The Washington times., 1894-08-28
Northeast Citizens Association Memo
rallies the Commissioners.
STREET IMPROVEMENT NEEDED
Sections that Are Dusty in Dry and Muddy in
Wet Weather-Other Portions as Nature
Made Them-Electric Lighting Proposed
for an Important Thoroughfare,

was u report from lh6 committee on htreelSi
avenues, and alleys, which is designed for pre-
sentation TO the District Commissioners early
this week. The report says
"In reports heretofore submitted by this COM
mittee they recommend that inasmuch as there
are many streets In the northwestern section OF
the city that have not bcen graded many mat
have been graded but not regulated, and many
that have no sidewalks or any kind, leaving
many houses without reasonable or convenient
means OF approach, especially in the fail and
spring, and mild weather In winter, the pro-
priety of asking for appropriations Tor paving
any street was inadYl5aDle-
I'm this opinion We most fully concur Tor the
following, among other reasons:
delaware avenue and First, Second, and
Third streets are practically useless and iTn-
pasSabe north of street, but these streets, Of
course cannot be brought TO grade or improved
on account of the Baltimore and Ohio hallroad
tracks.
Several squares on Fourth and Fifth streets
south of Ii street arc nearly destitute OF I'M
provement and often impassaole. ol the east
and west streets l. street Is the most neglected,
that portion lying between First and Fourth
strt 5 being about as nature made H. extremely
dans erOus ii not totally impassable Tor vehicles
oil any kind q street has sid W IlkS and small
trees, but the roadway is dusty IN dry and
muddy ia wet " sather
'All these streets are within a radius OF from
one-half to one mile from the Capitol building
ESTIMATES ASKED FOR IMPROVEMENTS.
ave respectfully recommend that the atten-
tion of the Commissioners be called To the con-
dtion of the aforesaid streets, and that they be
| requested TO estimate for their improvement in
substantial manner.
40 this proposition We may be answered that
q rule exists whereby all streets not reached by
appropriations must be kept on the schedule
until provided for This being so the same
power that made the rule may change IL, as sew
eraI other similar rules have been made ana
changed For instance, some years ago there
was Il general schedule when embraced the I'M
4 AL ~ q al
visions Of the city This rule was observed un-
til Maryland and Massachusetts avenues north
east were reached in their order, when the then
Commissioners abolished the general scheuuIe
and these avenues were paved and paid for out
OF the small appropriation Tor the northeast
''At another time rule was made that the
Capitol building should be taken as "a center and
the streets improved cc-exlenslyely radlatlng
therefrom. This rule was not satisfactory and
was recinded, with the result that all stree Is
south of 4 street are paved as lar east as Lin
coin Park while f street and those north of il
excepting street, are unproVided Tor, and or
the numbered streets Second and Third were
paved 10 fl street, and then n Jump was made 10
Ninth street in one year,and 10 euth III another,
leaving the intervening streets with dirt road
ways, although very generally built upon with
a good class OF dwellings,
TREES ARE MARKS OF BEAUTY.
at is admitted on all hands that the trees Of
our city are among its chief marks OF beauty.
This being so, we think that the trees should be
planted with some regularity so that an even
ness Of growth would obtain and material value
be added TO each lot OF ground. This end can be
reached only by a systematic process, ana the
plan of radiating from the Capitol was the
proper one; but this having been abandoned d
there are now great barren places throughout
this section that can only be remedled IN patch
work by the parking commission, which, IN OuI
opinion, should be done AT once.
This committee has heretofore recommended
that the macadam in the roadway OF Florida
avenue be continued westward from Ninth TO
the intersection with NJ street, so as to afford
short route TO the northern part OF the city and
at the same time relieve II street OF much OF its
traflic Now that a cable street car line on II
street is an assured fact, this recommendation
is all the more forctble.
From the best information that your COM
mittee has been able to obtain it appears that
on July l, 1891, there was an excess OF District
receipts over appropriations Of more than
O0OO, of which amount Congress has since ap-
propriated S300O00 TO be transferred to the water
fund TO be applied the debt created in the
construction OF the abandoned tunnel This ac-
tion is Unprecedented, as under the organic act
the water department was to be sslf-suppOrrng,
ard has always been made SO by Waterman
assess ments and water rents.
USE SURPLUS FOR PAVING.
"In view of this fact We venture TO suggest
that the best use to which this or any future
surplus can be put TO is to pave our city road
ways, and in this respect no part of the city has
been so much neglected as Northeast Washing
ton.
'.The latest official report at hand 1888 shows
that OF all the streets in this section only 30
per cent are improved, leaving 64 ! unimpTOyed,
while all the other sections show much larger
percentage in their favor The standing Official
answer TO this complaint is that expenditures
are made according 10 assessed valuations and
population, This would seem at first blush a
proper apportonment; but when we come to
work il out mathematically We meet trrecOncila-
bic conditions.
For example, the northwest section covers a
larger area than any two Other sections com
bined and has a larger share of wealth and pop
ulatiOn In that section IL per cent. of its
rCadways are unpaved, yet II receives an apprO-
priatOn twice as large as any other section
Now, II il is entitled 10 this money on the basis
assigned, IL will continue TO be entitled thereto
after this 1913 per cent shall have been paved
and all its street work completed.
I'VE are of opinion, considering all the facts
known TO us, that a just and more satisfactory
condition would obtain If a rule were adopted
whereby percentage of street mileage were
taken basis for improvement in each sec
tlOn, predlcatlng the estimate upon the mileage
OF unimproyed streets existing at the time Of
adoption of such rule. Ii being a we'll estab-
lished fact that improved streets give value TO
the property abutting on them and attract pop
uetion,a liberal expenditure of money upon our
streets would enhance values and lead to such
increase in population that we would very soon
compare fayorably in assessment values with
the portions of the city that have always been
more fortunate than we have been
''We therefore recommend
STREETS THAT SHOULD BE IMPROVED.
l. "That the Commissioners be requested to
estimate for grading and macadamizing all the
unmproved streets in the northeast and plant
ing trees thereon, to be paid for out of the gen.
eral appropriation for the year ending June so,
1896, giving preference thereto in the following
order:
Fourth, from K 70 NJ; Fourth, from & to H; NJ,
from Second TO Florida avenue; Florida avenue.
from NJ 20 Ninth; Fifth, from to III; Tenth, from
! to Florida avenue; L, from North Capitol TO
Fifth; l., from Sixth to Florida avenue: Sixth,
from II 10 *; from Seventh to Twelfth; Eighth,
from to X to Florida avenue, Fifth, from Ii TO X:
Eleventh, from Massachusetts avenue 70 Mary
land avenue; Twelfth, from East Capitol to
Maryland avenue; Thirteenth, from East Capt.
tol TO Florida avenue; Ninth, from to Florida
avenue; Second, from X to Florida avenue;
Third, from ii to Florida avenue.
2 THAT the Commissioners be also requested
TO ask that the surplus of District of Columbia
revenues in the United States Treasury on July
/, 1895, to be duplicated by the United States
government one-half, be appropriated for paw
ing the roadways on the city streets, and & a.
estimates therefor be based upon percentage
of mileage of unpaved streets in the 1--WE urban
divisions of the District"
President Frissell called attention to the fire.
quent absence of proper street lighting, citing n
recent occasion when the moon failed TO give
light, rain had fallen, the dense foliage
dimmed what little light there was and hid the
pitfalls in the street, and people went home
with wet feet.
He said it was understood tlat the District
paid for an average OF 5000 hours OF gaslight in
a year At this season the company saved as
much as possible and then when the year was
closing put in as much time as possible in order
to complete the complement of hours.
He was not in favor of municipal control OF
gas nor of any other monopoly, but he believed