National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-04
rrorrnrr sc4aD or PUBLIC wonzs
rsesfssf bs properly On a.

L. - u = I :. u :
The property-yards are required to return to
the ONCE daily report, showing the total
4 amount Of their Issues and receipts, giving the
balance remaining on hand, and with Il . re-
ceipt from the Contractor receiving the mate
rial, showing the kind and amount 90 received,
which is fled In the chief Office on Four-and- a.
half street for our record. A Journal Is kept,
showing the contractor to whom the property
has been issued, tho improvement for which It
70 issued, and the property-yard from which 10
Is issued. l3sll1 -,r.7-i =,
4 Q. Does It show the persons from whom IL
was takenl A. That Is for the new material,
referring to book, aud the old material, also,
when Il has been issued. s
@. This Is an account between the board and
the CONTRACTOR A. Yes, sir; 70 Is posted In an
individual ledger, and double indexed, so as to
contractor TO whom the material has been Is
sued, and our vouchers, In all cases for the
entries there are upon receipt Of that form,
lexhibiting the form OF voucher.1
Q. DID you have fixed rate Of prices for the
materialI A. Yes, sir. ti
| 9. By whom was that axsdi A. It was estab-
lished by the board.
Q. Did all the contractors get It on the same
termsl A. Yes, sir. 3.
Q. Have you the books that show the
amount of material taken from private indi-
\ vidualsa Did you keep another bookl ! see
this Is with the board and contractors. A. Yes,
sir.
Q. Did you keep another one with the board
and the individuals from whom the material
was tasenl A. We did not keep Individual ac-
counts with each lot but the report of the
superintendent in charge Of the work while in
progress is the buss upon which that account
for the old material was taken.
Q. Suppose person comes there and makes
q claim for material, what evidence have you
In your oficea A. The report Of the superin-
tendent made while the work was in progress,
and prior to the commencement of the work,
upon the form hsvo indicated.
4 Q. He reports upon each loti A. Yes, sir.
Q. How was that kept? A. Twas kept on file
In the engineers Office.
to the reporti A. 1t wiz give the old material
in front of any given lot.
Q. Have you those papersf A. They have Just
been submitted. You have the forms.
Q. Have you any account where they were
kept A. They have never been put in 9
ledger and kept in the form Of an individual
account. We always referred directly to the
report of the superintendent. That IL fled in
the Office of the engineer.
| Q. Have you none of those that have been
aledi A. have none of them with me. !
could bring them. Those are simply blank
forms which we have used in all cases.
Mr.. Stewart. should like TO see an account
4 bWO VI buIOc ilobduCCst WuCTC WITNESSES u3NC
testified to them; but ! cannot recollect the
testimony now. They have testified as to their
controversies about old material. / should
like to see the return that was made In those
eases.
Mr.. MattIngly. We will send for them and
; have them.
By Mr.. Merrick: Q. Your duties were only
clerical, as understand A. It might be con-
sidcred so, though was responsible for vast
deal of material
l Q. You did not 90 about the streets and su-
perintend operations of these various partiesl
A. did, As much as my time would admit
with my other duties.
Q. Your chief business, If understand you,
was to receive and record the reports of the
superintendents, and keep the account of old
waterfall A. That was It.
Q. Your chief duty wasea clerical dutyf A..
| That was IL.
Q. You, of course, would not know of all the
details Of operstionl A. That would be i'm
possible for any one individual.
| Q. You had to depend upon the reports made
to you by the superintendents Of the streets.
You trusted, Of course 10 them In the accounts
that you made upl A. That I was compelled
to do.
By Mr.. Mattingly: @. There was Mr.. F.
II. Haban, who made some complaint about an
allowance for old material. Do you remember
the circumstances connected with that easel
A. Yes, sir.
@. Explain that to the committee. A. he
has made claim for several pieces Of property.
| l cannot now call to mind all Of them. I re-
member In one case gave II very careful at
| tention when he asked for o reconsideration of
his allowance. I found that tho last assessment
ton Of the board, was made seventeen years
ago; and that the brick were entirely worth
| less, or so much worn that they could mos be
reused; and that the curbing which had been
down seventeen years was Of no value what
ever, except for building purposes. and as such
was worth, upon the basis Of s1.75 . cubic
yard, the price of our best building stone here.
sufficient TO pay for taking It out OF the ground
| and hauling It out of the way. That piece of
property, If remember correctly, Is located on
Twenty-hrst, near G. He has claim already,
which has been on file in the Office for several
weeks, II not months, for another piece Of pro-
perty on K street, west Of rwenty-third street
circle, which cannot be acted on, for the reason
| that the street has not been finished nor
assessed. It has been an established rule Of the
board not to give these allowances prior to the
assessment being made, although they have
been claimed In many instances BY citizens.
Mr.. Mattingly. I find, from the Journal OF
the board, Instructions to special superntend
ents were Issued on the 31st of October, 1871, as
follows:
ocroBzn 81, Is7l.
BOARD OF PUBLIC WORKS INSTRUCTIONS TO
SPECIAL SUPERINTENDENT.
Upon being assigned to duty each superin-
tendent Will procure from the engineer an exact
Subdivision Of all lots or parts Of lots on the
streets or avenues to which 30 may be assigned, .
diagram Of the whole length Of the street or
nue., with the Intersections, number Of squares,
lots or subdivisions and the name Of the party to
2. In putting in the gas, sewer or water lateraIs
he shall enter on his book the exact quantity and
kind Of material used in such service or lateral,
and %@gI sns Of ns ss IN plain
copies OF the same, shall be returned to ths ex-
ecutiye once as each square shall be completed,
and the original when the job IL finished or the
8 In putting In longitudinal sewers 9 T or out
let shah be len at every subdivision Of % feet,
being determined by measurement.
& Before displacing any foot-pavoment, curblng,
enter such statement opposits the name Of the
| ing the cost OF the Improvement.
s. He shall see that no old material nt to be used
again Z rs|o,sS from tSs e and that
Of the property OF the board, who shall receipt
for the ssms, stating where the material Is to So
Deposited and this receipt shall Be returned to
O. He shall require all contractors to comply 1T
orally with the terms Of their contracts and shall
tive ONCE, and shall see that lamps kept burn
Ing all night where excavations are being made,
s. sss
proper level, He shall cause All bitches Or other
excavatiops q oe rammed or puadied anu ali the
!. He shall not absent himself from his pos. on
during ,ss
allow no movable Obstruction 70 remainin the car
ANY violation or NEGLECT or these rules shall