National Republican., 1874-05-16
wAsHMGToN, 1Dl G.. SATURDAY MORNING, MAY 49, 1874.

ofher case where such discrepancies occur, ]
would like to have you state themi A. On
Maryland avenue the haul paid to the con
Tractor varies from IL cents 70 22K cents, but
by far the largest part of it-three-fourths oi
his charged at nine cents, and to the Govern
nent 1t is all charged at ffteen cents.
By Mr.. Thurman: Q. The hauR A. Yes,
81. You understand that ! do not mean TO
ssy that the Government Is charged fifteen
cents, but in making up the amount 1t is cal
cplated at fifteen cents, and then q proper
tbnal part of it Is charged TO the Government,
two thirds or five sixths, whatever it may be.
The committee here took q recess until 2
'o'ciock p. m. '-'.F
AFTERNOON SESSION.
fThe committee re-assembled at 8 O'Clock
p, m.
Examination of Mr.. blickensderfer continued
tBy Mr.. .Jewett: Q. In your statement of the
amount chargeable to the Government for work
which you have examined, have you made
sly allowance to the District for engineering7
A. No, sir; have not.
10. Should there be an allowance made to the
District for the expense of engineering, super
Intending, Gel A. think something should
be allowed over what is properly paid to the
Contractors to cover that and other general ex-
psnses.
%. What would you regard as a reasonable
anowancel A. Well, think in work of this
kind, five per cent. would be good allowance
--plenty.
q. You think five per cent. would be good
allowance for work Of this kindf A. Yes, sir.
@. What would be o reasonable allowancei
A. It depends somewhat upon the actual con-
dition of things; think where work is 30 COM
psct as II lis about a city, where you are not
obliged to travel very far, that even something
less than five per. cent. would answer, yet l
would have no objection to an allowance of
five per cent; probably three per cent. would
cover it in most cases.
Q. In addition TO the work that you have
tested, which have you explained this morn
ing, havelyou examined generally other work
in the city? A. Some other work; not large
amount Of it.
Q. Have you applied to the engineers for in
formation touching any other workl A. Yes,
sir; some other.
Q. What engineers have you talked with on
the subject A. ! made my formal application
to Mr.. Cluss, the engineer Of the board, and he
referred me to Mr.. Barney frequently; ! have
had conversations with those two. have like
wise conversed with Mr.. Forsyth and some with
Mr.. Oertly.
? Q. Have they exhibited to you from time to
time notes of any kind in reference to work7
A. Yes, sir; they have exhibited the notes of
day, as explained before, and of some addi-
tonal work. ....
Q. Have they explained to you the steps
taken by them to ascertain the quantity and
character of the work done from time to time
to any extentl A. do not recollect that they
made any very specific explanation, because
supposed there was but really one method, and
that was by going on to the ground with an
instrument and taking such notes as would
N m 70 4 n
Q. From your knowledge Of work of the
character done here, and as an engineer, did
you find anywhere evidence of the proper steps
having been taken before the work was CON-
mencedi A. Yes, sir; in those cases, on por-
tions of New Hampshire avenue and on Vlr-
ginia avenue and G street, and about the Post
Office there was every indication about the notes
that they had been properly taken before the
work was commenced.
Q. How as to the balance of the work that
you talked with them sbout7 A. No, sir; 1 do
not recollect any other case in which notes
were furnished to me that seemed to me to be
of the right character as taken before the work
was commenced, but was informed by them
when asking for this kind of information and
notes that upon great deal of the work they
did not have any cross-sections or notes taken
that It was commenced, and a great deal of
It executed before they had any information
that the contractor was at work, or before
they could take the notes; that they were very
much hurried frequently, and frequently they
did not know anything about until ground was
broken and q great deal of the work per-
formed.
70. Is there any other way to keep accurately
an acconnt of work done, settle questions of
quantities, than of profile and cross-sections
previous to its commencement A. think no
other way. Indeed, would not have any idea
of any other way, excepting that you refer to
earthwork.
Mr.. Jewett. Yes.
The Witness. Yes, sir.
Q. II done In any other way it must De by
mere estimate or conjecturei A. can see no
other way after the work is commenced or par
tally executed.
Q. Did you find, so far as your examination
extended, any instance in which the measure
ments were accurate? A. have had no reason
to doubt the accuracy of the measurements, as
/ stated before, for earthwork on portions Of
New Hampshire avenue, and on Virginia ave-
nue., aud on G. street, and about the Post Office;
l refer to the measurements as furnished to me
in the notes from the engineers Office.
Q. What proportion of the whole work in
me to tell; but / do not suppose examined
five per cent. of it.
Q. Had you occasion to examine their ac-
counts, vouchers, estimates, and settlements
to any extent? A. Yes, sir; examined the
estimates and vouchers in connection with the
work that was examining; not beyond that.
Q. Were they generally made up on any sys-
tenn, or were they mixed so as to leave the re-
suit in Doubt a. Well, there seemed to be
system about It; cannot say that there was
any want of system; but observed this, that
when asking for the final voucher, or voucher
of final payment on a contract, / did not al
ways obtain what / supposed did by asking
for that which was the aggregate Of all pay
ments for work done under that contract, or
by that contractor, but that there were what
were termed "extra bills," which were for ad-
ditional work, or sometimes part of the work,
which 1t seemed to me belonged to that con-
tract, but was not contained in the final
voucher.
Q. Did Mr.. Samo make any explanation to
you about the mistake in the measurements on
New Hampshire avenue? A. When first ar
rived at my results on the avenue and found
that they varied very much from the statement
in the Governors answer, requested, or at
least asked, Mr.. Samo whether he could ex-
plain or tell me wherein the difference con-
sisted. He then said that he had no doubt his
notes and entries that he had made in his
books would show exactly how he had esti-
mated It. asked him whether he would have
any objections to furnishing me with an ex-
tract, or just q statement extracted from his
books, showing as nearly as he could the details
Of the items, rather exhibiting the points at
which the different quantities occurred, so that
/ could make closer comparison than by hav
ing merely the gross quantity. He furnished
me with that statement.
@. Did you go with Mr.. Samo, then, upon
the groundl A. did upon most Of it; not over
the entire avenue.
@. Did you point to him wherein his state
ueptdid not correspond with the factsi A. !
did. = .. S-'Ss. "a
Q. Did he make any answer 70 that A.
Yes, sir; he stated that In one instance the diff
ferences he supposed might be reconciled from
the fact that he had represented certain guam
titles between certain streets, whereas, in point
of fact, they were between certain other streets;
and then, i think, one or two other cases he
thought probably that he had included some
old work that was done there before the Board
of Public Works had begun to work, and in
one or two other cases he did not seem to be
able to say exactly how It happened.
@. Have you had any conference with Gen.
Babcocki A. l called upon Gen. Babcock
to ask whether be had explanations In refer
ence to any of these things.
@. Did you give TO Gen. Babcock and Mr..
samo, or any one, the opportunity to explain
any mistake that you found to exist A.
Yes, sir; did: at least showed both Of
them the results that ] had arrived at, and
believe explained in every instance the quanti
ties that / had obtained, unless It was In the
case of the sewer on street, which ] only