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

o--SAt oAN hAoAOCE u oOhEu Vi w OIkS.
BY the Legislature last summer includes the
price for this sewer.
.: For the sewer that, you speak of nova
Yes, exactly; and 1t was aflcward aban-
Toned.
Q. That is, you mean the bill providing for
81, 100000 of sewer-bondsl A. Yes, sir; this
included a charge for this sewer on F street.
think l have in my pocket, most likely, the
irst draught that we asked for. have here:
New York avenue, 800 linear feet, at SIC;
.otal, S156, 1900"
2. That sewer has been abandoned, you sayl
A. 1t has been abandoned so far as to be a main
sewer, and relieve the present B-streei sewer
In the sewer-map which 1 have presented to
you, you will find that the sewer is still in
there in New York avenue, but running only
from Seventh to Seventeenth street. This OF
course relieves the B-street sewer from all the
drainage that comes from the west.
Y. You think there is a question as to the
sutficiency of B-s.reet sewerl A. Yes, sir; I
think so.
y. With that exception, however, do you re-
gard the system Of sewerage adopted, and the
sewers as. they are now being constructed, ade-
quate for the drainage of the cityi A. Yes,
sir; think that in the North Capitol street
sewer a waste of money has been incurred, aud
| would rather have q cheaper sewer as q bet
ter sewer. You have been down there; you
went out there the other day, and you found
that sewer 20 feet in width was carried al
the way up to o street. This was the original
sewer was concluded upon. When that was
C included upon I at once said, "If you take of
about 900 acres of drainage from this sewer
and expend so mnch on the Boundary street
sewer, let US have a saving now in North Capt
toll street; and that sewer In North Capitol
street, from the printing Office up to o costs,
from Z to o, S3TO, 900. According to my well.
maturcd view, s125, 900 ought to have been
saved in II.
BY the Chairman: Q. That is by making it
smalleri A. Yes, sir, as soon as you reduce
the area as much as 600 acres.
Q. Why was 1t not changed in accordance
street. and told the contractor to stop. I had
first the conditional assent of the vice presi-
dent to il.
Q. When you speak of the vice president, as
we have had to, wish you would name who
you mean! A. 1 mean Mr.. Shepherd. But
within few days afterward he told me that
there was to be consultation with Mr.. Null
lett, who had been the former engineer of this
board, ami he wished him present. After
ward they brought Mr.. Mullett up, and Mr..
Mullett aud Mr.. Shepherd out voted me, as
;wo to one. ....-..r-.-
q. When was the Boundary-street sewer, So
,alled, projected? Was that in the original
sewerage plan of tho city, as adopted by Gen.
ireeni A. No, sir; not to the best Of my
knowledge.
@. When was the idea OF the Boundary
street sewer first suggested; do you knowl
Was that before or after you became a member
If the boardl 4. The present plan Is subse.
Iueut to my becoming member of the board.
When l got TO be member Of the board the
'ewer was not talked of; but in the sewerage
Dill of last summer 1t Is included.
@. Was that included after consultation with
7ou, or after q consultation between the diff.
Brent members of the boardl A. No, sir; it
vas concluded after q consultation where Mr..
Mullett was called in.
Q. Called in where, and with whomi 4. Il
was in a private room in the fourth story Of the
District Of Columbia building.
Q. Who were present at this consultation
4. Mr.. Shepherd, Mr.. Mullett, myself, and
Mr.. B. Oertly, the assistant engineer.
Q. You think that Boundary-street sewer Is 8
necessary severi A. think 4 is one of the
best things VIC have done, because 1t relieves
his large sewer from foods.
Q. Whom was thati A. Last June, should
.hlnk.
Q. This main Tier sewer was already under
way, was II noti A. Yes, sir; but 1t was one
iquare south of the Government Printing
offlee.
Q. After you adopted that then you suggested
% the board-to. Governor Shepherd and Mr..
the Tiber sewer might be mar
-owed; decreased in sizel A. most earnestly
advocated that view repeatedly.
Q. Still you were oyerruledl 4. Yes, sir.
Q. Do you regard all these sewers necessary
% the drainage OF the cityl A. Yes, sir.
Q. All OF thsmi A. Yes, sir.
Q. Except that you think that B-street in
sewer should be larger, aud the
riber sewer might be smallerl A. Not that.
Q. No, no; that there ought to be another
,cweri A. Yes, sir; exactly. If I had the
Of the B-street sewer ! should
have, and, In fact, ever since have become q
member Of the board, have, abolished all
sewers with fat soles. They were building,
asst year, q good many with fat soles, and
have insisted that every sewer that has been
aid is barrsl-sewer.
Q. To have slope at the bottom as well as st
he topi A. Yes, sir; exactly. And IL had had
he making Of B-street sewer, instead of one
ID by the tide, would have taken two barrel
sewers, one by the side of the other one to
AXE sewerage from Twelfth to Seventeenth,
and the ether just outside to take the sewerage
rom Sc senth to Twelfth, so as to gain more
urea above the Underwater. But this Is q mat
.er of Judgment only.
O. Was this B-street sewer built before you
became o member Of the bosrdl A. Yes, sir;
lad q settlement Of the bills. but it was built
before came In.
Q. Have these sewers been well constructed
4. Well, not 80 well as would like to have
lad them constructed. I wish in this respect
% say that the superintendent Of these works
we're mostly not mechanics and not competent
men. Their appointment is sent up TO the en-
yineer: "Here is . man who has been ap-
,ointed, put him on the street." i'll had had,
instead Of the 40 superintendents whom had
asst summer, sixty competent men, Icould have
one creditable work.
@. Did you have 40 superintendents of
ewersl A. OF sewers and streets; and these
men are appointed and discharged by the vice
PRESIDENT, and therefore the engineer-who
las nothing to do but, to rap them If they
leglect their duty, of course he loses his in
uence over them. They look to the party
vho gives them their money, their appointment
nd dismissal.
Q. You think that those employees ought to
% under the control of the chief engineeri A.
is SO In all large enterprises In the country,
nd anywhere else.
Q. Yes, agree with you about that; / think
hey ought to be. How many assistant engi-
Ieers have you In your ofleel A. Well, In my
'ffiee have two, Mr.. 0ertly and Mfr. Barney.
Q. Have you any othersi A Mr.. Barney
las sub-assistants on the street. He has one
'oung gentleman, very competent young
Gentleman, who takes charge Of all the grades
asst of the CAPITOL, Mr.. Denenhower; and then
here Is another one who has charge OF every
hing on the other side of the city, that is Mr..
Q. Mr.. Barney has two suSordinates, theni
/. Yes, sir.
o. Are they undephis CONTROL A. Yes, sir.
There is third one, Mr.. BodGsh. Mr.. Bod
lsh's specially Is the sewers all over the city.
lie keeps the sewer-pegs and sewer-grades.