Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-02
Many Protests Made Against Clos
ing Them.
COMMISSIONERS DELUGED With LETTERS
Charges Against Potomac Water
CompIicate the Situation.
OTHER DISTRICT AFFAIRS

| Don't close the wells!' The cry goes
up all over the city, and the Commits
sioners are being deluged with letters.
| urging them to do something to improve the
| quality of the drinking water. The Potomac
| may or may not be contaminated, but Just
| now it is muddy, and people are not apt
to have high opinion Of muddy water.
But what is to be done? That is what
! the citizens are asking the authorities, and
they are mute The resistance to the action
| of the authorities looking to the closing of
| the wells is the stronger because Of the
| charges made in recent official reports
| against the Potomac water. These reports
| have also greatly increased the embarrass-
| ments of the Commissioners in the matter.
The report of DR.. Kober, tho typhoid
| fever expert, recommended the closing Of
every well in the city. He also thought the
Potomac was probably contaminated, and
| advised the boiling Of milk before using.
Some wag recently wrote to the Commission
| ars. asking If DR.. Koher was the representa-
tive OF some brewery, and wanted to scare
/ the people into drinking beer. A woman
who signed herself Cleanliness" after
| calling attention to the Potomac water
at present, added that she took bath the
other day and came out of the tub full Of
mud"
1t is believed at the District building the
water question can be successfully solved
| .
| money. The Commissioners are heartily in
favor OF improving the conditions, and
with an appropriation at their disposal
believe they can satisfy the water drinkers
| N short time. The recent experiments
Of Major Powell In digging deep wells
have, In the estimation of the Commits
sioners. proved SO successful and brought
such good results in the shape Of purer
water, that the Commissioners are urging
an appropriation to sink a number Of these
wells in different parts OF the city. With
such wells and iron pipes leading from
| the water to the pump the advocates of
this plan claim there Is little fear of con-
tamination. and the potable quality Of
the water is superior to that OF river
water.
Every year the engineer department takes
up the old faulty sewers, through which, it
| is claimed. millions of germs escaped and
found their way to the wells. This, 1t is
ment In the health Of the city. striking
illustration occurred several days ago. In
projecting for a new Sewer, 1t was neces-
sary to make an excavation, and follow
the line Of a sewer laid during the days of
the old board of public works. The old
sewer ran straight for a short distance, and
then described graceful curve around the
stump of an old tree which the contractor
where the curve commenced, the inferior
cement had broken away, and through the
small opening there drained the filth which
should have been carried to the river. The
ted a foul odor. Not twenty-five yards
away there was a well that supplied the
neighborhood with drinking water A
chemical analysis was made at once of the
water. and 1t was found good for all ordi-
nary purposes. Then it was suggested that
a meteorological examination be made, and
one was accordingly ordered. Three separ-
ate examinations were made. The second
| one examined disclosed the presence Of the
colon bacillus in large numbers, and the
well was ordered closed, although the citi-
zens rushed in to protest against such
action. g {;
The completion of the sewer system pro-
jected by the sewer commission is looked
to to cure much Of the evil In the way Of
contaminated wells and other unpleasant
and insanitary conditions. Meanwhile,
however, there is great clamor against
closing the wells long the Potomac
water is held in official reports as not being
above suspicion.
Granted a License.
The excise board today granted q retail
liquor license to VIM. w. Michigan, 1909 18th
street southeast.
Ownership of Telegraph Poles.
The Commissioners today accepted, with
out cost, the ownership of the poles Of the
Postal Telegraph Cable Company. located
| as follows:
Seven poles on G street, from 1st to Sd,
southeast. one on the southeast corner of
4th and streets southeast, one on the north
east corner Oh lCN ana l streets southeast,
one on street between 10th and 18th south
east twenty-nine on 18th, from to A, south
| east, four near the corner of 18th street
and Maryland avenue northeast.
Retrial of Foreman Walsh.
Upon the oral statement Of Surgeon W.
D. Cannon Of the police and fire depart
ments that part of the report of his testi-
| mony in the matter of the trial of Foreman
| John A. Walsh of No engine company of
| the fire department of the District conveys
meaning different from that he intended to
express, the Commissioners today ordered:
That the order of December 26, 1895 direct
| Ing the dismissal of said Walsh from the
said fire department is hereby reconsider
ed, and the chief of the fire department Is
directed to cause retrial of said Walsh by
board consisting of other officers than
those who constituted the former trial
board, upon charges of intoxication and
disobedience of orders. The chief of fire de-
partment will notify the attorney for the
District of Columbia of the time and place
of such retrial. The attorney for the Dis
trict will cause the District to be repre-
santed at such trial by himself or one of the
assistant attorneys for the District.
Real Estate Legislation.
The Commissioners have recommended
adverse action upon Senate bill 426, relating
to Acknowledgements Of instruments affect
ing real estate within the District of Co.
lumbia. The action of the Commissioners
was based upon the following opinion of
Attorney Thomas. to whom the bill was re-
ferred for consideration and recommends
ton:
Il am unable to favorably recommend
this bill. 1t Is open to several very serious
objections. For instance, take the language
of lines and III. Begin in all cases by
caption specifying the District of Columbia
as the place where the acknowledgment is
taken 1t is manifest that this could MOI
be done in all cases, since a great many in
struments affecting real estate in the Dis
trict of Columbia are Acknowledgements out
side of the District.
1.-The bill provides in lines from 10 to %
for the acknowledgment of deeds by an at
torney. 1t Is an open question in this Dis
trfct whether conveyances can be made by
attorney so as to pass the legal estate AS
to Acknowledgements by corporations or joint
stock companies, the bill proposes an affi-
davit by some officer or agent of the cor
poration that the seal affixed to the instru-
ment Is the corporate SEAL and that the in
strument was signed on behalf of the cor
poration, by the authority of it's board of
directors etc. Afidavits of the execution of
corporation deeds and the genuineness of
corporate seals have never been required
here. The signature of the president, at
tested by the secretary with the seal Of
the corporation, is all that is necessary
Without pointing to other Objectionable fea-
lures of the bill, am of opinion the propos-
Cd r{r1n t1va t. yI~@1l-