Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-01
PETITION TO SECRETARY OF WAN
BY CITIZENS.
Want Fire Protection for Their Prop
erty-Representative Rixey to
Present It.


the District OF Columbia.
The United States has title to and oc-
cupies one-fifteenth of the land of the
&C unity. the petition declares. This prop
erty consists of the Arlington estate of
LILO acres, used as a national cemetery
and as cavalry school and signal corps
post and as an experimental farm under
the Department of Agriculture. 1t also has
tract OF seven acres adjoining the south
end of the Aqueduct bridge, acquired for
approaches to the bridge and used as a
site for pumping station for a water sup
ply for Fort Myer and Arlington. Connect
ing this pumping station and the Arlington
reservation is a line of cast iron water
main running under the east public road
way to Arlington for over a mile.
Continuing, the petition is as follows:
Property Unprotected.
THE United States pays nothing as taxes
and makes no contribution to the expense
of policing the county, maintaining the
highways public schools as it does In
the District of Columbia, save only that
1t maintains one of the public roads from
the Aqueduct bridge to the Arlington res
ervatlon, and the condition of this public
highway for 500 feet or more through the
seven-acre tract of land owned by the
United States and acquired expressly for
approaches to the bridge is such that 1t
would be discredtable to the primitive and
We, however, do not wish to unduly re-
fleet upon the officer of the army to whom
is assigned the duty of maintaining this
road. He doubtless has plans under con-
sideration for its Improvement
Further, we invite your attention to the
entire absence of fire protection along the
public highway where the United States
has been granted by the county authorities
unrestricted permission to construct a
water main; also to the large amount of
corporate and private property for which
some means to eXtinguish fires is desirable
from standpoint of public welfare:
''Rosslyn Connecting Railroad Com
pany. freight warehouses, cars.
etc. Observation-Disclosures. S2O,tOO
washington. Arlington and Falls
Church Railway Co.. barn, pas
senger station, cars, etc.......... 20Wo
"Raeburn-Garner Coal Co., stables,
coal pockets, office. 10000
Columbia Oil Co., oil tanks, offices,
stables OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. loOoO
"NicOai Oil Co., oil tanks, offices,
etc. Observation-Disclosures. 1000
"Rosslyn Brick Co, sheds and ma
chine shops ................ 1900
stone dwellings private. 1UUOU
"Rosslyn Packing Co, 400 feet dis
tant ................... 2UoUu
Arlington Brewing Co., COO feet
distant Observation-Disclosures. 100000
Total =. .SZiZ,Uoo
"a few years ago a fire destroyed the
Rosslyn freight house of the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company and contents and sew
eral freight cars. fire plug might have
reduced this loss by 5000.
LAS matter of public utility and hui
mainly there is needed in Rosslyn a pub
lie water place for horses.
"As there are no licensed places for the
sale of intoxicating beverages in Alex
andria county at present it becomes de-
sirable also from the standpoint Of tenn
perance advocates and upon grounds of
humanity and general public utility as
Itch, J, -I,G.,,
drinking fountain in Rosslyn so that the
soldiers from Fort Myer and citizens gen.
orally, in addition to horses may have
an available water supply.
What is Asked.
TN view of the above conditions, re-
speeding which we trust your department
will confirm our statements by full in
vestigation and report, we respectfully
petition that your department viii con-
struct or permit to be constructed in the
public highway, in connection with the
said water main:
"One watering trough for horses
"One hydrant or drinking fountain,
six fire plugs, provided with three noz-
zles each, suitable for District of Column
ba fire engines.
That the cost of this construction shall
be paid or deposited in cash in advance
of construction to the officer of your de-
partment authorized to execute said work
by the county of Alexandria or by the
citizens or corporations interested.
IF upon investigation you deem 1t APP
propriate to order any Improvement of
the public highway from the AQueduct
bridge to the east or front gates of the
Arlington national cemetery under which
the said main extends such work viii be
most welcome to every citizen who drives
to or from Arlington by this route.
1T may be claimed, on the other hand, by
hair splitters upon the question of the law
full use of public property that the United
States government is not bencticially in
terested in fire safeguards along a public
street, where it has constructed out of pub
lie funds a water main, yet it cannot be
contended that a watering place for horses
or a public hydrant or fire plugs in public
streets can be construed to be private
use of either the water or the water sup
piled thereby"
The Signers
This petition is signed by the following
individuals and firms:
Columbia Oil Company, P. Campbell man
ager; Robert A. Phillips, ]. R. Cation, C.
F. Gill. director; A. S. Worthington. VIM.
II. Palmer, sheriff; Arlington Brewing Com
pany, Rosslyn Packing Company; George
w. Wise, F. Baker Weaver, the Rosslyn
Connecting Railroad Company Joseph
Crawford, general agent; Rosslyn Brick
Company, Z. r. Haight, secretary; f. p.
b. Saul. trustee: Great Falls and Old Do
miniQn Railroad Company, j. Harris Frank
lin, secretary; the Allegheny Company, ].
M. Burrell, secretary and treasurer; Wash
ington, Alexandria and Mount Vernon Rail-
way Company, J. Covin, superintendent;
Raeburn Garner Coal Company. James S.
Raeburn. president; the National OIL Com
pany, d. S. Nicolai proprietor; Rosslyn
Development Company. Park Agnew, presi
dent.
The petition Is to be presented by Repre-
sentative Rixey of the eighth Virginia dis
trict at such time as may be agreed upon.