The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-08-16
needs OF THE SURVEYOR
Estimated Expenses of the 0liice
for the Coming Fiscal Year.
Calculations Based Maintenance
of Two Complete Field Parties of
Men EHch-Purchase of Mr..
Brewers Notwithstanding of Lines
Three Subdivisions Required.

| sioners the Surveyor of the District has
submitted his estimate of the needs of his
| Office for the fiscal year beginning July l,
I 1901. In an itemized statement he asks
! that $15,717 be appropriated for the ex-
| penses of his office. He says it is based
| upon the services of two complete field
| parties of four men each, and compensa-
! tons commensurate with the responsible
work done. at present he states that one
field party is one man short necessitating
manual work b. one of the assistants,
which is no economy of service and is
very Gripping to full efficiency. Continu-
ing. the Surveyor says:
In view of the fact that very large
amount of work is now being done by this
Office for the District Of Columbia and for
various departments of the General Gov
eminent. the bulk of which was formerly
done by the surface division of the En-
gineer Department some $500 is eX-
pended out Of the appropriation for this
office, chargeable to such official work
As the work very properly should be done
| by this Office as here alone is located the
data for such surveys and the authority
to determine questions of location, l
think it eminently proper for an increase
TO that extent to be made to our appro-
is demanded by the constantly increasing
demands upon the office made by private
citizens.
Another very important reason for in
crease of appropriation is found in the fact
that the recent death of Mr.. Henry W.
Brewer, formerly for many years official
surveyor OF Georgetown, will inevitably
throw into this office at least all city sur
veys in Georgetown which formerly came
TO him, and probably much suburban work.
Although connected in no way officially
with this Office, Mr.. Brewer, By reason Of
his long personal experience In George
town surveys, and his immense collection
of survey notes, was almost always EN-
ployed by owners of property in that sec
tion, although he could give no official GER
tiicate of survey. / hope, before the meet
ing OF Congress, to be able TO make
recommendation for specific appropria-
ton 10 purchase all OF Mr.. Brewers sur
vey notes relating to lands in the District
There are three items of great impor-
lance, for which | recommend specific ap-
preparations, so much thereof as needed to
be expended under authority of the Com
missoners
"A resurvey of Barry Farm subdivision.
which has become most pressing The
existing recorded plat is exceedingly in
definite, and the earlier field work done
within the tract was equally bad The re-
declined to make any surveys whatever in
this growing suburb, because of the risk
of error ard utter inability to locate GER
tain essential points. For this purpose
$500 Is asked.
"A resurvey of Beatty & Hawkins ad-
dition to Georgetown. large tract now
rapidly improving. valuable buildings
constantly being under construction. The
existing records of this tract largely by
Of M NOR or
less. in the total recorded length, are
absolutely incapable of Interpretation
with any reference to existing holdings.
Surveys in this tract are also necessarily
refused by this Office. An appropriation
of 81. 900 for this purpose will provide a
new map OF actual holdings, upon which
basis quit-claim deeds may be executed |
by all the owners affected, and all trouble |
ended. The Assessors Office chiefly, but !
in less degree almost all divisions of the
District government. are subjected to con-
slant errors in accounts and actual losses |
Of taxes by reason of the chaotic condi- |
tion of the records and lines OF Barry |
Farm and Beatty G. Hawkins addition.
Two thousand dollars should be appro- |
priated to completely redefne on the |
ground the entire boundary between |
Maryland and the District of Columbia |
and to re-establish permanently the |
monuments marking the block-corners of |
the city Of Washington in the eastern and |
northeastern section. where from vandal- |
ism and utter neglect, especially during |
thf time of the civil war, when all that |
section was used for camps and corrals |
the few remaining monuments are jam |
med out of position by heavy wagon |
wheels and made worse than useless As |
to the District of Columbia line. no one |
today can point out accurately the
grown up with trees and shrubbery, ex-
cent in isolated places, and II would be
not only proDriety but economy to have
this work done in bulk, and not as i'm
mediate need arises for boundaries of |
abutting ub-divisions.'
An itemized statement of the estimate
asked by the Surveyor follows: