Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-11-23

OF INTEREST.
| At the present rate Of progress it will not be
long before Washington will compete with
New York and Chicago in the growth Of its
| suburbs. While Washington in its numbered
streets has not reached the hundreds and be-
yond yet it is making that way at a much more
rapid gait than is generally supposed As the
| new subdivisions OF land in the suburbs are laid
of the city streets, both as to width and direc-
ton, are laid of, and when the official street
| manner is called to perform his duties in the
vicinity of Tenleytown, Brightwood or out be-
yond the Eastern branch, he has to search out
| the high numbers in order to meet the
| demand. . An illustration of this may
be found in the plats which
Herman X. viele, the civil engineer, is pre-
pairing Of the land lying on each side Of
the Tenleytown road between ex-President
Cieveiands house and the one formerly occu-
pied by ex-Secretary Whitney. The land on
| the west side is known as Gleneilen and is where
the Country club house Is located. On the east
side OF the road is large tract Of land known
as Richmond Park. Both of these tracts were
iaid out before the passage OF the law OF Au-
gust n. 1888, which requires all subdivisions Of
land to be made in conformity with the plan OF
the city. Mr.. Goldsborough and the other
owners OF the property, foreseeing that
under the operation of this law streets
the same width as those in the
city would be the rule and not the ex-
ception in the suburbs, decided to have
the entire property subdivided again. This
is being done by Mr.. viele, who finds that the
north and south street the farthest to the
west that will pass through this property is 42d
street. SO this street will be duly laid out and
hereafter Washington may boast the proud dis
function OF having AID street. In order to pro-
vide names for the east and west streets the Of
fcials at the District Office are obliged to en-
gage IN geographical researches. The rule
adopted in regard to naming these streets is to
use the names of American cities in alphabetical
order For example, the lettered streets stop with
W street. Then the next street is Albany, the
next Baltimore the next Cincinnati and SO on
down to Joliet and beyond. BY the time the
streets are extended out to Brightwood the al
phabet, used In this way, will probably become
exhausted.
ALONG MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE EXTENDED.
1t is probable that some may suppose that
this arrangement is merely fanciful, based
upon possible future need. 1t, however,
may be seen very fully carried out in the great
plat which has recently been prepared of the
land lying on each side of Massachusetts
avenue from Rock creek to the Tenleytcwn
road. There are 230 acres in this property
which Is owned by what is known as the
Thompson syndicate. With the exception of
the new naval observatory property, through
which 1t is proposed to extend Massachusetts
avenue, this tract includes nearly all the land
bordering on the proposed avenue between the
two points named. Massachusetts avenue to
the full extent of its width of 100 feet is laid
down, and so are the streets following the
same lines and width as the streets in the city.
There are forty-seven squares or blocks in this
great subdivision and. three circles.
Thirty-seventh street ls the extreme
western street, and the extreme northern street
nj Inf c%n 49,
brings the city streets up to the Tenleytown
road and to the north of the property across
the Woodley lane road connection will be made
with the new subdivision of Richmond Park,
so that practically the extension of city streets
when the work is completed will reach as far In
that direction as the Loughborough road
CITY STREETS IN THE SUBURBS.
Within the past year there has been a great
change in the ideas about the proper width of
streets. Formerly it was thought street
fifty feet in width was sufficient, while sixty
feet was magnificent Now ninety-foot streets
are the rule, and while the owners of property
are obliged to give up good proportion of
their land to the public and so have less to
SELL yet it is maintained by those who have
had experience that the loss in the quantity
of land is more than made by the increased
price which can be obtained for the lots. 1t is
not probable that this change of opinion
would have taken place in SO short time if
1t had not been for the law which prohibits the
recording of any subdivision in the surveyors
office unless it is made in conformity with the
plan of the city. The Commissioners refuse
to recognize any other subdivision, the streets
cannot be accepted as public streets and no i'm
provements can be made at public expense.
While this law is capable of slight evasion by
recording the subdivision with the recorder Of
deeds, yet it has been found by experience in
several instances that such evasion operated as
a no md into cd xuifI l,
the ready sale of the lots. There have even
been cases where a subdivision has been made
contrary to the law and the property placed on
the market without being recorded in the sur
veyor's Office. But in every instance such prop
ertv has finally been Withdrawn and newly sub
divided in conformity with the plan of the city,
the owners finding that it was the only way to
make the lots marketable.
MERIDIAN HILL PROPERTY.
One Of the largest transactions in suburban
property recently made was the sale of the block
of ground ON the east side of 10th street ad-
joining Boundary street. 1t was sold to a syn
dicate for $4,000, which is at the rate Of
nearly 81 per square foot. AS far as known it is
the intention of this syndicate to hold the
property as an investment The late owner,
Mr.. Edward G. Dean. purchased the property
about four years ago for SCI 900. He has, how
ever, recently expended large sum of money
in bringing the ground down to grade and the
improvement, as we'll as the erection by ex-
Senator Henderson of fine stone residence on
the opposite side of 10th street, has had the
effect of adding to the value of the property.
The ground has genel GUS frontage on 10th
and 18th streets extended and on Boundary
and Prospect streets. Those interested in prop
erty in what il known as the Meridian Hill sub
division, Of which this block is part, are of
the opinion that in the event that the exposition
is held in this city Meridian Hill would be
good place to locate the buildings The one
hundred and ten acres included in this SUBJ
division, they say are practically unimproved
and the necessary ground could be obtained
at a comparatively small outlay of money.
THE ASSESSMENT OF TAXES.
People have been paying their taxes during
the present month and growing at the size of
the bills, as all good citizens have the privilege
of doing under such circumstances. The usual
semi-annual discomfort of the tax payers has
keener edge just at present for the reason that
they are finding out the increase made by the
recent assessment. The talk that was heard
during the summer about the irregularities and
the injustice OF the assessment has been re-
vived. One indignant tax payer, while looking
over his tax bills and comparing them with
last year, reached the conclusion that the
chief objection to the present system
was the employment of men as
assessors whose knowledge of property values
was limited. "Instead of paying assessors SIS
day." he said, they ought to be paid S25 per
day and the services of the best real estate ex-
perts in the city secured. l believe that they
could do the work in third of the time that is
usually required. and in this way the expense