National Republican., 1874-04-02
DISTRICT INVESTIGATION!

pavement that they used. -
Q. Did you have brick pavement on Nine
teenth street, A. Yes, eir.
Q. And was 1t taken uni A. Yes, sir.
| Q: Was the same material put down again
A. II was put down there.
@. Now, before the bills were rendered. q
at any time before the thirty days expired, dix
you make an application to be allowed for tha
brick footway therel A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did you get that allowance A. No, sir
not until ! paid the bills. suppose 1 lost tw'
Q. Hold on minute. I do not care how
much time you lost. After you received tht
bills did you get an allowance for the bricl
| footway-after you paid the billsi Did you pa
those billsi A.. Yes, sir.
y. Very. well. Now, before you paid tn,
bills you did not get an allowance; after yol
paid, did they allow you anythingi A. Tha
for It. a : :
Q. Have you called for IT. A. did no
know where TO call forit; did not know wher,
to 60 to get It.
9; Have you ever called upon the board h
settle thati A. No. SIR
Q. Is that an insufficient allowances A. I
Is more than-l viii state to YOU There Is +,
gentleman on that street
Q. They have allowed you here In this bin a
a drawback sS6.75; is that enough to pay 70
4 a.. o,
Q. How much does It lack of II? A. Auy
thing that is taken up and put down ought K
bring more than half
| 9. What was 1t WORTH A. It cost me $154
q. How long had It been In usel A. II haC
not been In use very long.
2. How longi A. suppose II had been II
use maybe year or something like that.
| Y. Was any Of It curbing. A. Yes, sir.
By Mr.. Mattingly: Q. Was the same curbinr
mt backf A. Yes air
Q. Was 1t dresseda A. Well, that which tn,
board joined to 1t looks like that is dressed.
O. Then they did not dress itl A. should
not call 1t dressed. If that was dressed, min
was not. 800 r I-F
Q. The old does not look as well as the new
A. It looks just as well as 1t did when 1t wa
put down there. Some stone-cutters' appren
tice boys went along there picking it, but It 4
Q. What is your businessi A. am a plas
terer by trade.
By Mr.. Wilson: 0. II I understand YOU
your complaint is this: that they took up you
material, put 1t down again, and charged yol
for its A. Yes, cir.
Q. And made you pay for iti A. Yes, sir.
y. ana they have not yet paid you for YOU
Q. But have allowed you S36.75 on account
Of material which you think is an inadequate
| allowance A. Yes
BY Mr.. Stewart: Q. Which Is your lotl A
Lots and Q, square 112
Q. would not remember the numbers. DC
you go to Q street, A. Yes, sir; right on tht
corner of Q; right opposite to you.
Y: Running across from Connecticut avenue
to Nineteenth street, A. Yes, sir.
Q. You are on the endi A. Yes, sir.
q. This was on Nineteenth street, A. This
bill for what have got Is on Nineteenth
street.
Q. Have they changed the grade there, A
Well, yes, sir; they changed It about a veal
ago-in 1871, I think It was; along there, OF
1870. They cut from the circle about six feet
and down In front of me there were aboui
twelve inches of cutting. Then, when the
Board of Public Works came in and changed
the grade, they cut me down and LEFT the Other
end standing as 1t was.
Q. First they cut the circle down-the old
boardl A. Yes, sir; under Mayor Bowen.
Q. They cut It down, and then they filed tht
circle and cut down your placei A. 1 do moi
think they filed the circle, because the land
marks are there now. On the square am at
right across from you, on that angle, was 8
house built, and there was the foundation
where 1t came out on a level with the circle
and It is there yet. I do not think they cui
anything there at the circle. They cut down tc
street and 4eft me up, think, about foul
or i've feet. l am doing some grading there
now, and that is how I came to notice that.
am grading that down now.
Q. How many front feet did you have or
Nineteenth street Of pavement A. On Nine
teenth street, what paid for was so feet Of
pavement, about 60 feet of curb, and 60 feet Of
curb-stone, and 60 feet of gutter-stone, and &C
feet of cobble-stone. .r
Q. You had 60 feet of curb and 60 feet o
pavement A. No, 50 feet of pavement.
Q. Is the pSTemnnt the same width now as
it was theni n. believe now It is 10 feet. ]
am not certain; I never measured n
By Mr., Wilson: Q. That ali cost you, in the
fall of 1870, s15A A. Yes, sir; on Nineteenth
street.
By Mr.. Jewett: Q. Do understand that YOU
live near Q street circlei A. Yes, sir.
Q. How long have you lived therei A.
have owned that place about eight or nine
years; but have been moved away from there
about four years. have been backward and
forward around there.
Q. Has that circle been cut down much since
you lived therei A. don't think It has beer
cut; 1t might have been on the north side; q
portion, think, by the Senator's house, and
around, has been cut down little.
Q. How muchi A. Well, suppose that was
done under Mayor Bowen. Delaware, Hutton
and Bill Fletcher did that.
Q. Has any other grading or cutting beer
done since 1871 A. Not at the circle; Idon't
think there has. But back of me it was
wedge in this way, (indicating.) In 1871 they
turned to and cut from the circle down here
running down to about twelve inches. Then
when the board came in, they turned to ana
started off from the circle, and came dow1
here five feet TO me. The circle, think, stands
pretty much the same as 1t did when the board
came In.
Mr.. Jewett, (to Mr.. Mattingly.) Is there any
controversy about the mode Of doing this busi-
ness; that, in these Improvements, where you
took up pavement and material, without regard
to that, you charged the owners of the prop
erty their proportion Of the expense for the i'm.
provement without making any special allow.
ance for the material taken out, making it, az
you made here, in 3 certificate Of material some
other timei
Mr.. Mattingiy. Mr.. Shepherd can explain
that matter better than can.
Governor Shepherd. The rule of the board
was to assess the cost of the work on the street,
then divide It into front feet on the improve
ment, then TO allow q drawback to such parties
l do not know whether you are familiar with
the city, but there were very few lines of i'm
provements that were regular; most of them
were old payements which were worn out. In
some instances thin curbs 16 inches deep, not
fit for concrete or wood and improved pave
ment, were down, and In taking up that mate
rial, in most instances, It was unfit for use, and
carted to the property-yard. suppose there
are hundreds Of thousands Of feet Of old curb
and old bats, now scattered about In the prop
erty-yards, not worth the cost of removal. The
plan was this: where parties came In and filed
an application, the matter was examined by the
superhtendent Of property, and he reported
back to the board that the party was entitled
TO drawback of certain amount, whatever
the value of the material was.
Mr.. Jewett. The material, then, was taken
of without any account being taken Of It, un-
less the owner Of the property made claim for
value7
Governor Shepherd. A circular was issued to
the public requesting property-owners who de-
sired II to take their material from the streets
themselves, which was done In vast number
of instances. In other cases where that was
not done the board took IL and carted It of and
stored It away, first taking account of the quail
ity and kind Of material In front of each place;
then, when an application was made Tor draw
back, the superintendent Of property reported
what the value Of the material was which was
taken, and on that an account was audited for
the amount in favor Of the party who applied
for It who owned the property. / think the
audits on that account amount TO some Sc, 900
or S75 900 up to this time for old material.
The Witness. II the committee viii allow me
TO ask question, would like to. On nthis line
OF pavement Of mine there have been men who
have got ffty-six feet and have been allowed
e74.eo. That Is about the same amount as
mine. There is my bid there. That is the rea-
son went to work to see II was not entitled
i<o - rruah .pvfn1v That ta al