Evening star., 1896-02-19
OF TRADE
Proposed Amendments to the Bond
Bill Approved.
REPORT on GRADE CROSSINGS ADOPTED
Other Recommendations to Corr
gress Concerning Local Matters.
LAST NIGHTS MEETING

The Washington board of trade held cne
Of the shortest meetings in it's history last
night at Builders Exchange Hall. but trans
acted considerable business. There was
good attendance Of the members.
The meeting was called to order by Pres
ident Woodward at 7:i5. and Secretary
John b. Wight proceeded to read the min
utes of the last meeting, motion of Mr..
| Hume 10 have the reading suspended being
| objected to. MIR. Woodw ard having an
nounced the order of business, Mr.. r. Ross
Perry took the floor chairman of the
special committee created January II to
consider the various propositions coming
under the collective head of the bond and
| street extension bills.
The committee reported that after due
| deliberation 1t had come to the conclusion
that in view of the present situation it re-
quires more time and information in order
to IrsIare q proper report upon the sub
| ject of street and sewer extension, and it
| accordingly asked for more time in which
| to procure such additional information.
With respect to. the subject of sewage
| disposal and protection against floods, the
committee recommended that what is COM
| monty called the bond bill be amended.
The bill alluded to was introduced by Mr..
Proctor in the Senate December 3, and
was entitled "A bill to provide for the
system of trunk sewers in the District of
Columbia; for completing the system of
sewage disposal. and protection against
floods, and for other purposes"
The original bill authorized the District
CommissioLer to proceed with the work
of continl ing the system of trunk sewers
in the District, and to proceed with the
work of completing the system of sewage
disposal and protection against foods, and
provided that bonds to the amount of
S'.aNW0 bearing date January 1. 1896
payable fifty years after date, and bearing
interest at the rate of per cent per an
mum. be issued for the purpose Of prosecut-
ing the work The committee recommend
ed that the bill he amended so that it
should only provide for completing the
system of sewage disposal and protection
against floods in accordance with the
plans recommended by the board of sani-
upon the sewerage in 1890, and providing
for the Issuance of $;.35O,OGO of the bonds
described to pay therefor.
after the report was read Mr.. Perry said
that the full committee had held several
meetings. at which all the matter intro
duced in the bill had been carefully con-
sldered Then a subcommittee. consisting
of Messrs. Mattinsly. Worthington and
himself. had been appointed to examine
still further into the question. This sub
committee had consultation with Com
missionerS Truesdell and Powell. which oc-
cupied an entire evening. and a result
of all this consideration it was unani-
! mousiy decided by the full committee that
| 1t would be absolutely impossible to submit
tension at this time, and therefore the
committee desired more time for the pur-
pose. Regarding the necessity Cor imme-
diate provision Of proper facilities for the
disposal of sewage and protection against
hoods as Immediate the committee had
unanimously determined to urge instant
action. So far as he had known there
had never been dissenting voice in the
board of trade against the carrying out of
the plans of the sanitary commission, made
in 1880. which were to be followed in the
contemplated improy yement by the amend
ed bill presented with the report, and he
was sure every citizen in Washington and
every newspaper would unite to urge upon
Congress- the adoption of the bill.
The report of the committee was adopted
Unanimously without discussion, and on
motion of MIR. Perry the hoard of directors
of the board OF trade was directed to i'm
mcdiately urge upon Congress the LeCos-
Slty OF passing the amended bill.
The Long Bridge Must Go.
The committee on rivers and harbors was
called, and the chairman. Mr.. c. B. Church,
said that all he desired to ask was that the
board would approve the annual report of
the committee submitted some time ago
Secretary Wight read the report, which has
been heretofore published in The Star. 1t
recommended that efforts be made to secure
from Congress liberal appropria ton for
continuing the harbor improvement as
| originally contemplated; that efforts be
n ade TO secure an appropriation to COM
HleHce the WOrk on AnacOStla river between
| its mouth and the Navy Yard bridge; that
Congress he urged to compel the Baltimore
and Potomac Railroad Company to build a
lew bridge on the site of the present Long
| bridge, in accordance with the plans pre-
pared by the engineer department. and that.
| as soon as the dredging in the Washington
and Virginia channels below the bridge shall
| be completed, section :; be turned over to
| the commissioner OF public buildings and
| grounds, to be laid out and beautified as a
park.
! In speaking of the Long bridge, the COM
mittee's report said: This terrible detri-
n:ent to the harbor improvement is still in
| existence, awaiting the combined efforts. of
| the citizens of Washington and Congress to
| have 1t replaced with suitable structure,
| that Will prevent an overflow of our city at
| times of freshets, and that will give all rail-
roads uninterrupted trackage on it, as orig
inally Intended, and so unite all the re-
| claimed land into one beautiful and extern
| sive park, entirely free from all grade cross
| ings.'
| Mr.. Lambert addressed the board and
called attention to the recommendation for
| the removal of the Long bridge and the
| construction of new one. He re-
| viewed what had been accomplished in
Washington in the past twenty years in
| overcoming obstacles to community prog
| ress, and pleaded with his hearers to con-
| centrate their efforts in behalf of securing
the removal of the Long bridge, also to
argue for the most comprehensive system of
improvements of the Eastern branch, so
that men-of-war if necessary, might enter
it, and it's misunderstanding pestilential flats
reclaimed thoroughly as those on the Po-
tomac were eventually to be. The report
was unanimously adopted.
Action ON Grade Crossings.
President Woodward then called for the
report of the committee on railroads, and
Chairman Hume responded, stating that the
committee had made certain recommenda-
tions in regard to grade crossings and re-
qUested Mr.. Lambert to read the report
1t was the document submitted at the an
nual meeting. with some additions. He
stated that the committee had worked as
siduously with Congress and the Commits
sioners to secure abolition of the grade
crossings. but had not allowed itself to-
enter into any examination of the merits
of the various schemes proposed for the
purpose. The best way to approach
the necessity on broad plane, and conse-
quently the Commissioners had drawn up a
BILL which was now before the Senate pro-
viding that all grade crossings in the Dis
trict must be oblitsrated by January 1,
1900. The committee highly approved this
bill
DIR. A. p Pardon moved that the COM
mlttee's report he adopted, and made some
pleasant remarks about the fidelity with
which the gentlemen had done their work.
The report was then adopted.