The national Republican. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1866-1870, 1869-10-09
THE CITY HALL INVESTIGATION


planauon thN oohiuer me paper you refer
q. Please look at that, (hsnding witness = |
paper) and state whether that 10 q correct |
eopyi A. do not know whether that 10 or |
not, but can give you = copy.
Mr.. Holmes, This IL certified copy given |
the committed Witness. I will give you one |
that | will testify to-one taken from my |
witne.. then produced and read the follow.
Ing paper:
FIRST EsrIxArE IN ACCOUNT.
-, srHyEIoR's oIrioE. CRY HALL,}
The corpsr1tion v iVdshfns,oa 10 JosH bono.
,,FqSgo,k dSnsssfadins under contract of date.
k street norih%Samber cubic yard. ese.y,s:s,s :.
tTsisT act approved Scy, .. isSs,j ''
mTess ao,thS IN eneic yards EN-. on, os
tTaGsr ss s ssSr Of Scy ii. isssj 10
Sansmsnt, l. seo. a, II ~. suoe ,.as ia, %
Under act approved Nov. ii. 1851 ''
Total estimate. "a ~, %
OftosS H1'na the ABOVE amount p''a on account
tAtrus copyJ oHARLxs a; BLIss.
Polio lts, Record Book.
q: State u you consider that = true copy OF
the bin A: This is copy Of my estimate as
@. l see the signature Of the Mayor 10 upon
one copy and not upon the otheri A, The sig
nature OF the Mayor would not apPesr upon
At the Instance OF Mr. wilsonil
q. Is the paper that you have offered cor
rect copy from the recordi A. suppose 1t Is
q. Refer to the record, and state whether, on
the record, there 10 anything corresponding to
what Is written on the top OF this bill, to wilt
"First estimate on aecount."t A. No, sir; l
leave that of. That was put on afterwards to
designate the estimste, so as to be able to
that time, propose to bring In the book, but
this evening have brought II along. l have
reference In what Is written there on the top
mate.
q. When were those words at the top writ.
ten on that papet' A. The day brought 1t in
mere Just for my own convenience to refer to
q. Refer to your record, and state whether
or NOT this account and bill are not stated 10
and bills are stated for work done for the cor.
porationi A, Well, l think sometimes there
might Pc DC litiie different language used;
30, Is one that Is similar. 1t Is an estimate
made on account, and reads as followsi
hon Richard ruilaei, Mayor &c, - '''
SIR: ! have mea,p ID the work on Twelfth
south, and lad 20, 90 ep6lc yards Of excavation
a contract price at y cents u will amount to
G. II. Bliss. City surveyor.
Thos. Joyce was the contractor.
Z, what do you call the paper which you
made at the request OF Mayor wailaoh.
q DO you mean to be understood as saying
that that paper lie the same or similar In char.
ierred to by youi A. Imean to say this, that
they were both estimates on account, ex.
pressed In different form.
q, Refer to the bills Of stephen Tally on
North Capitol street and state whether they
are not In precisely the same form as the bill
ing Inquired Into. A. That might have Ell" BEEN en-
because II is final estimate. Very likely 1t
was. viii read II:
wAsHrSdroS. D. c.. Jan. q 1853.
70 sT.dinE and srsyslIas Nort6 Capitol street
Square yards srivoins O,77O, at cents. i6si 90
Ac, approvsi August ii. $50 o.
tsisnsdj CHAs. Il. Bliss. City Surveyor.
q. Is this bill and the one you made out
similar In ehRracter' A. They are somewhat
y. State In what respects they are different
A. Well, In this way; In the form In Talty's
estimate there 10 place for the comm ner
OF the ward to align his name, and also place
for the names OF the assistant commission ers;
the other being a monthly estimate, or esti.
mate on account, IL would be different.
q understand that the only difference you
have given us here from that on the book 10
hrst In the signatures below of the commits
siOner OF the ward and the assistant commits.
siolers, they being attached to the one and not
to the other. A. Yes, air.
=, q. You say the paper referred to by Mr..
would have been II 1t had been intended to be
a bill. A. You cah put 1t In several different
torms and make IT a bill and put It In several
q. state how you would make 1t a bill In
any other way. a. Well, am perfectly willing
that you should say l would make It out In
q, why did you not present that bill, made
out on the 2ith Of April, to Mr.. Crane for his
tomary so to do for monthly estimstes-for es-
Inmates on account.
q. Can you produce another instance on
record of = bill m sde out In that form and paid
without the signature OF the ward commits.
siOnetl A. think can,
q. Please turn to your records and read. A.
Here is one on page lG&, which refers to an.
other ward, but lis the first one that i come
across OF a similar nature, and II you desire l
wAsHIylrox, D c., June %. 1888
Thfs CorPor,ati,a n lFashin9toa. 10 DsIaUars
To asiimste Of grading and sravsliug p stree,
north, between Fifteenth street west and Bonn
dary, east, under elatraet dated May q. 1859:
siIns, TssS at q cents S t H. sS'& I f E
This Is a little different because 1t has refer.
ence to two wards. l merely carried out the
quota here so III At the register when he drew
the checks would know how much to allow
for the different wards:
auss tST me Thra ,S EAFl sa2st for
TGary -. 1861 ''' " ~ CHiSLEs H. bliss. .''
City Surveyor.
@. Was that amount paid without the sig.
nature OF the commissioner A. cannot
answer that question, but think probably 1t
was. Itcan be found out by looking In the
registers office, That is the way sent 1t in.
OF yours thatit wa. paid without the sigma
lures Of the commissioners OF the wards A.
Because have .s never known Of an Instance
recolIect, II Is not customary In monthly es.
Inmates or estimates where the work is pro-
crossing. 1t was not customary during Mayor
Wallach's administration, and has not been
during that of Bowers.
q, Does not the paper you have read show
distinctly on Its face that 1t 10 an estimate
A. 1t shows that 1t 10 an estimate on account
q. Did You recommend that that should be
paid A. did not Ia writing. Very likely
was called on, as was often the case, to know
what thought about 1t, and ! supposed II
was paid. Ineyer heard any more from 1t. as
| recollect. | know there was a payment
made on 1t; that is, Hudnell told me himsel II
he had received pay on It,.
=. Can you find any instance In your book
10 which a bill or paper In the form Of the one
referred to by Mr.. Crane has been paid with
out the signature Of the ward com miss or !
A. Ny books would not show It. The books
will refer there you viii ind all you desire,
probably.
q, Does not the lay require the city sur.
veyor to hand al bills for street improve
ments to the ward commissioner A. think
the law does not require 1t.
q. DO you not know, Mr.. Bliss, that In
webb's Digest, under the heading OF "city
surveyor" 1t reads, In effect, that "it shall be
the duty OF the city surveyor to present all
bills to the ward commissioner for his APP
pruvAlln A. do not think there 10 any such
laws know Of none. The law says "all
admeasutementsp' that means "hnal measure
ments That Is my recollection of 1t.
q, Have you copy OF Mr.. John DOnoyAn's
contract A. have not. | told you the
other night that l thought l had, but was
mistaken,
q. Did you consider John Donovan a bona
ddf contractor when you mNde out that bill /
A, recognize no other.
q. Have you read the contract referred to
for grading those streets A. | think have.
q DO you know that the contractors were
to receive no pay for dirt put into one street
from another OF said streets A. There Is
nothing Of that kind la the contract, The
question does not c6Yer the contract at all.
II does not correspond with 1t. II you will
ask me the question, do | not know that sur
plus earth coming from one street and placed
In another Is 70 be PAID for only one way"
can answer YES"
q. l will read! III paid for excavation on
one street he shall not be paid for filling
another street with the same earth" A. Your
question Ia not In conformity to the contract
q, Refer to the inter lineations in the pApeT
now shown you, which is \ copy of the con.
tract, certified TO by John 5. CFoCkeF, the Act.