National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-25
MORNING. NAY %. 1s74-DoUBLE SHEET

The Witness. No doubt it Is. |" Referred
to Deputy Engineer 0ertly."
Y. That Is what you sayi A. Yes, sir.
Y. NOW, just answer me q few plain ques-
tons; That is the paper you sawi A. Yes,
Q. And on the strength of that you swore
here the other day, as have read to you, that
the prices were fixed by private correspond
ence between Mr.. Shepherd and Mr.. Oertlyi
A. By an official correspondence, kept from
me.
Q. And now you say IL was an official CORE
spondence, kept private from you; that is
what you mean by private correspondence
A. No, sir: do not-yes, that is the idea
that mean to convey.
Q. Do you mean TO say that this Is an Off.
cial letter from Mr.. Shepherd to Mr.. 0ertlyi
A. Well, 1t Is from the vice president of the
board, Mr.. Shepherd. At that time Mr.. Shep-
herd was vice president-until September some
time; and then If this was by order of the board,
the board is the vice president.
Q. That Is the way you reached that result,
Is itl That anything done by order of the board
is an order of the vice PRESIDENT And when q
matter is referred to Mr.. Barney, or Mr.. 0ertly,
or any other Of your subordinates, by order Of
the board, that 1t Is private correspondence
between the vice president and one of your dep
uties7 A. 1t is an official correspondence kept
private from me.
" hu OIuCial COTTcSpOuueuCe Ol Luc Nico
PRESIDENT Look at your records, and see what
is the entry you have relating to that natter
A. 1t is difficult TO find anything here.
By Mr.. Hubbell: Q. would like to have
one explanation. You call this letter an off,
cial correspondence, an official letter passing
between the vice president and ore Of your sub
ordinates, kept priyate-out of your sight A.
Yes, sir.
Q. By whose order was II kept from obser-
yation. A. By the fact that the vice president
did not address the engineer department or the
engineer In charge.
q. Let us understand a little When that
letter was referred to the engineers office was
1t placed on file in the engineers ofIlcel A
No, this goes back; an entry is made most
likely in this book, Indicating. j
Q. By whose order was It kept away from
you'll A. 1t never came to me.
Q.'Who ordered 1t to be kept private from
you'd A. The board said to Mr.. Oertly to fix
the price for this.
Q. Let me understand. Do you wish the
committee to understand that Mr.. Shepherd,
as vice president of the board, sent this COM
munication to Oertly and directed him to keep
1t privately from your A. Oh, no; do not
mean that. | mean the effect OF il was that.
z. What do you meant Do you mean that
q letter came into the engineers Office which
you did not happen to sect A. Yes, sir so
that am not responsible for the price.
Q. Could you have seen it if you had looked
for It? A. Of course, If l had twenty-tour
eyes might possibly see every day what is
going on; but as | have only two 1 have to
rely upon confidential assistants.
Q. Then all you mean by except private from
you" is that a communication was sent from
the Board of Public Works into the engineers
Office "a matter referred to one of the assist
ants which you did not happen to see A. Yes,
sir: that is It.
Mr.. Wilson. will read the whole thing and
put it in the record.
BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS,
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA,
WAsHINGToN, August 4, 1873.
GENTLEMEN: desire to inform you that have
commenced work upon the contract awarded ne
several days since, for iointing and setting Of flag
footways around the Botanic garden, but owing
NO IL. being put 1 the have
the gsdlng, furnish my own sand, cement Joint
Ing and setting Of the stone, In fact, everything
with the exception Of furnishing the stone, which
Is the old tagging taken from the Post Once and
Patent Once Departments.
My work 10 also somewhat retarded by Mr..
Smith, superintendent OF Botanic garden. who de-
sires two foosways, Of nine feet each, on Third
street, and two on Maryland avenue. ono Of nine
and the other Of twelve feet. Mr.. Smiths idea is
to make an attractive promenade around the gar
den, with two rows of trees on bJth Third street
and Maryland avenue. have to request that
the matter may be definitely settled asspeedily
as possible, so that may not be delayed In the
prosecution of my work.
Very respectfully, JOSEPH H. FLBroHER.
To the hoaora5Es Board Of Public Works. .r1
BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS,
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Z
WAsHINGroN, August 6, lS7J y
Respectfully referred to Deputy Engineer
Oertly, who will fix the price for this work and
give the necessary directions.
BY order ofthe board, CHAs. 8. JOHNSON,
Assistant Secretary.
that performed In laying the tagging across the
viz: jointing, occasional taking oat Of wind,
furnishing sand and cement and laying the nag-
ging; (hauling done by board.) The price fixed
upon for Seventh, Twelfth and Fourteenth streets
was thlrty-four cents per square foot. Mr.. Smith
called several times on account Of the double line
of Tagging on Third street. and / would respect
fully ask for instructions in this matter.
Most respectfully, b. 0ERTLY,
Deputy Engineer.
Respectfully returned to Deputy Engineer
Oertly, who will see MT. Smith and say that the
board has not the means to put down double lines
have it done. You will give the same price as has
heretofore been given for the same work.
CHAs. S. JOHNSON,
Assistant Secretary.
AUGUST 8, 1873.
I have the honor to report that have seen Mr.
the inner one sufficiently raised to afford Of good
view ofthe garden The double line is only desired
for Third street, and not for Maryland avenue,
S. e C N.Y. ought S S sr a
piled with.
Most respectfully, B. OzRrLY,
Deputy Engineer.
AUGUST Is, 1873
BY the Chairman: Q. Now, this seems to be
q letter addressed to the Board of Public
Works by Mr.. Fletcher. A. Yes, sir.
Q. In the ordinary course of business where
would that letter go7 A. To the vice presi-
dent.
Q. Would 1t be opened by himi A. 1t would
be opened by him.
Q. Would it be laid before the boardl A.
Not at that time. At that time it was not
usual to lay these before the board.
Q. At that time was 1t the custom of the
vice president of the board, or did he in fact
open the letters addressed to the Board of
Public Works, and answer them as from the
board, without consultation with the boardl
A. Yes, sir
O.. Or with any member of the board to your
A. To my knowledge, not any
of the board. Other members may
have been consulted, but did not know It.
Q. Then, as q rule, you did not see letters
addressed TO the Board of Public Worksi A.
No, sir.
Q. And had no knowledge of the contents'
A. No, sir.
Q. Where were these letters generally kept |
A. In the office Of the vice president.
Q. Has the vice president an Office different |
IIOul inc OIlce Ol Lne 0OaIu OF fuOIlc WOrkSf /
A. 1t is on a different story. The engineers |
office is in tho third story, and the vice presi-
1ent's offices are In the second story.
Q. Where is the Office Of the Board of Public |
Worksi A. The vice presidents private room
s considered the Office Of the Board Of Public
Works.
Q. Where should that paper be deposited; in
what oficei A. Among the files Of the vice
president.
@. The Board of Public Works has no office,
henl A. No, sir; Il has no office.
. Q. Is there any clerical officer who has
harge of this class of correspondence; or is 1t
n the custody of the vice PRESIDENT A. The
lerical officers have charge of these letters.
Q. Are not such letters frequently written:
we're they not, during this time, of daily occur
encel A. Oh, yes, Of daily occurrence
Q. Coming from contractors every dayi A.
les, sir.
Y. And were not these Offices open, and
hese papers open to the inspection of every
member of the Board of Public Works, or were
hey concealed by the vice president from his
elbow membersl A. Oh, no; they were not
oncealed.
Q. You had access, as O member of the Board
4 Public Works, to any paper or correspond
nee addressed to the board, had you noti A.
would have most likely, but the mass of let
ers that came 1t would not be possible for any
uman being to find out the important letters.
my one day there may be thirty orforty letters
ONE, where 1t would be absolutely impossible