Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-24
THE BALL PARK POND.
The Owners of the Property Are Abat.
ing the Nuisance.

To the Editor of The Evening Star:
Ny attention has been called to an article
which appears upon the fifth page of your
issue of July %, headed. "A Standing MUS
ance." With no desire to enter into news
paper controversy, l desire to furnish The
Star and it's readers with information as to
the owners of the pond near the base ball
grounds. The old Washington Brick Com
pany. incorporated under the laws of the
District Of Columbia, own tract lying be-
tween Florida avenue, Bladensburg road
and Trinidad avenue, upon which this pond
is located, having a clear title to some
2.50O000 square feet of ground This ground
is not graded as a thoroughfare for vehicles
or foot passengers The low ground where
the pond is is a public dump in charge of an
officer Of the District. The company l rep
resent has done everything in its power to
drain and keep drained this excavation until
such time as 1t can be hlied and have
sought to prevent the use Of the pond for
skating in winter, or swimming, boating or
fishing in summer.
Please give the same prominence to this
statement and the accompanying letters
(being our appeal to the Commissioners of
the District and the reply of the Engineer
Commissioner that you did on Tuesday
last to the article attacking the unknown
owners of this property. That who owned
the property could not be ascertained with
the least possible effort, is, to say the least
surprising, in view of the fact that every
map published for many years and the plat
books Of District property show the own
ership.
The officers responsible for the manage
ment of the company are: T. l.. Holbrook
president; Chas j. Bell, vice president; E.
L. White, treasurer; VIM. F. Mattingly
secretary. and Nathaniel Wilson, D. S. Ev-
ans and NJ. F. Tally, trustees.
Through the practical completion of our
sewer, upon which we have already ex-
pended over $1,000. the water in the pond
complained of had been drained off some ten
feet on the date of your article, and since
has been steadily running ten-inch stream
through the newly-constructed sewer.
T L. HOLBROOK,
President the Washington, Brick Company.
OF the letters mentioned by Mr.. Holbrook
one is addressed by him to the District
Commissioners under date of April o, as
follows:
Il respectfully ask that through the
sewer division of the engineer department
l may be furnished with the information
necessary to enable the Washington Brick
Company to construct the necessary sewer
to drain the deep excavation NOW public
Dump on the property of the company ly-
ing about 800 feet north of Florida avenue
northeast, near its connection with
Bladensburg road and that a permit be
granted the company to construct such
sewer at our own expense of course, pro-
Vided the sewer department find 1t possible
to drain the surface water which accumu-
lateS in the excavation above referred to
into either of the sewers in Florida avenue
in front of our property; also that an APP
proXimate estimate of the cost of such a
sewer be furnished us a guidance to us
in contra citing for the same.
My company is seriously embarrassed by
the fact that unless We can be permitted to
construct a sewer to drain this excavation
the large body of stagnant water will, dur
ing the hot months in the summer, I'M
doubleday create a nuisance, which We
shall be unable to abate
Prompt action in connection with this
matter will be esteemed a personal favor.
In reply Engineer Commissioner Biddle
wrote under date of April &c. as follows, to
Mr.. Holbrook:
The pond referred to cannot be COM
pletely drained by any of the sewers adj
jacent to the property. 1t may be drained,
however to an elevation of about six feet
above the bottom of the pond, and a per-
nit will be granted for the construction of
drain ten inches in diameter connecting
with the boundary sewer, as indicated on
the accompanying plan. The portion of the
drain in Florida avenue would have to be
constructed under the inspection of the
sewer department, the cost of which is es-
timated at $50, which would have to be de-
posted in advance Of the issue of the per-
NIT deposit slip inclosed) The estimated
cost of constructing the drain is as fol-
lows:
Eighteen hundred and fifty cubic yards
ordinary excavation, 81 ,4SO; eXcavating ma
sonry Of boundary sewer and repairing
same, SIG; 615 feet ten-inch sewer pipe laid,
$405;. inspection 500 total 81 OIL"