Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-11-08

cost and not throw the entire expense upon
! the taxpayers.
| Attention is again respectfully invited to
| the need of a better bridge in place of the
present navy yard bridge over the Ana
| costa river. The present bridge was built
| in 1875. 1t is unsightly, much too narrow
| and structurally unfit for the heavy traffic
imposed upon it. The recommendation is
| renewed that it be replaced by a modern
| structure at as early date as possible.
The act making appropriate ns for the
| sundry civil expenses of the government
! for the fiscal year 1901 contained the fol-
lowing item under the head of Geological
| Park:
| For the construction of a bridge across
| Rock creek on the line of the roadway from
! quarry road entrance, under the direction
OIL the Engineer Commissioner of the Dis
| trict of Columbia So, 600, one-half of which
| shall be paid out of the revenues of the
| District of Columbia"
The old bridge was built of timber and
| iron and was in an unsafe condition, Plans
Tor the new bridge. were prepared by the
Melan Arch Construction Company, under
the direction of this office, and the bridge
has been completed. with the exception of
sidewalks and the grading of the creek, for
/ which purpose a balance of S1T5 of the ap-
| preparation remains available. The bridge
! is constructed of concrete throughout with
| cement mortar face. 1t consists of a
single arch of eighty-foot span with
| roadway nineteen feet wide and two six.
| foot Sidewalks.
| Under the emergency appropriation to re-
pair damages done by the storm of June 2,
1900, concrete-steel bridge with granite
| face has been erected over Piney branch
! on the line of the drive along Rock creek
| in place of the bridge washed away. The
| new bridge has span of "a feet and
| roadway % feet wide.
Contract has also been entered into for
the construction of concrete arch bridge
| over Broad branch on the line of Argyle
road This work is now in progress. The
| bridge will have span of "a feet and
roadway 23 feet wide. Mr.. Glenn Brown. a
local architect, assisted the office in pre-
| pairing the plans for this work
| The $4,000 appropriated on account of
| the Connecticut avenue bridge across Rock
| creek will enable the Office to complete
| the foundations of all the piers, from two
| to nine inclusive.
Fifty thousand dollars was provided on
| account of work on the Massa chusetts ave-
| nue. bridge over Rock creek This makes a
| total of S225,O00 for the bridge and will he
| sufficient to complete it, 1t is expected
| that the masonry arch of the bridge will
| soon be completed, after which a fill of
80 600 cubic yards will be necessary in order
| to provide roadway over the arch. which
is constructed as very large culvert.
Sewage Disposal Project.
Under the appropriation for the ''prepara-
| ton of detailed plans and specifications for
sewage disposal system complete the sur
rey for the various trunk sewers, the in
verted siphon crossing the Anacostia river
and the pumping station have been COM
pleted. The surveys for land to be &C.
| quired for the construction of the out
| fall sewer have not been fully completed.
! The sizes, gradients and sections of the
| trunk sewers and inverted siphon have
! been designed and the estimates of cost
| have been made. Detailed sheets of the
various portions of the work and specitica-
| lions for the same are being prepared and
they will be completed in all probability
| within the present fiscal year. The work
| upon the project has followed the general
lines indicated in the report of the board
| of sanitary engineers of 1890, with such
notifications additional study of the
situation indicated.
| For example, the amount of rainfall to
be provided for by the large trunk sewer in
! 3 street and New Jersey avenue has been
| increased, thereby increasing the size of
that sewer and also the capacity of the
| pumping machinery at the pumping station.
| The line has been changed from street
+ eastward al 10th street to avoid the crowded
streets adjacent to the Center Market and
! the Pennsylvania railway station, the new
| line crossing the Mall and Joining the line
! originally proposed in Sd street near Maine
avenue. The outlet section of the Az street
sewer has been changed In location from NJ
| street TO l. street. The location for the in
verted siphon has been changed so that its
| axis is about normal with. the proposed
| channel lines, and its length has been con-
| SideraDly reduced. Several trunk lines have
!
| sewer to provide the properties within the
! low section of the city adjacent to Pennsyl-
! vania avenue northwest. between list and
lotn streets With adequate sewerage facili-
| ties for cellars; second, the extension of the
| east side intercepting sewer from 18th street
| east to 21St street; third, the extension of
the northeast boundary sewer from its pres
| ent outlet TO a point near 21St and \ streets
northeast Work Is now in progress upon
the east side intercepting sewer, the extern
! sion of the boundary sewer, the lower sec
ton of the sewer to drain the low area and
the outlet section of the Tiber creek and
New Jersey avenue hgh-level intercepting
sewer.
A contract for furnishing the pumps,
boilers and appurtenances for the pumping
station has been made with the Allis-
Chalmers Company of Milwaukee
Messrs Didden & Vogt were engaged,
after open competition. as architects To
prepare plans for the pumping station
The estimated amount required to COM
plete the project, in addition to the
amounts heretofore appropriated, is So e2O,-
OF 80.
The expenditures to date on account Of
completed work aggregate $500, 478O4
The appropriation to date on account of
work In progress aggregates $1.362, 900.
Street Railways.
Under the provisions of acts of Congress
the Capital Traction Company extended its
lines eastward on Pennsylvania avenue
from Sth street southeast to the Anacostia
ifSi olSo olohS L anu streets TO 1lth
street westward to 18th and 18th streets
and thence north to Pennsylvania avenue;
also on LIST street northeast between and
c streets. These lines have been COM
pleted and are now in operation
A great many complaints have been re-
ceived during the year on account of the
abandoned street railway tracks in various
parts Of the city. The Office has been in
communication with the railway companies
for a year or more, endeavoring to have
the tracks removed, with the result that
the work has at last been undertaken
The law requiring the removal of aban-
doned tracks imposes a fine of only $40 a
day for each day the tracks are permitted
to remain after a sixty days notice to re-
move them, penalty entirely inadequate
to command the respect of the railway
companies or to accomplish the purpose of
the law. 1t is believed the fine should be
at least 500 day instead of $40, and in
addition that the law should provide that
upon failure of the company to perform the
work directed within prescribed time,
the District should have authority to do it,
issuing certificates of Indebtedness against
the companies in payment Of the expense
involved.