Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-05-08
ENGLISH ORDINANCE MAY
CLOSE OLD DEATH TRAP
Cost of Dragging City Dock for
BOdies Has Exceeded Cost
OF Needed Fence.
FAILS TO OBEY ITS OWN LAW
City Ordinance Which Sought to Re.
quirc Fence When Property Was
Railroad Owned Ignored Since
Dock Became City Property.

An ordinance introduced in tho
last meeting of the Common Council
by Edgar r. English to appropriate
an amount sufficient to fence in AMI
surround with safeguards tho CITY
Dock Will come uu before the Finance
Committee In it's meeting tomorrow
afternoon.
For years tho City Dock has been ,
constant menace to life. and repeated
efforts have been made to have Tho
city fence in the waters so az to IRE.
vent an easily preventable wasta...
Coroner Taylor, whose duty has called
him innumerable times to the dock,
has made his appeal The matter was
sometin. ago brought up I'm the Adj
ministratlvc Board. but money for tho
plan was not appropriated. When the
dock was owned by railroad interests
the City Council passed an ordinance
requiring il to be fenced In. but since
the property has been acquired by the
city. no effort has been made to en-
force the ordinance.
Records will show that many human
derelicts have stumbled into the wa
ters OF the dock and been drowned
Men and women. LOO Of standing in
the city have also here met their
death. II is said that n fence, which
would have prevented people from
falling into the dock. could have been
built with tho money expended in
dragging the dock waters for bodies
9ut there has never been effort 70
safeguard the approaches, and an an
nual toll! OF life Is taken.
Councilman English has taken
deep personal interest in having tho
dock fenced in and no announced last
week that he would not give up the
fight until an appropriation had been
granted The Police Department is
| in strong support OF the movement. IA
c nrI ct,
frequently through many years. heen
called on to drag drowned people from
| the dock.
| If the appropriation Ia granted, the
| ordinance provides that the work shall
DC done under the supervision and Iii.
rection OF the Administrative Board
| WOULD RESTORE MEN
DISCHARGED UY GAS wORI<S
a resolution from the Administr,
| i've Board asking for an appropria.
| ton OF s62lS.52 Tor the pay roll of
| the Gas Department and for s36,aa5
| for extension and Improvement. VIII
| come up before the Finance Commit
tee Two weeks ago Superintendent
! W. Il. Knowles. Of the Gas Department
! sent an urgent appeal 10 the Admin
| istratlve Board asking for an increase
| in the appropriation for his depart
| ment With the appeal he sent formal
notification that nine men have been
| dropped from the pay roll and dis
charged from the force because OF an
. insuftciency OF funds, and that some Of
! the extension work had been discun-
s'nued. He called attention to the
stringent regulation laid down by the
! Finance Committee in drawing up the
| general appropriation ordinance which
! prohibits any departmental head, COM
mittce and tho Administrative BIard
| from exceeding the amount allotted
The paper was considered by the
board ana was forwarded TO the city
! Council
The Finance Committee will also
have under discussion a resolution in =
structing the city Attorney to acquire
Il right Of way through the properties
OF the Virginia Leather Company aud
claude r.. Sprcnk!c. South Richmond.
/ FOR the construction OF u sewer 10
Woodland Heights and Swansboro.