The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-01
AFFAIRS OF The DISTRICT
The Commissioners Report on the
Extension of Vermont Avenue.
Of Opening the Highway
Beyond Its Present Terminus-Cost
of the Improvement - Question of
Reporting Typhoid Cases to the
Health Odice-Nater for Mission.

| The Commissioners yesterday prepared
their report to the Senate Committee on
I the District of Coiurnbia. upon the amend
ments proposed by Senator Money to
l Senate bill 2265, For the extension of
\ Vermont Avenue" The Commissioners
! inform the committee that the bill whica
| it is proposed to amend was referred to
/ them at the first session of the press mt
\ Congress. and that under date of April
/ II 1890, they made a report upon the
same as follows:
THE extension would pass through old
| subdivisions laid out with very narrow
streets and the avenue. if extended,
would offer an inlet to the city from
| Brightwoed Avenue II would thus oper-
ate to relieve the lower end of that ave-
nue. from the congestion of traffic which
| now exists at that point. The travel on
Brightwood Avenue is very heavy. 0w
ing to the street ear tracks in the ave-
ME and the amount of business traffic at
the lower end of the street there is diff
Guilty frequently in vehicles passing each
other This it is believed would be great
" relieved by the extension, which would
afford more direct route to the centre
of the city.
"Anout- Two years ago condemnation
proceedings were hau Tor :. rrortion OF the
extension. ana 5Ssing an estimate on the
awards then made, the extension, I=ould
cost S111,000 for the land alone, and the
improvements would cost about $50, 900.
VI frar
within the lines of the extension, and the
taking Of these would add very ma terially
to the improvement of the section, mans
of the houses being worth not more thai
$500 or SEQ.
About SO 600 would be required for
grading and $500 additional to put it in
passable condition. The rate of grade
is not a very favorable one. but is about
the same as the present grade of Bright
wood Avenue just above Grant Street
The Commissioners now inform tht.
committee that it is their belief that at
the present time the cost of condemning
the land alone would be S125, 600 instead
of s111 600 as stated in the report made
last year. ana that the cost of condemn
ing the improvements would be about the
same as stated in the report. They say
that the proposed amendments are in
tended to bring the form Of the bill more
J.
which has been approved by the Com
missioners. But they point out that the
bill does not contain the proviso which
was recommended by the Commissioners
and which was incorporated in the street
extension acts passed at the last session
of Congress, giving the Commissioners
authority to reject the award of the jury
when the amount of the assessments lev
led was less than one-half of the dam
&C he Q
ommend that this provision, with which
they say the committee is familiar, be add
ed before the passage of the bill. The com
mittee is informed that the Commits
sioners regard this as highly necessary.
DR.. William C. Woodward. the District
Health Officer. has submitted a report to
the Commissioners, at their request upon
Senate bill 4sO3, ITO require cases of
typhoid fever occurring in the District of
Columbia TO be reported TO the Health
Department. In his report. Dr. Woodward
says;
Typhoid fever is universally recognized
as a communicable disease. and it is. there
fore, to certain extent, preyentable. I'm
der existing law. however, the Health De-
partment is informed only Of the deaths
which occur from this disease and not of
the cases i'll which recovery follows. Such
information is of course, useful as an in
dex of the extent to which this disease
prevails, but. because of the large num-
Der OF unknown cases which occur in any
particular outbreak and of the late date at
which knowledge is obtained, even of the
fatal cases, it viii not ensure the detec-
ton Of outbreaks due 10 local causes such
as polluted wells or contaminated milk
nor enable the Health Department inteIli-
gently to direct its efforts toward the SUD-
preston OF such outbreaks
1T Will be noted that this proposed law
does not provide for the placarding of the
houses in which cases of typhoid fever ex-
ist or of quarantining the inmates there |
of. Neither OF such measures is. il Is be- |
loved. necessary in the interests of the |
public health the protection which the |
public would derive from the passage of |
this bill viii be effected chiefly through !
charging tentatively each case of typhoid |
fever reported against the milk supply, the |
water supply. or other local conditions |.
which may seem TO be warranted. When |
ever the number OF cases charged against |
any one source Il found sufficient after in |
ve5tigatiOn reasonably to warrant the be- |
lief that such cases are due 10 il, the de- |
partment will take whatever measures may |
he necessary 10 prevent its continuance as
a source of danger
O. b. Brown. Chairman of the Board of |
of the Central Union Mission. |
recently requested that the Commission |
ers apportion from the appropriation for |
the relief of the poor sum sufficient to |
meet the cost of the mission Of the water |
used in excess Of the amount allowed free |
Of charge.