National Republican., 1874-04-01

take more than twenty-five cents to haul the
dirt there. -..r-
Q. Have you receives contract from the
Board of Public Works 70 furnish treesf A.
Yes, sir. .
@. The price, believe you stated, was $40 a
hundredi A. Yes.
Q. Do you know the gentlemen who com
posed the parking sommissiont A. Iss' s, ST.,
q. Who are theyl A. Mr.. smith, MI S~U1-
ders, and Mr.. Saul.
O.. Those three gentlemen are an NerSeu i'll
that kind of businessl A. Yes. d.
o. Good, competent judges Of the value oil
treesi A. They ought to be-
O. And they ought to know what tney are
about A They ought to know. . j
By Mr. Christy: Q. How long were you IN
the business of furnishing treesi A. Ever since
Twas born.
to prepare the ground and SOW the grass In.
stead of getting the sod such as you see herel
A Certainly. 1t won't cost more than one
ruarter and be better worked, because the sod
EhGt they put down-the way they have put 1t
down the sod is up and down, hills and hol-
lowe. -s- 90.
By Mr.. Mattingly: Q. Is not It very strange
that everybody Who wants q good piece OF 500
always puts the sod down instead Of sowing the
grassi A They Ike that better, perhaps
TESTIMONY OF W. J. WILSON.
W. J. Wilson sworn.
Mr.. Christy ! call this witness first on she
subject of hills rendered by the board of i'm
proyements before their completion, and next
the charge for trees upon street, DetWech
Twentieth and Twenty-sixth streets :.
Mr. Jewett. What is the point upon bills
rendered?
Mr.. Christy. We make a charge that bills
have been issued and charges made upon that
subject before the completion Of the improve
ment and that these certificates have borne in
terest before the parties were legally bound to
. L.. EGvUnaT
By. Mr.. Jewett: Q. What do you know about
itl A. About improvements -I ...-s
O. About certificates being issued. take Il
to be a charge upon the property bsfore tine
work is done. A. don't know anything about
certificates. know that paid my bill the lst
of November for H street, and in that bill
presume am charged with trees, according TO
the report of the board, and there are no trees
there. -.
Q. What does your bill include! A. It in
cludes trees and tree-boxes. My bill is S5.85
and a fraction of cent per foot.
Mr. Merrick. call the attention Of the gen.
tlemen to a charge in the report of 1872.
Mr. Mattingly. l would state to the commit
tee, in order to time, that 1t appears in our
answer to that charge that in some of these in
stances a charge has been made against the
property owners for trees before they were put
IN; and the reason Of that is simply that the
trees can only be planted in the spring and fall
and in those cases where the bills were rem
dered the ground has been prepared for the
trees, and the trees have been bought, and are
on hand; and as soon It can be done they
will be planted.
Mr. Jewett. The counsel for the respondents
agree that in the rendering of the bills for the
Improvements they do include trees which have
not been set.
Mr.. Christy. And If they will 60 further, and
say that the certificates have been Issued be-
fore the expiration of the time within which
the parties assessed are entitled, under the law,
to pay; and that before the expiration Of the
time, which is thirty days, these certificates
have borne interest, charged against these par
ties; desire now, that admission.
Mr.. Mattingly. i presume in this case, where
the trees have been charged, and the bills sent
In, If they have not been paid within the time
noted on the face of the bill they bear interest.
The Witness. presume am paying 10 per
cent. have other bills on the same street.
Mr.. Merrfct. We want to call the attention
of the committee TO the fact that there are
very many streets where there are such bills
on Eighth street and Massachusetts avenue,
and Four-and -a-haf street and street, and
other streets the same way.
Mr.. Jewett. Do the counsel for the respond
ents admit that those charges are of that char
-scterl
Mr.. Merrick. Those are their own state
inents reported to Congress.
Mr.. Mattingly. Then those are correct.
Mr.. Jewett. Anything further from this wit
Inessl
Mr.. Christy. No.
Mr.. Jewett. That is ell, then. Mr.. Wilson.
A GRANT RECALLED.
Mr.. Christy- 1 will remark that this witness
was called before the other committee, and that,
as | am Informed, he has made some very care
ful tabular statements.
Mr.. Jewett. Upon what pointi
Mr.. Christy. On several matters.
Mr.. Jewett. Proceed, Mr.. Grant, and make
your statement.
The Witness. acted by this order issued by |
the investigating committee.
Q. Not this investigating committed A. No, |
sir; another investigating committee.
Mr.. Jewett. Do you expect to add anything |
to what was stated in the former examination /
Mr.. Christy. The witness explained before
dinner-there was one subject upon which we |
desire to call him-that he preferred to defer
his testimony about It until he had completed |
certain examinations that he was making. But |
for the purpose Of having his testimony reg |
ularly introduced into the present investigation,
desire the witness to refer at least generally |
70 these Subjects, and say how far the develop
ments since that time have confirmed that
which was, perhaps in part, the opinion of an
expert, and to some degree, mere speculation.
desire him to do that specially In regard to |
the manner of pavements and their cost. !
wish, however, to call his attention particu-
aarly to the pavement known as the Morse |
of judiciary Square. desire to show, ifI can,
the relative superiority Of that over other
wooden pavements. would like him to be in
terrogated first upon that subject; because
there was q bid, If you will remember, for the
Morse pavement at a certain price, which was
less than was subsequently paid by the Board
ofPublIc Works.
Mr.. Jewett. Do you propose to impeach the
board upon the selection of the pavement
Mr.. Christy. Yes, sir.
Mr. Jewett. Go on.
The Witness. There was board Of FIVE ex-
perts ordered to investigate and .eKamipe into
The work done by the board.
Mr. Mattingly. submit to the committee |
whether the report of that board made at the
last investigation is TO be introduced here in |
evidence this way.
Mr. Merrick. Only in so far es he reiterates |
the statements made in the last investigation. |
Mr.. Jewett. presume you present this now |
fertile purpose OF obtaining his present opinionl
Mr.. Merrick. Exactly; 50 far as he may reit- |
crate that opinion, which be then stated il
writing. |
The Witness. There was Mr.. Frederick, q
Government architect; Mr.. Harkness, who has
always been q Government architect, In
measure. Mr.. De Maine and Mr.. Severson are
architects and engineers. We divided up the !
principal work of the District then being done |
by the Board Of Public Works.
By Mr.. Mattingly: Q. Were you one of that
DOalU a. Has one VI buAt UOAIu' nSIc 10
the order The order was q little changed af-
terward, but that is the original order.
By Mr.. ChrIsty: Q. Does the order itself ap-
pear In the bookl A. It does not.
Mr. Jewett, The previous committee ap-
pointed to examine into the affairs of this Die
trict made an order requiring this witness, with
some others, to examine the various pavements |
being laid In this city, and report their opinion
upon that subject. This witness Is called now |
TO show what their report was, or, rather, to \
refer TO It, because they made report to that |
committee, and then ii is expected that he
shall testify in regard to pavements used since |
he was called, and as to the propriety Of their
use.
Mr.. Bass. And their present condition.
Mr.. Harrington. i will suggest to the COM
mittee that this commission was ordered at the |
Eequest of Mr.. Grant himself. He came before
the committee, and requested that he might be |
permitted to do it.
The Witness. will say to the gentleman that |
That is q mistake. It viii be found in my
Testimony on page
Mr. Jewett. Just proceed and make your
statement now.