Evening star., 1925-02-15
BY CHAs. p. sHAEFFER.

time, but the present market for Rail-
way common. which is 100 proves the
good business judgment of the North
American interests.
Due largely to the fact that 80 per
cent of the North Americans system
is steam generated electric its output
is produced in the latest type of sta
fuel. new records for fuel economy
were established during the year.
For the entire United States, Govern
ment figures show % pounds of coal
were burned during 1924 for each
kilowatt hour of electricity produced.
Against this. the average for all the
North Americas stations was 1.S5.
The best record for the year was
made by the Lakeside plant in Mil
waukee which burned only 1.3o
pounds for each kilowatt of energy.
The saving in coal resulting from
the increased operating efficiency of
the North American system over the
average for the country amounted in
1924 to $4,000 tons. North American
added to it's system last year steam
electric generating installations with
a total capacity of $50 kilowatts,
bringing the aggregate up to $685.
kilowatts.
The functions of real estate title
insurance company present the most
serious, complicated and exacting
dealings in the history of real estate,
according to George o. Connor, vice
president of the District Title Insur-
ance Co. Further, Mr.. Connor states.
the estates and interests involved.
both present and future, exhibit the
most intricate of all questions known
to the legal profession.
A thorough knowledge of willis
trusts. mortgages, equities, bank
ruptcies, bills and notes, encyclope-
dfas of the law, not to mention re-
ports of the Supreme Court of the
United States and the District Court
of Appeals and Supreme Court, are
all necessary in the conduct OF tine
business. Familiarity with tables OF
land measurement and some knoWl-
edge Of surveying is also vital in
gredient in those who ply the TRACE.
Review City's History.
In tracing the work involved In
the examination of title py ms
company Mr.. Connor begins with the
history of Washington. Pursuant
to article 10. section s. Of the Con-
stitution," he says, land subsequent
acts OF Congress and the Leglsla
ture of the State of Maryland, the
present site was selected and the To-
cation directed by proclamation OF
George Washington. The orlsinai
proprietors of the tracts OF land em-
braced within the present limits OF
the City of Washington, entered into
an agreement, to convey all their
holdings to the United States upon
condition that the Government lay
ont the city into squares, lots, streets
and avenues and divide the lots SO
laid out with the original proprietors
In accordance with this agreement
deeds were made by the several own
ers and the division was made ana
the Government received 5,ooV acres
of the 100 acres comprising the en-
tire area of the city. The plan OF di-
vision was that the proprietors do
mated the land necessary for the
streets and it was generally under
stood at the time that in. view of the
extra ordinary generosity Of the pro-
prietors, that the private property
would never be taxed for the improve
ment of the streets. Instead of be-
ing benefited by the location or the
Federal City upon their lands, the
proprietors in nearly every case were re-
duced to poverty and forced into
bankruptcy This division between
the proprietors and the United States
is the conceded point of beginning
or starting point of land titles in the
District.
Roughly speaking. the land lying
between Florida avenue formerly
Boundary street,, Rock Creek, East
ern Branch and the Potomac River,
comprises the City of washington,
and the land included dn the city
limits was surveyed and divided by
streets and avenues into IL reserva-
tions and 1859 squares. The land
without the above boundary lines
was. for convenience, spoken OF as
being in the county or George
town.
In organizing the company, ex-
tracts were made of all conveyances,
and the land in the city was tabulated
according to lot and square, and that
in the County" in alphabetical ac-
cordance with the names of the
parties. tracts in the county" sub
divided into lots. were indexed in nu-
mercial order according to the lots
and squares. In addition, extracts
were made of all proceedings in the
clerks office of the District court,
having reference to all property and
persons affected by litigation.
Execution of Orders.
When an OTQeT 1OT cxdH1IHdliOl VI
title is executed 1t is turned over to
an employe, call ! a chairman, who
prepares what is known the Chain
of title" In examinations which are
new to the office, the chairman ascer-
tains the correct description of the
property, then sets out all the mat
ters affecting the title from the di-
vision of the city to the present time.
This proce eding requires great care
and technical knowledge on the part
of the chairman. His work is checked
by another chairman and sent to the
record office where the items in the
chain are compared with the official
records and such Irregularities and
legal defects in the record are noted
on the chain by the Offices exam
iners,. who are all duly qualified and
experienced members of the bar. The
chain is then placed in the hands of
1.-THE reviewers. who. taking note of all
o. =