Evening star., 1898-09-13


suburbs OF Twining City and Anacostia,
including st. Ehzabeth's Insane Asylum,
are situated on the left bank.
Ihe greatest benefit to be derived from
reclamation of these fats Is, therefore
an Improvement in sanitation and conse-
qCently of the public health. Along the
n,rslghtly banks of the sluggish Anaoostia
lurk suffering, danger and death for our
residents, who for financial reasons are
compelled to reside in that locality. From
the city board of health statistics have
long shown the need of serious attention.
1T has been ascertained by the faculties Of
our medical schools that various malarial
levers have prevailed in these sections.
FROM excellent authority 1 learn that out
OF OF 2.ooo inmates of St. Elzabeth's, 800. or
~ per cent, were down with the chills'
within year, 1t Is safe to assume that
the same condition will affect all to the
degree with which they are forced to
eleathe thls malarious atmosphere.
Affects the Schools.
Teachers in East Washington and
TWinng City assert that much of the ir-
regularity of attendance and absenc, of
pupils from school is due to chins and
fevers distinctly traceable to these unre-
claimed lands. And these baieful influences
extend beyond the immediate vicinity cf
the flats One of the surgeons general of
the army has officially stated that in mid
summer the soldiers at the anal were in
positive jeopardy, and that the health of
thc SOIuleIS dl L OTC MyeF was aHacted, 1t
Is therefore but just that an appeal to Con-
gress for a suitable appropriation on the
SCofa OF health alone should be urged by
every resident. We have q convincing les
son in the utility of the scheme in the
reclamation of the Potomac fiats. In a tab
uiar presentation in ii report from the
health department of the District of Column
pla there is shown a decrease in the
death rate in the southwest as follows:
1881, death rate was 1890 per cent; 1882,
death rate was S.41 Der cent.
This gradual and happy decrease in the
race OF an increasing population is at
tributcd almost entirely to the improve
nents in the Potomac river. 1t is well
known that the dredging Of the Harlem
flats in New York city has appreciated
property to fabulous degree. Cities in
benefited. Formerly Rome was less frs
qrented in summer than now, but with i'm
provements on the historic Tibe- the
stream of tourists has returned.
The plan of reclamation is to dredge a
Channel, depositng the material dredged
upon the marshes. This would be thu
means OF causing the land to assume
market value probably sufficient to pay
for the improvements.
commercially speaking, the intended
reclamation will be of great advantage in
extending our shipping facilities and in
qulckening business activity. AS the al
ready Overcrowded wharf front is insult
ficient for the needs of commerce, the ad-
dtton of mile or mora of Wharfage, with
the deepening and widening Of n navigable
stream will be of the greatest advantage to
commerce. At one tine he AnacoStia, his
tory tells us, was naVigable as far as
Rlada ansburg, for during the of 1912 the
British ships sailed to taat point. Further
more. if the dry dock discussion becomes a
reality, 1t VIII be necessary that The chan
mel be improved.
There are thus three iirect advantages
to be derived by the reclamation Of the
fats. First and most important, the al
1aVia of inc nit
ing need second. the deepening and widen
Ing OF a navigable stream, with an eddi-
ton of mile or more of wharfage: third,
the extension of a city, in having " hat is
now 4 plague spot and an eyesore, i'm
proved and beautifiad. The land reclaimed
might be divided into public lots ana
public park. The park might be trans
formed into a bower of picturesque beauty
and tranquility, instead of the present
marshy shores of mud, reeds and filth
resounding with the noisy croak of frogs.
Then the visitor. on arriving at our borders,
will be enchanted and not shocked by the
spectacle before him.
while these are ths main benefits, there
are also numerous lesser ones. Therefore,
we, as loyal residents. without any hesita-
ton, even in our dis franc hisemenr, should
use every means at our command TO urge
early action by Congress in this method of
promoting the health, the wealth ana the
beauty of our beloved capital city,
Untaxai,Ie Property.
Mr.. Frizzell stated that in response to a
letter from him he had received a commune
cation from Assessor Matthew TrimD,e stat
ing that Howard University paid taxes on
SIC worth of property and was exempt
from paying on s192, 460; Georgetown Uni
versity pays on S23,3O9 and has SG52, ,37s ex-
empt; Columbian, taxable, So. .261; exempt,
s210S15, and the Catholic University, tax
able, 5000; exen pit, $53J,20S.
Mr.. H. II. Martin, chairman of the COM
mittee on streets avenues and alleys, made
a report which was adopted, showing the
condition of the streets and avenues in
each of the four sections of Washington,
July /, 1897, with mileage and percentage
west, miles improved % As; unimproyed
9,S1; percentage, unimproved O36 North
east, improved, lib; unimproved, 1888;
percentage unimproved, 81. Southwest. i'm
proved, 22.t3; unirnproved, $50; percentage
unimproved, 80. Southeast. improved, "A T.;
unimproved. A.30; percentage unimproved,
30.
Street improvements.
Continuing, the report said: without
crfticising the officers who have been in
trusted with the apportionment of the ap-
propriations for this work in the past, it
is evident from the above statement that
the methods employed have resulted in
leaving a mucn larger percentage of the
streets in the northeast unimproved than
in 1892 66 per cent of the streets i'll this
section were unin proved, we see that there
has been a. gain Of but per cent In Ave
years. At this rate 1t would take about
seventy-eight years to improve all the
streets in this section, and it Is not prob
able any one of our members would sur
vive to see the work completed.
I'VE desire to call your attention to a
few points in repard to existing conditions
and present methods which our investiga-
ton has disclosed.
notwithstanding the fact that only 90
per cent of the streets in the northwest sec
ton remain unimproved and that most OF
these have been graded and regulated and
are in fairly good condition. larger appro-
priation is made every year for the improve
ment of streets in that section than for the
northeast, where 62 per cent of the streets
remain unimprOved, most of which are in
very bad condition. many of them being IN
state of nature, with not even sidewalks
or cutters. 1t is noticeable fact that good
pavements in the northwest which had been
laid at large cost have been torn up SIM
ply because the residents on them object to
the noise of the traffic over them and new
payements laid, while the people of the
northeast still enduring the mud and
dust of unpaved streets, and while the
northwest section is receiving a larger an
aI fN,.