Evening star., 1932-11-20
Fifty Years Ago
In The Star

"The annual reports Of the District
engineer officers" says The Star Of No
Annual Report on are always al avs;
District Streets. i,tsrsst io9sea iOr OFT %lI cIn
by citizens of Washington. but by ml-
nicipal authorities and others In all
parts OF the country who have heard Of
the wonderful progress made, In the
way OF improving and beautifying the
National City and want to get practical
information how the thing had been
done. The annual report Of Lieut..
Greene to Engineer Commissioner Ly-
decker supplies an interesting budget Of
data upon the streets and roads Of the
District. 1t appears from his report
that during the past year, as during
years previous considerable portion
OF the expenditure for the streets has
been for the replacement OF the worth
less wooden pavements. During the
present fiscal year about los, 900 yards
will be replaced with durable pavements
and SIS, 900 yards have been temporarily
repaired with gravel. leaving 10000
yards-six niles-in an impossible con-
dition at the beginning of the next fiscal
year. The estimates for that year con-
template the replacement Of 1000
square yards, so that there will still
remain the considerable portion Of rot
ten wood to be replaced during the year
ending June 80, 1885, seven years from
the time the work was to be done. The
amount of wooden pavement originally
laid covered more than SO miles and
cost more than $4,000,0oo. One-third
of the expense was charged to the abut-
ting property, in addition to the gen.
eral taxes. The replacement has been
paid for from the current revenues,
without special assessment.
New work was done on the streets
last year to the amount OF $77,2l4.
This included granite block pavements
on portions Of Four -and-a-half street
and Virginia avenue, In the Southwest
ern section Of the city; asphalt pave
mentS on portions of Vermont avenue
and Thirteenth street, in the North
west. the grading of portions Of New
York avenue northeast and Eighteenth
and Twenty-second streets northwest
and the opening Of South Capitol
street to the river. Notwithstanding
the fact that there is considerable work
to be done yet in the way Of paving, 1t
appears that on July ], 1882. there were
126 miles Of well paved streets, Of which
about SO miles were concrete pavements.
This places Washington far ahead Of
any other city in the world In the ex-
tent Of smoothly paved streets, suitable
for pleasure driving and ordinary travel.
THE experience of some years in
quest Of the best paving system for the
requirements of Washington has shown
that the asphalt and the granite block,
with tar-cemented joints, are the two
pavements best adapted to the condi-
tions existing in this city. The asphalt
is adopted on streets where the travel
Is uniformly distributed and the grade
not too steep, and the granite blocks on
the streets Of heavy business travel or
steep grade.
Attention Is called to the unsatisfac-
tory condition Of the law regarding the
lighting of the streets, which limits the
number of hours during which the
lamps may be lighted at 1900 per an
mum, an average of six hours only per
night. This law was based upon the now
obsolete idea Of extfnguishing the lamps
during moonlight or on a night when q
moon is supposed to be in the heavens,
whether 1t Is obscured or not. Lieut..
Greene is right In thinking that WASH
ington Is big enough to abandon the
moonlight schedules" as all the larger
cities Of the country have done, and
light the streets when they need It,
regardless Of suppositious moon.
"Merited praise Is given to the work
Of the Parking Commission, which has
supplied the city with 57,666 thrifty
trees, shading $50 miles Of streets.
"A considerable portion Of the report
Is devoted to the question Of steam
railroads here and the evils resulting
from their present mode Of running
within the city limits. It Ii suggested
that the Commissioners recommend TO
Congress the enactment Of q law for
bidding the running Of trains on the
present route Of the Baltimore ds Ohio
road in disregard Of the grades Of the
streets after o certain date. giving that
company the option Of coming around
Capitol Hill or under 1t on any one Of
three routes specified; also repeating the
act which granted the Baltimore &
Potomac road the right to cross the
park on the line. Of Sixth street, but
otherwise confirming the present route
Of that road. and compelling the i'm