Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1872-04-03
The DISTRICT GOVERNMENT INVESTIGATION
Proceedings Before the House Com
mittec To-day.


government was continued.
ASPHALT PAYMENTS.
WA. n. I'csiSsp sworn:-Is engaged in the
construction OF asphalt Pavements under the
patent held by himself; had done work in Central
Park and Prospect Park. New York and or the
streets in that city and IN BrOoklyn; also At the
West Point Military Academy; in front of the
Arlington Holse in this city, and other places;
witness put down his first pavement on the Sth
avenue drive in New York i'm 1859; ii is as good
now as when il was LAID; received in New York
for the ?. inch pavement, 1.-THE same a. he Is
putting down here y $3.50 per yard. and the city
old the eXcsyating; in this city he receives %
per ward, and is required to do the eNcavating-
IS per yard for the pavement and 20 cents per
yard for excAvating; is now engaged III laying
pavement on Vermont avenue, in this city.
from N street TO the Circle; received 81 per
ward fer the pavement in front of the ArE1g-
ton. Witness here described at some length the
manner in which the pavement is laid and the
different materials used. Witness believes the
pavement he is now constructing is superior to
the one in front OF the Arlington, as he has
made improvements on his patent since then;
SIMPLE cold tar and gravel pavements do rot
cost over Il per yard; many pavemcnts of cold
tar in Brooklyn had been taken up and reiaid
three times iH one summer; had examined
Thornton Smiths pavement in the \ gricultursi
grounds; il would do very well for light walks.
hut IC, for travel; witness would put his pave
ment OF any street subject 70 heavy travel; the
pavement Is perfectly imperviOus 10 water; had
made an estimate of
TIE ACTUAL COST
of laying his pavement, after putting it down in
.
clay on top, . cents per square yard: grading
and packing road bed, Sc; stone for the base,
inches deep. CSC; hituminOus cement. 81 &c;
wood for heating bitumen and labor, 15c; total
cost OF first course, e14s%. Gravel, Ice; btu
IninOus cement, 15e; wood and labor. 1sc; total
cost OF second course, 49c. Sand and mastic,
2jc; composition and asphalt, SIS &c; psaster pa
us and hydraulic consent, &c; wood aud labor,
25c; total cost of third course, 80 kc-total cost
OF pavement, $3.50 per square yard
witness had found clay holes in the streets,
and in some places had 20 60 down four or five
feet 80 remove this clay sad get a solid bed; had
found four of thf m between h street and the
Circle; ascertained these soft spots by the roller
and then sounded their depth with a pointed
iron bar; witness put down the broken stone
under the Arlington pavement himself, and
knows il is there; would not construct a pave
meLt with dry broken stone az the base; unless
there is something to hold the stone together
the surface OF the pave meDt will crack; mixes
the stone for bis pavement with a bituminouS
composition 20 hO!d il together; has examined
the estimates of Thornton Smith and "A. Grant:
the figures we're ridiculous; witnessvas ready to
pay Zoe Ver cent. over their prices. and would
give good ara sufficient bonds; a pavement of
the Kind described by Smith and Grant put
down On Pennsylvania avenue would not last
u hours.
GRANTS REPORT ESPECIALLY WAS EyDICU-
LOTS,
and rot worth answering.
BY Mr.. COMBS Capt. Grant and MIR. Fred
eIiehs reported that the pavement OF witness
was good.
Mr.. Coombs-we have not arraigne-l Mr..
IarisSns pavement, ali acknowledge that it is
good one.
Mr.. Cbandler.-Oh, yes: AIR. Thornton Smith
thought il not as good as his.
Witness resumed Had seen them putting
Gown the pavement on PenpSyivania avenue in
front OF the Presidents house; knew very little
about their pavement; il was not like the one
laid by witness; had seen holes in it, but never
examined them carefully; did not krow if the
holes were caused by the concrete wearing
away or by depression in the road bed: cObble
stones were worth about = per cubic yard; the
COhhla taf. Isl.
lot coed for much for base; witness wo aid not
use IL for base for his pavement; did not think
the concrete pavement men made anything by
having the CObblestOne given them, As they had
TO haul IL from the street first, break il with
hammers by hand, and then cart it
back again; witness under his contract
gave bond to tie Board of Public Works
TO Keep his pavement i'll repair three years, wit
ness could guarantee his pavement for We wears
without needing repaiTS; the top or surface
ccuTse ought 10 be replaced once in every six
years; the top course costs about 92 cents per
yard, the base OF the pavement will last for fifty
years or more without any repairs; il costs less
10 Keep III rel air good asphalt pavement than
any ether kind, provided il il put down properly
at inst; on Lee avenue, in Brooklyn, witness
Pat down the first two courses and let il lay all
The winter; IN June following the top surface
Was put on, ard it il Just as good now as ever;
the Lew surface viii adhere 20 the old one and
IN solid mass; codld put concrete pave
ment on Broadway, New York, which would
stand; had never b. en- required to repair the
FIRST square inch OF any pavement he had nut
down: would not use broken cObble-stsne for
base, because they had round surfaces, and no.
Ting would adhere TO q round surface like II
WCuid 10 a broken or irregular one; if an
a. halt pavement should not be good, the
detects would show in less than six months did
not want TO give opinions as TO the payements of
Other persons; did not want il thought that he
VAS the Culy man III the country who could Law
concrete or asphalt payoments; the pavement in
49, street, in front OF Vice President Colfaxs
v a. just thrown there to make the street passa-
Die during the winter and oblige the persons who
hved there; 1t was not intended that the pave
meBt should stand, and they intended to relay il
and make gOOdone il was but one square and
HsOmething had hot been put there the place
would have been imp assable this winter; thought
more expressions in 1t than necessary; would not
Ike TO lay pavement similar to the one now
being laid On Pennsylvania avenue and guar
antee II TO stand; concrete pavements cannot he
laid in wet or IrOSt Yy weather; you might as
well try 10 heat piece of iron in a snow bank
a. 10 lay concrete pavement in such weather"
TIE SLASH RUN SEWER.
SGDtHei Strong. sWOIn is contractor and
builder; constructed the Slash run sewer; pur-
chased the contract from McLanahan; had por-
hors OF the work taken up anu !, laid; one bar
rel OF cement 10 two OF sand Ore used in the
construction of the sewer; the best brick were
u. ed, as also the best cement and sand; good
briekiayeTs were employed, and witness super
lht6nCed the ~Ork himself; portion of the arch
near Nj. HOoyeT's y a forced out of place by a
bank OF earth thrown against one side; the break
was repaired i'll two days; had some men dis
NAdi SNN btSauSt NItN dlu UOt 10 tDeiE NOrk
well; the man keInS, who testified before the
committee, was drunk about twO-thirds OF the
time while the work was being done; witness
knew good mechanics; had been on mason work
since he was fourteen years Ofage; never directed
that four or five barrels OF sand should be mixed
with one barrel OF cement; tie arch is a strong
ore, and would support the Capitol.
OEDWAY's UEsWoRN STATEMENT.
Nr. Smith, the Official reporter inquired of
The committee IL The statement made before the
cen mittee by y. q. bTslway on SATURDAY.. March
I'D, which was not under oath, in regard TO al
d'tlChai charges being Investigated, was to 60
III the record.
General Chapman said he had requested the
Cfhcial reporter 10 submit the matter 20 the COM
mlttee, as the mcmoTialists might afterwards
say that OTdway's statement was part OF the
record. and was left out Intentionally.
Nr. EldTidge thought il lad nothing to do with
this investigation, and was TO part of the case.
i lie committee had rOthing IN DO with the polit-
zeal meetings here or Dir. Ordway's fights, and
he tMr. Eldridge) thought Mr.. Ordway's state
mont was no part Of the record.
The committee unanimously decided that it
was no part OF the case, aud should not be made
part OF the record.
Adjourned until ten o'clock to lnOrrow
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