National Republican., 1883-11-28


ship channel as will facilitate the maritime
movement Of tho port of Washington, tho
Same that is now exercised by them at the
port of Georgetown.
Urgent complaints are mado by citizens
because tho Chesapeake and Ohio Canal CONT
pany refuses to erect and maintain proper
bridges over the canal, and the requests of
the commissioners in this respect are neg
lcctod. The United States and the state Uf
Maryland are the principal owners OF the
canal. The latter, having majority of the
stock, assumes absolute control, and seems to
talso less interest in the wants of the district
than is desirable. The property of the company,
as the commissioners are advised, is heavily
mortgaqed, and an execution from court
would be fruitlcss Many years ofinterest on
the bonded debt of tho company (of which
$4,000 are held by the district) are due aud
unpaid, aud tho company is practically in
solvent
In this emergency tho commissioners sug-
gcst that the district should be allowed to
impose tax upon tho canal sufficient to pay
for the work rendered necessary by its oxist-
ence, and that tho exemption now enjoyed
under the act of March 3, 1S25, in considera-
tion partly Of maintaining the works in re-
pair, be abrogated
On account Of the small annual appropra-
tions, and tho restriction imposed upon the
commissioners, which requires all sewer work
TO be done by contract, progress on tho excel
lent system ofdrainage and sewerage designed
for the district has bCen worry slow; and so 1t
must continue to be until these conditions
are changed. Especially is this tho case with
the great boundary intercoptng sewer, for
which there has been appropriated in all
$i35,G00, in five separate iDstallmcnts, and
on which the work has been done under four
different contracts under these cir
cumstances there is no induce
mcnt for large. outside contractors,
provided with adequate machinery for car
rying on the work, to ontcr into competition
with local bidders, none of whom have boon
ably or willing to supply such machinery;
the result Is inordinately slow progress in
every casc, and while the contractors utterly
fail to approximate tho rate of progress re-
quirGd By their contracts, little Is to be
gained by suspcnding them from the work
and assigning il to other contractors who are
no bettor equipped. An effort was made by
the commissioners TO 6bviate, in measure
this difficulty of small appropriations i'll the
contract made May II, 1882 for the fourth
section of this work; ut that time there was
available tho sum $4,000, appropriated for
the fiscal ycar then current, and an addi-
tiOnRl appropriation of $4,000 for the year
following was included in the appropriation
bill then pending before congress; by the ad-
vertlsement Tor proposals and by the terms Of
the written contract it was provided that the
sum to be applied to the work would bo the
$4,000 already appropriated, and such addi-
tiOnal sum, il any, as might DO appropriated
in tho bill then pending. This contractor,
| following in the footsteps OF his predecessors
failed to supply an adequate plant or working
force and the work dragging along in the
usually slow manner, he was finally by order
of the commissioners suspended. In this
condt tipn tho commissioners were surprised,
and the work brought to standstill by an
opinion from the first comptroller of the
treasury that the contract was illegal and
| void; and further, that no legal contract in
| volving the expenditure of tho amount
! ($S5,0O0) appropriated by the act approved
July /, 1882, having been made during the
fiscal year ending Juno 30, 1885, that amount
| is no longer available for expenditure, but
must be covered into the treasury of the
| United States. The $4,000 appropriated for
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1882, is al
| ready expended under the contract above
referred TO, and work on this part Of the sewer
must now remain i'll allegiance until further
funds are made available through legislation
by congress. To this end the commissioners
| earnestly recommend that the sum of SS5, 900.
heretofore appropriated for tine last fiscal
year, and which Is now withheld under the
opinion OF the first comptroller, be reappro-
priated at the earliest date possible; that
congress ratify by its approval the contract
| unuer winch tne expenditure OF UnlS sum
was, in the opinion of the commissioners
duly and legally provided for, and that the
commissioners be authorized to complete the
work under this contract.
No appropriation is asked for this work for
the next fiscal year for the reason that the
revenues of tho district will not admit oi
such adequate appropriation as is needed for
| its rapid and economical completion, and
there is an imperative demand for n consider
able increase in tho amount ordinarily appro-
| priated for lateral sewers in order to meet
| the requirements of the largo increase in the
number Of buildings being erected within the
city of Washington in localities where there
are either no sewers at all or where the sys'
TEN is dangerously incomplete.
In their last annual report the commissions
| ers made particular reference to the great
waste of water in the lower sections of the
city, whereby much distress was accustomed
| in the more elevated portions. During thC
past year the extent of this waste has beer
largely reduced by persistent system o.
house to house inspection, and q fair supply
to all parts of the city has been tho result
| Notwithstanding, accurate measurements Of
the flow from the distributing reservoir show:
a decrease in the daily supply of nearly
| 5,500,000 gallons, viz, from 29,S00000 gallons
in June, 1882, to 24,300,000 gallons in June
1883. The completion of the work of raising ant
extending the dam at the Great Falls, extend
ing the aqueduct, and constructing the new
reservoir, all now under contract, will proba
bly, insure an ample supply to all parts of thu
city of Washington, including Georgetown
for number Of years to come, without pursu
| ing the obnoxious measures above referred to
The principal work on the streets has been
as heretofore, applied to replacing the old
wooden pavements, and by the time congress
meets there will remain only about two ant
one-half miles Of this class of work TO be done
provision for which is included in the esti
mates for the next fiscal year. The origina
cost of the fatal experiment with wood pave
ments, covering length of fifty miles, wa
over Si,000,000, while their replacement will
the best class Of asphalt and granite blocl
will have been completed before tho publica
| tion of the next annual report at q total cos
of less than $2,5o0,00O, tho amount expended
on this account, from 1873 to July l, 1881
being $l,21s,9S9. During tho same pc
riod expenditures for extending tn
limits Of improved streets have aggregated
only S290,743 Hereafter almost oil the OK
penditures required for street improvement
| can be applied to new work. and incidentally
to tho replacement of the obnoxious rougl
stone pavements which cover u length o
about seventeen miles and comprise an are
of 576,3l6 square yards. The schedule o
street improvements submitted to the consid
Grafton of congress for the fiscal year ending
June 80, 1885, aggregates $4O9,552.l7, divido'
as follows
Replacement of wood payements. ..... s149 572 8
Replacement of rough stone pave
| New payements, grading, and rogulat-
lng'''''''.'.'''''.''''''' 22hVsO
Over one-third of this work is located il
the eastern and southern sections Of the city
In this connection the commissioners submit