National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-08

regard 70 all the Other companies
My Mr. Merrick. Q. DID your company IN
any instance lay its rails directly upon the wood
pavement, ss lad by the Board of PublicWorksi
A. We have.
Q, On what streetss A. On, Ninth street,
from the Avenue to b street, two squares,
think. We did It for the purpose Of determin-
ing whether 1t could or could not be done. We
cut groove in the wood pavement, and laid
the rails in the groove. We did that for the
purpose Of testing whether 1t would be practi-
cable or not =
By Mr.. Thurman: Q. That is on a branch of
your roadi A. Yes, sir.
r. Q. How has that ssoodi A. II seems to
stand very well. 1t is done, understand, In
Chicago and several cities. In New Orleans, l
think, they even groove out the Belgian blocks
and put down the track then in that way rather
than lay sleepers. The cost is probably equal.
By Mr.. Merrick: Q. When you changed your
doned street TO its former condition. A. That
was our intention and our duty. 1 gave the
order to have it done.
Q. Do you know whether in point of fact, 1t
has been so donei A. think It has. That is
my impression now. If 1t is not we ought to
do It, and are liable for it.
Mr.. Merrick. Undoubtedly. .. e.. ....
g Mr.. Mattingly. When was the Metropolitan
Company Organized? A. In 1854, think
Mr.. Wilson. July 1, 1884, the act was passed.
Mr.. Thurman. Mr.. Wilson is that road called
the Columbia road part of your roadl A.
No, sir; 1t is another corporation.
Q. Is it another corporationi A. Yes, sir.
Q. What is the name of itl A. The Column
bia road. ~ . -
By Mr.. Merrick: Q. How many stockhold-
ers of your company are members of the Legis-
lative Assembly, A. Quite number of per-
sons came into the company in the extension.
cannot tell you now exactly how many mem
bers of the Legislature hold stock. These per-
SONS of whom ! have spoken came into the en-
terprise with the view of encouraging 1t. AS
regards the members of the Legislature who
are stockholders, l now recall one Mr.. Cross;
| do no: recollect at this moment any others.
He holds but o very few shares of stock. nd
Q. How many stockholders have you in the
companyl A. think two hundred and sixty
six. Some own shares from one up to / 500.
Q. Are most of them residents of tho cityl
A. Yes, sir; they Joined the enterprise with the
view simply of enhancing the value of their
property and encouraging the enterprise gen
orally. They desired to have the line of road
extended along where they live and have prop
erty, and for this reason were willing to sub
scribe, and did subscribe. ...-...-
Q. These stockholders are the people along
the line of the roada A. Yes. sir; some few
have taken stock with view of investment,
but it has not been very profitable investment
so far.
By the Chairman: Q. 1 do not know whether
clearly understood your proposition to the
ing about pavement A. Yes, sir; this propo-
sition that I read here to-day speaks Of the
pavement.
Q. Did you make any proposition to the
board to pave your railroad with cobble-stonesi
A. No, sir.
Q. 1 think understood you to say that you
could do that A. That we would do It, be-
cause 1t costs but dollar running foot, while
the Boone pavement, at the lowest rate, would
be eight dollars footl We can barely live
under the ono, but under the other 1t would be
coniscation. ...
By Mr.. Mattingly: Q. Can you state whether
or not Mr.. Shepherd sold out his stock before
these improvements were commenced by the
Board of Public Works along the line of your
roadl A. cannot tell you the date of the sale
of his stock to the parties. think other par
ties sold 1t for him. He did not engage IN the
sale of It himself, 1 think his desire was, even
before he started these improvements, to sell
out know we had several conversations on
the subject. I did not myself see any good
reason for his disposing Of his interest. He
was one of the original projectors Of the road,
and we had always been more or less inter.
ested with one another In city enterprises, and
was very DESTROYS of having him retain his
interest. He insisted, however, on making q
sale of his stock, and finally l said, every
WE'LL" and the stock was sold.
BY Mr.. Merrick: Q. You say you could live
under the cobblestone pavement, and not
under the other. Does the question of dura-
bility as well as that of first cost form an ele-
melt In that estimated A. With me it is first
cost.
Q. Is 1t not : question of durability at ala
A. No, sir; {; is the first cost; 1t is question
Of dollars and cents; the other have not con-
sidered at all.
Q. You never formed any opinion as to the
relative expense of maintaining the one as
with the otherl A. No, sir; hope
we shall find it as cheap as cobblestones.
Q. Did your railroad company pay anything
On Seventeenth street, in front of the War and
Navy Departments A. We have been charged,
as l say, 81, 800, but we have not paid anything,
and hope we will not have to. .... ~ :.
By Mr.. Msttingly: Q. The matter is now in
litigation, Is 1t noti 4. Yes, sir; and the road
has been advertised for sale.
TESTIMONY OF ARTHUR BRIDGET.
Arthur Bridget sworn.
By the Chairman: @. Have you done any
soddingl A. have.
Q. Any considerable amount of it, A. Yes,
sir.
Q. Is that your businessl A. Yes, sir; I
have been following that business for the last
,wo or three years.
Q. What are you in the habit of charging
Tor good soddinga A. Well, sir, have been in
.he habit of getting from Is cents to Is cents.
Q. For whaH A. For sodding.
Q. Per square yard or footl A. Square yard. |
Q. State the character of the sodding you put
Town for that pricei A. Well, sir, the sodding
have put down has passed, I believe. have
not found any difficulty in regard to it.
Q. What is the depth of the soill A. Well,
suppose from one to four inches.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. For whom were you do
ng this soddingi A. sodded for Messrs. |
Fletcher & Birch, Jones & Collins, John o.
Evans, and John II. Clark.
Q. Were they contractors to do sodding
lnder the boardl A. think they were.
Q. You were q sub-contractor Of theirsi A. |
Yes, sir.
Q. Do you recollect what you took the con- |
ract from Jones and Collins fori A. do; for
Is cents per square yard. 1 furnished the sod
md laid them. They put the loan under |
themselves.
O. Now, taking the amount of loan that |
hey put under there, and you furnishing the
;od at IS cents, what would it be reasonably |
worth to put down that sod and putting the |
Dam under 1t, all the work done therei A. |
There was o good deal of terrace work there. l
suppose It would be worth about Is cents to |
,ut the loan there and grade 1t.
Q. Do you mean 1t actually cost that, or that |
{ would be q reasonable price, taking into con- |
'iderati0n a reasonable profit for the work. A. !
think so; would like to have some at that |
price now.
Q. You think you would make money at 25 cents2
A. Yes, sir; to put the soil and sod in In the |
way that they have done it.
Q. Who did the sodding9 A. I think Jones |
Ind Collins did that.
Q. Now, at what rate did you take that con- |
ract from Jones and Collinsi A. The first |
contract I took from them was 20 cents q
1ard.
Q. Who did the sodding therei A. I was to |
,ut the sod in there.
Q. Did you do IT. A. Yes, sir.
@. Was that q reasonable price for that |
york; A. made a living at It.
Q. Could you stand 1t doing the sodding and |
oiling for that pricei A. Yes, sir; that was |
lat work.
O.. For Mr.. John o. Evans, who did the soil |
ngi I soiled one part of It and Mr.. Evans |
oiled the other. i
Q. About what was your contract with John |
}. Evsnsi A. got 20 cents for some Of it,
md Is cents for some part, and Is cents for |
mother part. . --r-
Q. That that you took at 20 cents, did you |
10 the soiling7 A. Yes, sir.
Q. Was that q reasonable price for LII A. |
made something at It..
Q. How was It with the is cent worki A. |
That Mr.. Evans put in himself and I laid the |