Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-04-05
The Commissioners Urged to Secure
Indictments.
A REPORT CONSIDERED TODAY
Matters Discussed Behind Closed
Doors.
GARB AGE REG ULATIONS

The District Commissioners behind closed
and guarded doors considered several mat
tiers of Importance today.
The first Of these was a report made by
subcommittee on railroads of the North
east Washington Citizens Association call
ing upon the Commissioners to urge the At
torney General to present to the grand
jury certain facts relative to Instructions
maintained by the Baltimore and Ohio rail-
road along its line, upon which to base in
dictmentS.
Application was made to the Commission
ers for the report, but they refused to en-
terrain the appeal of Star reporter.
What the Report Says.
The report calls attention first to the fact
that March the attorney for the District
in an opinion, took the position that if the
Baltimore and Ohio railroad crossings con-
tanned distractions to impede the
passage or transportation of persons or
property along the same, the company may
be indicted for maintaining a public NUS
ance.
Attention is then called to the fact, which
it states is well known, that many of the
crossings of the railroad, especially the
crossings at Sd, 9th, 9TH and K streets
northeast are INSTRUCTED daily.
At North Capitol and ID streets steaming
locomotives, it is stated, habitually stand
impeding traffic.
Similar distractions and impediments to
travel, the report states, exist at f street
Massachusetts avenue, +, G and H Streets
where cars frequently stand.
At the Intersection of ID and l streets the
roadway is carried over the railway by an
old wooden bridge fifteen feet above grade,
the responsibility for its maintenance be-
ing in dispute between the District authori-
ties and the railroad company. This bridge
is believed to he unsafe for heavy loads
and the chief Of the fire department has in
structed his men not to cross it with ap-
paratus. AT this intersection. the report
states. l street is annihiiated eastward to
9th street.
On Sd street from II to X street travel is
INSTRUCTED because of the impossibility of
crossing over the railroad tracks.
At the intersection of 9th and 1 streets
the railroad company has erected and
maintains an embankment about eight feet
above grade, which is an obstruction to
travel.
At the 9TH street crossing, the report
states. the railroad company has erected
and maintains an exnbankment about six
feet above grade, which is considered a
great obstruction
At K street, Sth and 9th streetsL the
street intersections have no crossings pro-
vided.
The entire bed of railroad, the report
sets forth, from Cd street, is from twelve
to fifteen inches higher than the level OF
the road bed prior to 1885.
The report calls special attention to the
government reservation at IL and list
streets and Delaware avenue, which, 1T
states. is occupied by tracks of the rail-
road, freight cars being kept standing there
continually.
On Delaware avenue front of the reser-
walton the Baltimore and Ohio railroad
maintains and operates massive derrick
about 100 feet long, which is a great OBJ
Struction to travel.
The report is signed by the following
members CT the subcommittee: w. ]. Fritz
Zell, H. H. Martin and w. o. Miller.
Commissioners N fOr
cuSSing the report, came to no conclusion,
but it is expected that action upon it will
be taken tomorrow.
The new specifications and regulations to
which were printed exclusively in yester-
days Star. were also discussed, and some
time was snent by the board in discussing
a new amendment to the building regula-
lions, which, IL adopted, will allow house
projections in Georgetown and upon su-
burban streets less than sixty feet wide.