National Republican., 1874-05-09

D crash. had negotiated new sewer bonds st
/, VIZ In the city of New York, conditioned
upon an opinion as to the legality of the law
, the opinion Of Messrs. Cushing and Black
That opinion got and mailed to them the day
of the Negotiation.
7 q. They didn't touch It, of course? a
Everything went to pieces.
!, Y. The contractors-some of them-have
been testifying that they have not been having
any money for long while. For instance,
| will cite Mr. Bartlett, who has heavy sewer
IS 81 q tssg s:ys i e. ", ~
time the appropriation was made In January,
: 1S7Sl A. l don't think the facts will bear that
out.
Q. How long after that appropriation was
made was 1t that 1t was entirely exhausted
The Witness. Which appropriation
Q. That 81 ,2t0, 900 appropriation A. It was
] did not keep It at all. They paid 1t right out
Q. On what the board was already owtngl
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Then you had those other appropriations
to which have REFEREED A. Yes, sir.
g. How long did they lasti A. Paid them
} right out.
Q. just as soon as they were procuredl A
Yes, sir.
Q. So that the board was already in debt to
} the extent of these appropriations at the time
, they were made, and they were not available
for any future work. 4. You must feeeollect
} this: We had got o., 900, 900 of these assess
, ment certificates authorized by the Legislative
! Assembly, and a lot of bonds which were given
the board to reimburse them for expenditures
which we Used III bssSing 6tt to our e5hTTactors.
We did not sell them. The District did not
lose any discount on them. We paid them out
to the contractors. :
g. You were driven, then, to the expedient of
sing that kind of paper in order to satisIy-
Tss. - A. never considered 1t an expedi-
emf a an. considered ii a good security; one
GL,oh vs. proper tender for work dome
nS' -. a mere security and not money. a,
a, matter ~ Noursel A. 1t was not money any
more than tS United States bonds are moi
moner s.tn' a., nited States bond would be a
good tender. or anSS =. >ther good bond.
o. It was'in effect tn board going in debt
for the work they were do .'nsS a. No, sir; it
was merely anticipating w at was due the
board and making It svstlable> IS wat due on
the work tha, we had done.
g How long did these sssessme, ,1ts unf A.
Wby large portion of theu-the wtrk had
beePiu progress on'these for two years.
@, How long a time did the property-hCNd- |
ers hsse in which 10 pay tbstF assessments
A. Fivsyears. ..
Q. Then that was simply an obiigstionl A.
No, sir, payable n instalInents-regular
SOupOn UcdIhftB o per eClt. luteTcSL |
and considered irst-class securities, and they
are even nosr, notwithstanding. this inrestiga-
ton, selling at 80 and 80 cents on the dollar
Q. And thst only appliesto the o.ae-third of
the cost of the improvementsl The balance
comes from the District taxes and such appro-
priations as they get from Congress-? A. Yes,
sir. We receivedth appropaationin March.
We had ayailablernearly 81, 100000 of assets,
in the shape of these assessment certifcates-
the bonds which we're issued to'make upIthe
81, ,0O0, 900 Joan andsto reimburse us for exper.
thtures we used, and which kept usl
moderately easy untA September-until these1
boods were printed and the Esgotiatiobs1
had been made. Had n not been forthe crash
coming ON, we should net have felt anF trouble,
pr oesbly, until November or December. We
would have got along quietly until December.
g That paper was the means you had of
getting along with these Improvements and |
paying for them; and, outside of that, you had 1
,othiH except the ordinary collection of taxes, i
A.. That Is all.
Q. Vow, whenwere the psEements put down ,
nithis northwestern part os the city-ouE in !
his region where 1t is said that the real estate
oool has been operatingl A i think Connec-
icut avenue pavement was one of the first :
layemeDts started.
@. There has been a great deal of pavingt
i5ne out there in that regions A. Not more ,
han anywhere else. Our idea was to run on a I.
inc
O. I am not saying that there has been any :
am not assuring anything
'f that kind. A. OF course not. simply
wanted to explain. The idea of the board was 7
% take line at mark, say N street and P .
treet, and south of that over to B street on
he Island, and pave 1t and sewer It thoroughly,
10 that the heart of the city would be finished b
lp- The board worked upon that idea all the I
way through. Now, in regard to the opening
# Connecticut avenue and Massachusetts ave- I
luep l will say that those avenues are the main g
from the city to Georgetown. In q
lays gone by it was almost impossible to get to \
Georgetown over that old bridge. The building o
4 this Pstreet bridge was started BY the old cor.
but changed radically By the board. 1t
sere made toit. This opened UP the travel from
he northern part Of the city to Georgetown, and =
wsy % SSs
,aTing Of the avenues necessary. 1t was part Of
he general plan. q
parsely inhabltedf A. There are no streets .
'ayed except street across.
Q. North Of Massachusetts, avenue? A. P 7
treet is the only street north of that that is 4
'aved and that is paved because It runs directly
Icross the circle. ]
@. Is not Fifteenth street paved from the
Boundary to streetf A. No, sir; Sixteenth Q
treet is paved all the way out-Seventh, Ninth, t
fourteenth and Sixteenth streets. o
Q. But Is not Fifteenth street paved with
vOOden pavement from Boundary street to S, and
hen IS not there an Intervening gap? A. No, s
ir; the pavement stops at Massachusetts avenue b
Q. Is not there wooden pavement close to =,
Boundary streetr A. Not on Fifteenth street;
Q. All the way out to the Boundary? A. Yes, t
Q. Is It paved all the way to It's connection with
tops.
q. Is there not street there paved from
quares, and intervening space Of three or four
quares, say from down to Pr A. think not.
am mistaken; It is from BOu1nary to street.
Tho Witness. Judge Wilson, here are number
{ these bills for circular curbs, II you desire to
oard paid in some Instances al so will not paw us
or the circular curb. b
Q. That was my remembrance, we stopped
z. There Is no pavement laid along Boundary
treeti A. None at ALL sir. y
hese above P streetr A. There is on and T y
treets, and r, think, is In process Of improve
lent.
Q. When was that pavement laid on Fifteenth .
treet, between Boundary and 81 A. Indeed, 1
Q not know; did not know that 1t had been
Q. What was the necessity of putting down !,
hat expensive pavement out iu that locality, =
there so few people seemed to be lIyIng7 A.
Veil, on Fourteenth street and Sixteenth street o
think 1t was q very necessary improvement. CT
@. Those streets run out to Boundaryf A. w
hey run out into the country, yes, sir; and Fif i,
oct with Fourteenth street. Those squares are c;
rotty well built up there on R, s, and Q. 81
here are blocks OF houses on each one OF those n
treets between Tenth and Fifteenth, and sup !.
ose Fifteenth street was paved to make that
onnection.
Q. Is there any Of this poolreal-estats on FIf.
eenth street? A. None that know of, sir. ii
Q. Who owns the real estate there for two or :,
hree blocks from Boundary down this way on
'ifleenth street, A. Indeed, do not know; v
ave not an idea Il
Q. Do you know who let out the contract for q,
aylny Fifteenth street, from Boundary down to =
70 A. Indeed, / do not know. u u
Q. Do you know who did the work. A. i do II
OF. Il
O. Who took tho gravel from streets o d
treet was gravel street, was 1t not? A. Well, :,
. Is like most streets, mixture Of gravel and y
lrt. b.
Q. It had been gravel street, had II notP A. Il
may have been; do not recollect specially. Al
q. Do you know whether Major Vanderburgh
BOX tho gravel from that street and hauled 1t Oh,
nd used Il in the construction Of other streets in
with Q pavement A. Indeed, do e
OF know. When was that done? tr
Q. think it was done some time this last sum- :
Ter, but am not posted about the dates. A. =
Id not know It had been done ct all. oi
Q. There has been no pavement laid on D tc
rect, as understand A. think o street Is in a
purse Of improvement notice 1t is cut up. a,
Q. You never noticed where gravel was taken =,
from that street, A. I did not.
Q. Do you know who has the contract for the y "