The Washington times., 1901-10-31
AFFAIRS OF THE DlSRICT.
Objections to site Purchased for
Municipal Almshouse.
Views of Attorneys and Property
Holders on the Subject-No New
Ideas Brought out at the Hearing
Wires for Butterine Factory.

The Commissioners yesterday granted a
hearing to number Of persons interest
ed in the establishment of the proposed
municipal almshouse on the site recently
purchased for the purpose by the Commits
sioners and known as Belle View. There
| appeared before the board II. II. Classic,
attorney for the Congress Heights Citi-
zens Association; Daniel O'C. Cailaghan.
| representing certain owners of land in the
vicinity of the new site, and number Of
residents Of the vicinity.
Mr.. Classic presented an arg gIment to
show that there was no reason for chang
| ing the site of the aJmshouse. He said
that no report of the necessity of such
change had ever been made by the Com
missioners to Congress. Neither had there
| been such report from The intendent OF
the Washington Asylum or from the
Board of Charities. MIR. Classic intimated
that the animus of The change was in
spired by certain property holders in the
eastern section of the city who wanted
the buildings of the Washington Asylum
removed, and that this was the entering
wedge of the movement to foist upon
/ other sections of the District what they
| do not want themselves.
Mr. Classic entered into the question of
the inaccessibility OF the proposed change
of location. Granting. he said the neces-
| sity for change, the site suggested for
| the change is a very poor one. He Ghowsd
that there is no means OF transporting
paupers from the city to this To-
cality except by water. and he spoke
| of the objections to this mode, ewing
| to the cold and incement weather of
| portion OF the year. The attorney spoke
also of the malarial influences at work
|
declared that the proposed site was in
the mosquito and malarial breeding sec
zion. To add to she general unhealthful-
ness of the locality, he said, the District
proposes 10 have sewer outlet at Mag
azine Point which win further vitiate
the air of the region. Mr. Classic desig-
mated the site chosen as a lodge in the
| wilderness which the Commissioners
have chosen for the home of paupcrs.
Robert Cook spoke TOR property holders
in the vicinity, and stated his impression
that the location of the almshouse on BALD
Eagle Hin would give al permanent set
back to the improvement of the section.
He said the residents in the locality OBJ
| ject to the presence of the institution,
because ii win tend to DECREASE the value
/ of their property.
At this point in the hearing there was
! some ntSGhESitlll bl WHAT sLbhHllAuLtu lilt
dividing line between the malariaI and
the healthy sections Of the southeast por-
tions of the District. Nc one seemed to
be able to place it, and It was finally
agreed that the malariaI section proper
was in the vicinity of the Anacostia
River, together with a small portion OF
the Potomac farther down
Daniel orc. Callaghan entered into an
/ argument against the use OF the site mem
toned on the ground that ii would injure
| property interests there. He suggested
the purchase of site adjacent 10 the
Reform School, which would be next to
| public reserN atoms, and not open to the
| bJectlons attaching to the site on Bald
| Eagle Hill. Mr.. Calaghau raised the
! question that the Commissioners could
| not abandon the present site of the aims
| house without special legislation from
| Congress To prove this proposition, Mr.
! Caliaghan gave a history Of the occu-
| patton OF the site where the almshouse
| now is, and showed that the land was
ceded by the United States to the Dis
tfict for the specific purpose Of building
! upon it an almshouse, and afterward OF
| the workhouse.
AR Callaghan went into the agreement
made by the board for the purchase of the
| property in Belle View He showed that
the contract had not gone beyond the
pre- iiminary stage, and that 1t could Oc
revoked
| Mr. Richardson resident Of the local
| lily, declared that the sire was not an
unhealthy one, and presented the follow
/ ing letter from Henry l.. 'Ifeisler, in favor
| Of the location OF the alTn9house upon the
site proposed.
i desire to congratulate you upon your
! magnificent bargain in the purchase of
| the Bald Eagle property. at Shepherd s
J Landing. The wisdom Of the Commission
ers in securing this large acreage will be
/ commended in the future as more
healthy section could not be found in the
| District o. Columbia. It is. several miles
south of the Eastern Branch, and, there
| fore, free from the malaria of that sec
| tion. In way should Tits section be
included in reports of the bad health near
/ the Eastern Branch.
Il own large tract Of land quite near
| the property that you have bought which
| value at $500 an acre, and / consider
your purchase as one Of the best bar
| gains ever made in the District of Co
! lumbia, and 1 think 1t VIII benefit the
| entire section, as il practically ensures
| the construction of the much-needed
| South Capitol Street bridge.
! II call the attention Of the Commission
ers to the healthy and robust appearance
of the opponents as an evidence of the
| good health Of the locality"
| Mr.. A +. Randle was one of the strong
est advocates of the Shepherds Point site
| Heights. believing that its presence there
| would be Objectionable. 1t is said that
! five sites in Congress Heights We're Of
| fered to the Commissioners. The new in
! stitution will be located on the line of the
| proposed South Capitol Street bridge.
| which practically ensures the building Of
| that structure.
| Commissioner Macfariand, at the close
| Of the hearing stated that while the va
rious arguments had been ably stated, no
| new question had been raised. He said
/ the Commissioners had been over the
whole question, and had considered every
point The Commissioner stated that the
present site Of the almshOuse, the site
| suggested by Mr.. Callaghan as well as
| the site near the Government Hospital
| for the Insane. Were on the banks Of the
| Eastern Branch. while the site purchased
was about six miles below.
| The Attorney for the District, A n.
| Duvall, has forwarded to the Commits
| sioners an opinion relative to the appIi-
cation Of the Postal Telegraph Cable
| Company for permit to string one wire
| from the Chesapeake and Potomac Com
| panys poles on North Capitol Street, he
tween and c Streets, by the way Of
Renning Road, to the factory of the
| Standard Butterine Company, at Lang
| don. The matter was referred to the
| plication was within the purview of the
national telegraph act of 1885.
Attorney Duvan stated that, in response
to enquiry as to whether it was the
| purpose OF the company to establish Il
| public station at the butterine factory,
| the company informed him that such was
| its purpose. with view to handling the
| general telegraph business in Langdon.
| If the application was to connect the
premises OF the buttarine company, for
| its private purposes, with the overhead
| wires of the applicant, Mr.. Duvall says
| there would be very grave doubt whether
| It was within the national telegraph act
s.F. h.. h..