Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-14
THE DISTRICT JAIL
Rev. w. l. Parsons Gives the Results of His
own Observations

nau lOunu some tnlngs 10 crltlclse anu some "
commend The things to criticise were in gen
eral such matters As grow out OF the faulty ar
raugement Of the institution. There are al
ways men, he said, 10 make complaint. and re
Gently good deal had been said Of the harsh
ness of the treatment of some of the prisoners
but discipline is essential in such place They
are entitled to humane treatment, but having
already forfeited some Of their rights they are
not to be so pampered and handled by senti-
mentalists as to make their condition peter
than that Of the outside toiler. There must De
some margin Mr.. Parsons spoke OF the needs
at the jail, among them plenty OF room INSTEAD
of close and unhealthy confinement he also
spoke Of the treatisg OF men awaiting triai Is
criminals and said II was one OF the plackesl
blots on civilization
Senator Mcmillan and the Aqueduct Tunnel.
To the Editor Of The Evening star.
In common with many others Of the $4,000
water, takers in this District, / have read with
interest the interview with Senator Mcmillan,
as published in TIE STAB of the 18th instant,
and your editorial OF the 18th instant on tho
Aqueduct tunnel abortion. J am glad 70 see
that the coming chairman Of tine Senate Dis
trict committee is taking an interest In this
matter, also that The STAR, by its recent cdr
torial, as we'll as by many previous ones upon
this subject is standing squarely by the water
takers against the unjust tax Congress has i'm
posed upon us for the cost OF this fraudulent
tunnel concerning the construction OF which
we were not even consulted III IL Is ihouSht
best to experiment further on this job, against
the opinion of the board OF eminent experts
who came here from distant cities and spent
several months examining the work. one-half
the expense Of which was charged up to the
water takers, then such experimenting should
L. for sDislv by the limited
States.
The said board of exports, after making AS
openings in the roof Of the tunnel extending
It's entire length, where there was any Inning,
unanimously reported as follows:
I'm view of the great cost of reconstI ucting
the tunnel 80 as to prepare flor carrying water
under pressure, and in consideration OF the
fact that even If the work be well done,
some elements of danger, such as damage To
property and possible failure in parts OF the
tunnel, will still remain, the board would
hardly feel justified in recommending its com
pletiou under the present plan The board.
however believes that the tunnel might be
made useful for carrying the water from one
reservoir to the other by fitting it up as
passageway in which to lay wrought-iron or
steel pipe"
But why lay pipe 200 or 800 feet under
ground where it can only be reached with great
difficulty for making repairs when one can be
laid much cheaper near the surfaceT
Some OF the chambers the board found in
the roof of this tunnel. which was required 10
be filed with solid packing, are large enough
in which to hold a prayer meeting or poitl-
cal caucus. One cavity in the West Champaign
avenue shaft Is lS3 feet long, to ID feet wide
and to feet high.
The half cost of this tunnel as many suppose,
il not charged up TO the people of the whole
District or TO the owners of houses supplied
with water, but to the tenants. many OF whom
are very poor. and to whom this tax Is a great
hurdap Thia tay IL maid ALL a wOlIlQ
amount to over so for each water taker to
pay. The amount required for sinking fund
and interest on account of this tunnel for the
year 1892, as shown by Capt Lusk's report, is
81, 0l7.20, or average Of about S2-3S for
each water taker. When we reflect that many
water takers. such as poor sewing women and
day laborers, are obliged TO work from two TO
three days TO earn money enough to pay this
unjust annual tax. its enormity Is apparent
The money wasted on this abandoned tunnel
would be sufficient TO build and equip a rail-
road 10 Point Lookout, or, if properly invested,
endow and maintain a free library Of 1,OO0.OOO
volumes, or build and support a hospital capa-
Bile of taking care of the sick and aged poor of
the District for all time. Ii would be unjust
to tax us without our consent for an honest job,
but when reflect that the sworn evidence
taken before a joint committee of the two
houses of Congress shows that The inspectors,
paid by the United States to see that the work
was done properly, we're carried on the con-
tractors pay rolls and paid under assumed
names, with money sent to them IN blank en-
velopes, IL is enough to make "the stones cry
out from the ground
Citizens would like to know what has become
Of the resolution passed by Congress nearly two
years ago calling upon the Secretary of War to
ascertain If sufficient evidence could be OBJ
tanned to warrant the prosecution OF the par
ties responsible for this tunnel fraud, which
resolution was referred to the Attorney Gen.
eral and by him referred to the district attor-
ney with instructions to examine the evidence
taken by the joint committee of Congress upon
this subject and prosecute the guilty parties
1t is hoped that Senator Mcmillan will be
able to rescue this tunnel from the OBJ
hvion to which interested parties have con
signed il, that the guilty parties to this colossal
fraud may be dealt with. and the tunnel event
ually put to some practical use. The present
indications are, however, that it will be allowed
to lapse into "noxious desuetude until for
gotten
1 fancy see the historian Of perhaps a thou
sand years hence as he goes up and down these
streets to CLEAN up and touch with immortality
the important events Of this generation, record
ing something like the following:
The mammoth cave extending a distance Of
four miles from 100 to 200 feet below the sur
face In the lower part of the city of Washing
ton ID not "a freak of nature" as many sup
pose. but was constructed by the United States
near the close Of the nineteenth century be-
meath what was then the extreme north edge Of
the city. IL was constructed ostensibly to in
crease the water supply for the city of WASH
ington. but proved in the language Of a dis
tnguished Senator by the name of Edmunds to
be such "a piece of systematic sham work
that il was abandoned as worthless After
many ages had elapsed its entrance was filed
up, lost sight Of and forgotten Il has recently
been discovered and put on exhibition as ''one
Of the lost arts Of the nineteenth century"
remarkable circumstance connected with
this cave Is that IL constructed under the
immediate care and supervision Of military
men who had been educated at the expense OF
the United States at military academy known
as West Point" Right under the eyes Of these
military men government inspectors were
bribed until they allowed the contractors to
ruin the work that had cost s2.570. 279S0 A
more remarkable circumstance is that only one
of these army officers even reprimanded.
His punishment consisted in giving him fur
Tough of nine months on Il salary Of 50 900 per
year, which the people who had been robbed
were taxed TO pay.
A still more remarkable circumstance con-
nected with this case is that 81. 900 poor water
takers, the most of whom held no property
were made 70 pay one-hslf the cost of the fraud
uient work. tax that required them to toll for
twenty years to work out
j. H. CRANE.
What One CoIored Man says.
"a E9fo- as