Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-09-22
The King George stree, Ea,ension

The work Of demolishing the houses
now standing in and obsiructing the
roadbed Of King George street was be-
gun this morning and is now wei under
way and before long our citizens viii
have beautiful street passing along the
new Naval Academy wall out to the Ma
val Hospital This. when finished. viii
be one Of the most beautiful streets In
the city We believe the plan is for the
government 10 put IL In good condition
and then deed IL over TO the city. Every
one knows that the city has given up 10
the Naval Academy street after street
and plat after plat and we believe that
this Is the first act the government has
been willing 10 do TO make any return
for all they have taken from our CON-
munity.
Being anxious 10 know why this street
has not been opened long before now a
CAPITAL reporter made il his business
to see Mr. Werntz who owned the prop
erty and who kindly gave him the infor-
nation. He said ''this money, $4,000 90
was appropriated by Congress TO pur-
chase the roadway 10 extend King George
street about fifteen months ago, and IL is
an outrage on the community that the
street has not been opened before this.
BY series of annoying technicalities
and red tape nonsense the matter has
dragged along and would continue TO do
so had / not yielded point after point to
them. The superintendent and myself
agreed, before the money was appropia
ted, that | should receive <3,5OO.OO for
the roadway After Congress appropia
ted SO, 10000 for IL the officials at the Ma
val Academy were willing TO give but
y I \. L. a Aas a.
ened to condemn the property, told
them TO 90 ahead but 1t seems they
thought better of that and waited until
returned from my trip. After tnis me-
gotiations were again opened up and,
for the sake of the convenience of the
public, concluded TO accept a sum, sew
eral hundred dollars less than we had
first agreed on. / felt that an arrange
ment had been violated. but thought IL
would be better for every one concerned
to accept less.
then signed a deed, on July goth
last, conveying TO the United States the
road bed over my property and IL was
only few days ago that the Navy De-
partment notified me that the deed and
title were legal and valid. OF course
could not tear down the buildings until
| was informed that the title was valid,
for had done so, and had some over
wise clerk in the Department found
some quibbling irregularity in the title,
my deed to the government would have
been rejected and the matter would have
gone into condemnation proceedings.
With the buildings removed, l would
have received, from a commission Of
condemnation, but a fraction of what l
should have had. 1t is a hardship on
the community that the representatives
of what is considered to be liberal gov
eminent will act as they do. The prop.
erty owners in Lockwoodsville were
treated shamefully and ana suffering
likewise for have not received as yet,
one cent for my property although ex
ecuted the deed over two months ago.
l have started to tear down the buildings
on the mere trust only that the govern
ment will pay me when they get ready.
The CAPITAL knows how slow govern
ment work is and knows how its agents
compel those that deal with them to walt
their pleasure, utterly regardless of how
distressing 1t may be to them. and we
know that this street would have been
opened long ago had the officials of the
government been half as willing and
anxious to do 1t as the owner was.