Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-01
STREET EXTENSIONS
A Protest Against Deviations From
Straight Lines.
PLANS BEFORE THE COMMISSION
Laying Out the Greater Washing
ton of the Future.
MR.. BRiTTo-N's VIEWS

49, - ~ L " ~ - Il w =
The plans for the street extension pre-
pared BY the District Commissioners are
| now before the commission consisting of the
Secretary of War, the Secretary of the
Interior and chief of army engineers As
the public has been informed, the commits
| sion invite suggestions from citizens, and
promise to consider any protests or sug-
gestions. If made in writing. The commits
sion specify that all such communications
must be submitted on or before the 18th
of July, and be addressed to the chief Of
engineers, United States army, War De-
partment. On and after August / the
commission announce that they will hold
sessions in the office of the Secretary Of
War to dispose of all objections made, and
at that time they will hear orally from
those who desire to say anything In sup
port of their written objections. In talking
about the matter with Star reporter this
morning Mr.. A. z. Britton spoke as fol-
lows about the general principle which
should control the plan of street extension:
over 100 years ago Major l. 'Enfant laid
out the plan of the future city of Wash
ington. He did not restrict himself to in
dividual interests, but projected the streets
and avenues SO that for all subsequent
time the city has been gradually construct
ed without change, and has become, by
common consent, the most beautiful city
in the world.
1.-The opportunity is now given under the
street extension law to lay out the great
er Washington of the future, and the real
question for determination is whether the
commission charged with that duty shall
botch IL by mistaken Difference to sup
posed equities of individuals here, there
and everywhere, or whether 1t shall lay
out this great addition to the city upon the
broad lines of future necessity and use. It
must not be forgotten that within ten years
many of the tracts within the radius Of
lands now called suburban-at least with
In one-half mile or more from Florida
avenue the old boundary of the present
city-will be compactly built upon.
A Great Public Injury.
'Thpse lands will not continue to be used
In a suburban way, but will be in the most
detailed way sold by the square foot and
built upon by the front foot. Every devil
alton from the straight course of our mag
nffcent avenues and streets will then be-
come a great public injury. and every un-
necessary foot of grade will entail upon
every business man and every household
er a rever-ending expense for hauling, etc.
If it be true that our past scheme of streets
and avenues has worked out the most mag
niflcent city in the world, why should it
not be continued for the greater Wash
ingtoE of the future?
Does the plan of the Commissioners pro-
L
does rot. Analysis thereof, anG particular
ly the parts west of 10th street will show
that they have been Influenced too largely
by the supposed equities of individuals and
SyndicateS. Instead of extending the
streets and avenues of the city in direct
lines and upon present grades, both have
been SO far disregarded as to amount to q
practical adoption of the irregular streets
and grades heretofore in existence.
Long and irregular squares are found
Upon this extension map in every direction,
covering from two to four or five of our
present city squares, and the streets which
should have been run through them in
straight lines are diverted here and there,
apparently for the mere purpose of avoid
ing these squares, until they become as
crooked d rams horn. And yet the very
object of this street extension law was to
prevent further continuance of these ir-
regular subdivisions, and to cure as far as
practicable those already adopted.
General, Not Individual Interests.
mo great public improvement, and GER
tainly no great municipal extension, was
ever effected without inevitable acts of in
dividual injustice. That sort of thing should
be compensated for out of the public treas
ury. but the fact that the house of A Is
left twenty feet above the proper grade
and that the subdivision of b is changed
from his original intent, and his lots moved
around so as to become less front and more
back. and similar minor considerations,
should not in any way control the matter.
As l have said, those things, where deter
mined to be actual cases of pecuniary loss,
should be paid for, but the sole considera-
ton should be laying out these extensions
with view to the great city of the future.
otherwise We shall, ten or twenty years
hence, and for all time be subject to the
same annoyances and disfgurements which
exist in Boston and the lower parts of New
York city. Neither of these cities, in their
extensions, have made the mistake of per-
petuating in any form their early mistakes
I remembered
tUnity for correcting blunders already
made, and particularly for preventing the
n. akng of such blunders in the future. is
rarely given. 1t would be the height Of
folly, if, with the chance now in our hands.
We do not promptly and gladly seize it, in
stead of being turned aside by the mere
temporary considerations Of supposed equi-
ties of Individual cases.
The Great Avenues.
'It must not be forgotten that the great
avenues of the city, as Massachusetts, ave-
rue and Connecticut avenue, for illustra-
ton, must necessarily constitute the back
bones upon which all the future connecting
and rectangular streets must be put as
ribs, and that failure to give proper direc-
tion and grade to these main arteries will
necessarily and for all time occasion con-
fusion, Disagreement and loss in all the
protraction of subsidiary streets, and with
that must go the attendant loss and incon-
venience to improvements and residences
placed thereon.
Il therefore favor In broad way the ex-
tension of the present lines and grades of
the city's streets and avenues. whether or
not they are a benefit an injury to the
property of myself or of any other indi-
vidual citizen. Those things will really be-
come important only when myself and 9TH
er individuals have passed away, and this
is the point to which the improvements
should really be directed"
QUAY IN A MINORITY.