The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-09-11
HINT At DISCRIMINATION
Meeting of the Northeast Wash
ington Citizens Association.
Meagre Attendance But SOac I'M
portant Matters Discussed-Rcport
of the Committee ON Streets-The
Transfer system ON the street
Railway Lines Criticised.

|
fourteen of the members were present
Street paving, the recent installation OF
the garbage removal system, railroad cross
ings. and street car transfer privileges,
upon the reports of the various commit
tees, were discussed at length.
The meeting was called to order by the
President Evan II. Tucker and as a mem
Der of the Committee on Proposed Legis-
lation, he reported what had been effected
at the last session of Congress in the In
terests of the northeast section, especially
in regard TO the Baltimore and Ohio Rail-
road bill.
w. ]. Frizzell, Chairman of the Commit
tee on Steam Railroads, stated that the
committee had no report to make but ex-
| planned the purchases made by the BaIti-
more and Ohio Railroad for its proposed
depot, correcting certain statements in re-
gard to the property and its value. He
said that the purchase was about fifty acres
! of the Patterson estate, for which the
railroad company had paid 1927, 1884, or at
| the rate of about $500 per acre. He re-
/ ferred to the application of the Capital
Traction Company for permission to ex-
Z
! ington Traction and Electric Company and
TO build double track through First
| Street northeast, from B to Street, for
! the purpose of forming a loop, and to en-
able the company to reach the new station
| of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad In
! discussing the proposed action in First
I Street 1t was the sense OF the association
| that the street was too narrow to permit
| of double tracking, and the committee was
! fFa1t tod falr
the citizens of First Street in their opposi-
! ton. The committee was also instructed
! to formulate recommendation to the Com
missioners that two men, in place of one
| be placed in charge of the grade cross
! ings of the steam railroads entering the
| city for the purpose of obviating the dan
/ gers OF accidents. one man to be employed
a Waterman and the other as a gate
| keeper
s Sowerbutts, for the Committee on
/ Streets, Avenues, and Alleys, submitted
I an extensive report, which reviewed the
! conditions of the streets of the Ncrtheas L
/ prior to the organization of the associa-
tion in 1892, and the improvements dur
ing the subsequent eight years, which
! had been effected through the persistent
| efforts OF the assocition.- A list of the
| streets which had been paved or repaired
| since the organization OF the association
| was given in the report. improvements
! in sidewalks and repairing alleys and
| railroad crossings were mentioned but
| the report adds that 50 per cent of the
| streets of the Northeast section yet re-
main unimproved. The committee goes
on to state:
In a number of its former reparts
! your committee has invited your atten-
/ tioa TO the large appropriations which
are made annually for resurfaeing and re-
| pairs to concrete payements and to the
| fact that over 80 per cent OF this amount
/ is expended in one of the sections OF the
! city. Thus streets of this section, which
! have been paved for many years. are
/ continually being repaved, while many
| streets in other sections yet remain in
! a state Of nature not one dollar having
1 been expended upon them for improve
I ments.
1T has been for long time the opin-
/ ion of your committee that q much larger
amount is appropriated for this work than
4 is absolutely necessary. the amount for
/ the current fiscal year being $500, GEO
/ which is more than the amount appro-
priated for new work within the whole
I city. II is also the opinion of your com
mittee that unnecessary work is done out
/ of this appropriation, such as resurfacing
streets where only patches are needed re-
| placing coed curbs by new ones, and re
setting eurbs unnecessa rily. In this con-
nectiOn we desire to invite your attention
to the work recently done F Street be-
tween Delaware Avenue and Third Street
northwest. While in the opinion of the
residents on this street re5urfacing was
unnecessary as with judieious patching
the pavement would have lasted long
time, other work was done which seemed
to be entirely unnecessary and occasioned
d useless expenditure of money. The curb,
which was relaid at the time that the
street was paved and seemed TO be in per-
feet line, was torn up, that on the south
side of the street being set back about
one inch, and that on the north side NOV
ed about twelve inches forward. thus re-
ducing the width of the roadway about
eleven inches.
Upon these two squares s., coo was ex-
pended which sum would have been suf-
ficient to pave two squares of some street
which is in need of improvement.
''If this is a fair sample OF the way
5000. eco is annually expended We feel
more than justified In our previous objec-
lions to the appropriation; and while your
committee are gratifed to see portion
of the large appropriation for resurfacing
streets expended in this section, We FEST
that the taxpayers should be made cog-
infant of the way this money is applied"
'sInasmuch as the Honorable Commits
sioners of the District have for the past
wear declined TO add anything to the
street schedules and as we hope to get a
sufficient appropriation at the next ses-
sion of Congress to complete the present
schedule we deem it inexpedent to men
ton any streets now needing improve
ment: but Will. at the proper time. take
up the work of preparing new schedule
that will be commensurate with the best
interests OF all concerned, and viii be
pleased to receive suggestions from our
neighbors from time 20 time.
The committee also recommended. in
view of the pending legislation providing
Tor certain changes in the route of the
Baltimore and Ohio Railroad through
Northeast Washington, that upon streets
affected by the change and which nave
been recommended by the Commissioners
for Improvement, work shall be suspeu led
until the completion OF the railroad al;er-
ations.
The next matter was the report of the
Committee on Public COnvcyanecs, when
the question of street ear transfers was
discussed. The chairman of the commit
tee. jerome D. Burke, ny de the statement
that il was impossible to reach the Capt.
tol from the II Street line without the
payment Of two fares. Attention was
called to the fact that the Traction Com
pany refused TO issue transfers at Four
tecuth Street northwest going south
The fact that employees of the Govern
ment Printing Office residing on Capltot
Hin were unable to reach their business
without the expenditure OF two fares was
ELECTED. and other instances of the alleged
injustice Of the present system were given.
The refusal of the company TO issue trans