Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-04
censes granted to date. 139; applications re-
tected, 10; applications pending. /. s.
Coroner's Office.

Coroner's Office.
The coroner reports that during the year
ending June 80. 1905 the number Of natural
| deaths was 401 violent deaths, 353; acci-
dental poisoning cases. 10; suicides. 63;
homicides committed in the District Of Co
iumbia, 20; homicides where the offense was
committed outside Of the District Of Column
pa, out the injured person died here. =.
iegal executions 1; autopsies in District
cases, %; autopsies in United States cases,
81; fnquests, 81: bodies received at the
morgue, sos: sun births. ISL; deaths from
| all causes. 995. The expenses OF the coro-
| ners ONCE. including all salaries. were
20. 66 and it is urged that stenographer
| De provided for this office, as nearly every
inquest emphasizes the need OF verbatim
| reports. The only record this office has OF
the proceedings is in long hand, always IN
complete and Of little value. Last year
$3.50 was paid for long-hand notes rms
sum would go far toward procuring the
stenographer, who could also assist as cor
responding clerk and bookkeeper.
Grade Crossings and Union Station.
About 20 per cent of the total work on
| the union station, the railroad terminals
| and the railroad yards north Of Florida
avenue has been completed. Ninety per
cent of the entire grading and masonry
| In connection with the work has been
completed and about 60 per cent Of the
work on the station building proper
Fifty per cent of the new trackage with
In the limits OF the terminal viaduct and
yards north Of Florida avenue including
the Baltimore and Ohio connection be-
tween Montello and Rhode Island avenue.
has also been completed - =
The connection of the PHILADELPHIA
| Washington and Baltimore railroad from
| Florida avenue to Magruder station is
completed, including the bridges over the
! B!adensburg road and Anacostia river.
The Rhode; Island avenue bridge will
| probably be completed about November
4 Is and the New York avenue bridge about
| the latter part of May, 1907. The LIST
street tunnel has been completed. and
tracks are being laid in it. The 9Th street
station of the Philadelphia, Baltimore and
| Washington railroad will probably be
aDandoned during the summer Of 1907.
| Inc Virginia avenue tunnel is completed
and in use, and all trains to the 9th sire 1t
| station pass through-it and over the VIA
Duct, the north part of which is COM
pleted from South Capitol street to Az
street 1T is expected that the entire work
| or 'constructing the south part of the via :
/ duct and the bridges over South Capitol
street, 1st street. Delaware avenue, I'd
| street. Sd street and Az street between
| these limits Will be completed by Decem
| Der l.
The freight station on the south side Of
| virginia avenue between Sd and Az
| streets is completed and in use.
! Good progress has been made in chang
F., ing the grade of streets in the vicinity
| OF the terminal work.
In the plaza and adjacent streets $50, 900
| cuplc yards of earth fill has been placed,
leaving about 100000 cubic yards more ,
be placed to make the changes required
Ihis cannot be done until the Baltimore
ana oh1o railroad abandons it's pre- sert
| station and the tracks leading thereto
| Engineer Department Report
Proceedings to ascertain the damages to
private property due to change of grade
In connection with the location of the
union station are in progress. and verdicts
have been rendered in a number of cases
UP to October 1. 1906. appraisements have
been made amounting to s134,O1566. These
grade damages we're confined to the terri
| tory covered by changes in the northeastern
section of the city At it's last session Con-
gress passed an act providing for the pay
! ment of damages due to change Of grade
| in the southeastern and southwestern sec
tons OF the city by reason of the -ellmina-
ton of grade crossings on the line of the
Philadelphia. Baltimore and Washington
| Railroad Company.
On October 1. 1906, so per cent of the con-
| tract for the construction of the District
building had been completed. All the work
| connected with the construction of the
| building has been contracted for. The stone
1 is being furnished by B. A. and G. ~ Will
liams Of New York. This includes base
1 of Blue Hill granite and a superstructure
of South Dover marble. The contract for
| erection was awarded to James L. Par
| sons of this city. The contract for
the architectural figures called for by the
| plans was awarded to Messrs. de Nestf and
Bairstow of Washington. D. c. 1t involves
the furnishing and erecting Of twenty-eight
| figures of eight varieties and also one group
over the main entrance. The contract for
the mechanical equipment was awarded to
| the Hanley & Casey Company of Chicago.
The building is being constructed unuer the
| supervision Of Maj Chester Haruln; Corps
! Of Engineers. United States ~rmy, assistant
| to the Engineer Commissioner, who was ap-
pointed by the President for that duty.
Various Municipal Improvements.
| About $685., 900 was spent during the year
for paving new streets and repairing and
repavng old ones within the city limits.
About $4,000 was expended in the con-
struction and repair Of suburban streets
and county roads outs de of the c ty proper
The price paid for sheet asphalt pavement
during the year was 81. 40 per square yard
| and for asphalt block pavement S164 per
| square yard. The standard specifications
| for laying sheet asphalt and asphalt block
pavements in the District of Columbia will
| be found as appendices to this report. Ow-
| ing to the limitation upon the price to be
paid for sheet asphalt pavement contained
! in the District appropriation act for the
present fiscal year it has been impossible
| to the present time to secure any bid for
laying the pavement within the price limit
ed A contract has. however, been let for
laying asphalt block pavement at S1.76 per
square yard on five-inch base, and SLIGO
per square yard on four-inch base.
| There are still a number of streets in the
city paved with granite block. The noise
| which they cause, and the objection people
| have to using them, make them a source
| of complaint both from residents and bust
| ness men. The latter state that the eX-
| istence of granite block pavement in front
| of their places of business causes trade to
| leave them and go to merchants located on
| streets paved with asphalt other smooth
| pavement. This Is believed to be fact,
and if it were not that provision is con-
| tanned in an act of Congress directing that
streets paved with these blocks shall not
| be paved or otherwise improved. the Com
missioners would recommend the replace
| ment Of all of these pavements with as
| phalt To do so would result in economy,
| as the block could be used in places where
| they would not be Objectionable and at a
| price which would make a saving to the
| District. This was done by special act of
| Congress in the case of 7th street north
| west from Pennsylvania avenue to New
| York avenue.
| On account of the high price now asked
for sheet asphalt pavement the Commits
sioners have presented to Congress a plan
| for establishing municipal asphalt plant.
The desirability Of such a plant is some-