Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-05-15
THE DISTRICT INVESTIGATION.
Proceedings Of the Joint Congressional Connitte.


eating District affairs reassembled at O'Clock
yesterday afternoon, and the examination OF
Mr. Blickensderfer was continued.
Y. In your statement OF the amount char se-
able to the government for work watch VOC
nave examined, have you made any allo ~ancr
70 the District for engineering? A. No, sir; }
q. Should there be an allowance ma lie to the
District for the expense OF engineering, super
Intending, &C.? a. 1 think something should
contractors, ~ cover that and other genera,
expenses.
Q. What would you regard as a reasonable
allowance? A. Well. think, in work of this
kind, 5 per cent. would be good allowance
q. Have they (the board engineers) explained
10 you the steps taken by them to ascertain the
quantity and character of the work done from
time to time, to any extent? A. do not recol-
lect tnat they made any very specific sxplaua
tlon, because L supposed there was but really
one method, and that was by going on 10 this,
ground with an instrument and taking such
notes as would enable one TO make a section OF
il and profile.
q. From your knowledge of work of the char
acter done here, and as an engineer, did you
ind anywhere evidence of the proper step
having been taken before the work was com
meDced? A. Yes, sir; in those cases on Dor
tons Of New Hampshire avenue and on Vir
ginia avenue and G street, and about the post
office, there was every indication about the
notes that they had been properly taken before
the work was commenced.
.. How as to the balance Of the work that
you talked with them about? A. No, sir; do
hot reoollect any other case in which notes were
furnished to me that seemed to me TO be OF the
right character as taken before the work wa
commenced, but was inform by them when
al king for this kind of information and noter
that upon a great deal Of the work they did not
have any cross sections or any notes taken-that
IL was commenced, and a great deal of it exc
contractor was at work, or before they could
take the notes; that they were very much hurried
frequently, and frequently they did not know
nything about 1t until ground was broken and
great deal OF the work performed.
Y. Did you find, so far your examination
extended, any instance in which the measure
ments were accurate? A. Ihsve had no reason
TO doubt the accuracy OF the measurements a.
L stated before, for earthwork on portions
OF New Hampshire avenue, and on Virginia
avenue, and on e street, and about the Post
once; refer 10 the measurements as furnished
to me in the notes from the engineers Office
z. What proportion of she whole work In the
city did you examine? A. it is hard for me To
tell; but do not suppose L examined 5 per cent.
Off.
q. Did MIR. Same make any explanation to
you about the mistake in the measurements on
New Hampshire avenue? A. When | first ar
rived at nv results on the avenue and found
that they varied very much from the staten -nt
in the Governors answer, | requested or al
least asked, Mr.. Same whether ne could ex-
plain or tell me wherein the difference consist
ed. he then said that he had no doubt hi.
notes and entries that he had made in his books
would show exactly how he had estimated il. |
asked him whether he would have any obec-
ttons to furnishing me with an extract or iast a
statement extracted from his books, showing a.
nearly as he could the details of the items
rather exhibiting the points at which the differ
ent quantities occurred, so that could m AXE a
closer comparison than by having merely the
gross quantity. He furnished me with that
statement.
Q. Did you 90 with Mr.. Same, then. upon the
ground? A. did upon most OF it; not over the
entire avenue.
O. Did you point to him wherein his state
ment did not correspond with the facts? A.
did.
Q. Did he make any answer to that? A. Yes
slr; he stated that in one instance the difference
lie supposed might be reconciled from the fact
that he had represented certain quantities be
tween certain streets, whereas, In point of fact
they were between certain other streets and
then, think, IN one or two other cases he
thought probably that he had included sons
old work that was done there before the Board
of Public Works had begun to work, and in on,
or two other cases he did not seem to be able to
say exactly how IL happened.
By MIR. Wilsob:-Q. Did you notice anything
in regard to this Hudnell matter in connection
with New Hampshire avenue; l believe you
Hampshire avenue? A. intended TO have
said this morning in my examination of New
Hampshire avenue that had included in the
statement Of payments to contractors upon that
avenue all the work that found, except ina
contained in a certain voucher purporling to
be for payments made to Mr.. HudnelI, which
I'll
This is it. may say that generally, and New
Hampshire avenue among the rest, when |
arrived at my quantities l applied for the
vouchers in order to determine the payments thar
bad been made 10 the contractors, and asked
for every thing that bad been paid for upon the
avenue, so that could get at the aggregate OF
the whole of it. 1 was furnished with thi,
voucher OF payment to Mr.. Hudnell amount-
ing to "a ,I26.S5, in which there are 2,Ss3 yards
of grading, and purports to be on New Hamp-
shire avenue, between 10th street west and the
boundary. did not allow it simply because
could not find it there; did not make state
Bent OF ii because / could not find il. 1t NAV
belong somewhere else; that do not know
.. This seems to be certified to By Mr.. For
syth? A. The names are on il there-Forsyth
and Green; may say that 1 applied to Mr..
Barney for information in reference to this and
he could not give me any; remarked that there
OF 18th and the crossing OF 18th streets; that is
to say, 10th street has been graded across the
avenue; 18th street has been graded partially
doubtedly, and 1 asked him whether that wort
was this work: "No, sir" says he sit ia not:
that is different matter entirely, and cannot
give you any explanation about this"
TREASURER MAGRUDER RECALLED.
Col james A. Magruder was then recalled,
and examined as to the disposition made OF the
containing the appropriations for raising ann
underpinning houses and raising the IN ar ket-
house. Witness testified 81 received those
hond:, and charged them 10 myself as treas
urer."
Q. You seem to have charged yourself with
these bonds on the 9th of August, 1873 amount
ing to 500, eco? A. Yes, sir.
Y. What did you do with those bonds? A.
paid them ont for the obligations of the board.
Q. What kind OF obligations? A. Any that
came along.
Q. Anything that came along? A. Yes, sir.
q. Are you enabled to show the committee TO
whom You paid those bonds? A. No, sir.
q. Can you not give the name OF any person
to whom you paid those bonds? A. can give
the names OF half dozen or q dozen, probably
Q. would like to have the names Of such
persons as You paid those bonds to. A. Well
sir, when paid them my clerk was not there
put the certifcatesi In an velope and mar ked
on them what they were paid for. When he
came 1 gave him those things to charge them
all up. Whether 1 have any Of those memo
randa retained or not, can not say now. can
tell when 60 to the ONCE. 1t may be possible
some Of them are there. Did not paw apy OF
those bonds to Samuel Strong on account OF
this work, because he did not ask for them.
Q. This act to which called your attention
moment ago, makes an appropriation or
SIS, 600 for raising and underpinning houses,
and another appropriation OF sA ,984 s. for rails
ing and underpinning the Georgetown market
house; and the same section contains this pro-
yiso. "That the money hereby appropriated
shall be paid out by the treasurer OF the District
or Columbia upon warrants drawn by the gov
ernor and comptroller Of the said District; and