Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-14
Bull DING OPERATIONS
Report Of District Inspector
for Past Fiscal Year.
THE SHOWING MADE
VALUE OF CONSTRUCTION PLACED
AT $12,56s, $50.
Number of Permits Issued 1900
Number Of Permits Issued, 1902
Comparison With Previous Year
Inspectors Comments.

Building operations either completed dur
ing the fiscal year ended June 80 or planned
within that time and now in course of con-
struction were valued at ST.. 56S. $50. Au-
thority for such vast amount Of work re-
quired the issuance of 1892 permits by the
building inspector. During the year ended
June 30. 1904, the building operations were
valued at $13,Ol7.575. but the 100000 union
station was included in this total, SO that,
with 1t excluded, the real estate improve
ments undertaken in the year 1904-05 show
a healthy increase.
These statements bring out the salient
points in the annual report of Building In
spector Ashford. which was submitted to
the chief of his division Engineer Commits
sioner John Biddle, today.
Adding the 773 new buildings which were
brought into existence with the past fiscal
year, the building inspector estimates that
there are now 6s.197 buildings within the
District of Columbia. of which number A.
954 are brick and p .24S frame.
A fuller comparison of the last two years
shows that in 1905 there were permits is
sued for 773 new buildings. as against 1886
in 1904; Lit permits for repairs, as against
2,O17; 1.54S permits for dwellings, as against
1,144, and 60 permits for apartment houses,
against II.
Building in the County.
By far the greatest proportion OF the
building operations, in point of value, were
those In the county outside the city limits
the total amount of estimated expenditure
in this section being $o,S623OS, for ne"
buildings and repairs. Northwest Washing
ton came second with 81. 237.2 0o. and north
east third with s1.176,103. improvements 10
the extent of $717,511 in the southeast sec
ton and $516,0JS in the southwest, We're also
included In the list. Municipal buildings In
this grand total were the N. r. Gage
school, the Ludlow school, the Quarantine
building al Washington Asylum, No IL en-
CINE house and the annex to No. IL engine
house, all costing $1OS,1O2. Progress on
other municipal work was specified In the
report as follows: Business High School,
IS per cent completed: John w. Ross School.
10 per cent completed; Henry T. BLOW
School, As per cent completed: almsnouse,
Blue Plains, D. c., 30 per cent completed;
No IS engine house. Virginia avenue south
east, IS per cent completed, and east wing,
workhouse 5 per cent completed.
Since 1897, so Inspector Ashford declares.
the cost of the municipal building in the
District has increased from cents per GU
bic foot to Ii cents per cubic foot. the rea-
sons given being that both labor and mate
rails cost more than formerly, that more
extensive plumbing and heating plants are
being installed, and that of late years it
has been more and more the custom to tend
to the ornate in architectural treatment of
exter!ors.
lie ytdI y WoIh III tHe lllSpetlol Oiiitc
showed receipts aggregatlng s7,468, or
s., 1O1 more than in 1904.
Additional Inspector Needed.
After detailing the ever increasing amount
of work required of his assistants in order
to keep abreast of current business, and
stating the responsibility which weighs on
each man in case of accident death
where 1t cannot be shown that the utmost
carelessness has been displayed, Inspector.
Ashford asks the appointment of one addi-
tional assistant, whose duty it shall be to
keep constant watch over heating appa-
ratus. and the appointment Of an addi-
tional assistant in the permit division.
With the services of the inspector Of heat
ing apparatus 1t Is pointed out that many
houses would be saved from fire. More pay
Is also asked for the assistant inspectors
now in the employ of the District govern
ment, 1t being pointed out that one-third
of the experienced force was lost last year
because more fiattering offers were received
from outside sources for the same class of
work. Twelve hundred dollars, it Is thought,
would be more commensurate remunera-
ton for the inspectors.
Much stress is laid by Inspector Ashford
upon the necessity for enactment of a law.
which will restrict the operations of ire
sporsible or inexperienced architects and
builders. by making 1t compulsory for each
one to demonstrate his efficiency before
legally constituted board or commission.
Ventilation Discussed.
The building inspector also comments
upon the question of ventilation OF spaces
in buildings follows:
II beg to call attention to section 80 of
the building regulations relating to the
space reserved for light and ventilation
So-called air shafts are of very little prac-
teal value ventilators unless the lower
end Is connected with the horizontal pass
age to the open or public space. But this
section of the regulations has been grad
ually changed since first drafted by the
committee. who revised the regulations in
1897, until at present a cramped and crowd
ed condition of buildings Is possible. and
the lower stories Of houses may be made
dark and badly ventilated. This section of
the regulations has been most vigorously
attacked by the speculative builder on the
plea that 1t prevents the use Of property.
but think 1t makes good use Of 1t by af-
fordtng health and comfort for future gem
erations and preventing the spread of dead
ly disease by imposing safe distance for
the play OF sunlight between the bed room
of scarlet fever or diphtheria sufferer and
the windows Of his neighbors. I would re-
specially recommend that this section be
submitted to the representative medical
boards and societies for advice and re-
vision. The recent proposed regulations
submitted by committee Of representative
citizens was carefully considered and re-
turned to the Commissioners with recon-
mendations.
The five regular inspectors and three tenn
porary inspectors, Mr.. Ashford declares
cover sfxty-twO square miles of territory
The report of these assistants attached to
the building inspectors report shows that
during the year they made total Of 4O273
visits to new buildings and H. AL visits to
old buildings and that they averaged near
ly 100 inspections each.
Political Clash in Cuba.