Evening star., 1898-10-27
PAPERS BY EXPERTS
CONTINUED from Second Page.)

the roadways and improve the parking. At
length, during Grants presidency, the geni-
us. iron will and commanding influence of
Alexander r. Shepherd aroused the city to
intense action, involving great expense and
marvellous change. Sewers were built,
streets were put to proper grade and trees
planted all over the city. 1t was the pol
tshing and setting of a gem. About SIS
OOD,oO was spent in three years, but the
change revealed the beauty and ingenuity
Of the city plan which Governor Shepherd
admired much.
The trees, planted in their proper place
along the curb, intensified the vistas of
Capitol, public buildings and statuary
viewed down the well-graded avenues. The
riangles and small parks scattered over
the city broke the continuity of parallel
buildings in a plea sing manner and the
circles standing in the center of main
streets or avenues dispelled the monotony
of straight lines and varied the lengths of
viStaS.
Rapid City Growth.
These improvements very soon engen-
dered rapid city growth. The boundary
was approached. then passed by the over
flow of population. Villas and subdivisions
were well scattered over the District dur
ing the seventies and a bunch of them
grew in fantastic shapes adjacent to the
northern boundary of the city, forming Il
marked contrast to the city plan. Each
man lad been allowed to locate streets
ment. and a plat of the streets and lots
was recorded in the office of the surveyor
as an instrument of reference for deeds
and surveys. At this stage it became ap-
parent that a city extension system should
be MAPPED out for the entire District. In
lsSS Congress declared that more plans
should be recorded unless made in con-
formlty with the general plan of the city
OF Washington. This law defective in
not providing the way for the study and
production of a general plan, 1t answered
well near the city, but one was wise
enough to place his finger on any spot and
say what the general plan should be.
This brings to the inception of the
present extension work. II March, 1893
an act was passed by Congress to provide
a permanent system of highways in that
part of the District of Columbia lying out
side the cities 1t provided that said sys-
TEN shall be made as nearly in conformity
with the street plan of the city of Washing
ton as the Commissioners may deem ad-
visabe and practicable
The act created commission composed
OF the Secretary of War. the Secretary of
the Interior and the chief # en~fnoars Of
the United States army. with authority for
ana the record of the plan N the ONCE OF
the surveyor made it fixed guide for fu-
tCre subdivisions
The first study of a system under this
act was coinCident with the completion of
a Typographical map of the District. made
with plane-tahle, by the United States
coast and geodetic survey. 1t was printed
on sheets 70 a scale of 800 feet to the inch
with contour intervals of five feet each
sheet COY erlng one square mile. At first
they were printed in four ColorS-Streams
IN blue. contours in yellow. trees in green
and property line in black, but a reDrint
WIS made in black, leaving off the trees
I'hey We're complete, accurate and very ac-
cepta bic, with one eXceNtion-the scale was
unfortunate Two hundred feet to the inch.
or, better, one hundred is necessary for Of
nee work in grade studies