National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-22

ga IN
not eorSider an accurate measures ter,v i'm.
made without cross-sectious 1t 10 n Z A.
possible unless we have the old surVeysS>
ground, or hsve surveys after the work 10 doh>
/ consider IL utferly impossible TO get sn seeu-
rate measurement.
Q, How often WIS. It yes nearly as you can
tell, that the contractor went towork upon tile
your necessary preparations to make accurate
JneasurqEents Of theml A. That rs mpossi-
bic for me to say from the fact that hsye he'd
! suppose fifty applications for grading In one
day.
Q. We're there many of thnsc easesf A.
Yes, sir; So far. two or thsce months during
the summer Of 1872, we were hufFlea very
much indeed; all tho while did the best we
could: n was utterly impossible for US TO geS
the information we would like to have had.
Q. In these cases where the contractors went
to work upon streets before you had the eppor-
tunity to make your necessary preparations
you would not hold yourself responsible Tor
their accurscy9 A: No, sir, / should use my
own Judgment: should say my Judgment Is
as good as anybody else. That is all.
d; You had to depend In these cases upon
your Judgment! A. Yes, sir: most entirely SO.
Id some cases there might be some landmarks
by which you might be able to tell, but in q
great many cases the streets were cut down,
and two months after there would not be the
slightest means of telling anything about It.
By Mr.. Bsssi Q. Who was the chief engineer
at that timsi A. There have been three engt-
neers since l have been here; at that time,
summer Of 1872, r. G. Phillips, of Chicago.
think he came about May. Mr.. Mullett was
the chief engineer from December until May.
Mr.. Cluss was appointed engineer in January
1879.
O. Do you know whether the fact of the ne
ceesity OF having cross-sections before the Work
was done was brought to the notice OF the
board or Its chief engineerl A. know that
when came here almost the first thing said
to Mr.. Mullett was to speak to him about the
necessity of cross-sectioning; In fact, had been
railroading all my life before-almost-an
never knew any case where grading was esti-
mated without the original surface OF the
Cround-cross-sec tions-plotted up. DO not
mean that it is necessary to plot cross-sections,
or TO get the -profiles OF the piece OF
ground. lido not care anything about the plot
but simply want to get the level. called
Mullett's attention to the necessity OF that
when first came here. He was then the chief
engineer, and he directed me in every case to
take cross-s sections. 1 explained to him the
necessity of the matter, but 1t was utterly i'm
possible for us to do it. 1 did the best could
That winter we took nearly all the cross-sec'
tons.
O. It was impossible to do it because of The
want of FORGET A. Yes, sir. During that win
ter we were taking cross sections all the time
nearly, and took all that we could.
By Governor Shepherd: Q. Do you know
whether or not every means were taken to get
proper help in the engineer department! A.
cannot say positively about that, sir. know
whenever we wanted anv help, would go to
the chief engineer, Mr.. Mullett, or Mr.. Phillips
and tell them Just what the circumstances
were, and asked them to help US out.
n . L. ~ nf
yays do the utmost that was in their power
towards securing It'll A. l think they did.
Q. In regard to these cases which Judge
! Wilson speaks Of, where the measurements
were made without cross-sections, did you, as
an officer of the board, do what was right and
! Just by the District and the General Govern:
ment, in making your measurements A.
did, sir, in every case.
Q. Did you give the contractors any advant-
| age In making your measurements! A. Never
! sir.
Q. II there was any advantage did you not
give it to the District government A. did
always.
BY Mr.. Mattingly: Q. In this case where ont
contractor had the contract for grading ano
| another for paving, did this question as to the
deduction Of two feet ever occur to you until
the thing WAS wanted here7 A. No, sir.
Q. You never made any inquiry Of any Off
Ger of the board whether it was proper to make
the reduction or notl A. If a man had q con
tract for grading, supposed that he was to be
! paid for it. l never heard the inquiry at all.
z. You Just assumed, and passed the thing
over; it never occurred to youf A. No, sir.
M.G. EMERY RECALLED.
By Mr.. Wilson: @. I wish TO ask you an
other question or two in regard to tagging
around Government property. Did you put
down tagging around the Post Office and Pat
ent OficeF A. A portion Of It on F-street il
| front of the Post Office, and some on Seventh
street.
Q. When did you do thatl A. In 1868.
Q. At what rate did you put that downi A
cannot tell you, sir. By referring to my
order-book to-day, found 1 delivered somt
| 5000 feet of tagging In front Of the Post OF
| fee in 1858. The price is not carried out.
suppose when it was laid the Government meas
ured it, and the fill was paid for and receipted
| and went into the Post Office Department, ant
will be found there. The vouchers will show
| the prices.
O: What did It cost to lay III Give US sucl
items as you can in regard to that fagginga A
find that paid a man six cents q foot fol
jointing and laying it. furnished the cement
and sand.
Q. What was the sand and cement worth
A. About four cents a foot. / also tagged the
area portions of it, furnished the sand and
4
the stone, and 10 cents foot for laying, cemen
and sand. That was an inferior tagging, how
ever; what we call rough, inferior Tagging
what is called a seasoned quality. We pay
! some five or six cents foot for it less than w
would for the other.
Q. From your knowledge of the prices of thai
! tagging that you put there at the Post Office
| what do you think you received A. / thinl
! you will find that 1t is charged at about 81
cents. That is my recollection, but / could
not speak positively. The voucher will tell you
Q. You gave the committee yesterday state
ment as to the prices Of tagging of the charac-
ter that is used here. Are there any deduc-
tons made from the regular rates where flag.
ging is bought in large quantities. A. None,
except in the payment, that know of. have
frequently had deductions made by paying cash
from the printed bill prices.
Q. What deductions are made for CASH. A
Three per cent, think, only. There are some
errors in the printed statement of the testi-
mony that would like to have corrected. The
question was asked on page 1904: "What is 1t
worth to furnish the necessary material and
lay It down and joint It as 1t Is now done per
square footP The answer as here given says
about 10 cents. We estimate 10 cents"
said fl cents. Then on page 20S5 the follow.
ing question was asked:
There is another class OF tagging that is used
here, dressed, faxed off, don't know what
term you NOulQ apply 10 III. w NAT Is Iual CHASE
Of tagging worth; what is reasonable price Of
furnishing that and putting It DOWN." The
answer was, lit would cost about Is cents extra.
Q. Fifteen cents in addition to the others?" A.
"Yes, SIR"
The Witness. That would makes It about so
cents for the cost mean is cents and A
cents-59 cents. did not mean so, but SO.
By Mr.. Stanton: 1t would be SO cents for
the cost, and 80 cents for the reasonable price'
A. Yes, sir; but 1t speaks Of the cost.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. You mean what A.
The cost would be about SO cents. l did not
want to be understood as saying that it cost so
cents.
Q. But the profits added to that would be
the other amount A. Yes, sir; there is also
one other place. On page 2039:
By Governor Shepherd: Q. What did under
stand you to say that the net cost Of that tagging
was delivered here-such tagging as the Board
of Public Works put DOWN. A. I say that the
ordinary tagging, such as was laid down in front
Of the Garden Conservatory square, was worth
about IS cents.
His question Is, what Is the cost Of I'll
! mean II cents as the cost. answered It
as though it were the price, not the cost. The
cost Of the ordinary tagging delivered here on
the street is ~ cents. That was my estimate.
/ mean by my answer, 81 cents delivered here
on the street, but my answer Is here 65 cents.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. Then, adding to that the
cost of jointing 1t and putting It down as you
gave 1t on yesterday, with the profit, would
make the aggregate cost-price of putting down
that kind Of Tagging? A. Yes, sir.
Rv Gnvorpor Qhaphard n That "a uuitbo,,t