Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-08-07
The Commissioners Receive Reports
From Legal Officers Today.
RAILROAD OBSTRUCTION AGAIN.
The President of a Citizens As
ISOLATION Protests Vigorously.
MISCELLA EOUS ITEMS.

| morning his report for the fiscal year end
| ing June 80. 1893 In his report Attorney
| Thomas says:
| This office has not only suffered for a
| long time from the completely of the laws
| in this District, but from the fact that
| there is no compilation bringing those laws
| together in such form that they may be
/ conveniently handled. 1t Is confidently
| hoped that the commission appointed by
the Supreme Court of the District of Col
umbia under the act of Congress Of March
| 2, 1882 to secure a compilation of the laws
of the District will be able to submit It's
work early in the coming fall
This compilation will comprise seventy
| six chapters, seventy of which have been
the remaining six chapters have been com,
piled, but have not yet been arranged
and indexed. When this valuable work has
| tate the iabors of the bar. but will be the
| ground for the codification OF the laws,
\ which will supply a pressing and ever IN
| During the year under consideration $50
| advisory opinions were given to the com
nsr scfs on on aets OF the DIS
| trict assembly, ordinances OF the late cor
poration of Washington and OF the ponce.
| health and building regulations. aHectins
| the administration of municipal affairs.
| The duties of this Office become every year
| of more Importance and necessarily IN
| But eighteen cases against the District
| mot including 11S cases In certiorart TO
9uash special assessments p rePaired Of pn 1s1
| were disposed of during the year. and eight
new law and three equity suits were
! brought against the District during the
| same period. being an increase over the
preceding year.
The cases against the District in the su-
preme Court of the District tried by jury
were not many. by reason of the still
crowded condition OF the trial calendar of
he trial nG OF se
| Court of the District of Columbia sixty
! nine cases against the District, involving
| from $1,000 to $4,000 each. most of them
| being suits for damages for personal in
| juries resulting from defects and obstruc-
/ ticns in the streets
A large majority of these cases are
| brought to recover damages for injuries re
| sulting from projecting water and gas
| water and gas in the roadways of the
| streets. made mostly by plumbers. While
| the corporation is not an insurer against
| accidents. II is its duty, however, to keep
| the streets of the city in good repair and
reasonably safe for Travellers and thus
prevent suits for injuries arising upon its
| highways from becoming unduly numerous.
There are now upon the calendar of the
Court of Appeals twenty-one cases against
the District; the principal case being that
| of Edwin n. Gray, in which there was a
| recovery of SS.694.96 for damages to his
| foundry property on Maine avenue by food
ing ing caused by storm water backing into
l
the months of June and August, 1889, as the
| result of sudden and extraordinary rain
| storms The amount claimed In this case
is $4,000. The case is one of thirtv-one
! others growing out of the same condition OF
things brought against the District. IN
| which the damages aggregate SEQ Coo.
| Grays case involves the question whether
| the District is liable for damages resulting
| TO an abutting property owner due To the
| 1nadequacy OF Its sewers to discharge The
| great volume of water flowing into them in
| times of sudden and extraordinary rainfallS
| During the June term of the Court CT Ap-
| peals but three cases against the Distr, Il
were heard and disposed of. namely: IBIS
| trict agt. Bush. District agt. Dempsey and
Gray b adm rninI, etc. agt Dstrles"
| amendment of the law In regard to the as
| sessment and collection of taxes so that
may be disposed of at private sale as the
| present system comprehends judicial pro-
| ceedinss. There are about 5000 cases bid
| in by the Commissioners at each sale and
| the addition of SO many cases to the bust
! ness Of this Office would require a large
| addition to the force and appropriation
| MI 1homaS also makes some pertinent re-
| concentrations to needed changes in
| the laws regarding insurance in the Dis
| trict of Columbia.
Mr.. Thomas also thinks that Congress
should be asked to give the Commissioners
the power toOnake all such reasonable DO
( lice regulations as they shall deem neces-
sary and that they should be emnowered 10
| remit fines and to grant pardons for offenses
against the District under acts of Congress
| Railroad Obstruction.
Mr.. J. Harrison Johnson, the chairman of
! Citizens Association No. l. has written a
| letter to the Commissioners to call their at
tention to the nuisance and menace to safe
| ty caused by the continuous parking of
railroad cars on Virginia avenue between
9th and 7th streets
| MIR. johnson says that there are at that
point four tracks, and that often three of
| them are occupied in this way At ,he
/
| than ten coaches standing on the tracks
| This obstructs the view of the tracks both
from foot passengers and the gateman and
| renders the crossing all the more danger
GUS The result was that he himself has
| witnessed many narrow escapes. If there
is any authority of law for such occupancy
| of the public streets the chairman of Citi-
zens' Association, No. /, asks the Commits
sloners to refer him to such an act of Con-
clude that the laws pertaining to the use
of public highways for private purposes
are not enforced they should be- The
| letter then goes on to say:
| II the recommendation Of the inspectors
of the engineer department. printed in the
| papers of Friday and Saturday last. as 10
| fencing in the street between 9Th and 9Th
| streets. be undertaken and carried out. il
viii, l believe be contested. as l cannot but
! street have right that can only be taken
| from them by the United States govern
| ment for its use. and not for private corpo-
| rations or individuals. AS to the public
| space between 7th and 9Th streets, neither
| the commissioners nor the inspectors of
| steam railroads have anything to do with
| that. as II comes under the control of the
\ superintendent of public buildings and
| grounds. Indeed, / have serious doubts
| whether the railroads have any right whs +
| ever to enter on that space. If IL is a public
| space they have not the act of Congress au-
| thorizing them to enter upon it, If it is not
| a public space then Virginia avenue, Mary
| land avenue, G and Sth streets shouid lie
| opened UP. 1t must be one or the other
| ANY further encroachment between 7tb
| and 9Th streets by the railroads, for any
| purpose whatever. will be contested. and
most respectfully request that the said
Baltimore and Potomac Railroad COMPANY
| be required and compelled without DELAY Ia
put down a suitable and safe crossing max
ing continuation of the crossing put down
| by the superintendent of public buildings
| and grounds on the line of Sth street over
| these tracks. for the use of pedesrri ms as
I II is much less dangerous to cross at this
point than at It'll street on account OF the
Jams or teams at the latter point
Report of Assistant Attorney Push.
| The report of Mr.. James L. Pugh. jr.. the
special assistant attorney for the District.
was also submitted today in connection with
Mr.. Thomas report. 1t shows that during
the year ending June 80, 1892 15lOS cases
We're trie4in the Police Court and that the
| amount of fines collected was S4415l4s
| There has been a great increase of bust
| ness In the Police Court. From January
| ], lS16.to May To- 1856, a period of nearly
/ twelve and half years, there were tried
| 66,O65 cases, in which the District of Column
bla was the complainant. Between the la