National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-25
DISTRICT INVESTIGATION
lCostian,d from second page


was obtained, as an average, especially after
had gone through the exact process OF taking
the average of sewers actually built and not OF
assumption.
Q. Here is your certificate in connection with
the increase Of the Evans Concrete Pavement
Company; ia that correcti A. Yes, sir.
@. December "a, 1871 A. Yes, sir. Gre
spectfnIly referred to the inspector of build
ings for his opinion" Now, this Is what had
in view. l was not q member Of the board
but inspector of buildings; and then this in
dorsement led me unwillingly to think that
was not a member of the Board of Public
Works. You see it was referred to me as in
spector of buildings.
q. You were a member at that timei A. 1
was.
By Mr.. Mattingiy: O.. And had been for
over two monthsl A. Yes, sir; but this indorse-
ment to the inspector of buildings misled me.
| Counsel here produced the papers set out on
pages 423, 42t and 425 of printed record.
The Witness. While we are speaking on
this subject, there is one error which is apt to
mislead very much here. found it only to-
day. On page 205t there ought to be ''sod-
ding" instead Of "Hagging," Most likely 1
spoke indistinctly. - -
@. If you will turn to the bottom Of page
POSI- the question was asked:
Q. Are we to understand you to say In regard to
10
there is one single exception. and this is as far
rs remember. went some time In July, of last
year-I happened to 20 on business-to the private
office OF the vice president, Mr.. Shepherd. I
| found him there In consultation with Mr.. Oertly,
and, looking at what they were doing. saw they
| were giving out contracts for main sewers. They
| showed me what they were doing, and Mt that
hour, think 1t was-yes, It was then-that q mil
lion dollars worth OF contracts were given out.
was present, but was not consulted but in one
single instance. remember made an objection
to the party who was to have this contract.
Were no: you and Mr.. Oersly at Mr.. Shep-
herds Office on that occasion by special re-
ques:l A. Mr.. Oertly may have been there /;
l happened to drop in on other business.
| Q. Did you not receive a note from Mr..
{ Shepherd requesting the presence of yourself
and Mr.. Oertly there, with a view of talking
over the matter of letting out the contracts for
| these sewersl a. No; l do no. think re-
ceiyed any notice like that.
@. You do not remember any such notice
A. No, sir. If it was sent up to the Board of
Public Works Office It never was delivered to
me, because l am positive about that-that
dropped In and found the two gentlemen there.
Q: You do not remember this: that while
you and Mr.. Oertly were there in the office
some three or four other gentlemen were there
| engaged with Mr.. Shepherd on private bust
ness, and that after thew got through then you,
Mr.. Oertly, and Mr.. Shepherd went over the
matter of these sewer contracts; do you re-
n
three or four gentlemen having been there.
Q. Do you not remember you had to wait
until they got through before you could talk
with Governor Shepherd about these sewers?
A. In the multifarious duties of one year
could not remember such an occurrence.
The Chairman Mr.. Mattingly, to refresh his
memory, give him the names of the persons
who were PRESENT.
Mr.. Mattingly: / do not know the names of
those persons who were present now, sir.
q. But do you remember, as I understand
you to say, that you were only consulted on
that occasion with reference to one of these
contractsl A. The occurrence is exactly as
stated It. l stated that made an objection In
two cases-at least mean to say that made
objection in one case; the other, Gallagher &
Co., could not object to, because never heard
their names before. They are no citizens of
the District. 1 did not know them as mschan-
les In that line; and so thought the Governor
most likely knew them better than I.
Q. Did not Governor Shepherd on that occa-
sion talk over, both with you and Mr.. Oertly,
each one of those sewer-contractsl a. Well
they could not have let out 81 900 900 worth Of
work If each one of them had not been as
signed; each one Of them must, of course, have
been talked about-the length Of it, the prices
and the designation by name. +,
Q. And was talked about on that occasioni
A. Yes, sir; that was SO.
Q. That was so; then you were consulted
about thati A. Well, was not consulted
about that. say just now that would not,
as citizen of Washington, give q contract of
$3.50, 900 to an outsider If there was a free and
fair consultation about It. 1 have too much
respect for the mechanics of the District.
Q. Do understand you to say that Cover
nor Shepherd talked over the matter with you,
as to each one of these sewer contracts, on that
occasionl A. Sirl
Q. That he did, on that occasion, talk over
with you the matter Of each one ofthese sewer
contracts? A. My testimony is correct in that
regard.
Q. Answer that question, If you please. A.
Those sewers were taken in hand. There was
no talk about them. The price was fixed, SO
much for depreciation Of paper put on, and the
same was put on to IL.
Q. Was that all done there on that day7 A
It was sent back, no doubt, to the clerks
Office In the Office of the vice president.
Whether it took them one or five days after
that to send out the notice, l do not know,
sir.
Q. Were you consulted about the pricel A.
The Governor said: ''Should think is that a
fair good pricel" looked at the figures of
Mr.. Oertly-the figures, most of them, had
been made by Mr.. Oertly-I looked at the
figures, and said, to the best of my recollection,
1t was S23 thousand for brick and cement,
and which, If they were well laid, is not too
much. In one case only 1t was over. These
prices, said, were good, and were fair prices.
do not want to get out Of It. l will take the
responsibility. Twas consulted about that.
Q. You werel A. Yes, that is to say, about
the price; but not about the men who got the
work;
&. Well, understood you to say, the other
day, that when the different contractors were
named for the different work that there was
On xyott fp1 A civ
Q. You made no objection to the others, did
you'll A. It was notorious how the business of
the board has been done.
Q. Oh, answer the question. Did you at
that time object to anybody else but the one
that. you had namedi A. did not consent.
Q. Did you objecti A. II sileRee-no sir.
Q. You did not objecti A. did not object
Q. Now, there was one contractor to whom
you did objecti A. Yes, sir.
Q. Who was that Well, It Is hardly fair
that put myself out
Q. Well, you have already stated. A. Well,
1t was Thompkins 81 Ruggles. / did it for the
simple reason that I thought they had too
much work on hand.
@. You had a right to object; 1t was very
proper that you should, If there were any
reasons for it, and you did objectl A. The
credit when state 1t, that such was the case.
Q. You recommended somebody else for
that contract A. Yes, sir.
Q. And he gave 1t to himi A. Yes, sir.
Q. And that other person you recommended
was Sam Strong! A. Yes, sir.
Q. And he got that contract A. Yes, sir.
Q. On your recommendation A. Yes, sir;
Sam. Strong is stonemason and bricklayer,
of this District.
Q. Do you remember who was in the room |
at the timel A. / have stated that I remem-
Der there were Mr.. Shepherd and Mr.. Oertly |
there. Similar meetings lie that took place |
in his Office. It is very hari to say, for m. or |
anybody else, after one year has passed, who |
was present at that meeting.
Q. know; but you testified here the other |
day as TO one particular meeting, and as to what !
was done at that meeting' A. stated my
Q. Do you remember DR.. Howe being present;
YOU know hint A. Yes, sir.
Q. Was he therei A. lie may have been.
do not know. now think that he might
have been there; he might have taken the
names of these men to whom the assignments
we're made, but / am not positive about that.
Ny whole testimony was to show the way of
LONG the work of such magnitude, not that
was partner to it. If I am, confess my
guilt.
Q. You alluded little while ago, and sew
,ral times to a private correspondence between
Mr.. Shepherd and Mr.. 0ertly in your oficei
4. A correspondence kept private from me. |