Evening star., 1896-02-21
NO HOSPITAL THERE
The Analostan Island Project Aban-
doned.
The COST FAR TOO GREAT
Discussing the Tracks Of the
Pennsylvania Railroad.
OTHER DISTRICT NOTES

l.
The project to locate a contagious disease
hospital on Analostan Island will be aban-
doned by the Commissioners.
After thorough investigation Of the To-
cality and careful computation as to the
expenditure necessary to put the island in
a proper condition, 1t has been found i'm
practicable for the purpose designed.
AS stated several days ago In The Star.
the committee appointed by the Commits
sioners to examine the situation and report
visited the island. Building Inspector Brady
and Health Officer Woodward went over the
ground together, while Captain Febeger.
the other member of the committee. went
alone. Building Inspector Brady looked in
to the subject from a building standpoint.
and was satisfied that a fine site could be
secured for the hospital. could it be built
upon the island. Health Officer Woodward,
however, was not pleased with the prospect.
The surrounding marshes with their MI
asmic vapOrS, meant malaria, and the water
supply of the island was meager and could
not be depended upon He reported against
the proposition. 1t was suggested that wells
be sunk If the other bad and unhealthful
features of the island could be overcome,
but 1t was claimed that the water from
Captain Fiebeger confined his inveStiga-
tiOns to the engineering features involved,
and his report Is understood to be unQual.
fedly against the proposition. Ir the first
place the marshes around the island would
have to be reclaimed, and such work would
require an expenditure of $15D.OO0 Then
bridge would have to be thrown from Vir-
gfnia onto the island. which would cost any
where from 5000 to s25.Hh. or even more.
according to the character of structure.
A big water main to supply the island with
water must be carried at considerable eX-
penSe across the Aqueduct bridge. and then
over the bridge connecting tbs mainland
with the island. Several thousand dollars
would he required to do lhis work So it
would seem that such IN enormous eXpendi-
ture was not warranted, and the proposition
will have to be abandoned.
Pennsylvania Roads Tracks,
number of property owners in square
462 appeared before the Commissioners
this morning to protest against that fea
ture of the Mcmillan railroad bill which
contemplates the vacation of 3 street
southwest and the erection of high wall
and enbankment across about the middle
of the square. Provision is made in the
bill for the purchase of a portion of this
square. and the property holders claim
that the balance of the property would
be greatly injured ard values depressed.
Mr.. s. J. Block presented the case of
the protestants. He explained the fea-
lures of the bill. which contemplated the
building of an embankmeat sixteen feet
high. surmounted by a stone fence eight
feet high, ami said the property owners
desired to urge an amendment to the bill
which would compel the railroad to buy
the entire square.
He presented "A petition from the prom
erty holders praying for this relief and
urging the amendment.
1t Was evident at once that the Commits
sioners were heartily in favor of the
Commit
thought the company should be compelled
10 purchase the remaining half of the
square, which could be US I'd for the park
ing OF cars or the erection of houses for
employees.
Commiss -~er Powell said that the propo-
sition Of The railroad to take large slice
OF the mall was outrageous. The engineer
OF the road had said in a conversation re
Gently upon the subject that the mall was
wanted for the purpose of storing cars
making up trains and the like. Such a
!fopositicn which involved taking one
nall of the mall. was outrageous.
commissioner Truesdell added that the
ra'Iroad company should he made to pur-
chass an land necessary for the proper
Maj Powell admitted what a gigantic
scneme the depression of the tracks of the
Tailroad was. If such system prevailed,
| b street would have to he closed. He
thought also. that the company should
abandon that branch around MARYLAND
avenue and across the public reservation
an ana substitute e in lieu thereof the purchase
| OF square 4G and the construction of :,
curve through it. That would permit the
road to run down 9th street to Virginia
avenue and then take the curve to the
Long bridge. The purchase of this square
Wouiu close Z street and obviate q serious
| objection at present. Nor was this all. He
| was In favor of recommending the DUR.
chase by the railroad company of SQUARES
hso; 4lv, 4o4 ana 4t4. This would give the
railroad ample room or the south to con.
duct Its business. He took occasion to ash
| Mr.. Block what he considered the marke,
value of the land fronting on Pennsylvania
! avenue from 9Th street west, a distance
| equal to that the railroad at present occu
| pied on the mall Mr.. Block replied thai
s215WO would cover the expense he
thought. and give the city handsome rail
| road depot fronting on PENNSYLVANIA ave.
nue..
Bill Not Favored.
Inc great roller coaster scheme, known al
| House bill 5166, which has for its object
| the construction of gravity railroad from
| 14th street and Columbia road to an ele
| waited plateau east of Rock creek. an6
thence through the Zoo to the elk and buf
| falo Enclosures, has been adversely reported
by the Commissioners to Congress- The
commissioners objection to the bill is
| based upon the engineering features in
volved. which would disturb the grade O,
the streets through which it ran.
Days of Grace.
The bill to abolish days of grace was ia
! vorably reported by the Commissioners to-
| day after striking out the second ectio1
and inserting proviso that the bill shai
| become a law after the 1st of January
| 1897 They quote the following paragraph
! from one of the petitions on the subject, IL
| which they concur:
! Great Inconvenience and confusion re
| suit both to debtors and to bankers from
| the fact that notes and similar obligation:
| may be paid on any one of several days
| where bankers act as collec ting agents
grave doubt exists as to the amount of in
| terest demandable where tender of pay
| ment is made before the expiration of som,
| or all of the days of grace. If it is desired
| to give such additional credit as is secured
by the days of grace. the three days could
| In each case be added to the credit origi
| nally allowed, that is. a draft could b,
drawn at six days sight instead Of as nov
| at three days sight.
THAT these and other reasons are poten
| objections against further allowance o.
days of grace. and that the present bust