The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-07
AFFAIRS OFTHHBISTRIC4
Complaint About a Cab Stand on
Seventeenth Street Northwest.
Marian l.. O'DonoEhue Asserts That
the Place Is MeaaeeIto Life and
Health Report Of the Reform
schooI-Improvingi streets In ANA
costa - Lights on Grant Road.

costa - Lights on Ornnf Ronu.
Marian Longfellow O'Donoghue, of 702
| Seventeenth Street northwest, has writ
| ten to the Commissioners a second
time protesting against the continu-
| ance of a cab stand on Seventeenth Street
| the stand endangers the health of the
| persons compelled to pass their days close
! to the nuisance. 1T is not only from mat
| ter which can be swept up by the city
scavengers," she says, but from that
which remains in malodorous pools upon
| the street.
Il desire now to callyour attention to
| the fact that the continuance Of this cab
| stand is a menace to the public safety.
Today September go, between the hours
J of l and o'clock p. m, an accident oc-
| Cured due to the collision between a
| frightened horse coming out Of the alley
and a horse attached to a surrey, which
had been left by its careless driver direct
| ly in front of the alley. The two horses,
with their vehicles attached, plunged to-
| gether in one tangle across the street and
were with difficulty SEPARATED and at the
| personal risk of those who interfered.
while to any chance passer-by the risk
was very great. The horse attached to the
surrey died in great agony.
Therefore on the ground that this cab
| stand is public nuisance and menace
| to human and animal life, / respectfully
beg that some action be taken to remove
the said stand from its present position
In reporting upon the complaint at the
request of the Commissioners, A. r. Lamb.
/ the inspector of hacks, reported that in
his judgment the request of Mrs. O'Don-
! oghue for the removal of the hack stand
referred to on Seventeenth Street imme
diately north Of Pennsylvania Avenue
should be denied.
THE office of the complainant he says,
lis on the west side of Seventeenth Street.
while the hack stand is on the east side
adjacent TO the building occupied by the
Court of Claims and the library of the De-
partment of Justice Mr.. John B. Ran
dolph, Assistant Clerk of the Court of
/ Claims, informs me that he never heard
complaint in regard to this stand, but that
1t is real convenience to the members OF
the court and to employs. The employees
of the library, whose windows look out
upon this stand, are unanimous in the
statement that they have snlelled no bad
doors arising from II. l have also inter-
viewed the business men and residents on
the same side OF the street as the COM
plainant and have found ne one who con-
siGers the stand a nuisance or who desires
to have it removed.
II am informed that the gutter at this
point is washed out every morning by an
employe Of the Street Cleaning Depart
ment, and the street has sufficient fall to
ensure good drainage, but 1 am of the opin-
ion that the stand. or at least the gutter.
should be paved with vitrified brick. As
to the alleged menace to health l would
suggest that the opinion of the Health Of
ficer on that subject would be valuable.
The accident referred to was caused by
~ I-1f-
wagon coming through the alley less than
seven feet wide, which is used by pedes-
TRANS only, and after careful investigation
| find that no blame can attach to the
driver of the surrey whose horse was
killed.
u am unable to find {. better place in
that vicinity for a hack stand. and l am
sure that its adjustment would be detri-
mental to the hack service and an incon-
venience to the public
On the recommendation OF the superin-
tendent Of Police the rep0rt OF the Inspec-
tor of Hacks was YESTERDAY, approved by
the Commissioners and the complainant
will be informed in accordance Herewith.
Cecil Clay President of the Board OF
Trustees of the District Reform School,
submitted to the Commissioners yes
terday a report OF the operations
of the school for the year end
ed June 80. The report gives de-
tailed information as to the inmates OF the
Institution, the amounts received from the
sale Of surplus farm products and from tho
various industries carried on at the school
for the instruction of the boys, the dispo-
sition OF these sums, an itemized state
ment OF the receipts and payments OF the
treasurer of the school, an inventory of ali
personal property belonging to the institn-
ton, and statement of the number of en-
ployes and the compensation of each
The average number OF boys. according
to the report, in the school during the
year was 1871. This number is considerably
smaller than that of previous years. the
number in 1899. being 224; in 1893. 236.
ana in 1897, 223. Figures are given to
show that in the eleven years from 1881
to 1898. the average number Of boys IN
creased from 157 to 236, falling off in the
last two years to 224 and then to 1871.
Several reasons are given for this.
among which is mentioned the multiplied
tion of agencies for the care OF boys. The
Board of Children's Guardians, intended
primarily for charitable work, obtains
through the courts the control OF many
boys who should be sent to the Reform
School, the reasons for their commitment
being based upon acts committed or gen.
eral condition OF behavior calling for ref
ormation rather than charitable support,
the object of the school being the refor
nation and supplemental carrying out of
control where the parents are no longer
able to exercise IL. The courts frequent
ly commit boys to Jail or the workhouse,
because the parents or relatives In charge
prefer their serving short term in one
of these places to what ray be much
longer one in the Reform School. The
school has at present capacity for $50
boys, and Ii would seem as a mere ques-
ton Of economy to be much wiser to util-
ize 1t to the limit of its capacity than to
distribute boys to farms and other private
places where the boys themselves get lit
tie or no instruction. the persons to whom
they are committed getting not only their
services, but compensation. making an ad-
ditional expense TO be paid from the pub
lie treasury.
During the year covered by the report
the necessary repairs for the proper care
and preservation of the buildings and per-
soHal property belonging to the school
have been made, including those to the
workshops, family buildings. barns, sta
bles. fencing sewers. roadway, steam
plant, etc, in all of which tho boys have
been employed wherever practicable. Spe-
cial mention may be made of the repairs
to the boiler house and coal vaults. which
were thoroughly overhauled, walls repair
ed, and the vaults cement lined, so as to
exclude dampness. Tie green houses were
in great measure rebuilt hnI all are now
in excellent condition. The cid bathing
pools, one OF which was located In each
family building, have been replaced by
shower baths. thus avoiding the necessity
for a rumber Of boys bathing I'd the same