National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-22


and ueducting from that the in. ersection on G
street, 4,9OO yarda, leaves 10t 900 yards done
by MAYOR VandeDburgh; as TO Mr.. BlickeuSderfer
probably led him into the error in regard TO
It, because | had not looked into the matter
myself for some tins, and had forgotten It.
told him a. the time that thought the in
tersection Of G street and Virginia avenue was
charged iRto Virginia avenue, but ON looking It
over ina that 1t cas- 20 the contrary. And
also ano. her mistake In regard to New Hemp
shire avenue. Murray had the contract ior
New Ham Dshire avenue from the circle 70 the
river. Is i said before, Major Vandenpurgh, oy
an order from the board was allowed 10 take
out on New Hampshire avenue between and
g, or allowed 10 take up portion 9t me
york cc;Tred by Murray's contract, ana when
the measurement was made Tor Murray
the application simply said: "MeasT-
ing for the grading between the
circle and the river" The present Mr.. McIn-
tyre. Who made the measurement for M: Van
,den6urvh had resigned come six or eight
months before, and ! sent another assistant 10
measure New Hampshire avenue: This work
was all done, and the contractor deceived him:
The man did not know himself The con-
tractor deceived him by telling him a portion
of the work on New Hampshire avenue which
was done by Major Vaudenburgh had been
done by him, and he measured it up and de-
Hucted some 5000 or 5000 yards, and left the
man about % 600 yards, and which he returned
to me as partial estimate Of Murray. or
course ii Is impossible for me to look over
every final or partial estimate closely. sup
posed the work was all included between the
circle and II street, instead of 81 and 6. II
had known Franklin had allowed Murray one
yard on II street, would have cut it out. 1t
escaped me at the moment, and / called Mr..
Bhckensderfer's attention to it, and asked him
to report it to the committee.
By Mr.. Stewart: Q. Mr.. Blickensderfer said
he on,Af and IN crossing tho
rsvine down there, as where the sewer was
formed and partially filed the year before.
A. Yes, sir.
Q. You gave him that9 A. Yes, sir. fur
nished all the cross-sections on the information
we had OF New Hampshire avenue.
@. You did not have cross-sections on that
original groundl A. Yes, sir; had cross-sec-
tons on the original ground to within about
one hundred and fifty feet north of L street.
Q. / mean that depression between Pennsyl.
vania avenue and Tenth street. A. That is
the one am speaking of. That depression
runs from Twenty-lrst street down to street,
and cross-sectiOns were taken there, think, in
January, 1872.
Q. Taken before the fill was made? A. No,
sir; portion of the fill was made; only slight
portion; that fill there was made by days
work. l estimated it at about six or eight
thousand yards.
O. Made by any of these contractors? A.
Yes, sir; made by the board; but the board EN-.
ployed men by days work, and they filed in
some 5000 or 6,0e0 yards at the L-street end
of New Hampshire avenue.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. You gave that to Mr.
Blickensderfer, and he took it into his account
A. Yes, sir
b. By Mr. Stewart: Q. He took the old work
into his account A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did YOU make measurement of the old
work before they commenced there! A. No,
sir; did not. took the cross-sections of the
ground as found it. 1t was partially filled,
probably 5000 or 5000 yards put in. l took
the cross-sections right over that surface.
Q. Who measured the G,OO0 or 5000 yards
flied in beforel A. presume Mr. Dickens
derfer went over that and got it in the best way
he could.
By Mr.. Mattingly: Q. He says he took it
from your statement. How could Mr.. Blick-
ensderfer measure it when it was all covered
upa A. Take the level Of the surface of the
ground itself there, and the surface of the
original ground, and take the difference be-
tween them and you get the height.
Q. Yon did not give him any information
but what he could get from the original ground
IN regard to the height, and how much was in
therei A. No, sir.
Q. You had seen it before they had taken
any measurements therel The cross-sections
you made were on top of what had been put in
by these day laborersi A. Yes, sir; the cross
sections cover all the work on New Hampshire
avenue, between the square and
By Mr. Mattingly: Q. What is that estimate
that you have been speaking of based upon!
Did YOU make anv calculation A. made a
calculation. got at the old surface as near
as could. got at the old surface of New
Hampshire avenue as near as / could from
the surrounding surfaces; that is, l used my
own judgement about It.
By Mr.. Stewart: Q. Did you make that
estimate at the time you talked with Dickens
Lad lar1y-
to it at the time you made your cross-sectionsi
A. No, sir; l did not make anything of that
kind until he called upon me. knew what
the height of L street was, and the height Of
the creek, and only about 200 feet apart.
There is a line, sort OF horizontal curve,
between the two. Then this matter of New
Hampshire avenue. Probably Colonel Same
got confused there, because all this work on
Virginia avenue and these reservations were
charged in as Virginia avenue, when q portion
OF 1t was really in New Hampshire avenue.
He probably got my voucher and charged 1t in
the los, 900, when probably there were 10000
or $4,000 yards on New Hampshire avenue.
They were never separated, because Major
Vandenburgh never had final estimate.
Q. How Is that A. ! say Mr.. Same might
have been confused in this matter Of Virginia
avenue from the fact that the line on Virginia
avenue itself, and the reservations were on my
partial estimate sent to the auditor as Vir-
include portion of New Hampshire avenue.
He might have been confused as regards Viz
ginia avenue.
O. But how as regards New Hampshire ave-
nuel A. l suppose this los, 900 yards on Vir-
ginis avenue, he calculated New Hampshire
avenue, was all cut out there, whereas this Vir-
ginia avenue included that. In other words, he
duplicated it. He calculated it once on Vir-
ginia avenue and once on New Hampshire ave-
nue., and the partial estimates would not sepa-
rate them, go that be might have been led into
that mistake. l am unable to say whether
separated those or not. l think l told Mr..
Mades, the auditor, at the time, to charge SO
much money to the one avenue and so much to
the other. At any rate / returned the esti-
mate. have forgotten whether told him to
separate the avenues or not.
By Mr.. Christy: Q. State, If you know, what
disposition was made by the Board of Public
Works Of the very large amount of gravel
taken from Virginia avenuei A. 1suppose that
gravel has been used all over that section of
the city
Q. DO you know whether It was sold and
enured TO the benefit of the boardl A. No,
sir; am unable 10 say. know there has
been a great deal taken out, but what has been
done with IT.
Q. The excavation extended very far below
the bottom Of the street or gradingl A. Yes,
sir; should think eight or ten feet.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. Do you know what was
done with the gravel taken from the street!
A. have learned within the last two weeks it
was hauled up on New Hampshire avenue. l
was not aware Of It before.
Q. Who took it out therel A. Major Van
denburg, :hink.
Q. He had a contract for street, A. Yes,
SIR
Q. Was o street a pretty well graveled
street, A. Yes, sir.
Q. Just tell the committee what was done
there. A. Nothing done, except the surface
was plowed up and carted away to New Hamp-
shire avenue, and, in fact, they have not been
paid yet at all.
Q. What kind Of pavement have the people
on o street got in lieu of that gravel road that
they had therel A. They have not got any
thing there now.
2. When you were on the stand before I
asked you some questions in regard to this
matter of measuring in cases where there wac
one man who had contract for grading an6
another contrac: for paving. If you noticed
the testimony you may have noticed that that
thing has been adyerted 10 since. If YOU have
any further statement TO make In regard to that
matter you are at liberty to make TT A. do
not know that have anything further to say
about it. l simply know that where one con-
tract0r had the grading and another