The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-27


complaint of Alfred A. Leonard rela-
tive to the poor quality Of gas furnished
| at his house was recently published in The
| Times. Mr.. Leonard stated that the pres
| sure was SO low that his family had been
forced to resort to lamps to read and to
| write by. This letter was referred to John
Leetch, general manager OF the Washing
| ton Gas Company, and he has replied to
the enquiry OF the Commissioners through
| DR.. S. Calvert Ford, United States In
| spector Of Meters.
Mr.. Leetch says regarding the quality of
| the gas served to Mr. Leonard, who resides
| at 1917 Seventeenth Street northwest, that
a careful investigation has been made and
| it is announced to the Commissioners that
they have probably found the cause of the
difficulty. Mr.. Leetch states that Mr..
Leonard's house is situated at the extreme
| end of the main and at the bottom of Sew
enteenth Street. very low down. AS con-
sequence, Mr.. Leetch thinks that when the
| consumption of gas begins in the evening
| including that of the street lights, the
pressure is decreased at Mr.. Leonard's
! house and may be ftful as he describes it
| to be. To remedy this defect it is proposed
| that the Commissioners grant permit to
the company to lay a six-inch main along
| Sixteenth Street extended in order that
full supply CT gas may be furnished to Mr..
| Leonard and his neighbors.
| Dr. Ford in reply to letter of enquiry
| relative to the condition of the gas, told
the Commissioners that on several occa-
| sions lately the gas supplied by the Wash
| ington Gas Company from the Northwest
| works, corner of and TwentysiXth
| Streets, has been of low standard. DR..
Ford states that in his opinion the trouble
| lies in the fact that in the fall of the year
| the temperature is low and that in many
| instances were stoppages occur it is due to
| the formation of naphthaline in the inlet
and the outlet Of the meters and If not at
| tended to will stop off the flow of gas en-
tirely. DR.. Ford ventures the assertion
\ that the cause Of the trouble is not due
! to any neglect on the part of the company,
| but to the deposit Of naphthaline in the
| meter pipes. In closing his letter Dr. Ford
asked the Commissioners that the names
| and residences of those making complaint
should be forwarded to him and that he
would take the trouble to see that each one
4
Mr.. Mcfarland stated that he would
send the complaints received to Dr. Ford
\ and that the Commissioners would do all
| that they were permitted to do by law to
| keep the quality of gas up to the standard
of 25 candle power.
| Thomas W. Gilmer, of 545 Florida Ave-
! nue. northwest has requested the District
Commissioners that the decision in regard
to the cement sidewalk in front of 543 and
| 545 Florida Avenue northwest be postponed
until after the return to the city of Com
| missioner Ross. and in the mean time he
| suggests that the matter be laid before the
Attorney OF the District for an opinion.
| The matter to which Mr.. Gilmer refers
| in his letter Of request is the laying of a
cement pavement in front of the premises
named, which Mr.. Gilmer, writing to the
Commissioners in September, designated as
| 'botch work" He states that he had
| signed petition for the laying of a ce-
ment sidewalk in front of his premises.
| supposing that it was to cover the entire
space from the walls of the houses to the
| curb. He states that in his absence in
Europe the walk was laid. only mar
| row strip on different grade from the
| rest of the sidewalk, and he complains
| that the bricks of the old sidewalk have
been scattered and lost. Instead of the
| sidewalk that he expected and for one
half he would have been assessed he has
| an unsightly condition of affairs to which
he is not disposed to submit and he de-
sired information as to the cost, etc, of
laying the sidewalk
The Engineer Commissioner in placing
an endorsement upon the request of Mr..
Gilmer to delay decision until the return
of Mr. Ross, says: 1.-The public walk re-
ferred to is ten feet wide. and that width
of walk is built from the appropriation for
nc nd
greater width than the established width
of walk is permitted the extra width is
invariably at the expense of the property
| owners This principle has been followed
through the city in cases inuumerable On
Thirteenth Street. between + and Streets
| northwest, where the property owners de-
sired to have the cement walk extended
to the building it was done at their ex-
| pense, the District paying for one-half of
the established width.
THE additional width in this case was
made at Mr.. Gilmer's request and the price
| paid for 1t was different from the contract
price, which would in itself operate as a
| bar to its payment at the Treasury De-
partment, as Mr.. Gilmer well knows To
require the District to pay one-half of this
additional width would also amount to re-
quiring all the property owners on the
frontage who are assessed for half cost of
the walk Immediately in front of Mr..
Gilmers premises to pay for something
for which they receive no benefit 1t
might be added that Mrs. Gilmer has paid
the contractor for the additional portion
of the walk laid in front of her premises
1t is expected that the decision of the
question will not be delayed.
1t will be recalled that some time ago
s. J. Block of Post No. l. G.. A. R.. wrote
to the Commissioners calling attention
that the fee exacted at the Health Office
for the transcript of births, marriages,
and deaths works hardship upon widows
and orphans in getting evidence to be
used in obtaining pensions. He instanced
a case in which the necessary transcripts
to establish the right to pension had
cost S..
The Commissioners yesterday received
the report of the Auditors Office upon the
question, A. Mckenzie, the Assistant Au-
ditOr submitting the statement. Mr.. Nc
KenZie cites the law referring to the mat
ter, quoting clause to the effect that |
no charge is to be made for transcripts |
furnished the various departments of the |
United States Government for official pur-
poses.
1t was upon this point that Mr.. Block |
wanted information. asking whether Ger
tifcates wanted for the purpose of filing |
with the United States Pension Office |
came under that head. |
In framing an answer to this enquiry, |
Mr.. Mckenzie said From the tenor OF |
this communication infer that the writer |
wants to know if certified transcripts is |
sued to private persons to be filed as evil |
dence in claims before the United States |
Pension Office come under the head of |