The Washington times., 1894-11-20
MRS. SOUTHWORTH DISTURBED.
The Noted Writer OF Fiction IS ANNOYED
by Blasting Operatious-An Appeal
to the Courts for Relief

At the age Of seventy-lve, Mrs. E. D. E. \.
Southworth. the noted writer Of fiction, has
been obliged to appeal to the courts for pro-
lection from disturbance in her quiet George
town house by building operations for the
Washington and Georgetown Railroad Com
pany.
Her complaint is made through DR.. R. J.
Southworth, who lives with her at No. 1920
Thirty-sixth street northwest, and is one OF
several made by residents in the neighbor-
hood in connection with the suit brought
yesterday by Mrs. Mary C. Morris, the widow
of distinguished Naval officer, at 35O8 Pros
pect avenue. Judge Cox, in response to the
complaint, yesterday issued restraining or
der checking the annoyance until further or
der from the court.
Mrs. Morris owns half the square upon
which she lives, and says she has lived there
twenty-seven years and has become attached
to the place. She has built three-story
brick house with an octagonal tower. brick
stable, and has terraced and beautifed the
grounds, all at large expense. The founda-
ton of her house is on the grade of Prospect
avenue, but 1lfty-nine feet above the grade of
II street. Underlying it, in common with
adjoining lands, is bed of rock, opera,i, ;
upon which at any point will be felt fer long
distance around.
Some time ago Frank n Carver made a
contract with the Washington and George
town Railroad Company for excavating the
entire square adjoining to a considerable
depth for the p1rpose of laying the foundation
for a union street railway station. Carver
pOplOvnd Cnnfrn q,
do part OF the work. In order to hasten
they began to use explosives to blast and
break up the rock foundation On November
an explosion shook her whole place and rem
dered her and her household anxious for fear
the buildings would be thrown down. Great
cracks were opened in the stable walls.
She at once notified the acting president of
the railroad company, and he replied that he
would see the contractor. Nevertheless on
November Il there was a more terrific ex-
plosion than before. The buildings were all
shaken, the doors and windows ratified and
the chandeliers swung back and forth. She
says the neighbors are complaining of the
annoyance. She is afraid her buildings NAV
be wrecked and is anxious for the lives of her
household
Thaddeus De Lyons, who is employed by
Mrs. Morris, says in an affidavit accompany
ing the bill that on November IA Mr.. Parsons.
one OF the contractors, came over at O'Clock
TO look at the cracks in the walls of the stable
made by the explosion of November g. About
bali an hour later a blast was let of worse
than any previous one. He was Just about to
leave the stable. The building was swayed
back and forth, and he was shaken where he
stood on the solid floor
Lizzie Smith, caretaker for Mrs. Morris.
makes affidavit that this explosion shock the
main house, where she was employed at the
time, and moved the chair in which she was
sitting. Henry 10 ton, also employed in the
place, says that he felt the shock very SEN
slnly, and that he saw the cracks in the stable
wall made by the blast of November 8.
Robert /. Fleming, who states that he is
familiar with such work as the excavation
required, says that he was at Mrs Morris on
November 8, at II a. M, when there came
the shock of three-hole blast. The win
dows and doors were shaken and the build
ing vibrated. He asserts that while the