The Washington times., 1894-12-04

I I WTTy ON UIISUEU
the Commissioners to enter into cont 1t Tor n
sufficient length of time to justify the contractor
| In erecting a suita bic ncinerattng plant fCP
this purpose aud to provide for much needed
daily service during the hot weather, the Com
! missioners have included in their estimates
! s6OOO0'
| POLICE FORCE INCREASE.
Relative TO the police force they say:
1.-The attention of Congress is invited to the
fact that the increase in the police force has not
| kept pace with the increase in the population OF
the District, while the rapid development OF the
suburbs, now covering nearly the entire area OF
| the District, requires even larger expansion of
| the force than the growth in population would
| indicate. In this connection IL should be re-
| meinbered that this municipality has greater
area than St Louis or Baltimore, both OF whlch
| have nearly double our police force, VIII le Chi
| cago New ork Philadelphia, Boston. Brooklyn,
and Baltimore all have a larger force in proper
| ton 10 the population.
| The increasing number OF conventions ana
| public assemblies here cause frequent and large
augmenations in the population, requiring
! greater vigilance ON the part OF the police, ana
calling for greater details for special service
and an increase in their number. The Com
| mlssoners concur in all the recommendations
OF the major and superintendent which they be-
leve are necessary for the proper protection OF
Inc lives aud property of our citizens. IL mas
been the aim of the Commissioners during the
past year 10 raise the standard OF the force ana
increase It's efficiency. 10 this end an unusuai
number OF dismlssals have been made, ana the
| vacancies thus created filed by better class OF
men. Some bad men have been discovered, and
| more may be removed before the force can be
| brought up 10 the plane upon which the Com
mlssioners would like TO place 1t. But they are
glad TO be able to state that they oeheye the
force as whole compares favorabiy IN ialthlHl-
ness and efficiency with that OF any city IN tAe
country"
A new boat for the use of the harbor-master
| Is demanded by the eXigencles oil the service.
FOR MILK INSPECTION,
of Medi
of the District the Commissioners enabled
to present carefully prepared bill for milk in
specton.
! The report of the coroner is commended as
| specially valuable document, and particular al
| tention is called to that oficers recommenda-
tiOns.
Urgent demands are suggested for more fire.
| quent street cleaning department in both cities
and for its extension to the important suburbs
Attention is called to the necessity for an in
| crease in the force OF the building inspector in
order that compliance with the regulations may
be enforced.
in 4 carefully prepared statement made by
| the assessor for the District OF Columbia April
! y, 1894, the value of all improvements IN the
District of Columbia, exclusive OF the land was
/ SlS0.O66,4ll, of which the United States owns
| Sg9,3j2,5OO, and private owners SIs,5SI,42i, the
| District owning the balance o. S2,l2t,5OO
TO protect all OF these vast interests from
| destruction by fire, to say nothing OF the great
| number of human lives endangered, the District
has but nine engine and three truck companies.
1T has happened that when general alarm
has called al OF the available force 10 one part
OF the District an equally urgent call has been
male TO part of the District far remote from
the locality where the entire force was then con-
| centrated
at is to be hoped that Congress viii protetct
| this property by equippins the fire department
in a manner worthy OF the National Capital.
1.-The life of the fremen Is attended by con-
! stant peril. The Commissioners have in their
| estimates asked for au increase of pay for these
men, an increase which they believe is de-
DgIFx ay-A C1r1Sf faraT on of faI nd
justice"
WATER DEPARTMENT WORK.
The work of the ater department is elabor-
ately shown Nearly twenty-seyen miles of
water mains were laid last year, about three
| seyenths of which We're in Washington
The proper means for increasing the water
! supply is TO raise the dam at Great Falls sufi-
cient 10 keep the water in the distributing reser-
! yoir at the height of l46 feet above datum, for
4 which duty the reservoir and conduit leading to
il from the falls were built. The top OF the in
take of the conduit is three feet above the sill OF
| the dam, while low water has only few inches
| depth on the dam.
The raising of the dam and testing of the
tunnel belong to the work Of increasing the
! water supply of Washington, which had an
/ available balance lying Idle in the Treasury.
June 30, 1884, on account OF the suspension OF the
| work Of S4gT. .639 25 A provision forTthe avail
! ability of this balance for raising the dam and
testing the tunnel are inserted in the District
estimates.
! The pending Senate Dill Tor the requirement
by the United States OF additional water rights
at Great Falls at one-half cost to the District, is
believed to be the most important measure for
! District interests before Congress.
SEWAGE IN THE DISTRICT.
With reference to the sewerage, the Commits
sioners say the suburban trunk sewer from
Brightwood avenue and Rock Greek Church road
along Spring road anu Piney Branch TO Rock
/ Creek and new outlet about 900 feet long, for
! rn naiO AOarpStia
''The section of the Easby's Point sewer named
is about one-hah in length of the authorized
part OF this interceptOr, and about twC-thirds in
extent OF work This part, now under contract,
| will terminate near Pennsylvania avenue and
Fifteenth street, and is the only sewer of the
adopted plan of 1890 authorized TO date"
! More liberal appropriation for the completion
| of the work is suggested.
"A considerable increase is asked in the ap-
| preparation for street lighting. The existing
| service is curtaiIed below actual necess tiles
from lack of funds, both in the number of lamp S
and time OF burning OF the gas lamps
''In this connection Ieluest is made for the
| enactment of the bill which has passed the
| House OF Representatives, increasing the quail
ity and candle power OF gas IN the District, and
limiting its price to private consumers and in
! public buildings to 81 per 1000 cubic feet
The street pavemen laid with Bermudez as
phalt near the beginning of last fiscal year
have not shown any defect, but sill appear 10
| be in excellent condition. This asDhalI n
new product in Wash .ngton The competition
caused by it's Introduction still obtains The
prices were considerably decreased below the
low prices of the previous year
The county roads and unpaved suburban
streets are now about three hundred miles in
length All repairs on these highways, includ-
ing cleaning cutters, repairing culverts and
sprinkling, are paid from the appropriation for
repairs of county roads. The amt unit has been
inadequate to keep the highways in hrst-class
condition
STREET EXTENSION PLANS.
"Plans of tho first section of street extension
have been approved by the Commissioners, and
transcribed for record upon thirty-six large
scale plates, twenty by thrty-six inches in size,
and embodying the data required by the high
way act.
stPlans for the other sections have been COM
pleted in part Those of the first section now
await a report upon them by Frederick Law
Olmstead, landscape architect, whose services
for that purpose We're engaged in compliance
with O requirement. III the last District appr0pEl-
alton act.
THE first section comprises the northw est
part of the county, east of Rock Creek and the
Rock Greek parks. Sixteenth street, North
Capitol street, and Rhode Island avenue are ex-
tended without change of direction, or north
Other avenues ana meridianal streets OF the
city, as they would fall IN this section on direct
extensions, have been changed more or less
On the whole, the plan conforms to the street
plan of Washington as nearly as deemed advis-
able and practicable
"Prominent features of the plan are the pro-
vision for wide parkway along the Piney
Branch and Spring road, from the National Park
to the Soldiers Home, and the extension of this
parkway by an avenue of 160 feet width, from
the Soldiers Home to proposed park along the
upper part of the Eastern Branch Another
wide avenue passing to the north of the Home
will connect the upper part of the National Park
with the proposed Anacostia Park
1.-The street plans further contemplate the es-
tablishment of park inclosing Rock Creek
from the Geological Park, down stream to Oak
Hill Cemetery on the right bank, and to the
proIongation of Twenty-ffth street to near
Lyons mill, on the left bank.
1.-THE Commissioners have in view recon-