Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-10
CONDITION OF 18th ST
MATTER OF GRADING SCHNEIDER
TRACT IN DISPUTE.
Recommendation by Commissioner
Biddle, With View of Disposing
Of the Question.

In reference to the assertion that the un-
graded condition of the sidewalk on 18th
street, along the the Schneider tract. which
is part Of the grounds of the Garfield Hos
pital Is not only a disgraceful sight, but
that it makes walking difficult, and the
suggestion of the District Commissioners
that the hospital authorities should make
a proper grade, the latter 1t is declared,
refuse to do so. The president of the Gar
field Memorial Hospital several days ago
made a statement to the Commissioners
that the hospital authorities do not feel 1t
incumbent upon them to expend more than
$1,000 for the grading of the Schneider
tract on 18th street
Commissioner BiddIe. to whom the mat
ter was referred made a motion with
view Of disposing of the matter. He says:
1.-The circumstances. as l understand
them from the records in the Office and the
inclosed correspondence from the president
of Garfield Memorial Hospital. under date
Of December q, 1908. are as follows:
I'm the sundry civil appropriation act, ap-
proved June %. 1902. an appropriation was
made for the purchase Of land belonging to
the heirs Of NJ. H. Schneider. adjoining
Garfield Memorial Hospital Hospital land
on the west from the boundary street back
to Clifton street. containing about $1,000
square feet, and the sum of $4,000 was ap-
propriated. one-half of which was payable
other half by the United States.
Two Provisions.
'.There were two provisions In the appro-
priation: one. that the land should be graded
by the present owners to an elevation salts
factory to the trustees of the Garfield Me-
mortal Hospital and. two. that the District
of Columbia should assume all special as
sessments pending against said land These
fs Cd fo SSA0
This was liberal amount to be paid for
land, especially when it is taken into con-
sideration that if it were used for any other
than hospital purposes 1t would have been
necessary to grade 1t down very much. as
has been done with similarly situated prop
erty on the opposite side of 18th street. 1t
was probably for this reason that the act
making the appropriation required that the
property should be graded by the owners to
an elevation satisfactory to the trustees of
the hospital before the money could be paid.
Exactly how much grading was intended to
be done Is not known by this office, but 1t
is thought that at least such slope should
be given to the sides of the land as would
keep 1t from falling into the street. 1t is
customary for property owners to bring
their own property to grade and in doing so
to also grade the parking space lying be-
tween the property and the public highway.
That such practice was understood as well
by the hospital authorities Is shown by the
fact that Mr.. A. P. Clark who represented
them, came to this office to ascertain the
opinion of the Commissioners. The only
evidence Of any opinion being given him
was in letter to him from this office dated
October g. 1902. which gives a plan for
grading the slope, which was with a grade
of one foot rise to every two feet horizontal,
beginning at the back edge of the sidewalk.
Plan Not Satisfactory.
"This plan was not satisfactory to the
hospital authorities, for the reason that it
would have taken away some of the land
available for building purposes. The hos
pital authorities, therefore, decided to
slope it up only for a certain distance and
then build a retaining wall. Whether this
was ever approved by the Commissioners
I do not know, but there is no record to
that effect.
Having decided to build this wall the
hospital authorities only reserved enough
funds to do what grading was necessary In
their opinion for the Duilding of the wall.
but they made provision for building
the wall itself. AS the only record In this
office referring to the matter provides
plan for the grading the cost of doing the
grading under the plans should have been
taken from the purchase money, and ii
does not seem to me that it is the duty
of the Commissioners to take steps to have
the wall built, but that such action should
ba taken by the hospital authorities. The
Commissioners would. of course, assist In
every possible way to improve the very
but believe, under all the circumstances of
the case that 1t Is the duty OF the hos
pital authorities to see that the wall Is
built, II that Is their plan, or to see that
the slope 10 properly graded. II the Com