Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-01

not approve the plans of Mr.. Warner for
esta blIshing a board of charities and max
ing the superintendent secretary of the
board. In May the board of children s
guardians provided for by Congress was
organized and began its work. A portion
of the money which had previously been
granted each year to institutions in the city
having the care of children was placed by
Congress at the disposal of the board of
chidren's guardians. to be expended at
their discretion in providing for children
coming under their care. This arrangement
had been advocated by the late superin-
tendent of charities, but the new superin-
tendent has protested against it, and asks
that the child-caring institutions be granted
in full the same amount as formerly ap-
proprtate. to them, and that a separate
and independent appropria ton be made
for the use of the chidren's guardians,
based on the expenditures it has made dur
ing the three months of its existence. The
Lutheran Home for the Aged. on the Queen
Chapel read, was erected during the year.
Several individual acts of philanthropy
were recorded during the year. one of the
most notable being the furnishing of a
ward in the Hospital for Incurables by MIR.
5. W. Woodward for the special benefit Of
cancerouS patients.
The demands on the general charity of
the community by reason of the stress
of hard times. many who have always been
able to sustain themselves having been
reduced to poverty by lack of employment,
have been very great, and have met a gen.
erOuS response. The Commissioners, in or
der to relieve the prevailing Distress so
far as possible, have urged Congress to make
an appropriation Immediately available for
grading and improvement of suburban
streets and roads. believing that this money
expended at the present time would greatly
reduce the number of those in need by
furnishing employment No action has been
taken yet by Congress. As the holidays
approached the reports of distress among
the poor of the city stirred the people
of Washington that several movements
were started to raise funds for relief. The
Evening
mainly of school children. repeated it's
good work of last year. and raised, chiefly
by dime contributions, a fund of over
$1,000, to be applied to relief work. This
money has been expended in relief work
during the holiday week. public meet
ing was called by the Commissioners early
in December. and the result was the fer
nation of a central relief committee, which
Is now engaged in raising funds and OF
systematizing the work of relief. large
contribution to the cause of charity was
the Convention Hall December ~ by the
Marine Band for the benefit of the poor
Nearly $4,000 was netted. and this fund
has been turned over to the Commissioners
to be expended by the police in helping the
poor.
Steam Railroads..
Little change has been effected during the
year in the condition in which the steam
railway question in Washington is involved.
The grade crossings stin exist. and the mea-
sures proposed in Congress providing for the
substitution of some better system have not
made much progress. The so-called McAIil-
Ian BILL which provided for the passage of
the Pennsylvania railroad track through
South Washington at a grade depressed be-
low that of the streets, was under public
discussion and made the subject of a number
of official reports The War Department
engineers insisted that a new structure in
place of the old Long bridge was necessary
action has IA on he
gresS. bill is pending providing for the
entrance of the Baltimore and Ohio tracks
into the city by means of elevated via
duct extending from point near Ecking-
ton, where it is proposed to have the two
branches of the road meet, to the present
railway station at New Jersey avenue and
street. Several fatal accidents during the
year. due to the existence of grade cross
ings and insufficient precautions taken at
such crossings. have served to excite public
feeling ana 10 keep up the clamor for some
improvement and some regard for the lives
of citizens.
The work on what is known as the South
ern Metropolitan branch of the Baltimore
and Ohio road, which will enter the District
above Georgetown, has been suspended
temporarily under the general policy of
railroads during season of hard times not
to expend their resources on new construc-
tons.
The Ford's Theater Disaster.
disaster that startled the nation and
caused the greatest excitement and grief
In this city occurred June .. Two floors of
the old Ford's Theate- building ON 10th
street, crowded at the time with the clerks
Of the records and pension division of the
War Department, fell without warning
Twenty-three persons were killed and nearly
q hundred injured, some of them almost
completely disabled The eoroner's inquest
following the disaster, was attended by a
number of exciting scenes. The inquest was
commenced by Deputy Coroner Schaeffer,
but before 1t was completed il was declared
to be illegal, because the law recognized no
such officer as the deputy coroner. While
the proceedings under Deputy Coroner
Schaefer We're in progress, a demonstration
was made in the room where the inquest
was held against Col. F. C. Ainsworth. the
chief of the records and pension division,
who was popularity held responsible for the
terrible disaster. Many of the clerks and
some of the relatives of those who had been
killed in the building were present in the
room and at one point in the proceedings a
cry having been raised hang him. the
feeling of the spectators was raised to the
highest pitch, and 1t was only through the
exerton or the cool-headed ones present
that violence was prevented. The inquest
resulted in holding Col. Ainsworth, the chief
of the division, MIR. Dant, the contractor for
the work which was then going on beneath
the building, MIR. Covert and Mr.. Sasse, who
were in charge of the building and the work
in progress, responsible for the deaths. In
vestigation showed that cellar was being
excavated underneath the building for the
accommodation of a new electric lighting
and heating plant. The excavation under
mined a brick pier which supported the
floors above.
An indictment was reported against the
persons named above June 49, charging
them with manslaughter and 10 this indict-
ment all plead not guilty July %. de-
murrer to the Indictment was overruled by
the Criminal Court.b but taken at once to the
Court of Appeals. where early in December
IL was sustained. it being held that the
charges were not set forth with sufficient
clearnesS. The district attorney has an
noImced his purpose of securing a in
dictment The helpless condition in which
many families were left by the disaste- APP
pealed strongly to the charitable impulse of
the citizens of Washington. A relief COM
mittee was formed at once, and in a short
time sum amounting to about S;O.00O was
raised and thus provision was made for the
burial of the dead and for caring for those
who were rendered for the time destitute
The Rock Creek Park.
The legal controversies over the Rock
Creek Park were settled in January by a
decision of the United States Supreme
Court, affirming in every particular the de-
cision of the Supreme Court of the District
and removing all the obstacles that had
been placed in the way of finally complet-
ing the purchase of the park. In May the
Rock Creek Park commission obtained the
approval of the President to expending the