The Washington times., 1895-03-10
Do|NGS OF The DISTRICT
Multitude Of Duties DevoIving
Upon the Excise Board.
SUGGESTION FOR A NEW BOARD
Commissioner, Inspect the Cut for Retain
ing-Wall for Union Stree: Railway Sta
tlon-Board Decides to Sustain the Build
ing Inspectors Requirements Health
0fics Will Analyze the Water Supply.

The excise board has now before it
about thirty undetermined applications for
liquor license, and when these are dis
posed of the work of the board Will be prac-
| tically over for the year, the casuals coming
in slowly and generally at long intervals.
The fact that the business to which the
board has togive It's attention is most press
ing at the time in the year when the same
gentlemen are engaged upon their work as
board of assistant assessors and revision,
suggested 10 prominent official the pro-
| priety OF relieving the assessors of the
| transaction of the excise business alto
gcther, and creating new board, OF three
citizens. selected with a view to proper
geographical location, TO attend to the
issuance of licenses.
THE ARGUMENT ADVANCED.
tits argued that for $500 per anpum each
three representative ci tiZeDs may be
procured who will be willing to give the
entire month OF November in each year
to the duties, and add two or three days
| per month thereafter, whereby there
/ would be no delay in the hearings and no
! embarrassment to those who are depending
upon prompt action for completion of
/ their business details.
To avoid this the assistant assessors
worked night and day from the first Of
| November until January to properly dis
/ charge the functions of both boards, and IT
! is conteDded that as assistant assessors
/ they have all that they can attend to with
out the addition of the extra duties imposed
by the consideration of license applications.
Arrangements are being rapidly per-
fectcd for the commencement OF the assess
ments of real estate, as required by the law.
! The board will have all the necessary
! facilities in hand within a few days and
viii proceed at once to the personal 1nspec-
! ton OF each separate square and each lot
| of ground IN the District. Their report
/ of this work is due next January.
Com missioners Powell and Trucsdell
made an inspection of the ground site OF
the proposed union street railway station
! in Georgetown, and noted the character of
/ the soil and the condition OF the surround
ings with special reference to the thickness
! that should be required for the retaining
wall for which the excavations have been
! already commenced.
| TREACHEROUS CHARACTER OF SOIL.
! When the permit was issued for the con-
struction of the wall it was with the under
standing that at the proper Stage of the
progress of excavation the building in
spector would make careful inspection
and determine the thickness that should be
given the wall.
Upon his examination, he discovered
/ the treacherous condition of the soil, ana
decided that the wall would have to be
| twenty two feet wide at the base and TO a
height equal to 80 g per cent of the eleva-
4 tion, after which it could be gradually mar
rowed. until il reached the height, fifty
! five feet, required 10y the elevation.
The Washington and Georgetown Com
pany asked for delay in PRONUNCIATION of the
order until they could submit additional
! data, which was done, and after the fun
hearing given Friday afternoon and the
subsequent inspection given the site by
! the CommiSs ioDers, it isunderstoodtheb board
decided yesterday to sustain the building
! Inspector.
Health Officer woodward has arranged
| TO have weekly chemical analysis made
of the Potomac water during the coming
summer. of which q detailed record VIII
| be kept. The failure OF Congress to provide
| a laboratory prevents a meteorological in
| spection, but a record of the detailed re-
suits of tho chemical analysis VIII be valu-
| able. and III large measure meet the OBJ
| lect in view
PERMITS TO BUILD.
Building permits issued yesterday: DR..
| D. McMurtrie, dwelling, No. 1913 FIT
teenth street northwest, $4,000. Miller,
Robinson & Co, office building, corner Of
/ Fourteenth and streets northwest. ST.
500. Leonard 5. Nicholson. frame dwell
/ ing Concord street. Brookland, Sf0e.
| For improvements: c. NJ. Enrich TO con-
/ ST hitil at III PpnnSyl-
| vania avenue northwest. So, 900. w. Nj.
King general repairs to store, No. 303 Har-
| rison street, Anacostia, $500. NJ. e..
| Copeland, repairs to store, No. 400 Eleventh
street northwest. $3.50 w s. Roose, re
pairs to dairy No 1904 Fourteenth street
! northwest $500.
! : A permit was issued yesterday, revoca-
BILE at the pleasure Of the Commissioners,
| to the Norfolk and Washington Steamship
! Company to construct the slip referred TO
in yesterdays Times. The slip is TO be fifty
eight feet wide, supported by piles, and
| in length shall not extend beyond the west
| building line of Water street nor beyond
the harbor line as established by the United
States authorities.
1t was ordered by the Commissioners
yesterday that the wagon stand OH the
north side of L street, between Thirteen
and -a-half and Fourteenth streets, be
abolished, and that similar stand be es
! taDIsheQ on lfle west shle Dl fnttPnIi
street, betw cen Pennsylvania avenue ant
L street northwest.
Commissioner Ross left last evening fol
a visit to his mother in Illinois. Mr. Ross
has suffered good deal from a cold re
Gently, added to which was the labor in
cident to tine c.Ssing hours Of Congress
and lie hopes to recuperate during his alb
sence. He viii remain away about two
weeks.
The fees that will hereafter be paid the
sealer of weights and measures, not al
q matter of compensation to him, but az
a contribution to District revenues, are a:
follows, as ordered by the District Com
missoners:
Coal, hay, and wagon scales, semi-an
nual, 50; counter platform scales, semi
annual, 81; platform scales, under zoe
pounds, semi-annual, SO cents; platform
scales, over 200 pounds, semi annual, ST
potato scales, semi annual, 20 cents
counter scales, semi annual, % cents
spring balance scales, quarterly, 20 cents
large railroad scales, semiannual. witt
a fee of 81 for first ten tons and % cents
per ton TO capacity; all weights sealed, /
cents; all dry measures, size Of half a bushe
and less, 1 o cents; all dry measures owe
half q bushel, % cents; all liquid measure
of one gallon or less, 10 cents; all liquiC
measures over one gallon, % cents, and al
yard measures, annually sealed, o cents