National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-22
DISTRICT INVESTIGATION
[coH.ieua from. tec'Hd pdgs.I

the ono which you have named. Do you know
whether that is q single estimated Is that EN-.
bodied IN a single paper7 A. Yes, sir.
@. And is partial estimated A. 1t Is par
tial estimate; but, then, according to our ruie
of routine there should have been fourteen
vouchers for those. We always give only 4
voucher for one contract. About fourteen
streets are included in this single voucher.
Q. Is that voucher numbered! A. have
the engineers number, go; but afSerward, if
you want to find 1t here, most likely you will
have to find the auditors number.
Q. You have copy of that in your Office,
A. This is copy which have in the book
Q. Are all the partial AMI final estimates
copied In that wayl A. The partial estimates
are mostly copied in that way, Ondicating,)
and the final estimates are copied In this book
in full, just exactly as they appear, (indi-
cating.)
Q. Do you regard Mr.. Oertly as an honest,
faithful employee in your officei A. do SO,
| to some extent.
Q. We'll, want to see whether you did or
notl A. have seen that Mr.. Barney, who, I
am proud to say, is one of the most accom-
plished men-he reports to me everything
going on, as is his duty, while Mr.. Oertly does
| to orders. or course l cannot have that degree
of confidence which a friendly intercourse of
many years would otherwise imply.
| Q. l only want to know your opinion of a
man who would make a fraudulent voucher
and certify 10 it-that is alias you say he
has in this particular instance. A. 1 wish the
committee to zee that street, 1t is Is feet below
grEade,
fee? A. Nominally; he is on the payroll.
| Q. Does he ever come to your ofiicel A.
Not more than except perhaps once in a week,
or in two weeks, or three weeks, to ask for
some information.
Q. Does he receive orders from youi A. No,
sir.
Q. Did you find him there, also, whenyou went
| In? A. found him when was there, and
took proper means to see that somebody else
was appointed to make those measurements.
So far as the engineers department is con-
cerned, those measurements, am proud to
say, am willing to stand by.
o. But Mr.. Forsyth has made some measure
ments, has he not, for contractorsi A. Well,
not under my orders.
Q. mean has he not made estimates for
contractorsl A. Yes, sir.
Q. Those estimates have come into your Of
fee, have they not2 A. No, sir. ~
Q. Where did they go tot A. do not know
officially.
o. 1 thought understood you to say while
ago that all partial and final estimates pass
through your object A. Yes, sir in the regu-
lar way.
Q. That is the way they ought to go. A.
Yes, sir.
o. But Mr.. Forsyth's estimates, partial and
final, have never passed through your Office :
| A. Some of them have, but not all of them.
Q. Those that have passed through your
Office were examined by your A. Yes, sir.
Q. Were they found correct or inco-recti L.
have stated that the very fact that found q
number of incorrect measurements
Q. Oh, yes; you mentioned three or four
l.. Il l,p,,-a
They were corrected. l saw them corrected,
of course, but it is disagreeable to have fight
every day, and so I would have somebody
| else. .r"..a
Q. Mr.. Forsyth, then, afterward made meas
urements for estimates that did not pass
through your object A. Yes, sir.
Q. VIII you give US few examples Of those
measurements, If you cant A. WE'LL don't
know of any except it Is of the Evans Con-
crete Company, and then afterward the mea-
suremeuts against the Government for Gov
eminent work.
Q. allude now to estimates made for cen
tractorsl A. don't think he has any more
except this very case on Massachusetts, ave
nue..
Q. You do not think there are any estimates
made, then, by Mr.. Farsyth, for contractors
that have not passed through your officei A..
No, sir; not besides those mentioned.
Q. Were you in the habit of attending meet
ings of the boardl A. I was regular whenever
a meeting was called. 1 do not think have
missed one meeting.
Q. have little curiosity to know as to how
you got the meetings of the Board of Public
Works. What was the method of getting a
meeting of the board! How did you do IL!
Did you receive q written noticel A. Yes, sir.
Q. From whoml A. From Charles s. John
son, secretary.
| O. Had you stated times for the maating of
the boardl A. No, sir; not last summer. We
have had stated times for the last three or per-
haps four nonths-eyery Monday and Friday
at IL O'Clock; but that dates from January,
1874.
Q. Before that time you had no regular days
for the meetings Of the bosrdi A. No, sir;
none whatever.
Q. When there was to be a board meeting,
then, you would receive q notice from Mr..
Johnsonl A.. Yes, sir; or from the chief clerk.
Q. To meet on J. certain day! NJ Yes, sir.
Q. How often were you In the habit of hold
ing these meetings. 4. / think since l became
q member of the board mp to New Years of
this year there might have been eight meet
| InGs.
Q. Eight meetings Of the board from Octo-
Der, 1872, to January, 1871 A. Yes, sir; that
| is it,.
Q. Not more than eight meetings in alli A.
To the best of my knowledge, perhaps less. l
think about eight.
O. Did the Board of Public Works have a
particular place of meetingi A. Well, the
regular place of course, would be Four-and-a:
half street.
Q. They had an Office; had they notl "A. o,
yes; that is the Office. remember of one meet
| ing having been called at Mr.. Shephard's pri-
vate residence, and remember that MI. Baker,
the cashier of the First National Bank Of New
York; was present. This is the only meeting
| know of outside. be-
Q. That was in relation. to the debt, sup
posel A. Yes, sir.
Q. What time in the day were those meet
ings usually called fora A. Irregularly.
o. You had no particular hour of meeting or
day of meeting, them A.. No, sir.
| Q. How long were you.usually in session at
those meetingsl A. The longest meeting that
/ know of was last summer, when this case oil
the extension Of the contract of DeGolyer q
Mcclellan came up, and Mr.. Jeffreys argued
the case. That might have been one hour and
half. The other meetings most likely were
| shorter.
| O. Was it the customiof the board to read
the minutes of the preceding meeting! A. No,
sir. Lately have frequently called for the
minutes of the preceding meetings, and was
uniformly informed that the minutes were II
Congress here, and could not be read.
By Mr.. Stewart: O.. Whose handwriting |:
that Handing paper to witness.l A. It |:
not handwriting that 1 am acquainted with.
q. That is not Mr., 0ertly's, them A. No
sir; that is not Mr.. Oertly's.
Q. Whose handwriting is thatl referring
to a youcher.l A. That is Mr.. Oertly's.
By the Chairman: Q. I wish to ask yor
about the sewers. Ethink you stated that thu
Boundary sewer, which cost $50 q foot, Is abou
a fair price3 A will tell you what the thret
II sections cost. now see have GantZ and Ap
pleman's sewer. between Second and Eleventh
SS4.7e.
o. A footl A.. Yes; and then between thu
[ two ACKNOWLEDGEMENT the outlet which hav'
meutioned-there Is Sam Strong's contract
OF this an sorry have not the data will
me-.
J, O.. You know what the price is in q genera
wayi A. Mr.. Strong has not as heavy q Gu
as Gantz q Appleman have, and so his pric
will be, most likely, somewhat lower,
!. Q. What wish TO ask you is whether yo'
made up the prices which were TO be paid 4
these different contractorsl A. WAl, / hay
= stated this morning ''mainlv brick
o. You do not understand the question, sil
Did you make up the prices To be paid to al
, these contractors; what they were TO receiy
from the Board OF Public Works for the mai
| sewerl A. did this in consultation with Nj
Oer.ly, but afterward this addition for the az
probation of paper l did not. That was bt
' yond my province. I considered 1t matte
' for the board, and not for the. engineer.
{ O. With the exception of the Is per sen
vvhjch was allowed In making up the estimat