Evening star., 1899-03-06

out it's objects. The amount involved was
SO large that either the District treasury
would have been made bankrupt or bonds
would have been required. The law was,
therefore, repealed, and the only way left
to accomplish the purpose was to take GER
tain leading streets and extend those streets
through the misfit subdivisions. The House
selected 11th street and New Hampshire
avenue. The Senate agreed to both of
these extensions, but insisted that the ex-
tension OF 1f.n street was of the first i'm
poTtarce to the District Of Columbia, and
that it was necessary to open and extend
and widen Sherman avenue, which has be-
come n great thoroughfare for teams on
account of it's easy grades. The result of
the leg Station is to give the District a
grand boulevard extending from the White
House to the District line on 10th street.
and outlining the eastern boundary of the
park. The opening and widening of Sher-
man avenue and the opening of 18th street
viii break through the subdivisions east of
14th street and thus the beginning of street
extensions has been brought about The
next step after the land has been acquired
for the extension of these streets will be
to make appropriations for opening and i'm
proving streets. The difficulty of obtaining
the necessary. appropriations has been OBJ
waited in the case Of acquiring lands by
having the entire payment for lands taken
made at ono" from the revenues OF the Dis
trct of Columbia. and the assessment on
the lands of at least one-half the damages,
which assessments will be paid into the
District treasur: within four years. In this
way a policy has been established that will
be followed ii is expected, in future exten-
Sions.
QsietIns. Land Titles.
There were a number of incidental mat
ters taken care of that Will prove of de-
cidej advantage. The passage of the bill
to quiet land titles by authorizing the bring
ing into court of unknown heirs is expected
to straighten out the titles of property
amounting to about s1,500000 in value.
Much of this property lies along 18th street
within the city, and in the misft subdi-
visions that have been referred to, the prop
erty now being occupied largely by squat
ters. This bill for quieting land titles in
one form or another has been before the
committee for at least ten years.
Another matter in the same direction
will be found in the provisions of the bill
that allows the correction of the books of
the War Department to some 1,176
lots, the title to which was in dis
pute as between the War Department and
the occupants of the land These lands
were originally the property of the United
States, and at about the beginning of the
present century the land commissioners Of
the District entered into a syndicate for
the sale of the land. A chancery suit in
1896 vested title of many of these lands in
the United States, and much confusion has
arisen because of the fact that the lands
had already come into possession of in
dividuals and the government took
means to assert its rights. Some of the
titles to this land run back into the last
century, and the lands have been in undis
puted occupancy of individual holders for
100 years. In other cases the length of
time during which individuals have held
them has not been so great. The Senate
committee found on examination that the
books of the War Department had been
kept in such a way as not to show egiti-
mate transfers, and in justice to the occu-
pants of these propertiesTit has been enact
ed that persons who could show undisputed
title for twenty years can take their titles
to the War Department ana have the books
corrected accordingly.
Improving Potomac Park.
Another provision to be found in the bin
for the control Of wharf property provides
that the Secretary OF Agriculture may use
not to exceed seventy five, acres of the new
Potomac Park for the purpose OF a propa-
eating garden without disturbing the park
features. This provides an immediate way
for improving as a public park a consider
able area of the reclaimed lands on the
Potomac river front, while at the same time
the War Department keeps entire control
of the lands so used"