National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-17


mittee, or my company, which Is simply another
name for 9 board of directors, were the manag-
ing officers Of the company.
Q. And when you speak Of reporting to your
company, you reported to themi A. reported
to my executive committee, as . convenient
form.
O. Now, do your books anywhere show your
receipts and disbursements under your con-
tractl A. My reports to my company are the
books sppertaining TO this contract, and the
only books. ..,-
Q. Now, how was that report madei A. By
myself.
o. In writing, or orallyl A. In writing, sir.
Q. Does your report, then, to your company
in writing show your receipts and disburse-
ments under this contract! A. Every cent,
sir.
Q. Does It show your proitsi A. Yes, sir;
every cent-made within four days-made
within three days after my arrival In Philadel-
phia, when received nv final payment from
the Board of Public Works, in 1877, at the
completion of our contract.
Q. Was there then distribution 4. There
was an immediate distribution.
Q. Between all the members of the company!
A. Yes, sir.
Q. OF the portions due7 A. Yes, sir.
By Mr.. Thurman: Q. When was the Beidler
patent obtained A. In 1870, think.
Q. In what particular did that pavement
differ from other wood pavements' A Ihe
speciality of our pavement is a block about hve
inches and a half in depth, and just in the
center q solid block comes, so that we have .
bed of about two and three quarter inches oil
solid block. Then there is the interstices, or
openings filed up with concrete, the gravel and
tar, to hold together and make solid olock
The feature Of the pavement is in having a
solid bed-way of two and three quarter inches
or three inches. We have no underboard, but
lay a gravel bottom. The Miller pavement
has
Q. No floor at ella A. No, sir; and then in
the sloping of these blocks they are self-sup
porting, they brace each other.
Q. What is the base of your blocki a. ]
think four inches.
O. Laid on the saudl A. Laid on the sand
and gravel.
O. And the height of the block is five inches
A. Five and half, five and three-quarters, OIL
| six, / have forgotten which; whatever the
specifications called for.
Q. What is the particular subject Of patent
In that pavement! A. The solid bedway, the
solid block of three inches, and then its self
supporting character. The cutting on one side
is less than on the other, and it is self-support
ing and bracing.
Q. Are not allwooden pavements made o
solid blocks?A. No, sir. Take as an illustra
ton the Miller pavement. 1t has diagona
cut, and they only touch about halt-incf
from the ground. They just come together
that way, Gllustrating.) Ours is three inches
that way, solid, and then these interstices o.
grooves, which we fill up.
| Q. OF about 211 inches or ~! A. Yes, Sir.
Q. Then the amount of 1t is that your block:
all fit together at the bottoml A. Yes, sir.
! Q. And three inches from the bottom, then
there Is the level. .. Yes, sir; they rest OIL
each other that way, Gndicating0
Q. And 1t makes the interstices, which YOU
fill up! A. Yes, sir.
Q. That is the peculiar feature Of your pat
enta A. That's the patent.
Q. That was in 10! A. Yes, sir.
O. By Beidler7 A. Yes, sir. Perhaps tn,
patent was issued before that.
Q. Had Beidler ever laid any pavement will
itl A. He had laid q sample pavement IL
Philadelphia.
Q. In any great amount A. No, sir; NJ
| great amount.
Q. When was it that your company wa!
formed to purchase Mr.. Beidler's PATENT A
1 think the company was formed in 1870.
came into it in the early part of II.
| Q. They purchased Beidler's patent fo
S,50O9 A. 1 think that, or $4,000.
Q. For his PATENT A. Yes, sir; somewhere
between $4,000 and $4,000; have forgotten
which.
Q. Who were the members of the company
A. Mr. Beidler had two interests; had bu
one twelfth.
Mr.. Jewett. That has been stated before.
By Mr.. Thurman: Q. That company wa:
simply partnership A. Yes, sir.
Q. There was no act of Incorporation? A
| We got an act through the Legislature, but il
would have cost US $500 or $500 to organize
under 1t, and we did not care to go to that ex
| pense.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. You only had one con
tract for this works A. Yes, sir.
Q. When did you execute that written con
tract' A. think very shortly after we Sc
cured our contract.
Q. Was that contract afterward changed
A. think 1t was afterward changed because
of my notification to the board in connection
with the sidewalk. My purpose was to be re.
| lieved of responsibility.
Q. What was your original contract as you
recollect it; what kind Of wood were you to
| put down? A. Pine wood.
Q. What kind of treatment was It to be sub
| jected to? A. No treatment at first. Three
dollars were allowed for the wood pavement
and fifty cents for the other.
Q. When did you make that arrangement:
about the fifty cents! A. Oh, some time after
ward.
Q. Did you have any written agreement about
that? A. do not remember. We got the
board prices for treating.
Q. Then you started out to put down this
A. That was their first proposition.
Q. Was that the proposition that you &C
cepted? A. Yes, sir.
Q. And that was obe at 50 yard' A. Yes,
sir.
Q. Then you afterward changed that; or,
after that they gave you board prices for treat
ing woodl A. Yes, sir.
@. 1t was so centsl A. Yes, sir.
Q. How long after you entered into the orig
inal agreement was it until this change was
madel A. / do not think it was very long. 1t
was before we commenced laying our pave
ment.
Q. Did you take this whole contract at one
timel A. Yes, sir; all at one time; from Ninth
street to the circle. That covered about 4, 900
yards of pavement.
Q. l find that this contract contains inter
lineations. Look at it and see what you have
to say about that; what circle is it that you
speak Oft A. At the end of z street, Just be-
fore you come down to the bridge, where Penn
sylvania avenue cuts over into Georgetown.
Q. Is that Twenty-third street or Sixteenth
street, A. 1t Is farther than Sixteenth street;
it is Twenty-third think.
Q. What is the date of that contract
The Witness. The date that it was madei
Mr.. Wilson. Yes, sir.
A. This contract was made "this 18th day of
September, in the year 1871"
Q. That is about the time the contract was
entered into; is that about the time that you
took your original contract? A. Yes, sir; in
the month of September is when bid.
Q. I find that on the 18th day Of September,
1871, the following entry appears upon the
minutes of the board: "The following schedule
of work to be done by the board was adopted"
setting out a large number of names, 1t finally
comes to K street, from the circle to Sixteenth
street, "Beidler, Keystone, Bingham, Is, 758
yards at So, amounting to 81, 2S6." The next
entry below that is, "K street, from Sixteenth
street to Ninth street, 40 feet Of roadway in the
centre, and sidewalks Is feet wide, Beidler,
Keystone, Bingham, 10, 036 yards at 50, amount
ing to SIS, 10S." Was that your first contract
4. The only contract that we ever received was
the contract from Ninth street to the circle,
and If my recollection serves me rightly, when
these contracts were published, the lettering of
these contracts was published in the daily
papers of Washington, there was 9. division of
our contract from Ninth street to Fourteenth,
and then right under it, from Fourteenth to
the circle. II was one contract, and l only
knew it as one contract.
Q. Then the original award to you was from
Ninth street to this circle on Thenty-third
street, A. Yes, sir.
Q. That was the original award to youl A.
Yes, sir.
Q. And this statement, then, upon the
minutes Of the board is not In accordance with
the original award to youi A. The only award
that know is from Ninth street to the circle,
which included both of these awards that were