Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1892-12-02
In THE COMMITTEES.
IMPORTANT SESSIONS or SEVERAL
OF THEM HELD YESTERDAY.
The City Not Liable for Damages from
tho Ovsrfow-To Have Gas ut
Barton Heights.

The Council Committee on Streets met
at ) O'Clock yesterday afternoon in the
Hustings-C Court room and a lively session
ensued. Allegations for the opening and
grading Of the streets in the annexed por-
ton of Lee District were heard. Several
property owners who had signed petitions
asking that the work be done at their own
expense requested through their represen-
tatives. Mcssrs. Warner Moore and N. W.
Bowe. that their names be taken from the
papers, as they had been under the im-
preston that the improvement was 10 DO
made square at a time at o pro rata cost TO
the landowners. Tho allegations pro-
vided for the work being done the entire
length Of the street.
Captain John A. Coke thought that these
gentlemen who had not appeared or sent
written statements to the committee
should be recorded in favor of the i'm
provement. The chair ruled that they
could change their vote upon the question.
After considerable discussion upon the
matter the committee decided to recon-
mend. to the Council to open and grade
the annexed portion of the district by
streets.
II MAIS.MADIsON TROUBLE.
Immediately after the adjournment of
the Committee on Streets a Joint session
of that body and the Committee on Claims
and Salaries was held. Mr.. George Glib
son, Jr., Of the latter body, filed the chair,
and the City Attorney and Engineer were
present. The meeting was for the con-
slderation Of the claims of Mrs. ). A..
Barnes, corner Main and Adams street, for
S1,71l; w. T.. DiDrell, 31S west Man, for
50, 500; the Cooperative Investment hsso-
cation, west Main street, for $4,000; !. \.
Goodman. 1902 west Gary street, for Sl5;
NJ. A. Birdsong, 105 west Main street, for
$50: r.. Il. Field. 800 west Main street, for
Sl25, for damages alleged to have been the
! result OF the overflow of the culvert OF
Main and Madison streets last sprlng.
The question Of perpetual Tellet was
first gone into, and Colonel Cutshsw made
a statement az to the real situation. which
he said could only be efiectually remedied
by raising Main or lowering Cary street at
Madison. Mr.. Turpin took tho ground
that the matter referred TO the Joint body
was simply the validity of the claims
of those pTOperty-owners against the city
and that the question OF relief was a mat
ter for the consideration of the Committee
on Streets alone.
IRE CITY o LIABLE.
This appeared to be the status Of the
case. and tho City Attorney was heard
upon the claims before the body. He did
not think the city liable for any damages
by reason of the overflow, but had already
expressed 1t "a his opinion that the pro
p~erty-owners of the section In question
should be offered some permanent remedy.
Colonel Cutshaw again explained he
feasibility Of raising Main street or lower
inc Cary, and stated that the question was
simply whether the people wanted TO be
filed up or cut down, or suffer these over
flows at such time as they might occur.
The Colonel again brought up his plan OF
the city establishing a law of betterments.
whereby property-owners benefited by a
public improvement should be made 70
paw for it and those injured should be
awarded the damage received.
A recorded vote was taken upon o mo-
ton 10 reject all the claims, with the FOL
lowing result 4:
AYEs-Messrs. Bahen. Curtis, Gray, STRAIT
ton, Turpin, White, and Reeve.
Eoks-Messrs. Allen, Thomas, Gibson,
and Moore.
The committees then adjourned.
GAS AT BARTON HEIGHTS
The Committee on Light held its regular
meeting last evening at the Upper Gas
Works aud transacted a good deal OF
routine business. The electric-light bill
for the month was S4,049.
MIR. James II. Barton and several other
gentlemen from Barton Heights appeared
before the committee and asked that the
clty-gas service be extended u that popu-
lar suburb by laying a main over the new
bridge. The matter was discussed at some
length in an informal way, and 1t being
demonstrated hat such an extension Is
practicable, the committee decided 70
recommend TO the Council that the work
be done. The estimated cost is $4,000,
and the appropriation of that amount will
be asked.