Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-03-31
DUMPING TO CEASE
Order Prohibits Dissertation OF
Rock Creek Valley.
is VIOLATION OF LAW
Lieut.. Col. Langitt of Engineer
Corps Takes Decided Step.
PROVIDES SEVERE PENALTY
Federal Statute Governing Rivers
and Harbors Carries Fine and
Imprisonment.
lis VIOLATION OF LAW
PROVIDES SEVERE PENALTY

Declaring that the pollution of Rock
creek and the effacing Of all beauty and
natural lines by the piling up Of noun
tains of ashes al the dump just below I'D
and p streets is an offense against the
federal statute governing rivers and har-
bors. Lieut.. Col. W. c. Langfitt. Corps OF
Engineers. L. S. A. today issued a no.
tice calling for this desecration to cease
at once. the offenders to be dealt with
by the Department Of Justice IN case Of
more violations.
The punshments to which the notice
calls attention range from 500 to $500
in fines and Imprisonment of from thirty
days to a year.
Col. Langfitt's notice is a simple copy
Of sections Is and 16 Of the law for the
protection and preservation Of the navi-
gable waters of the United States in
the river and harbor act of March s.
1899. Rock Creek is included because it
is tributary of a navigable stream, the
Potomac river. No comment is made on
the extract, with this exception, referring
to dumping of ashes:
This practice shall cease, and any
parties found dumping material on these
banks will be reported to the Department
of Justice as violating the law"
Banks as Dumping Ground.
James w. Bean, 4th and NJ streets
northeast, is the contractor now handling
the collection and disposal Of District
ashes He is using the Rock creek banks
as dumping fround for tons OF ashes
daily and the notice hits him harder than
any one else. In fact, 1t is supposed at
the District building that he is the only
person dumping anything at all on the
banks of the stream.
Mr. Bean told a reporter for The Star
that no notice from Col. Langf1tt mad
been referred to him. When the notice
and the extracts of the laws had been
read to Mr.. Bean he said:
THAT is news to me. The District Com.
! missionerS have already ordered me te
stop dumping ashes on the Rock Creek
dump by April ID. / pay the District
| sum yearly for the privilege of using that
dump and do not know the United States
in the transaction at all. l do not know
where L will dump ashes ii have to stoI
| using the Rock Creek dump right away.
Capt. Mark Brooke, assistant engineer
commissioner, and j. w. Paxton, superfn
| tendent Of street cleaning, were both yer,
much interested in the notice from Col
Langfitt, although both of them said thai
the District Of Columbia had nothing Il
do with the matter. \
Already Ordered to Stop.
"The Commissioners have ordered the
contractor to stop dumping on that dump
by April L." said Mr.. Paxton. He allows
US rebate on his contract price for the
privilege of using public dump. and now
we have declared it will be no longer a
public dump. Where he will dump now
we don't know. That is up to- him. There
are a lot of public dumps. or so-called
public dumps. But, at any rate. the mat
ter is up to him.
Il have told him to be careful about
letting his ashes or cans or anything al
all roll into the water Of the creek.
have told him that his men would have
to rake the stuff out in case 1t did fall
into the water. Beyond that. and the or
dering that the dump be closed as a
public dump April Il, the District has
no interest in the matter"
Copies of the sections sent out by Col
Langfitt prohibit the throwing of any
thing at all. whether it be dirt, ashes,
rubbish, mill refuse or cans, anywhere
along the creek where it is in danger OF
being washed into the water. either by
ordinary tide high tide. wind, storms
melting snow OF any other cause. The
fine for violating the law is heavy one
and half the fine shall be paid to the per.
son or persons giving information that
will lead to arrest.