Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-02-13
DISTRICT GOVERNMENT.
Additional Private.

W. Fl. Adams has been appointed an ad-
ditional private of the metropolitan police
force Tor three years, for duty as patrol
driver. to serve without compensation from
the District.
Private W. J. Rogers Of the metropolitan
police force, tried for gross neglect of duty
by the trial board. has been fined so.
Additional Carts.
The superintendent of the street and alley
cleaning department has been allowed to
employ additional or extra horses and carts
from Messrs. Horn & Horn, contractors for
cleaning unimproved streets and alleys,
the same to be used in hauling snow and
ice from the public streets of the city,
Messrs. Horn & Horn having stated that
they can furnish seven, and possibly nine,
in addition to three now regularly en-
ployed. the contract price for such extra
carts being s1.65 each per diem of eight
hours.
Bill Submitted.
The Commissioners have submitted to
Representative Heard. chairman of the
District committee on appropriations of
the House, the draft of a bill to amend
sections us and 40 of the Revised Statutes
of the United States relating to the Dis
trct of Columbia, with the request that
it be substituted for House bill 1898, hav-
ing the same title.
Mr.. s. T. Thomas, attorney for the Dis
trict. today rendered an opinion to the
Commissioners in regard to distractions to
fire plugs. Section 81 of an ordinance OF
the corporation of Washington provides
penalty for obstructing access to any valve
or stopcock connected with the water
mains or service pipes by placing thereon
stones, brick. lumber. dirt or any other
NJ hn hal
material to be placed thereon by those in
his or their employ.
Mr. Thomas says that 1t was the inten-
ton of the corporation of Washington by
the above ordinance to include fire plugs,
which were in existence at the time, and
1t is unlikely that it would have legislated
to protect valves and stopcocks connected
with water mains from distractions with
out specifying fire plugs, unless it was sup
posed that the words ANY valve were
broad enough to cover fire plugs. Valves,
he says. are often named from the thing
which or place where connected, as an angle
plug valve, a fire plug being nothing more
than a plug valve. 1t is called a fire
plug because it is generally used to sup
ply fire engines with water for putting out
fires, and is thus named merely to dis
tlnguish 1t from other valves connected
with the water service.
He is of the opinion that section 81 of
the ordinance of 1850 prohibits the obstruc-
them in the process of cleaning the side
walk. and 1t is the duty of property owners
in front of whose premises fire plugs are
located to see that they are not INSTRUCTED
by snow and ice.
He says further that the law on the sub
ject needs no amendment. but that any
person obstructing a fire plug by covering
or obstructing ii with snow is liable to
punishment under the ordinance referred
to above.
without Water.
NJ kaufman of lie and lila street
southeast writes to the Commissioners to-
day calling attention to the fact that he
is at the present time without water, as is
also the house next to him. He says the
trouble was caused by the grading of L
street, which brought the service pipes too
close to the surface, and which the con-
tractor failed to lower when the work was
completed. The matter has been referred
to the engineer department for investiga-
ton.
Reported Favorab1y.
The Commissioners have reported favor
ably, with some slight alterations, the
House bill to amend the charter Of the
Rock Creek railroad.