The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-06-18
SIXTEENTH STREET EXTENSION.
Il Hearing Before the Commission
ers of the District

SES oA AAie
The District Commissioners today grant
ed a hearing to persons interested in the
rejection OF the verdict of the jury in the
Sixteenth Street extension cases Under
an act of Congress approved June 6, 1900,
a jury was created for the purpose of car
rying out the intent of the law The find
ings were $4,000 damages, of which were
assessed S1QS 000 benefits.
The benefits not being 50 per cent Of the
damages, the law gives the Commission
ers the right in their discretion to reject
the awards of the jury This the Com
missioners few weeks ago voted t.. do,
but before the issue Of the order, certain
persons asked to be heard in the matter
to present their views looking to the ac-
ceptance Of the awards of the jury The
hearing today was in accordance with
that request
Among others. ex-Judge c. c. Cole was
present, and pres-nted TO the Commission
ers the legal aspects Of the question. Mr.
Cole spoke for nearly an hour, going
carefully over the law points, making
them clear to the Board. He cited the
three acts Of Congress relating to the
extension Of Sixteenth Street. The first
Of these was approved March 3, 1893
This law provided fer the extension of the
street named and provided that the pro-
eeedings for opening it should be in ac-
cordance with Chapter xI of the Cen
eTal Highway act providing for the
opening Of streets in the District
Mr. Cole then cited the later act Of
January 80, 1860, which changed the for
mer law in important particulars. espe-
cially in naming a. specified amount of
benefits to be assessed. The third law
was that Of June 6, 1860, which in the
opinion of Mr. Cole completely abrogated
the law OF 1893, and provided for the
opening Of Sixteenth Street by a special
ly created jury with certain powers quite
olfIerent from those conferred by the Gen
eraI Highway act. He therefore. remind
ed the Commissioners that a rejection of
the verdict OF the jury would be 10 rem
der all the proceedings in the case null
and void. according to the law of June 8,
1900 He spoke also of the dedications and
expressed the opinion that they would
revert to the owners by the notification
Of the proceedings from the beginning
B. F. Leighton followed Mr.. Cole and
spoke at length relative to the assessment
OF damages and benefits He showed the
Commissioners that peculiar conditions
existed in the general lay of the land
Sixteenth Street ne showed, was through
already subdivided and with
streets running this way and that Old
Sixteenth Street runs almost parallel to it
for some distance Fifteenth Street Is not
far away and he said that no jury on
earth could bring about a nearer relation
between damages and benefits, for the
property is not there 70 make it MIR
Leighton spoke Of the powers of the court
Of h II
findings of the jury were as equitable as
it would be possible for any jury to find
Chaplin Brown SPOKE briefly calling at
teution to a few forgotten points in the
argument.
Ex-senator Henderson was present and
read u letter written several days ago to
p DuvaIl, the Attorney for the
District, which was an exhaustive re-
view Of the legislation and of the efforts
pat forth since Jackson's day to extend
Sixteenth Street. He spoke of this great
I60 feet wide and four or FIVE
miles long as specifically a national IN
dertakiDg. Mr.. Henderson declared that
If WAS too great 4 project for local or
special tax He criticised Congress for
ever making such a law, defective and un-
Just in its requirements and results.
Mr. Henderson discussed the subject no
less thoroughly than Mr. Cole had done, |
and ended by advocating some better
plan of street opening for the future
The object Of the hearing was to induce
the Commissioners to reconsider their ac-
ton and either approve the award of the
jury, or present reasons to the court Why
& new jury should be summoned. and as
q last resort to appeal to Congress for
the approval of the findings of the jury
as they now stand The Commissioners
reserved their decision