The Washington times., 1901-07-13
AFFAIRS OF THE DISTRICT.
The Same Property Assessed for
improvements on Two Streets.

| The Assessor Cites the Rulings of
the Courts Upon the Question
Damage to Private Property Due
TO Drainage From n Public Street.
| AIessrs. Moore & Hill. of az Fourteenth
! Street northwest, have called the atten-
! tion of the Commissioners to a tax GER
! tificate on lot 10. block 2 lie Droit Park,
! ami have asked that they be not required
| to pay the tax for the first half of 1898.
| They state that they are ready to pay the
| second half tax, with all the penalties.
/ The letter was referred by the Commits
| sioners to the Tax Department, and the
! Assessor has now submitted the follow
ing report:
This case was made the subject of Il
report under date of January IS last. and
! was adverse to the granting OF the re-
| quest of the applicants. on the ground
! that the tax reporsed on the certificate
| represented the figures SIP
1t appears that said figures in recit-
! ing same as a second-half tax, are al
| legged to have deceived Messrs Moore &
| Hill in making a settlement with the pur-
| chaser who claims they construed the
| fun years taxes to be S7742 but that only
! the second half tax was due and unpaid,
/ which, by the wording on the certificate,
/ for the year ending June 80, 1898, SIP.
second-half, ust he admitted was mis-
! leading, the tax should have been re-
cited, all tax for June ending 1898 $l742
The matter has been carefully consid-
cred, and while it may be admitted the
quotation on the certificate was techni-
cally misleading, l am unable to deter
mine whether the wording on said certif-
cate was of such a character as to war
rant the application, but it was evident
from the affidavits of Mrs Dietz and Mr.
Moore that the erroneous quotation on
said certificate caused a pecuniary loss to
the parties of one-half of the tax
There appear to be legal points in
volved in this case and l have the honor
TO submit the matter for ference to the
attorney for the District, as to whether
the notation on the certificate was such
as to impair its validity, and. if So oper-
ate to avoid the tax sale of April lS
1899
The Commissioners yesterday approved
the recommendation of the Assessor. and
referred the matter to the Attorney for
his opinion.
Mrs. L. Wen, of G47 Sixteenth Street
northeast, recently Complained to the
commissioners Of the water flowing into
the cellar of the premises named by rea-
son of defective drainage at the corner
CT Sixteenth and Kramer Streets. The
matter was referred to the Surface Di-
vision of the Engineer Department and
I. B. Hunt reported that the premises
referred to We're below grade. and that
Tor that reason he surface water ran
from the street into the cellar. lie said
that the street at this. point is to he
raised about two feet to place IT upon the
approved grade, under which the condi-
ton Of the cellar would be worse than
now Mr. Hunt recommended that Mrs.
Well be advised that she should make pro-
vision against the flowing of the surface
drainage upon the lot by bringing the
same TO the grade of the stred.
The Engineer Commissioners, after re-
ceiving the above report, referred the
matter back to the Computing Engineer,
asking for information whether the water
compiaiE<t of enters the property from
the public street, that is from the street
between the curb lines. or whether it en-
ters from a point back of the curb line
Mr Hunt thereupon submitted the fol-
lowing report:
Almost all the water that comes upcn
the writer's property is from other prf-
vate property. a very small portion Of ii
being from Sixteenth Street That which
comes from the private property is TO a
Street, which lies half a square north.
There are neither curbs nor cutters on
Gales or Sixteenth Street. Under the
provision of special appropriation for
the purpose, Gales Street will be paved
during the ensuing year and the result
OF this work viii undoubtedly, to a great /
extent, modify the conditions of which !
the writer complains
The Engineer Commissioner has ap-
proved the above report and has for
warded the papers to his associates.
E J. Watson. of Rochester. y. Y. re- !
Gently submitted to the Commissioners !
a proposition to purchase at private sale |
from the District, and TO receive deeds .
therefor, fOTty-six lots and parcels OF /
property against which delinquent taxes |
are recorded in the Office of the Commits !
siOners. Mr.. Watson agreed to pay these |
delinquent taxes and to take the lots
from the District In lieu thereof.
The application was referred to the Tax
Department. and the Assessor has now
reported that thirty-one Of the owners
of the pieces Of property referred to have
paid the delinquent taxes and now have
clear titles to their property. leaving fif-
teen pieces unpaid. He states that these
pieces of property are nearly all Of them
in some form of litigation. With refer
ence to the application the Assessor says:
1t is recommended that further action
regarding the sale and deciding Of this
property TO the said Watson be deferred
until the assembling Of Congress in or
der that some remedial legislation may be
enacted such as the re-enactment OF the
6 per cent law. which, in my judgment,
would operate 10 materially decrease the |
arrears Of taxes, and thereby decrease the
sale Of property subject to the provisions
Of section Of the act Of February p,
1883"
1t is expected that the action of the
Commissioners viii be substantially that |
suggested by the Assessor in the above |
report.
II. W. Coffin recently addressed the
asking for certain infor-
nation concerning the assessments for
benefits IN the widening of Columbia
Road He states that in making these
assessments the juries assessed benefits
IN the same lots on Meridian Hill FOR the
extension Of both Columbia Road and Six
eenth Street. Mr.. Coffin asks whether
his is IN accordance with law He IS