Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-01-01
An Interesting Summary Of
Events = Progress M de
in Many Directions
The Record of Crime
Legislation and Acts
of the District
Government.

The year 1895 has added several interest
ing pages to the history Of the District 1t
has been a year of satisfactory progress in
many fields of activity. While the District
has shared with the rest Of the country the
business depression that has marked the
year, 1t has been conspicuously free from
serious business disasters, and new evil
dence has been given of the stability Of it's
institutions. In the promise of general
prosperity for the new year the District
also shares and looks forward with conf
dence to a year Of happiness and successful
effort. Appended will be found a summary
Of the chief happenings of local interest.
DISTRICT GOVERNMENT.
The District Commissioners were mainly
occupied during the year with two ques-
tons, that of disposing Of the city's gar
bage and that of lighting the streets by gas
and electricity. The close of the year finds
the garbage system unsettled, and the con-
tract requirement to dispose Of the refuse
by cremation being daily violated. Owing
to troubles between the garbage contractor
and Mr. Brown, the inventor Of the furnace
that plant was closed on three separate
occasions, and as the year ends it is still
out Of use, the inventor claiming a large
sum from the contractor, which the latter
refuses to pay. On each of the occasions Of
the closing of this furnace the contractor
has disposed Of the garbage ordinarily
burned by loading it on scows and taking it
down the river. In order to provide for COM
plete disposal Of the garbage by cremation
commissioners ho
furnace was necessary. and selected for this
purpose a site in the immediate vicinity of
the old observatory reservation, near the
bank of the river, and orders were given for
the erection of a Smith crema tory at that
place, which had not been completed at the
close Of the year. There were disputes be-
tween the Commissioners and the garbage
contractor from time to time regarding the
amount of money due the latter who
Claimed sum in excess of the appropria-
ton, notwithstanding the fact that during
part of the time at least he had not been
complying with the contract requirement to
dispose of the garbage by cremation. After
the South Capitol street crematory was
Closed for the last time the contractor ne
greeted to present his bill when the proper
cate arrived, so that no decision was rem
oered on the point of whether or not he
should be paid crema ton rates for river
disposal of the garbage.
AZ the close of the fiscal year the Com
missioners advertised for proposals for the
work OF lighting the city by gas. electricity
and naphtha for the Forthcoming twelve
months. The United States Electric Light
ing company, then performing the electric
service Tor that part of the city lying east
o! ROCK creek, declined to submit a formal
DID, claiming that, under the terms of the
District appropriation act of 1896. the Com
mlssloners had no right to open up the
general territory to competition and oryar-
ing 10 continue the work at the rates stipu-
iated In that statute. The Potomac Eiec-
III; TIC E ta company submitted a bid cover
Gas Light Company refused to accent the
specifications of the Commissioner and
submitted bid based upon their own
s spec q. After considerable discus
sion IN the matter, the bids were referred
to the attorney for the District, who rem
dered an opinion to the effect that the Com.
missioners were without authority to ac-
Eep. .ne nia OF the Potomac company for
lighting streets east of Rock creek. and
were also without power to specify as thew
did In regard to the gas lighting. On final
consideration of the matter by the Com
nissioners. 1t was decided by vote of 2
10 That the Potomac company should be
given the work Of lighting west of Rock
creek. and of lighting certain streets east
OF Rock creek not included in the contract
with the United States company. Commits
sioners Truesdell and Powell voted thus to
overrule the attorney for the District, Com
missioner Ross dissenting. The work Of
nsntlns OF streets by gas was allowed to
Light Company. Immediately upon the
rendering of this decision, the United States
Electric Light Company secured a tenn
porary injunction against the Commission
ers to restrain them from awarding the
contract to the Potomac COMPANY and
after hearing on the merits of the case,
In an application to make the injunction
in favor Of the Commissioners and AGAINST
the electric lighting company. An appeal
was Immediately taken to the District
Court of Appeals, which declined to con-
nd
The Commissioners thereupon signed the
contract with the Potomac company, and
granted permits to that company for the
construction of conduits under the streets
The Commissioners formulated regula-
lions governing the use Of bicycles in the
District and gave a number of hearings
to- wheelmen on the subject of their re-
vision and enforcement.
On the approach of Independence day the
Commissioners issued an order prohibiting
the firing Of explosives in the public streets
and requiring that all such celebrations of
the holiday should take place on vacant
lots to be thereafter designated by them.
This order raised a storm of protest and
finally the Commissioners modified 1t and
allowed the firing Of crackers and other OK
plosives on the streets under permits from
the chief Of police.
The Commissioners were called upon
from time to time during the summer to
oblige the lexington and Soldiers Home
Railroad Company to maintain its sched-
ules according to the public demands. They
also brought suit before justice Of the
peace in September to enforce the provis-
lens of the act of June TO- requiring that
company and the Belt Railway Company
to begin the compressed air test within
three months from the passage Of that act
Judgment was rendered for the Commits
sioners. and an appeal was taken, but was
not pressed, leaving the case unsettled.
The Commissioners granted q permit to
the Capital Railway Company for an over
head trolley on the Navy Yard bridge Pro
tests were made against this action, which
involved the consideration OF the exact
limits Of the city Of Washington. The com
pany. however, failed to avail itself of the
privilege for no work was done toward the
construction of the line.
The Commissioners encountered embar-
rassment in the matter of erecting public
school buildings, and as result of the fail
ure of the contractor for the Stevens School
they decided to renew their recommends
lions for legislation permitting them to
erect such structure by days labor They
included in the range Of this decision the
street-sweeping. work which was not done
throughout the year to the entire satisfac-
ton Of the Commissioners or the people.
Acting upon complaints from citizens. The
Star took occasion to demonstrate during
the summer that the street-sweeptnE con.
tractor was not observing the specifications
Of his contract strictly. and the Commits