National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-26
DISTRICT INVESTIGATION
CCNCLUsI0F OF THE TESTIMOHI
TAKEN ON SATURDAY. .-...


CCECLUsI0F OF THE TESTIMOHI
TAKEN ON SATURDAY. .-.-.
JOB ANGUS ON THE sTAND-HIs OPINION
ON VARIOUS MATTERS = ENGINEEH
BARNES RECALLED-MoRE EVIDENCE OF
CLUss' INCoMPETENCY GIVEN BY HIM
sELF-TEsTIMoNY OF W. o. DAYTON ANI
THOMAS D. WINTER.
BY Mr.. Mattingly: Q. You made some allu
sion to the contract for the wood pavement oil
Fifteenth street, between s and Boundary
State whether that is the voucher signed b,
you'll A. Yes, sir; that Is one of the first blanl
Vouehers-5,62S square yards of wood pave
ment, which will make, If you will put dow
the price. about SIT 900. That is correct
Q: This same gentleman, you state, had
partial measurement, and had got his none,
and had gone. What did you say about that
A. j said that after he made his measurement
he stopped work, and left that part Of tn,
street which connects with the city proper I'm
finished. He has left the city for length o
time, for parts unknown to me.
G: Did he not report to you before leaving
A. No. sir.
Q. Look at this voucher of ]. E. Gregg, 70
Lutccubn kIIe6I between . HUI DOuuOdI1. LII
you sign thati A. Yes, sir.
Q. Mr.. Cluss, Just take these papers an
state what they are.
Witness then read the papers and indorse
ments as follows:
wAsHINGToN, Jan 6, 1874.
GENTLEMEN: l respectfully ask for 8 measur,
ment Of the grading Of New Hampshire avenue
IRON X street . the Potomac river.
Very respectfully, HUGH MURRAY.
BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS, D
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, Z
WASHINGTON, january z, 1873. y
Respectfully referred to the engineer in charge
FRANK T. HOWE, Chief Clerk.
Respectfully returned with account for tran:
ADOLF CLUss, Engineer in charge.
JANUARY 10, 1874.
Respectfully referred to the auditor.
FRANK T. HOWE. Chief Clerk.
PGpsments for Side,ralks and Carridgepays.
Board Of Public Works, District Of Columbia
to Hugh Murray, DR..
20.sS6 cubic yards grading, at 80 cents
2o.sS5 S16ic yards haul, 25Oo feet over ''''-'
100 feet at IL, equal to SlX s,ls2 s.
1885 s
Less % per cent a,6s9 o.
1885 0.
z Deduct certificates 4SI7 and s9fs 1854 s.
sn4 o.
fpected the work done by Hugh Murray, on the
Improvement Of New Hampshire avenue north
wett, between street and Virginia avenue, en-
under the order Of the Board OF Public Works
and find It correct rs 10 quantity and quality
and that the work has been done and material
and labor furnished, as per contract and speclh-
cations. CHAs. r. BARNEY,
Assistant Engineer.
Dated January IS, 1874.
Approved January Is, 1874.
ADOLF CLuss
Engineer Board Of Public Works, in charge
Ieertify that the foregoing bill is correct in
tract and is therefore audited in the sum Of nine
ty-four hundred and fourteen e-l00 dollars.
Ceftifcate No, sci. Board Public Works, 1s7,
vol /, 1874. Pavements for sidewalks and carriage
ways. January Is, 1874. Hugh Murrsy's bill for
work done on New Hampshire avenue northwest,
between and Virginia avenue, % Il4.Oo. Partial
measurement Received January %, 1874 Ger
tifcate No. s6l, for @, Il4.Oo. II. Murray.
This is the voucher that Mr.. Barney and my
self have explained the circumstances under
which il was made.
Q. What is the amount received A. Three
thousand five hundred and ninety mine dollars
and sixty-siX cents.
Q. This contract numbered ESQ; just tate
to the committee what that is. A. Andrew
Gleason.
O. But for WHAT A. n street northeast,
from Delaware avenue to Eighth street.
Q. How many yards of bluestone pavement
are theret A. That is all stricken out, you
see.
Q. l see It is. How many yards were theyl
A. This is a Cancelled bill.
@. Answer my question. A. There is the
bluestone pavement, 5000 yards, and then
12,777 yards.
Q. That, however, is over an erasure, is It
mil Z lnpl-
@. How much was there originality A.
could not say. 1t is the first time have been
shown this voucher. / have never heard Of 1t
before.
Q. You never heard before that you had
made q mistake of 800 600 In that contract
of Gleason'sl A. There was not the least
doubt
Q. Answer my question, If you please. Did
you ever hear of that beforel A. No, sir.
There must be something
Mr.. Mattingly. / think there must be. That
] 500 yards Of blue-rock pavement-how much
isThe amount extended? A. Again; this left
my Office in blank and, therefore, am not re-
spOnsible for the amount carried out.
Q. How much is there carried out-Sl12, 5o0i
a. Could the auditor have been so ignorant In
doing that-13, 900
Q. What was there when the auditor put the
S172 600 therel That is what asked you q
little while ago. How many yards of blue
rock would II take 10 amount to SIT, 000l A.
You can see that that is clerical error, when
anything like this is said there.
O. But when the auditor came to extend the
amount, then he ascertained the errorl A. In
the course Of things you have found q little
error. Is 1t exactly the thing to bring such q
little clerical error herei
Mr.. hsttingly. We do not bring here small
errors, but here we have brought an error
amounting TO over s1o0, 600. Mr.. Cluss nas
foEan ha IN hat he
ought TO have the right Of making the meas
uremeut without the order of the board and
sending It to the auditors Office.
The Witness. have not said so. Ihave said
that ought TO have the insertion Of the prices,
50 that the auditor sfterward could 60 over
them The very fact of sending blank vouch-
ers is Just the thing TO lead to such errors.
Q. Do not you know, Mr.. Cluss, that this
was q mistake made by youl A. / wish that
Mr.. Barney, VINO is the measurer of the board,
should be examined upon the subject.
Q. Do not you know that that was mistake
which occurred in your Office, and was cor
rected by the auditorl
No response.
Q. There was nothing criminal in making
The Witness. There is a clerical error, no
doubt, which you have had the courage TO
bring up here. ! congratulate you upon the
feat. 1t is all made correct now. This is the
measurers sip. II our clerk put down the
same thing here, 1t is mistake, but 1t shows
TO the committee the wrong system of sending
blanks down 10 our Office.
By Mr.. Hamilton: Q. Do you know whether
those figures were on that paper when you
signed your name therei A. No, sir; not
on II.
Mr.. Hamilton. Then Il was no mistake of
yours.
Mr.. Mattingly. That Is not II. The S172, 900
was not there. But you will notice the IL, 900
yards IL written over al erasure, the original
number Of yards was there which justified
STE, 900. That is where the mistake was.
MT. Hamilton. The mistake was In yards?
The Witness. 1t seems 70 be clerical error,
but the slip above shows &c TO be all right. But
the clerk most likely made the error.
Mr.. hattingly. l suppose 1t was a clerical
error.
Mr.. Wilson. The error is in the measurer's
slip; Mr.. Barney will explain It to you.
Mr.. Mattingly. / have no doubt II is cleri-
cal error. simply introduced 1t to- show that
Mr.. Cluss is not infallible by any manner of
means.
Mr.. Wilson. Mr.. Barney will you be kind
enough to explain that, to save the trouble of
calling you backl
ENGINEER BARNEY RECALLED.
This is q very natural mistake. The meas
urement was made by Mr.. Eisenhower, and
Il - L.