The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-15
AFFAIRS OF THE DISTRICT.
The Commissioners Favor Widening
Fourteenth Street.

The Commissioners yesterday forwarded
| to the Senate Committee on the District
Of Columbia. Senate bill, No. SAB, for the
extension of Fourteenth Street. The bill
proposes to extend Fourteenth Street
through the tracts of land known as the
Lehman tract and the Liscomb and Saund-
ers tract, with width of eighty feet.
Iii their letter transmitting the bill, the
Commissioners inform the committee that
the street has been extended with nearly
proper width as far north as Lydecker
Avenue. Between Lydecker Avenue and
| the Lehman tract, they say it has a width
OF but thirty-three feet, and the attitude
of the Mattingly tracts and other tracts
| on the other side cannot be stated at the
present time with reference TO their will
ingness to donate. Continuing the Com
missioners say:
The street should be extended for the
development of the section through which
II would run. 1t is highway upon which
street car facilities will exist, and the
Capitol Traction Company already pos
sesses the right to extend its lines upon
it whenever the street is extended, and 1t
is believed that the opening of the street
Will be followed by rapid improvement OF
the neighborhood."
The Commissioners send with the bill
a statement of the estimated cost of the
land for the opening of the street which
aggregates 10000. and a map showing
the extension of the street through the
tracts mentioned. Continuing their letter
the Commissioners say:
THE bill is believed to be in good form.
being one which has been found by ex-
perience to answer many objections which
existed against previous enactments. 1t
is believed. however, that the following
amendment should be made to the bill.
Page 5, line 49,. Add the following:
Provided further that if the court con-
firms the verdict, award, and assessment
OF said jury in manner other than was
accepted Icy the Commissioners Of the
District of Columbia, as laid down in sec
tion thereof, the said Commissioners
shall have authority to reject such con-
demnation and award and all proceedings
hereunder shall be null and void
This provision or one which will ac-
complish the same purpose is believed to
be highly necessary. Former bills were
arranged SO as to give the District pos
session of the property in case condemna-
tion is made and not allow property hold
ers to defeat possession Indefinitely by
taking advantage of legal technicalities.
The result has been as found by street ex-
tension cases tried during the past year
that parties accept the award and then
use every legal obstacle to prevent the
collection of assessments levied by the
jury. And as payment for the land taken
is promptly made the result is that the
whole cost and burden is thrown upon the
District, at least for a considerable time,
without the assistance of the property
benefited, contemplated when the
award was made.
1T is further earnestly recommended
that the bill be so amended that the ap-
preparations therein provided for be
chargeable equally to the revenues of the
District Of Columbia and the Treasury
of the United States, instead of all
against the District of Columbia, and the
Commissioners would urge that no action
be taken upon the bill unless provision
TO this effect be adopted"
Joseph Paris, Chief Engineer of the
Fire Department recently forwarded to
the Commissioners recommendation for
fire hydrants to be erected as follows:
North side of Pennsylvania Avenue and
Twenty eighth Street northwest; south
side of X Street, between First and Sec
ond Street northwest, at the corner OF the
alley. and at the northwest corner of
Twelfth and l. Streets southeast.
The Superintendent Of the Water De-
partment in REPORTING. upon the matter
to the Engineer Commissioners calls at
tention to the number OF fire MIGRANTS in
the vicinity Of Pennsylvania Avenue and
Twenty eighth Street. aDd> suggests the
reference Of the application back TO the
Chief of the Fire Department for inform
nation relative to the matter. The sug-
gestion is made whether the location of
the hydrant at this point is not a mis-
take.
n n cinnnsnn Was vnstardnv infnrmnd