Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-09-15

work OF great historical value TO the District
has Just been completed by the United states
| Coast Survey. All the early of1cial maps OF the
District have been reproduced by the photo-Iitho-
graphic process, and they will shortly be issued
by the Survey. The importance OF this work can
the more readily be appreciated from the fact that
all out one OF these maps were IN manuscript and
had never been printed. Owing TO their age and
constant handling the maps had become worn,
and 1t was realized that II was only question OF
| time when they would become entirely useless
Mr.. Hugh T. Taggart, the special district attorney
| In charge Of the Potomac Flats cases now penang
| In the courts had occasion to consult these maps,
| which Will be used as evidence In the cases. He
stated In Official letter that at Is OF the utmost
| and OF individuals that they should not be al
/ lowed 70 perish" He recommended that they
should be reproduced by the Coast Survey, and
| the recommendation was endorsed by the Secre-
| tary OF the Treasury, and by his order the work
was placed under the direction OF F. N. Thorn, the
superintendent, was given charge Of the valuable
manuscript maps, and under his PERSONAL supervt-
| the copies have been made, which he states are
| exact reproductions. Nothing has been touched
| up and nothing omitted" he reports The repro
pleted some time ago by the survey, and described
luly IN The STAR AZ the time was 50 successful
| that Is was deemed wise to complete the work
THE FORTHCOMING VOLUMES
Cys
and contain the L'Enfant map, the Ellicott map.
the Dermott map and the King plats. The first
bears the date OF the year 179l and the latter that
OF 1903 AL the changes OF consequence made In
the plan OF the city, from It's origin 70 the present
day, are TO be found In these maps Mr.. TaggarL
In letter TO the Superintendent OF the Coast sur
vey, says: "The map OF the city OF Washington
trict, which was approved BY the conmss ISL
OF the District and issued In 1876, Is based upon
the plan OF Mr. King"
min ahnxvo v,ra a. Nat
L'EnIant, which Was sent 70 Congress about year
after Gen. Washington selected the site Of the
ety. CITY Is In an essential features the plan OF
the city to-day. Owing to the impenous
temper OF the designer of the new city,
he soon withdrew from official connection
Had 1t not Deen," writes Washington with some
Indignation, for the materials which he (EltcoIt)
happened TO possess, IL is probable that oengrav-
Ing from LEnfanpS uraughts ever would have been
exhibited 10 the public, Ior after the disagreement
took place between him and the commissioners,
ms oostinacy threw every dificuity in the Way OF
However, plan had to be prepared, as 1t was
Important that the public sale of lots Should
and his map was prepared and engraved In Phtla.
delphla In the year 1792. Copies OF this map W. re
widely distributed, not only In this country but
III EUROPE. second plate was made and copies
were struck OF In Boston, SO that there are two
plates OF this same map but they are practically
ever, had been made before detailed survey OF
tne city was completed, and as the work OF the
SGINeyOTS went on ana the various SQUARES were
plated changes were necessarily made.
A FERTILE CAUSE OF DISPUTE
between the proprietors and the commissioners
Was the location and extent OF the public grounds
Under the original agreement all land taken for
pubic uses was to be paid for at the rate OF $66
iots. and these lois divide be.Ween aSe Gnverns
ment and the proprletors the latter were able to
sell their share by the square foot. 1t was evident
even To rral-estate owners In the year 1896, that
IL was more TO their interest to sell land at 10
cents loot than for 500 per acre. SO they pro-
tested against any change in the public reserva-
lions. In the Ellicott map the elaborate Sy stem
OF public reservations proposed by L'Enfant was
omitted and only those Intended for the sites for
tanned This was, however, mainly because OF the
haste required In preparing the map. 1t was the
intention TO reserve ground Tor public purposes.
THE DERMorr MAP.
In pursuance OF this policy, and also to make
the actual surveys Of the land correspond more
accurately with plan OF the city, the commits
sioners in 1875 directed Mr.. Jas r. Dermott ITO
prepare a plat OF the city, with every public ap-
preparation plainly and distinctly delineated."
the Alexandria Academy, had become associated
with Mr.. Ellicott, the city surveyor, in 1872 He
prepared the plan, which was approved by WASH
lngton In 1877, and which Is now printed for the
nrst time. APPENDED to The plan was an order or
President Washington, which gave for the first
lime, The exact bounds OF the public reservations.
These latter We're seventeen In number, and In
Guide all the large reservations as they exist to-
day, with the exception OF part OF the Nall The
numerous squares, circles, and small triangleS
formed by the Intersection Of streets and avenues
which are now classed as reservatiOnj, were not
specified, as they were considered TO be the prop
erty OF the United states as part OF the streets.
CONTEMPORARY ACCOUNT OF THE MAP
The commissioners OF the city in a communica-
ton TO a committee OF the House dated March D.
1so2, explain why the Dermott map was ordered
10 be made, and In what particulars It direred
from the engraved plan OF the city, which is known
: m Thav fxfx hot fhaa.
map was adhered 10 'in all the operations OF the
city under the direction OF the Commissioners as
lar as IL was practicable But the city not having
been surveyed, and this plan being made partly
from LEnlanrs draft and partly from materials
possessed by Elhcot:, 1t was probable that 1t
would not correspond with an actual mensura-
tion." SO they directed on the 9th Oh APRIL 1888
the head OF the surveying department TO make a
record OF each square as 1t was surveyed, enum-
Grating The lines. AS the work progressed spaces
were found that seemed 10 be included neither In
the streets or In the public appropriations and so
this andwas lad on into building lots and divid-
ed. "fhese spaces" the Commissioners state,
"were numerous, and consequently occasiOned Con,
siderable deviation from the engraved plan. The
actual survey had another apparent effect; It Oc-
casioned many squares 10 be laid in the
water, being governed by the channel, and to
insert other squares between the apparent water
squares and the river, but this In necessity or
In conformity TO the engraved plan. There are
other variations from the engraved plan. Squares
Nos rs and T29 ION each side OF East Capitol
street, between LIST and I'd streets), on the en-
graved plan appears to recede from LIST street east
whereas, IN TACT, they are brought up TO II. The
nrst form Is said 10 have been given them before
the actual site for the Capitol was KNOWN Other
changes are mentioned, ca-sed by flling up spaces
left by LEnIant, as follows: South of
square 1O4, south OF square 5O6 Also
the bed Of the proposed canal was changed
The commissioners say that no complaint was
made In consequence OF these deviatiOns from the
engraved plan until In the year 119S. when Presl-
dent Adams Was petitioned by several city pro-
prietors 10 cause complete plan, Including a
water street. TO be made and established. so I5at
there could De no departure thereIrom. 1.-THE pe-
tition," the Commissioners add, 'was referred 10
the Attorney General, who advised against max.
Ing new plan, because the plan TO which fine
Presidents signature is annexed Uhe DermotI
pian) Is sufficiently authenticated and supercedes
all prior plans"
CONVEYING PROPERTY
President Washington directed the trustees To
whom the original propriet0rs had conveyed their
lands In pursuance OF the agreement made when
the site OF the city was selected TO convey all the
10 the commissioners This order elected vigorous
protest from the proprietOrs Tney not only sent a
lengthy communication TO the President then NJ
Adams, setting forth that the new map niringed on
their rights, but they forbade the trustees 10 con-
vey, anu promised them Indemnity In case they re-
fused TO convey. One OF the principal changes COM
pialned OF In the new map the failure 10 insert
a street running along the edge OF The river The
new map also contained what u now known az
Lafayette Square. In LEnfants map Connect ,cui
avenue, 10Th street and Vermont avenue We're con-
tinued down TO the line or PENNSYLVANIA avenue
cutting up this reservation into several irregular
blocks Mr.. Samuel Davidson, the owner iatu-
rally objected 70 having his land transformed into
| a pubic reservation, which he would be
L iQth soil rhn