Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-07-12
COL. CROMWELL ESTIMATES
STATEMENT BY SUPERINTEND-
EMIT OF BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS
Total Of 1857 $50 for Improvements
and Maintenance-Increa in
Pay Of Park Police.

Gen. Mackenzie chief of engineers has
received the annual report of Col. Brom-
we'll, the engineer officer in charge of pub
lie buildings and grounds, giving a detailed
account of operations during the past fiscal
year, nearly all Of which has been already
published in The Star. The principal Items
In the estimates for the next fiscal year are
as follows: Salaries Of employees, 49,, go;
Improvement and care of public grounds
SGT $50; improvement and care of executive
grounds, $43. 400; lighting executive grounds
s20,35O; lighting other public grounds, $500;
elevator, Washington Monument, ETC..
$11 $40.
Col. Bromwell has asked for an increase
In the pay of the park policemen and the
esta Adjustment Of three grades viz: Those
who have served less than three years to
receive $1SO per annum; those who have
served over three years and less than five
years, to receive 5000 per annum, and those
who have served over five years, to receive
$1,000 per annum.
The Washington park policeman, he
says, is probably the poorest paid man in
the United States who has police duty to
perform. His duties are more exacting, as
halr OF his duty hours are spent in caution
Ing people about violating the rules of the
park and in looking after children. He has
a uniform to buy once a year in order to
look neat; yet the pay of these policemen is
that the designation of these employees be
changed from park watchmen to park po-
Hcemen, as that designation indicates more
clearly the duties they perform
Purchase and Repair Of Bicycles.
Col. Cromwell has requested an increase
Of $500 in the appropriation for contingent
expenses. public buildings and grounds" for
use In the purchase and repair Of bicycles
and revolvers for the park police and the
purchase of ammunition.
1.-THE use of bicycles" he says "by those
members OF the force who have outlying
reservations, in addition to larger parks, to
patrol is found to add largely to their eff
ficiency, and it is desired to gradually in
crease the number Of bicycles used where it
can be done to advantage"
An item of $1,000 is submitted for the
care and maintenance Of the part of Po-
tonlac Park extending along the river side
between the Inlet to the tidal reservoir
and the foot of 26th street northwest.
The sum Of $500 is desired>to repair
the approaches and walks in judiciary
Park abutting the court house building
Col. Cromwell says the next step in the
Improvement of Potomac Park Is the con-
struction of a park roadway along it's
northern boundary on the line of street,
and he requests an appropriation of S14O,-
600 for that purpose. He says the plan
for the Improvement of Potomac Park
contemplateS making connection across
the inlet into the tidal reservoir between
the detached driveways along the river
side of the park and he requests the sum
of $4,000 to widen the Temptations and SUI
perstructure of the tidal gates at the inlet
in order that the riverside drive may be
carried acoss them.
THE road surrounding the Monument"
says Col. Cromwell, "is gravel road. The
hill on which the Monument Stands is
very windy spot, and during dry and windy
weather the air around the Monument is
filed with flying sand and gravel which is
painful and annoying to all within. This
annoyance can be remedied by paving the
roadway with asphalt, and an appropriation
of $500 for the purpose is recommended"
An estimate of $1,000 is submitted for the
repair of the United States wharf at Wake
field, Va, the birthplace of Washington.
Rebuilding Sea Wall.
By direction of the War Department an
estimate for rebuilding the sea wall along
that part of the Potomac river front be-
tween the arsenal wall and the southern
curb line of n street, south Is submitted.
The entire length of the front Is 1850 feet
and it is estimated that to rebuild the wall
of roughly squared stone laid in Portland
cement mortar will cost approximately $50
per linear foot of wall twelve feet high, or
say $4,000. The Naval Reserve of the
District Of Columbia and the lighthouse
board each occupy part of this front, and
in case it should be desired to rebuild the
wall only in front of the reservations oc-
cupied by those government departments. a
separate estimate is made for each reserva
ton.
The sum of $1,000 is asked for establish
ing and caring for and maintaining chill
dren's Fairgrounds on public reservations.
BY existing legislation the officer in charge
of public buildings and grounds is author
lied to grant the use of the public grounds
for children's Fairgrounds, but it Is SUBJ
mitted by him that permission to the
grounds for that purpose is not sufficient
49, ,Eoti hn oh hr 40
for their care, extension and renewals as
apparatus is worn out and broken. He says
that there is no other way in which
small amount of money can be expended
which would do more good or give greater
pleasure or result in more lasting benefit
than money appropriated and expended for
fitting up, caring for and maintaining chill
dren's Fairgrounds.