered with, while at the same time the popular
pride and affection for the trees would soon
provide an affectual remedy for the evil. In
the face of facts like these why is it that these
abOminable nuisances are not only allowed to
remain but to go on accommodating from year to
year indefinitely without any practical steps
being taken to abate and eradicate then2 Why
is 1t that the honorable Commissioners Of the
District do not give orders for their immediate
removal in accordance with the suggestions
contained in the reports above quoted? Such
action On their part will vastly improve the APP
pearance of the city, and, at the same time,
economize heavy item of superfluous expendi-
ture. POTOMAC