Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-15
COMMENT ON REGULATION FOB
WALL vERIFICATION.
Reference to Lack Of Elasticity. In
Means Upon Which Office
Depends.

Inc table Oh WOfk dCColApAiS11SO W eAfo
surveyors office during the year shows 445
more surveys than in the preceding twelve
months. or an increase OF about ~ per
cent This was DUE" says Mr.. LOCKER,
"to the demand for verifcation of walls
during very heavy building season. so
heavy being the demand as to make i'm
perative from July 1 last ION the new fiscal
year, the performance of this duty by one
particular field party, organized in addt-
ton to the regular field force.
1.-The working of this party for the month
of July past shows conclusively the pro-
priety Of this Improvement. This party
should consist of an inspector and two as
sistants with firSt-clasS transportation, at
least for the buster part of the building
season. the present arrangement with one
assistant and the utterly unsatisfactory and
expensive use of street cars being mere
makeshift; but even SO very great rene1
to the overburdened field force and means
of securing wall veridcation within the
limited time which the nature OF the work
allows. When mechanics are lost by con-
tractors because of delays caused by this
office the wall verifcadon regulation does
perhaps as much harm as good.
Approves Regulation.
st have every reason now to regard the
regulation as valuable one, and its en-
tire success as dependent on proper facili-
ties in this Office for prompt attention to
all demands that may be made. No case
should stand unanswered for over twenty
four hours. The good effect is obvious in
the security now obtained by owners. archi-
tectS and contractors, the revision OF the
WORK of masOns, bricklayers and carpen-
tiers constituting practically form OF in
surance The fee charged for this service
($1 per bulding) is now a nominal one. and
does not meet the expense OF the Held and
office work involved.
1.-The necessity for this veri1cation Is
seen in the very large number of cases
where walls are found to be beyond the
! limit of allowed error. and are encroaching
either upon public highways or upon
neighbor's land. No authority Is as
sumed by this office to order removal
of erroneous wall, or even the
stoppage of work thereon. the policy being
In all cases to simply report the situation
as found at once to the building inspector.
at the same time. of course. informing the
superintendent of construction on the
ground of the amount Of error, and that
unless change be made to true lines no
certificate as to accuracy will be made. In
practice difficulty Is experienced. me-
chanics almost invariably at once accepting
the situation and voluntarily and cheer
fully correcting errors In fact. the Wash
ington mechanics show strong tendency
to take pride in their layout of the walls
Of a building or block. and the improve
ment in this kind Of work is very noticeable
SLICE the luStllutlOH u Lie SySlcm
The Party Walls.
Difficulties would be greatly eliminated
from this inspection work, and chances of
error on the part of builders would be
greatly reduced, were a rule in force as to
party walls, requiring walls purporting to
be party walls to be centered upon division
lines between lots, the amount of land
taken from a lot adjoining the one built
upon, Of course. never exceeding the nine
inches allowed in the case of eighteen
inch wall The alternative would then be
presented in very simple form Of centertng
upon the line or keeping the outer face
within the lot or flush with the line. This
Is matter out Of the province Of this
Office, of course. and one for the considera-
ton of the building inspector and the Com
missioners exclusively.
Il merely state facts, developed by
this new system. which shows many in
stances of outer or end walls Of blocks of
buildings to be neither one thing nor the
other. l. e., neither centered on division
lines nor wholly within the outer lot line,
and consequently diminishing the available
space Of the adjoining lot. without provid-
Ing the complete half wall apparently con-
templated by the building regulation es-
tablished under the authority of the first
President, payment for use Of which is pro-
vided for in subsequent legislation. Failure
to center on the line compels naturally
readjustment of the division line by pur-
chase or agreement or the placing of a
building on parts OF two lots, which causes
much needless confusion In transfers OF
title, and In the records Of the assessors
Office, and needless expense to one Or both
OF the adjoining owners, caused By sur
veys found absolutely essential to deer
mine where the centerS of such end walls
actually are
Pending any changes Of regulations in
this particular. this office Is securing and
recording. IN the ordinary course IF wall
Two hn nlafs
lines OF the centers OF such end walls as
have been built since March l. 1902 a.
which date the system of wall inspection
was initiated. 1t has come to my knowl-
edge, while on my vacation recently that
In Toronto. Canada. city which from the
standpoint Of municipal administratfo ton
seems TO me to be. in many ways, a model
one. strong demand Is arising for greater
care IN public control Of location of new
walls.
There is an increase OF f1fty-two subdivi-
sions prepared and duplicated for the as
SCISSORS Office. or II per cent. adding 104
more separate pats to the total for the
year. the recording of many being still de-
iayed.
There Is an increase of I66 or q Der
cent, in the number of plats of lots made
to accompany applications for building per-
mfts. These are now made gratuitously for
the public. the advantage to the building
ONCE in point of cIearness Of intention Of
builders being thought so considerable as to
onset the value OF the draughting work.
though the latter Is annoying in being
something requiring Immediate attention SO
as to facilitate the paper work of building
operations. The draughting force being
very limited. this special item constantly
interferes with regular current work
There Is q heavy decrease, about 40 per
cent. In the number OF plats and parts of
plats prepared preliminary to seryeys. dine
to the very large amount Of this lind of
work done In recent years and now avail
able. slight additions to existing piats be
ing. In many cases. all that Is found neces
sary. This La al It should be- az the work
II always done with view to future usa a
steady Offset to this gain lies In tina con-
slant wearing out, from long use, OF the
old working plats Of squares. made pre-
v1ous to 1895. when the ONCE had not been
reorganized. and there was 80 little oppor-
tunlty to renew the plats OF survey In a
general and systematic way.
Strain on Draughting Force.
There Is an increase Of 200, or about
per cent. in the total Of plats of all kinds
made for the public and for the District.
The total this year ia b,4a1, which is Sig
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