Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-02-16
SNOW LAW A SUCCESS
Records of the District Show
Clean Sidewalks.
THE OFFICIAL FIGURES
ONLY FIFTY-NINE TRIALS IN
THE POLICE COURT.
Necessary Conclusion That Occupants
of Property Generally Comply
With Regulations.

Taking the official records of the govern
ment of the District of Columbia as a basis
1t would appear that the police regulations
regarding the removal of snow and ice from
the sidewalks of the city within the fire
limits, which were drawn UP by the cor
poration counsel ard approved by the Dis
trict Commissioners, have proved one grand
success.
The regulations which became effective
February recite. 1.-The tenant or occu-
pant of any building or lot of land, or III
case there shall be no tenant or occupant,
the owner of any building or lot of land,
fronting or abutting any paved sidewalk
within the fire limits of the District of Co
lumbia and in the case of any building or
lot of land owned by any corporation, joint
stock company or syndicate, the superin-
tendent, manager or other person in charge
or control of such building or lot of land
SHALL within the first four hours OF day
light after the ceasinS to fall OF any snow
cause the same to be removed from SUCH
sidewalk; and in case ice has formed upon
such sidewalk the tenant, occupant, oWhei'
Superintendent, manager or other person III
charge or control of such building or lot Oh
land as above set forth, shall, WITHIN the
first four hours of daylight after the same
has formed, cause the same to be sprlnkieo
with ashes or some other suitable sub
stance
1t is also provided that ANY violation OF
any of the provisions of this regulation sinai
subject the person so offending TO me OIL
not more than So, and in default of the pay
ment of such fine to imprisonment in the
workhouse of the District of Columbia Tor
not more than five days.
What the Records Show.
THE official records of the metropolitan
notice and of the Police Courts of the Dis
trict show that more than ninety-nlne per
cent of the property owners OF the Dis
trict and the entire United States govern
ment have obeyed the law to the letter,
said a prominent citizen who looked up the
records today to a Star reporter :,
such a statement may appear strange,
he continued but facts must speak Tor
themselves.
According to the records In the once
of the inspector of buildings for the DIS
trict of Columbia there are at pIe S ,no
standing in the District of Columbia 81, 429
houses, the large majority of which nave
pavements in front of them. In adoltlon
to this there are several thousand vacant
lots with paving in front Oh Inei 1 % " ne
still there are within the limits OF the
District 3O1 reservations owned by the gov
eminent of the United States, nearly al VI
which have sidewalks around them lhese
figures are official and cannot De oispu'eu'
Obedience to Regulations.
"Now to bear out my assertion that the
citizens must have lived up to the recently
promulgated snow and ice removal regula-
tions-else there must have been some I'M
lust discrimination on the part OF the po-
lice force of the District-let us take the
official figures of the Police Court of the
District The snow and Ice regulations pe-
came effective February T.. The nrst cases
nj alleged violation Of the regulations were
heard in the Police Court Saturday, Fep-
ruary II, when there were FIVE charges on
tho docket AS a result of these cases one
nerson was fined five dollars, one person
was dismissed and three others 1or1eiled
collateral amounting in the total 10 HFe
dollars.
Monday, February 10. there were twenty
cases. which resulted in four persons being
fined. one person dismissed and fifteen for
FIXTURES of collateral, amounting to s3o.
Tuesday February 10, there We're nineteen
cases, resulting in three persons being
fined s. each and sixteen forfeitures OF col
lateral amounting to $31. Yesterday there
were fifteen cases, with one hne OF % I'M
posed and fourteen torteltures ol cold'eiai'
amounting to 81.
..This makes a total of ffty-nine indiv1d-
nails hailed before the court, although II Is
a matter of official record that there are
nearly one hundred thousand ordlnary-slZed~
pavements in the District of Columbia.
1--WE find in The Star almost every day
records of persons being taken to the hos
pital for treatment for injuries received by
Slipping on icy paVementS. This reason
must be absolutely incorrect, for the official
records show that all but fifty-nine pave
ments have been cleaned Off and those per-
the law
I'm from Missouri. You must show me-"