National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-07


q. And that calculation, did you in the first
place make IL with view to the whole I'll, or
did you first make your calculations upon the
basis Of that line being the original surface, the
first calculation which you made as to guam
tityi =
The Witness. Against the Government
Mr.. Jewett. The first calculation you made
as to quantity, do not care who 1t was against,
the first time that you went there to ascertain
the amount of work done at that point did you
take that line as basis for this, (indicatingi]
A. No, sir; the extreme level.
Q. You charged the Government not only
with the excsvating through portions Of the
street that you really excavated, but you
charged it at the same rate for this filn A.
For the fill; yes, sir. at the time was Of a
different opinion. Still, I think, as long as the
fill was obtained from the other streets, there
was perhaps some fairness In It. .s---
BY Mr.. Stewart: q. You charged them for
the I'LL. and for the excavation A. Only in
this case. Yes, that was the only instance.
Q. How much q yard for eachi A, 1t cost
40 cents.
Q. Making so cents for the flli A. Well, If
you had taken that fill alone, It would have
been so cents.
By Mr.. Jewett: Q. What calculation do you
say Mr.. Same has been making within q few
daysl A. He went over this New Hampshire
avenue.
Q. Did he use the same profile that you had
made beforea A. No, sir: he made his calcula-
ton also from observations on the ground.
Q. When were those observations made, the
last oncsi A. could not accurately. name the
day, but it was some time either last week or
the week before, / was not with him when he
made the observations, but after he made them.
Invent over the ground with him. %. 81
Q. In these last observations did you take
the original surfaced A. Yes, sir.
Q. You had no reference to the surface after
the first I'LL was madei A. No, sir.
Q. To the surface as It existed when the pro-
file was madea A. No, sir.
Q. What difference did you make in the re-
suit! A. That could not tell you, sir. did
not make them myself, and 1 did not keep any
record of it.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. l understand you, now,
that your recent measurements have extended
from G street to Boundary; have you been
working any on Virginia avenue recently? A.
Never, to my knowledge.
Q. Have you been there with Mr.. Same on
Virginia avenuel A. Not to my knowledge;
at least cannot call it to my mind; butI think
not.
Q. You have none of the original figures that
were made in this New Hampshire avenue3
A. No, sir; have not.
q. Have you anv on Virginia avenuel A.
Virginia avenue we had the exact computa-
tons in the Office which were made the basis OF
the vouchers, and there we had pretty good
set of profles and q cross-section, and the
amount charged to the GOVERNMENT was the
same amount.
q. Will there be any trouble in ascertaining
exactly what you did with regard to the Vir-
ginia avenue in making up your quantities. A.
l think not.
9. You think you have got the data. in the
officer A. think the identical vouchers can
be procured
Q. You can find out from the papers in the
Office exactly what you did do with reference
to Virginia avenue? A. think SO, sir.
Q. Yesterday requested you to bring to the
committee the papers that you had with refer
ence to this appropriation of a million dollars
that was made last spring; state If these are
the papers you handed mel
The Witness, latter examining them.l Yes,
sir.
Q. Are these all the papers that were made
to ascertain what work had been done prior 10
the Board of Public Works on these aVenuesl
A. Well, think on this second page you will
find two items, or references rather.
Q. Yes; l find here, at the top of this paper,
HAmount expended by the Board of Public
Works upon avenues, 81 ,237 81. 49," Was
that for work that had been done for the Board
of Public 'Vorksl A. By the board; and In the
board report of 1872 1 think you will find de-
tailed statement. II was only an approximate
statement.
Q. That was the one to which called your
attention few days agol A. think so.
Q. Then find the next item, "Amount be-
fore expended, think, by the District, 1891 :
0O0." Now, wish to know how you get at
that 1891 ,0O0l A. There some items on page
81 of the report of 1872 occur again; and the
first one had prepared, and the second one
was prepared in the Governors Office. and
took it for granted it was correct. How 1t was
arrived at at the time, do not know.
Q. How did you get at that 1891 ,OO0i A.
just took 1t out Of the report of the Governor.
Q. Do you know how that amount was de-
rived by whoever made out that statement in
the Governors officel A. That I could not
say; tried several times to get at that data,
but failed.
Q. How did you try to get at that A.
asked those gentlemen who thought had been
familiar with it, and they did not seem to know.
Q. To whom did you make the application
A. For instance, Mr.. Larner, Think he lie more
familiar with this work than anything else.
Q. Was he able to give you any definite
statement in regard to til A. No.
Q. To what other person did you make ap-
plicationl A. think it was the auditor.
suppose he was familiar with it.
Q. Who was that A. Mr.. Needs.
Q. To what other person did you make ap-
plicationa A. think that is all.
Q. From these gentlemen you were unable to
get any definite data upon which to base that
amount A. Yes, sir; did not get any definite
data, and / took it and Just inserted it.
Q. In your examination q day or two ago
you and Mr.. Forsyth made out an amout-an
aggregation of 81 GOO, 000-which presume is
this, and that you took the statement from
Mr.. Forsyth's recollection as he gave 1t to youl
A. Then my statement was not precise. The
1891 900 was taken from report. Afterward
think, did state that Mr.. Forsyth went over
1t, avenue by avenue, and stated to me what
work had been done.
Q. Did you mean to say that he went out
over the avenues, or did he sit there in the
Office and state to youl A. It was in hts office
He stated to me between such and such points
such and work was done, but / do not think II
is made
Q. Did he have any papers to refer to In
order to give you the amounts A. think he
occasionally referred to old grade books and to
some of his note books.
Q. That is the voucher upon which the mil
lion appropriation was drawn, was It not
measurement March IA, 1875" page AL Of
the Governors answer. Does that embrace
work done by the old corporation as well as
work done by the boardl A. To my knowl.
edge 1t is all new work.
Q. When you made up that account for old
work that was done; you think that is all new
work' A. That is to my knowledge all work
done by the board.
Q. Do you know how they happened, then
to draw that million dollars appropriation
which was for work done by the city of Wash
ington before the Board Of Public Works had
existence, on work done by the bosrdl A
That / do not know.
@. Can you explain that7 A. No, SIR.
0. Do you think the board did anything like
that amount of work on these avenuesl Look
at that report. Take, for example, Louisiana
avenue. A. In the case of Louisiana avenue
this statement ought to read, "From Tenth
street to Pennsylvania avenue" It included
that triangular section between Ninth street
and the Avenue. 49,.
Q. Did the board do that work. A. Yes,
sir.
O. You think the board did that much work
on Louisiana avenuei A. think 30.
Q. Now, look little further, and see II you
think the board did all the work that is In that
voucher, upon which that money was drawn.
a. Wen, possibly there might be one or two
items, but do not think so. If you viii allow
me to scrutinize Il, though, I will tell you.
Q. You think that was all done by the board,
substantially A. think, substantially, it
was all done by the board.
Q. Do you know who made out that paperl
(Handing witness paper.) A. That is a copy
of that very same thing Mr.. Forsyth made out.
Q. Do you mean to say it is Q copy Of the
paper that was dictated to you by Mr.. Forsyth
A. Yes, sir; that is what mean to say.
Q. Was that paper made out for the purpose
of being presented to Congress with a view OF