Evening star., 1898-10-13
PARKS AND BUILDINGS
Latest Monthly Report of Operations by Col.
Bingham.
Excavating for the Sherman statue
Illegal Occupation of
Reservations.

In his latest monthly report to the chief
Of engineers, Col bingham, the officer in
charge OF public buildings and grounds.
gives an account of the steps taken by him
for the repair and improvement of the EX-
ecutive Mansion and the buildings under
the control of the War Department, and
for the care and preservation of the var
ious public reservations in the District. He
says that the asphalt semi-crcular road
way leading from Pennsylvania avenue to
the main entrance of the Executive Man
sion has been repaired, and its entire area
aggregating 3,iOO square yards, has been
resurfaced with new asphalt topping. The
roads and paths through Judiciary Park
have been repaired, and similar work has
been done in all the other parks where 1e
quired
There were 11,157 visitors to The top of
the Washington monument during the
month of September, of which number
6,991 made the ascent In the ELEVATOR and
4,l66 by the stairway, making a total of
DO persons who have visited The top
since the shaft was opened to the public,
October ., 1888. Channel irons have been
placed over the tie rods of the iron col
umns between which the elevator runs, in
order to straighten the columns and coun-
teract their tendency to buckle. These
channel irons have been placed in position
up to the 130-foot landing, and will be con-
tinued to the top of the elevator shaft.
The Sherman Statue.
Col. Bingham says that when the con-
tractor who is making the excavation for
the foundation for the Sherman equestrian
statue in the grounds south of the Treasury
Department reached the depth specified in
the contract, viz, four feet, he found that
the soil was not sufficiently stable The Of
flcer in charge made an investigation, ara
a result it was decided to increase the
depth to water level and put in a sub
foundation of concrete walls and sand fill
ing upon piles. When the excavation had
reached a depth of 1915 feet below datum
it was deemed deep enough for the purpose,
and the work of making the subfoundaton
was begun. The building used by the
Treasury Department as photograph gal
lery has been transferred to Col. Bingham.
and arrangements are now being made for
It's removal 1t stands on the site selected
for the Sherman statue.
Reservation Illegally Occupied.
Preservation 293 (old number 305), Canal,
1st and N streets southwest Col. Bing-
ham says, has long been occupied in
violation of law by party who built a
frame house thereon in 1883. The case has
been in the hands of the United States dis
trict attorney for the past seven years.
March 10, 1897, the Supreme Court of the
District of Columbia rendered an opinion
that the said party a trespasser, and
unlawfully occupying the reservation, ar 1
ordered that he remove all buildings, fences
and other obstructions from the ground
within thirty days and deliver the prem
ises into the possession of the superintend-
ent of public buildings and grounds. To
this decision the trespaSSer appealed, but
his appeal was dismissed October ), 1897
and he was ordered 10 perform the decree
of March. 1897, on before December /
1897. This he mas not done, and Sep
tenber 13, 1898, the United States marshal
entered the premises, dispossessed the oc-
cupants of the house, and turned the prop
| erty and the keys of the building over TO
| this office. The question of the dfsposi-
| ton Of the building is still under consid-
Grafton.
Disputed Ownership of Lots.
The question of the ownership of lots Is
| and II, in square $50, has been again
| brought upTb letter written by r. D.
| Ruffin, attorney, to the Secretary of War
| September 13, 1898, stating that his wife
! was defrauded out of the property by other
| parties and expressing a desire to purchase
| the property The subject of the title to
| these lots has been a matter of congress
| sional investigation, and bill was favor
| ably reported in the Fifty-fifth Congress
| by the committee of the District of Column
| bia to release and quit claim all right, title
| and interest in these lots to one Thomas
Yates who claims to be the owner of the
| equitable title to said lots 1t APP
pears from the records that the title to
these lots is in the United States, and the
| mai pf thair sale ShOuld he left for the