National Republican., 1874-05-27

oASoA 6uc "OTk was QOnei a. NO, Sir. think
mot. The banks have been cut down more or
tess. Where the street has been terraced the
terraces have been reduced two or three feet, so
that they would not show the height of the
original cut.
Q. Immediately after the work was done, or
at the time he measured, could see the height
of the original cut! A. Yes, sir; Ipresume 40.
Y. You took cross-sections on the street;
how did the street compare with the banks at
that time; had it been graded at all, or was
IL level with the natural ground? A. The
street was uniform with all the old streets,
oil about the same character; the curbs were
set; and the street in the centre was crowned
up about q foot and half
" Was 1t lower or higher than the ground
on, either side, taking the averagei Now l
want to ascertain If a msu went there, attempt
Ing to get at it, whether there being no cross
sections, he would be most likely TO make the
quantity less or greater-that Is to say, would
the surrounding ground furnish a good in
oex or not! A. think it was q very difficult
street to measure without cross sections, from
the fact that the street was-that there were
snort, sharp rises and grades. For instance,
there would be a cut of eight feet in the mid
die OF the square and nothing at either end,
and man would have to average that all over
the street the best way he could, which was
very difficult matter.
Q. Without cross-sections at either end
there might be none at all, but the surround
ing ground would indicate that 1t was pretty
nearly level A. Yes, sir.
Q. And they would not know the fact that
the intersection had been graded up from the
surrounding ground accu<atelyl A. No, sir:
do not think they would. 1 think it was a
very hard piece of work to measure. think
any man was liable to err who used his own
judgment. ..
Q. Did you call the attention Of Mr. FORSYTH
to the fact that you had these cross-sections!
Did he know you had theml A. One of the
first orders 1 received from Mr.. Mullet when
came here was to make cross-sections, and l
think Mr.. Mullet directed Mr.. Forsyth at that
ttme-l will not be positive about that, but l
think Mr.. Mullet directed Mr.. Forsyth to use
these cross-sections in his measurements. As
say, will not be positive about that, but l
know there was something said about it; but
very often if Mr.. Forsyth had come to our
Office for a cross-section he would not have got
1t, because we did not have it.
Q. A great many times you did not have it!
A. A great many times we would not have it,
because IL was impossible for US to get them
on account of want of time.
Q. Did you have this in the Office where he
could have got it at the time he made the meas
urementsl A. Yes, sir. This was in the office
at the time he made his measurements.
Q. Have you any reason to suppose that he
knew it' A. do not know whether he did or
not.
Q. They were sort of independent institu-
tions, these two oficesl A. Yes, sir
amount A. have not that amount here,
SIR
Mr.. Wilson. It will be found on page 226o.
: The Witness. Mr.. Blcken derfer makes It
%, ,4S7 yards, and Mr.. Forsyth Al 900 yards.
Mr.. Stewart. He makes an overestimate for
grading, supposing all the grading is to be paid
for to the grading contractor, IA Al yards! A.
Yes, sir.
Q. "AlIowed to contractors $3.50 yardsl"
A. "Allowed to contractors 1000 yards"
You are looking at East Capitol street. This
is just above that.
Q: Without deducting two feet, it is Il, 900
yards1 A. Yes, sir.
@. That would be just about what YOU
would find, averaging it upi A. am unable |
to answer that question.
Q. How near would it come? A. I see Mr. |
Forsyth msde general average; suppose the |
came as would. He, for instance, would 20
over the street, and, looking at it carefully, |
may have said the grading there was three or !
four feet deep all over it; and l may have
said, walking over it, that it was ~ or even 5 |
feet.
q. What depth would It make It to bring
out his quantity on Twelfth street-what ay-
erage depthl A. About four feet.
q. Did you ever measure up for contractors
work that they had donei You say that you
have measured 1t frequently when you had no L
cross-sections; did you ever measure up when
you did have cross-sectionsl A. Doubtless
Q. Did you ever allow them any more than
was contained in the cross-sectionsl A. No, /
sir.
Q. When you did not have cross-sections,
you had to guessl A. / had to do the best /
could. | had to use my own judgment. /
think my judgment is, perhaps, as good as any
ones on that, and suppose every other en-
gineer thinks the same.
body in the world might be mistaken about
cross-scctionsl A. Yes, cir.
O. Is it possible to go out here and measure
klA ,-,N e.
streets without cross-sectionsl A. No, sir; not
accurately. ,
Q. You might approximate 1t very nearly
and you might be good ways from the mark! {
A. Yes, sir,
g. In this instance you do not know whether
he knew you had any cross-sections or noti A.
No, sir; do not. d
Q. There was no communication between the {
two Offices, so that what you had would be in
his possession as a matter of business routine2 |
a. No, sir. '
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. Was Mr. Forsyth no part t
OF the engineers office; was he an outsider a
measuring up workl A. Mr.. Forsyth had an i
ofiice In the City Hall, and used to do most of t
his business there. 4
Q. Was he an outsider, entirely disconnected /
with the engineers department. A. Oh, no, 3
sir. II
Q, There was no particular difficulty in his c
getting hold Of these crQss-sections2 A. He q
could have had them If ttIe had come for them. q
Q. But he dig pSt come for thenl A. No,
Q. Was Le one of the assistants of the en- /
gineeEs department. A. Yes, sir. e
q o. Has lie been measuring up great deal
Of workl A. Yes, sir; he has measured up
considerable work. t
@. He is to!erably familiar with the affairs
OF the engineers ofhcei A. Yes, sir; think t
so.
Q. Is he frequently therel A. Well, of t
tI,a e L.
is there out and IN. IL
Q. There was no ignorance on his part about
what you had about that Office; you did not t
conceal from him that you had cross-sectionsl !
A. No, cir; not by any means.
Q. What do you say about East Capitol I
street, A East Capitol street was one of
those unfortunate things, like New Hampshire I
avenue. There were three or four contractors c
down there. The first contractors got quarrel
ing among themselves, and the contract was
taken way from them, and Mr.. Danenhower
was sent out to make measurement. He s
made them q measurement of about IL 900
Yards. AS understand 1t, afterward that con- {
tract was awarded to Walsh & Gleason and |
Mr.. Forsyth made a measurement of SO 900 '
yards. They were both partial measurements, 4
and, iu making up the final measurements,
both those partial measurements were added /
together, whereas they should not have been.
Q. That is the way that came about2 A. {
That is the only EXP Ianaion can make of it. '
Q. Well, 1t Is wrong, s 1t notf Il. Oh, GER
tainly, sir. t
Q. And the property holders have been I
largely orercharged, then, for work done on /
that street, A. Yes, sir. $
Q. Is there any question about that A. No, 4
sir; do not think there is t
Q. There is a large overcharge for curbing,
is there not, as well on TH elfIh stree.l a. 1t
Yes, sir. I
Q. Mr.. Forsyth happened to get mixed into \
that thing in some way or anotherl A. do U
not know about the circumstances. / was
away ct the time. have had 1t called to nv
attention since. Mr.. 0ertly, I think, signed $
that voucher, and he and l have looked the q
matter over, and, think, that is the way It
occurred. Think there is no doubt about It. r
By the Chairman: Q. Who made the final i
estimated A. The final estimate is signed by I
Mr.. oertly, but the estimate was made finally i
in portions; that is, the grading was made q
final at one time. The curb and the wooden ]
pavement, and all of those partial estimates I
were put together and made final estimate
of: In that way the thing got, very much '
mixed up. Ii