Evening star., 1896-12-07

restraining order and refused to grant
preliminary injunction. Whereupon tn.
United States company asked the Court o,
Appeals, In formal petition, to allow ar
appeal from the order of the Supreme
Court. This application is to be heart
during the current month, and in the mean
| time the Commissioners win suspend exc.
cution Of the intended contract AS the
result of these delayed proceedings one
haif OF the fiscal year will have expired
before the appropriation granted for ths
extensions of the street lighting service
can be used. :
The difficulty and delay encountered IL
CARRYING on the arc lighting service &C.
centuate the necessity of a comprehensive
system OF public subways for electric wires
such as will permit of competition for pub.
lie and private service and Of necessary
extensions. The necessity for burying wires
was made still more evident by the severe
storm or September last that completely
disabled the entire system of overhead
wires for longer or shorter periods, includ.
fire alarm services.
-Four thousand six hundred and twenty
two gas meters were inspected and proved
curing the year. The average candle power
or gas supplied by the Washington Gas
Llsht Company was 1888 candles and of
that supplied by the Georgetown Gas Light
Company was 1874 candles Excess of
ammonia was present four times in George
town gas, sulphuretted hydrogen was pres
ent ten times in Georgetown gas and many
times In Washington gas. This offensive
impurlty Is now under supervision under
the act Of June o. 1896, regulating the sale
OF gas. No serious difficulty appears to be
experienced in supplying gas of the candle
power and quality required by this act
Inc street gas lamps now give excellent
illumination.
Sewer Department..
The more important works of the year
were the completion of the first part of
the Easily Point sewer the Kenesaw ave
nue.. the upper Rock Creek and Eckinston
sewers and the partial construction of the
Brookiand trunk sewer and the Rock Creek
ana B street tnterceptor. The Kenesaw
avenue and lexington sewers built under
ihe continuing contract system, were finish
en Dy the time the last appropriations for
them became available. the contractors
having preferred to carry on the works in
advance Of appropriations due.
Tie system of relief sewers whose con-
Structloh has been in progress for seyera |
years. was also completed
Inc completion of the upper Rock Creek
Intersection of Brightwood and Rock Greek
Church roads. via Spring road, Piney
Branch and the eastern bank of Rock
creek to the street bridge, where the
sewer now discharges into Rock creek
work upon the Rock creek and B street
interceptor, with which the upper Rock
Creek sewer will connect. is in progress.
but unfortunately the amount already an
pfopriated Is not sufficient to secure its
construction to the upstream end ana
therefore The connection cannot be made
ms year. The lower part of the inter
ceptor Is in USE delivering its contents lem
porarlly INTO the Potomac river al G street
The Easily Point sewer and the Rock
Creek and IL street interceptor. are parts of
the adopted sewage disposal plan The first
n2med sewer diverts to the Potomac river
temporarily IL large amount of sewage and
drainage from the 18th street sewage canal:
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extending across the reclaimed Potomac
hats. and whose upper end is only 500 yards
from the Executive Mansion. The sewage
canal still, and unavoidabiy, receives sew
age from the existing street sewer and
Is in such foul condition that during
warm weather purifying masses of gelat-
inous matter of large size rise TO the sur
face of the water. offending the eye and
polluting the air.
Only $SI5.UDO have been appropriated for
work upon the sewage disposal plan, for
which the estimate made in 1870 was SS.-
9S,1oO. 1t is plain that the execution of
this plan in steps, from year to year by
iheans of allotments from current revenues
will be far from satisfactory.
In the absepce of other resources the es-
Inmates for appropriations from the rev.
enues of 1898 propose the commencement
of the Tiber Creek and New Jersey avenue
interceptor and the extension of the Bound
airy sewer to point nearer the Potomac;
the interceptor is planned to divert sewage
from tHe James creek canal, ana tnt part
authority for whose construction is asked
would extend from the Capitol grounds to
the foot of New Jersey avenue. The James
Creek canal is the third open cesspool in
Washington. and is only about 800 yards
from the chamber of the House of Repre-
Sentatiyes. The Boundary sewer now emp
ties into large ditch leading to the upper
Anacostia river: the contents of the sewer
are carried over the wide marshes at high
tide, deposited and left exposed at low tide
or If they reach the channel, are washed
back and forth by the tide, producing a
condition believed to be detrimental to
health and certainly obnoxious to the pub
lie comfort.
The extensions of the large sewers. as is
being slowly done from year to year. will
ameliorate the bad conditions of the small
streams and open cesspools at and on the
border of Washington. but only by trans
ferring and concentrating the nuisance at
the immediate harbor front. The advan-
tage of delivery into larger body of water
and one with more current will be partly
counterbalanced by the increased amounts
of sewage and foul drainage received from
the trunk sewers of the county. A COM
plete and satisfactory remedy is not pos
sible in advance of the completion of the
sewage disposal plan.
Plan of Highway Extensions.
The map of the first section prepared by
virtue of the highway act of 1898. and COM
prising thirty-eight large scale detail
SAeets, Vas approved III WTlllnS Dy the
highway commission. and delivered to the
Commissioners August 30, 1885. The man
was on the following day recorded in the
office of the surveyor. On September 80
1880. petition in the case of each existing
subdivision shown thereon was made to
the Supreme Court of the Dist 1t for pro-
ceedings to condemn permanent rights OF
way for the public over lands not already
owned by the public or dedicated for high
way use, as described upon the map and
provided for in the highway act.
These proceedings were commenced in
case of three subdivisions, and jury awards
made in case of the Denison and Leighton
ana Ingieside subdivisions. At this stage
the court upon motion and hearing Sc,
aside the jury verdicts and dismissed the
petition, having held that the highway ac,
was unconstitutional and void on account
Of the invaldity of section II. which pro.
videS that the appraisement of value OF
land taken from an owner may be reduced
by the benefits accruing to his remaining
land.
On appeal to the Court of Appeals ma.
jority of that court agreed that section II
is unconstitutional and void. The CHIEF
justice dissented. and held the section III
question to be constitutional All the
judges of the Court of Appeals further
held, first, that section Is of the act pro-
viding for an assessment, is not capable OF
enforcement as it stands; and, second. thai
the rest CT the act is valid, notwiths tand.
ing the defects Of sections IL and Is.
court for further proceedings, whereupor
ind onrf ara1 IN, 70 Nf - 10,