Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-09
D is RIOT AT AIRS
The Commissioners and the Grade Cross
ing Problem.
No Money for the Garbage Contractor
Important Changes i'm Police
Regulations.

| gress upon the Mcmillan bill, which has
for its object the doing away with grade
crossings along the line of the Baltimore
| and Potomac railroad in the District of
| Columbia.
| At a recent meeting of the board of Com
| missioners 1t was decided, in view of the
| approach to adjournment that 1t would be
| better to defer their report upon the bill
| until the next session. This action was
! necessary in view of the Importance of the
| subject, and the further fact that they had
not been given enough time to properly
present the subject. Before the Commits
| sioners decided to withhold their report,
| they received assurances from Congress
| that 1t would be impossible to consider the
subject at this session, so the Commits
sioners decided to hold the report over and
in tho meantime perfect all plans, that
When Congress again conVeneS the full re-
port, carefully prepared, with maps and
| prohles, can be Immediately presented. As
| stated some time ago in The Star, two re-
| ports will be presented, and new bill EN-
| bodying the features of each will he sub
mltteI, as substitutes for the original Nc
MILAN bill The first report will give the
| advantages of the depressed system, and
| set forth the preference of the railroad
| company for such method. By means of
| maps and proiiles, the differences between
| the plan of the Commissioners and the
| railroad company on the depressed system
| M-.I be shown. The other and perhaps the
|
| an elevated system NotWiths ta4.dins the
| TACT that the chief engineer of the railroad
| informed the Commissioners that mis- COM
| panE would rot consider for d moment an
| elevated structure, the Commissioners de-
cided that such a plan the only one
| mat would successfully solve the vexed
| problem of 2boiiShinS grade CROSSINGS So
| II was decided 10 make 4 report ele-
| waited scheme of bringing the railroad in
| to the city, and urge ii as their recon-
| mentation for a solution of the railroad
problem in South Washington. An ex-
| haustive report upon this idea was made
by capt. g. J. Fiebeger a full summary
| OF which has heretofore been printed in
| he Star. Such plan would move the
the Mall.
These two reports are practically in
shape now for transmission 10 Congress.
but, as stated above they will not be pre-
| scented until next session.
| Menace to Health.
| long petition, bearing the names of up
| ward OF 100 property owners in lie Droit
fark. was presented to the Commissioners
this morning by Mr.. NJ. w. Moore calling
attention to an open sewer in Flagler
| place, that has been a nuisance and a
| menace to the health of the residents for a
number of years. All are agreed that the
| sewer is nuisance and the health officer
ana physicians all over the city have pro
| nounced 1t a menace to health Attention
| Is called TO the number of typhoid fever
| cases mat have appeared in the neigEbor-
| hooa OF the sewer, ana 1t is forth that
| "heA the wind is from the dire elton of the
sewer the residents cannot remain out of
| doors.
! The Contractors Cinim
AT the next meeting of the board of Com
missioners the claim of Garbage Contractor
| Narfeid for compensation under his coz
tract III excess of the appropriation will i;
is understood, be formally refused.
W he Tod
fields claim was based upon the PROPOSE
ticn that he was entitled to eight twalfths
OF the appropriation for the first eight
months OF his contract, on a basis of SOL UDb
Per year. Although over ST 900 was Daia
bin for doing four months service be
fore the present contract was awarded, he.
wants more and if his claim were allowed
the amount paid him would exceed the e.
tire appropriation. There is 10 chance q:
that claim being allowed, It is said. AC-
cording to the contract, the contractor j.;
TO receive $1,000 per year for collecting
ard destroying the garbage of the civ IL
has aiwa!s been the policy OF the Com
rnissioners j. making payments upon cur-
| rent contracts 10 advance to the contractor
only those sums which he has earned. tbs
is done to protect the District against loss
by failure of the contractor to properly
carry out his agreement. III the case OF
the garbage contract ii was agreed to make
| payments based upon the season. For in
stance, in summer, when daily collections
are supposed to be made, thu contractor is
| in winter, when only a relatively small
amount of work is done. The schedule
Upon which these payments were to be
made was approved according ID the audi
tors report by the representative of The
contractor.
The case was sent TO the attorney for the
District, and it is understood he has re
ported adversely OH lie claim of Con-
tractor Warfeld On the above grounds
AT the District building Ii is said that the
contention of the contractor Is not soundiy
based If he were pail, officials say, each
month one-tweifth of the amount of his
contract, he insists upon, the District
would be put in a bad iiX if ne should for
felt his contract at the beginning OF sum
mer. for after drawing eacn month OF the
winter and fall one-twefth CT The contract
price very little would he left Tor the sum
mer service. which is several tunes larger
than at other tines and without sufficient
appropriation the Distric. would he pat n
bad plight.
Policemen Fined.
The following action of the Commission
ers upon certain eases of policemen tried
before the police trial board was made
public today: G. ". Rickies, tried for gross
neglect OF duty; fined SIS; b. f. Williams,
tried for viola ton of the manual: fined sl5;
j. T. HollinberSer, tried FOR gross neglect
J of duty; fined sl5.
Want His Name
Relative to complaint of a citizen con-
corning the condition of the stables of the
Belt line railroad, on Florida avenue, and
the fact that he has complained TO a police
officer without avail, the Commissioners say
| they have directed an Improvement in the
| conditions and would like the name of the
police officer who failed to report the case.
Bids All Right.
An important case of interest to District
bidders has been decided by the Commits
| sioners. 1t relates to the signing of bids,
and the question was presented at the re-
cent opening CT bids for District supplies.
Two prominent merchants submitted pro-
| Eosals, but through some inadyertence
failed to sign their bids. The point was
made that AS the bids were not signed they
We're Illegal and SHOULD be thrown out. 1t
was developed. however, that the certified
check accompanying the proposal was Gully
signed and properly certified. and further
that the envelope in which the proposal was
contained was stamped with the merchant s
name Under thase circumstances and il,
view of the opinion of the attorney for
the District, the Commissioners have an
proved the legality of the bids
Penalties Lowered
Several important amendments to the DO
lice regulations were adopted this after
noon by the Commissioners. The speed OF
| all vehicles at street Intersections u-as linn