Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-12-03

Recommendation that the Office Of coroner
be abolished, and in its stead there be Gre
ated the office of medical examiner, whose
duty Ii shall be to investigate, from a
medical standpoint, such cases as are now
investigated by the health officer and the
coroner. The successful administration OF
the office OF coroner by DIR. w. c. Wood
ward, the present health officer of the Dis
trict, entities his recommendation, in which
the Commissioners concur, to careful con-
sideration.
Street Cleaning.
The work of the street cleaning depart
ment has been fully stated in the accom-
panying report of the superintendent OF
that important service. Urgent demands
exist for a more frequent service in WASH
ington and Georgetown, and for the extern
sion of the service in the larger suburbs
not only matter of ordinary cleanliness
and appearance, but to prevent the dissent
nation of disease by flying dust and the
decomposition Of ,putrescible accumulations.
Paved streets in the city aggregate $780,
600 square yards in area, and In the sub
urbs, lS2OOO square yards. The existing
appropriations permit but one sweeping per
week upon 1,I14.00O square yards Of the
urban streets, and with only the same fire.
Quency upon nearly all OF the suburban
streets. The service should be equipped to
give this great area at least two sweepingS
per week, and more frequent watering and
Sprinkling during the heated months, by an
adequate appropriation.
ONCE of Inspector of Buildings.
The business of this office and the in
terests of the community suffer from the
inadequaey of the inspectors force. Much
of the building done is not in accordance
with the requirements of the law. but the
defective work escapes detection through
the physical impossibility of inspecting 1t
during progress, by reason of the present
limited force. The building regulations
have from time to time bean made more
comprehensive and stringent, but 1t is to
a great extent useless to prescribe rules
unless their enforcement is secured by an
adequate number of inspectors.
The death of Mr.. Thomas y. Entwisle,
inspector of buildings, under whose COM
petent supervision the office and the build
ing regulations were developed to a mark
ed state of efficiency. was Il loss felt by
the entire community.
The Fire Department.
In a carefully prepared statement made by
the assessor for the District of Columbia.
April %, 1894. the value of all improvements
in the District of Columbia, exclusive Of the
land. was SlS0,OG6. 421, of which the United
States owns $93.352, 800, and private own
ers SIS, 5S7, 421. the District owning the hal
ance of s., 126500.
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 all of the available force
to one part of the District, an equally
urgent call has been made to part of the
District far remote from the locality where
the entire force was then concentrated.
1t is to be hoped that Congress will pro-
tect this property by equipping the fire de-
partment in manner worthy of the ma
tional capital.
The life of the fireman is attended l.y
ha mi al
in their estimates asked for an increase Of
pay for these men, an increase which they
believe is demanded by every consideration
of fairness and justice.
Water Department.
All the pumping during the year was
done at the u street station. instead of at
two separate stations. with a resulting
saving of about $1,000.
The 10th street standpipe was dispensed
with and removed.
Nearly twenty-seven miles of water
mains were laid, about three-sevenths of
which are in Washington.
Contracts were made for the excavation
and embankment of the high-service res
ervoir at Fort Reno, and for furnishing
and erecting at the u street station a five
Million gallon pumping engine. and two
boilers; these works are now in progress
A twelve-inch main was laid, about nine
miles long, from the pumping station 10
the Tenleytown road, on that road from
Georgetown to the Reno reservoir, and
from the reservoir part way to Brightwood
and Takoma.
Pending the completion of the pumping
engine and permanent reservoir, thirty
thousand gallon concrete tank was con-
structed at Reno last July, and small
pump erected at the u street pumping sta
ton, for supplying water along Woodiey
lane and Tenleytown road.
When the new high-service pumping en-
CINE at U street is completed, there VIII be
no probability of need of the Georgetown
station by the water department. The
building, ground and plant tnere--except
|. the pumping engine-may conveniently be
made available for an electric street-lght-
ing service for Georgetown and the part
of the county west and north, whenever
1t is desired to undertake municipal SER
vice.
Most urgent necessities Of the water SER
vice are greater supply of water ard the
restoring of the water pressures In WASH
ington to what they were in 1870, when the
4S-inch main was laid.
The proper means for increasing the
water supply is to raise the dam at Great
Falls sufficient to keep the water i'm the
distributing reservoir at the height of LAG
feet above datum, for which duty the res
ervoir and conduit leading to it from the
falls were built The top of the intake Of
the conduit Is three feet above the sill Of
the dam, while low water has only few
inches depth on the dam.
The War Department, which has charge
or the w aSnlDStOn dQueuuCt ala It's aIt-
purtenances, estimates $l25, 900 for raising
the dam. Similar estimates were presented
last year, but TO funds for the purpose
were appropriated.
The Commissioners are of the opinion
that it ought now to be definitely detern-
ined whether or not the tunnel from the
distributing reservoir to the reservoir near
the Soldiers Home can advantageously be
made useful. An estimate of $4,000 for
testing the tunnel is given in report of
the chief of engineers of the army, June II,
| 1890, and published in Senate Elk. Doc. G2,
Fifty-second Congress, first session. If this
tunnel is not to he used, steps should he
! taken, without delay, for providing another
principal channel for water distribution.
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 treas
| ury June 80, 1854, on account of the Sus-
! pension Of the work, of 1921, 500. %. A pro-
| vision for the availability of this balance
| for raising the dam and testing the tunnel
| are inserted In the District estimates.
The pending Senate bill for the acquire
| ment 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 be-
| fore Congress.
Sewer Department.
Besides the current work of ordinary ex-
tensions of sewers. replacing INSTRUCTED sew