Evening star., 1901-02-05
Subdivisions I'm Anac0stia.

To the Editor of The Evening Star:
In your issue of the Goth ultimo, under
the head of "Resubdivision Suggested" it
was stated that "the surveyor has re-
ported to the Commissioners Of the District
of Columbia certain "disceveries'' concern
ing the location of certain lots specified in
Anacostia or Uniontown, which. I think.
are founded upon an erroneous impression.
The original survey and plat Of Uniontown,
Of which have ithograph copy, with no
date, was made possibly by the late Mr..
Carpenter, the then county surveyor of
the District of Columbia. Taylor street,
sixty feet wide, was there located. having
lot sos as its eastern boundary, fronting on
Harrison street, or, in other words, 192 feet,
or lots of "a feet frontage. east of the
present location of Taylor street. 1t was
found shortly after, viz, about 1873, from
the best data 1 can get, that the then pro-
prietors determined to change the loca-
tion of Taylor street (Which ran south OF
Jackson street, through a high hill, thereby
destroying many beautiful building sites)
to its present location, where the land Is
comparatively level throughout it's whole
course.
In said change they made another plat
called the revised plan of Uniontown," in
which no lots were affected other than
the tier of eight lots of "a feet frontage.
commencing with lot 5& on Harrison street.
These lots were bodily removed 20 feet, CT
becoming a corner lot on the northwest
side of Taylor street. and lot 5S4 becoming
corner lot on the northeast side of Tay-
lor street at its junction with Harrison
street; lot 59S, which it is said is owned by
Mr.. Shepherd, being undisturbed, said lot
being a corner northeast lot on old Taylor
street; consequently, the lot 577, which. was
northwest corner lot on said old street.
under the change was placed in juxta-
position to lot 59S. which, as said before,
was undisturbed. This will readily be seen
by inspection of the plat duly recorded in
the surveyors office. l.. C. No. 2, F. S3,
about the year 1873, said plat being scaled
throughout both north and south of jack
son street to lots of "a feet frontage. or
1872 feet for the eight lots aforementioned,
consequently lot 5S4 has only it's original
frontage of "a feet instead of 36 feet which
by some unaccountable circumstance it ap-
pears to have in the surveyors office. BY
inspection of the original plan in said Of
flee it will be readily seen that the 36 feet
has been substituted for "a feet to which
it was scaled, and that lot 6O6, which was
never contemplated in said revised plan
to be changed, was originally 81 feet; now
the figures say "a feet, though scaled to 36
feet BY casually looking over the records
in the surveyors office it will be seen that
all lots south of Jackson street are "A feet
frontage from the east side of Taylor
street. as revised. UP to and including the
tier of lots to Cos. where they become SO
feet frontage in COG and its tiers. Apply
these facts and, presto! the II feet dis
covery will vanish as hoar frost under a
genial sun. The old holdings for upward
of tWentyseven years Will be found TO De
correct. There will be no occasion for re-
deciding of the several lots, Mrs. McLaren
will get her two lots (577 and 57S each OF
"a feet frontage, and 'all is WELL
VIM. J. LATIMER,
A surveyor in the District of Columbia for
the past thirty-five years.