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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives 
 in ( f ongress assembled : 
 
 The undersigned memorialists, citizens of Washington, 
 District of Columbia, owners of property on the Line of 
 
 F street west of the new State, War, and Navy Depart- 
 ment building, respectfully beg Leave to submit the fol- 
 lowing tacts regarding the work done under the direction 
 of the late " Board of Public Works " of this city between 
 the said building and Twenty-fourth street northwest : 
 
 1st. That the depression of the grade, -^ cut, on F 
 street as above, was made to Lower the surface of the 
 street to the new street-line adopted by the architect of 
 the said building, A. B. Mullett. (We are credibly in- 
 formed thai Mr. Mullett, though a member of the late 
 Board of Public Works, refused to sign any assessment 
 certificates issued in respect to this improvement, so called, 
 because it did not result in especial benefit to the abut- 
 ting private property, and likewise because it was prop- 
 erly chargeable against the General Government, being 
 made in its interest, as aforesaid.) That the same was 
 done for Tinted States Government uses and purposes 
 and by United States Government officers, as will be seen 
 by reference to Mr. Riullett's testimony before the Stark- 
 weather Committee, (Report No. 72, May 18, 1K72, 42d 
 Congress, 2d session, pages ">7.">, 576, <fcc.,) and that one 
 of the finest and most beautiful streets in the West End 
 of the city was lowered in grade from four t<> ten or 
 twelve feet, causing greal injury and damage t«» the prop- 
 erty of your petitioners abutting ou F street in various 
 ways, such as — 
 
 1st. Difficulty and inconvenience of access to the same 
 
from the necessity of added steps to react the dwellings 
 and other buildings <>n said Btreet. 
 
 2d. Theadded expense and labor in supplying fuel and 
 other necessaries fco their premises. 
 
 .">d. Tin* preservation, at considerable com, of the sus- 
 taining walls of the embankments and the coping, <fec, 
 &c, created by the cut. 
 
 4th. Destruction <>f beautiful shade trees a half century 
 old, lining l>oth sides of said street. 
 
 5th. Loss to property-holders in many cases by the va- 
 cation of their premises by tenants, on account of unhealth- 
 fulness created by the disturbance of the soil during L2 
 months and over. 
 
 6th. The derangement of the sewer system and drain- 
 age of said street by cutting so closely to the sewers, no- 
 tably in the more western end of the street, and indeed 
 other damage, which may easily be seen upon inspection 
 
 Of the street. 
 
 Your memorialists respectfully state that the work so 
 done, for Grovernmenl use, was under the supervision of 
 the late Board of Public Works, and was from the incep- 
 tion thereof vigorously protested against by them, ami 
 that they did not. confine themselves to mere protest, but 
 were forced t o commence proceedings in the District courts 
 against the levy of special assessments for said work on 
 their property, which was and is a very serious cloud 
 thereupon, causing to them greal expense and anxiety. 
 
 Also, that the said work was done in many ways \er\ 
 extravagantly, and the charges made for the same were 
 much in excess of the value of the work, and included 
 unlawful and wrongful charges, which were 80 apparent 
 to your honorable bodies that you ordered a revision of 
 the street special assessments, and under the said act of 
 revision some reductions were made by the District Coin- 
 
missioners, who evidently did all they could under the 
 act to alleviate the burden on property-holders, but not 
 to the extent that your petitioners deem sufficient or due 
 to them. 
 
 Also, that ten per centum per annum interest was 
 charged from 1872, the time of original assessment, in 
 lieu of six per centum, which latter rate was all that was 
 contemplated by your Honorable Bodies in the act for the 
 same, thus nearly doubling the amount of the bills ren- 
 dered. This was, evidently, entirely at variance with 
 legislation on this point. 
 
 Your petitioners submit that if interest were charged 
 at all, it should have been from the date of revision of 
 these special assessments in 1879. 
 
 We protest wholly against these special assessments 
 upon and damages to our property again, because that in 
 direct defiance of the organic law of the District certifi- 
 cates of indebtedness were issued against our property 
 before the completion of the work on said F street, (in- 
 deed, the work has not yet been completed,) and were 
 bought up, it is understood, at considerable discount by 
 a foreign banking company, which has constantly endeav- 
 ored to enforce the payment of said certificates upon your 
 petitioners, who have as constantly opposed the said com- 
 pany in the District courts, until the said company was 
 sustained in their demands by the U. S. Supreme Court. 
 when your petitioners, being forced to pay their certifi- 
 cates, did so under protest. 
 
 Now, the undersigned, your petitioners, come before 
 your Honorable Bodies for full relief and redress, upon 
 the ground that their property has been grievously dam- 
 aged tor the benefit and purposes of the United States 
 
 Government, and their appeal properly lies to your Hon- 
 orable Houses, who we humbly beg will render void and 
 
of uon-effect the said special a 9men1 as against their 
 
 property on F Btreel aforesaid, so thai your petitioners, \\ ho 
 bave been forced to pay the same, maj be refunded for prin- 
 cipal and interest all their payments on account of the same, 
 and also those who have not made such payments may 
 be relieved by an act t<> be passed 1>\ your Honorable 
 Bouses, to cancel all certificates of indebtedness of what- 
 ever nature there may exist for special assessments against 
 your memorialists' property on F street, between Seven- 
 teenth and Twenty-fourth streets northwest, and also in- 
 cluding and directing to be made, by some fair and hon- 
 orable means, an examination of the damages to your 
 memorialists' property, caused by the change of grade in 
 said street, and an award therefor, with instructions to 
 the District Commissioners, or to the Treasurer of the 
 United States, to pay such awards to the parties in in- 
 terest. 
 
 And your petitioners, as in duty bound, will ever pray. 
 
 WM. M. CALDWELL, 
 WM. B. WE 15 1 5, 
 NATHANIEL MICRLER, 
 (HAS. I). MAXWELL, 
 JNO. L EDWARDS, 
 
 for h, ira of Jab. H. Edwards ; 
 ROBERT REYBURN, 
 WM. GUNTON, 
 COLUMBUS ALEXANDER, 
 WM. II. MINNIX, 
 
 An HER8. 
 

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