Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-10-14
THE MARKET SQUARE
Authority Of the Commissioners
Over It Questioned.
Mr.. ORDWAY'S SURPRISING STATEMENT
Senator Morrill, Said to Have
Stopped Gov. Shepherds Work.
OTHER DISTRICT AFFAIRS

This morning President N. G. Ordway OF
the Washington Market Company, and Gen.
William Birney, the attorney for the COM
pany, had conference with the Commits
sioners in behalf of the application of the
company for permission to erect an iron
stairway over the passageway and court
yard on the north side of the market build
| ing. to the upper story Of the north wing
! of the building. They claimed that the
| right to use the passageway Is In the mar
! ket company, as appurtenant to the use OF
| the market building, and that the right of
| the District authorities over it is only such
| as they may acquire in connection with the
authorized public building on said reserva-
| ton, and it vests only when the District
| building is erected.
President OrdWay reviewed the history of
! the market company, and said he rcmem-
bered distinctly the legislation concerning
| the cree ton of District building. In 1873,
| he said, Gov. Shepherd had force Of men
at work at the 9th street end of the reser-
walton digging a foundation for the build
ing, when Senator Morrill, drove along. The
Senator stopped and asked what was going
| on, and being informed that it was the new
District building that was being erected,
| he drove at once to the Capitol and found
there was no appropriation. Whereupon,
Mr.. Ordway said the Senator introduced a
resolution stopping the work. The Gem
| missioners expressed surprise at this state
ment; Commissioner Ross adding that 1t
was the first time he had ever heard such
thing. He requested Mr.. Ordway to en-
body in his written application for the per-
nit a reference to the resolution referred
| to. When this is done the papers will be
sent to the attorney Of the District, who
will examine the law and make report to
the Commissioners.
New District Building.
effort to secure an appropriation for Dis
! trict building. In the estimates for the
| support of the District government next
year they will urge the appropriation of
| 100000 to commence the work of building
| a permanent home for the District Also
| in their annual report to the President
they will call attention to the necessity for
such building. The present quarters of
the District government, although much
larger than the old ones on LIST street, are
already very much crowded, and the ques-
ton of securing additional room is becom-
| Ing serious.
Offer Accepted.
The offer of Skinner & Burrows to haul
| 500 cubic yards of gravel, more or less at
| 80 cents per cubic yard, from Bladensburg
| to Langdon, and spread the same upon the
road has been accepted by the Commits
sioners.
samples OF Liquor.
Thirteen hundred samples of whisky
| and gin have been collected by the in
| spector of the excise board from the places
where liquor is sold in the District. These
| will be analysed for the purpose Of deter
mining what percentage is adulterated
| and what the adulterants are. 1t is pro-
| posed by the excise board to have the Dis
| trict chemist do this work of analysis, al
| though with his limited facilities it will
| take at least year to go through them
all. The idea which was embodied in a
recommendation to the Commissioners
some days ago by the excise board to have
| Congress pass law prohibiting the adul-
| iteration of liquors, seems to have orig
| mated with Colonel Bates. He believes
that a number of the crimes that are COM
| mitted annually in the District are the
| result Of some poisonous compound in
liquors. which makes those who use it
| frantic. A prominent contractor stated
several days ago that he was positive that
| several of the crimes that had been COM
| mitted by his men were the result of gin
| that had been doctored. The excise board
| hopes to present the result of these analy-
| ses to Congress as an argument in favor of
the proposed law.