Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-01
DISTRICT GOVERNMENT
COMMISSIONERS REAPPOINTED-
MUNICIPAL IMPROVEMENT.

M ONlClPAL LIN l..
Notable among the events in the District
government during the past year We're the
reappointments of Henry B. F. Mcfarland
and Henry l.. West as District Commits
sioners to serve three years each, at the
conclusion of which the former will have
served three consecutive terms Hopewell
II. Darmeille, after serving as assessor of
the District for eight years, resigned, and
w. w. Griffin. who for many years was
member of the permanent board of assist
ant assessors. was promoted to the assess
orship. Albert A. Wilson was appointed
to succeed Griffin.
About 10 per cent of the total work on
the union station. the railroad terminals
and the railroad yards north of Florida
avenue has been completed. In connection
with the finishing of the new station the old
9th street station of the Pennsylvania rail-
road will be abandoned, probably next
summer. The Virginia avenue tunnel is
finished and now In use and tracks are be-
ing laid in the list street tunnel.
Proceedings to ascertain the damages to
private property due to changes in grades
incident to construction of the union sta
ton and approaches. are in progress Up
$134. O156 were made
Wonderful progress was made on the
construction of the new District building,
and october l 80 per cent of the contract
for the construction had been completed.
1t is expected in two years the District
government will move to it's new quarters.
Another notable public Improvement of
the year is the sewage disposal station
which is practically finished. This station
will solve the question of the disposal of
the city's sewage
The District Commissioners spent during
the year about S2S5.O0O for paving new
streets and repairing and repaving old ones
within the city limits. More than $50 900
was expended in the construction and re-
pair of suburban streets and county roads
outside of the city proper Owing to the
limitations upon the price to be paid for
sheet asphalt pavement. contained in the
District appropriation act for the last ts-
cal year. the officials of the engineer depart
ment found it impossible to get suitable
! bids for laying the pavements On account
of the high price now asked for sheet as
phalt pavement the Commissioners have
presented to the present session of Congress
plan for establishing municipal asphalt
plant
Another great public project, which is
nearing completion, is the Connecticut
Avenue bridge. crossing Rock creek The
work vet to be done consists of providing
ratings. lamp posts, pedestals, curbng,
sidewalks and roadways.
Work is progressing at the Anacostia
bridge Pier No. l has been constructed
above high water, and piers 3 and 4, to
low water.
Plans are being prepared by the engineer
office for plate girder bridge over Rock
creek on the line of X street for which
$4,000 was appropriated by the last Con-
gress. The $4,000 bridge over Piney branch
on the line of 10th street is nearing COM
pletion.
More than 5000, coo was expended in the
last year for laying sidewalks and paving
10y 'I,n o. l.
during the past year from about 80 cents a
square yard to lib
An important work inaugurated by the
surveyors office within the year was the
preparation of maps for designating par
GELS of land for the purpose of assessment
and taxation. This work required the ex-
animation of titles in about 10000 cases
The fees of the surveyors office amounted
TO Sl6Ot4O More than 5000 trees were
planted by the superintendent of parking
during the year, an increase of AT over the
previous year and / ,326 trees removed At
the present time there are 81 ,243 trees in
the streets The cost of caring for the trees
was $4,000. Next year il is expected to
cost $1,000. About sixteen miles of main
ana pipe sewers were laid within the wear
The totai length of sewers in the District
on June 30 last was 4S42J miles and the
grand aggregate cost of the system was
Sli,S3I,2iS.3i. Within the next wear 500 nn
more will be spent on the extension Of
suburban sewers and water mains. The two
Congress are under construction One 80
located above ground al the southwest cor
ner OF Pennsylvania avenue and eth street
northwest and the other below ground on
Pennsylvania avenue and 18th street north
west. Both will be open to the public with
in few weeks.
What was regarded rs an important inno-
Vat;On in District affairs was the com
mencement of installing water meters in
! houses, 100000 being appropriated for this
PROJECT by the last Congress. About 24CO
meters have been installed already. and
next year 1000 more Will be ADDED THE
improvement marks a step toward comneU~
ing the economical use of the city's water.
The Commissioners ordered that meters he
placed in all buildings under the super
vision OF the District government. Another
| important change in the water department
was the increasing of the water rates about
- per cent For dwellings the rate was
advanced last July to $50 year from
$40. II is estimated this increase will
make the annual revenue of the department
about SiJ30J9 or per capita rate of 81 Al
1 During the year 1855 additional buildings
| were connected with the public water sys-
TEN. making the total number of buildings
! so connected 2J3 936. The water registrars
! statistics show there is a leakage of water
J In one out of every five houses. In their
annual report to Congress the Commissions
ers repeated their suggestion to have the
| Washington aCucduct and the filtration
plant transferred to their supervision.
| 1t was thought by all interested in the
| project and especially by the District health
office that when the citys water supply
was run through the filtration plant the
prevalence of typhoid fever in the District
would be reduced considerably, but the sta
tistics of the health Office for the past
year show an increase in this disease Dur
| ing the year .03I cases We're reported and
142 deaths resulted. August was the worst
month for the disease. Dos cases being re-
ported. The specialists of the pubic health
and marine hospital service were appealed
to- and they instituted an investigation with
particular attention to meteorological anal
Uses of the water from public pumps and
wells. The result has not yet been reported
to The Commissioners. Secretary Wilson of
the Agricultural Department also interested
himself in the investigation.
Possibly one of the most notable laws en-
acted during the year In connection with
the health Office WAS that which reQ11la nj ed