National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-04
DISTRICT INVESTIGATION.
,Conffnued from First PdQe.l

has been done by the Board of Public Worksi
A, Yes, sir; around this ground have.
o. Have you noticed 1t elsewhere throughout
the city7 A. Yes, sir.
o. What is 1t worth per square yard to put
down such sodding as they have put down
cents last season for sodding.
Q. Did that include putting any soil under
neathl A. Yes, sir.
o. You paid twenty-five centsl A. Twenty.
five cents for sodding put down at the eastern
part of the Botanical Garden.
O. That included six inches of soill A. Yes,
o. Did the contractor put the six inches q,
soil underneath A. Yes, sir. -.-. -
c. Suppose there is no soil underneath it.
then what is it WORTH A. Twenty-Five cents
Q. believe you did not exactly answer the
question put moment ago, as to what it is
reasonably worth to put such sodding as has
been done by the Board Of Public Works around
this city! A. think twenty-five cents would
be a fair price.
Mr.. Wilson. I cannot keep the specifications
In my mind; perhaps you had better examine
the witness in regard to that matter.
Mr.. Harrington. They required eight inches
of rich soil
Mr.. Christy. OF loan.
MI. Msttfngly. The specifications require
that the ground shall be picked up six inches
deep; that there shall be eight inches of soil;
then that the sodding shall be laid and rolled.
By Mr. Wilson: 9. What would sodding be
reasonably worth, done in accordance with
those specifications A. suppose thirty cents
per yard.
Q. Do you know whether that has been over
this city? A. l do not.
Q. Have you ever noticed whether the soil
was put under the sod to the extent of eight
inchesl A. ! never have examined particu-
larly the work while it YVES in progress.
Q. Have you noticed any of the work after
1t was done, as to whether the sod has been
well laid and rolled, &C.? A, have some. l
thought some OF it was done very well, and
some of it in a very inferior manner.
By Mr.. Mattingly: Q. This sodding you had
done, do you know where the sod came FRONT
A. l do not.
Q. You do not know whether the party doing
It had to pay for the sod or notl A. No, sir.
By Mr. HubbeIl: Q. Do you estimate in that
the price the party has to pay for the sod A.
I cannot say; don't know. We had q little
sodding to do and proposals were made for it,
and we gave the work to the lowest bidder.
The price was 25 cents yard; that is what we
had the work done at.
Q. What is the highest proposal you hadl A.
Twenty-eight cents, / think.
Q. How long ago was thatl A. Last fall
the latter part of last season.
Q. Do you remember contract you had with
Patrick Cullinane to do some gradingi A. Yes,
sir.
Q. Do you remember transferring that to a
third partyl A. Yes, sir; he told me to trans
fer 1t, but would not recognize the transfer,
and he got another person to do it. The money
for the work was paid to Mr.. Cullinane on his
receipt.
O. Do you know why Mr.. Cullinane trans
ferred that A. l do not.
Q. Do you know or not whether the party to
whom he transferred it lost a considerable sum
of money! A. do not know; he complained
of losing money on it.
Q. Did you know, Mr.. Clark, that the con-
tractors had no right to dispose of the earth
from the public streetsl A. l did not.
thought it was at his own disposal, as matter
of course, or / would not have bought it.
Q. Do you know whether it is worth, proper
tionsteIy, larger or smaller sum in hauling,
depending on the length of the haull A. 1t is,
certainly.
Q. The longer the haul the more it is WORTH
A. Yes, sir.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. What is it worth to set
curb3 A. We paid from twelve cents foot
for setting six-inch curb; straight curb; and
fifteen cents for circular, the curb in q circular
line. 1t was straight curb, but 1t was to go
around this circular park here. We paid if
teen cents linear foot for it; that was eight
inch curb.
BY the Chairman: Q. That is, for setting
alonea A. Yes, sir.
Mr.. Mattingly. would like to ask him
question about these reservations. What do
you understand by Government reservation in
this cityi A. A piece of ground set aside un-
Ger the original plan for reservations.
q. Have you ever examined the original map
of the city in reference to these different reser-
vations and Government property through the
city, A. No, sir; not for any particular refer
encC.
Q. Reservations, if I am not mistaken, are
numbered or lettered? A Num-
bered, think; for instance, this down here I
know, is known as reservation numbered seven
teen.
Q. You are acquainted with the location of
Wallis opera-house, are you notl Would you
call the portion of ground now laid of there
Government reservation
Witness. Which piece of ground-between
Louisiana avenue and Pennsylvania avenuel
q. Where the fountain is. A. l would not.
Q. You would not call that a Government
A. No, sir.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. Where is this placei A.
In front of Wallis opera-house. 1 would add
that that is mere matter of opinion.
By Mr.. Mattingly: Q. Can you or not state
whether that was spot originally designed
when this city was laid of as place for
fountainl A. cannot.
".
in your officel A. doubt it, but will see if
you desire.
Mr.. Mattingly. think you will find on ex-
aiming the records Of your Office that there
are five places designated in the city for foun-
tains, and that place is one of them.
= The Witness. / have no records in my office.
Q. These will be found in the office of the
Of Public Buildings, suppose?
A. Yes, sir.
BY Senator Stewart: Q. Where these streets
come together and these little parks are made,
such places are not on the original map at ala
A. No, sir.
@. How did that happen that these places
were converted into parksl A. suppose they
found an unnecessarily large open space, or,
in other words, an open space sufficiently large
TO admit Of being converted into park, and
made It.
@. What do you say as to the propriety or
proper thing to be done.
Q. Why was 1t proper thing to be donel A.
1t ornamented the streets.
Q. With regard TO the expense, would 1t be
more expensive to convert such places into
parks or to keep them as roadwaysl A. 1t
would be less expensive to convert them into
parks. sodding is less expensive than paving.
Q. How as to the durability Of parks when
you put proper fence around them and lay
them off in a suitable mannerl A. suppose it
costs more to keep park in good order than a
street, but the frs: cost would be less for a
park.
Q. How as to the beauty and convenience of
1T A. think 1t would be great adyanta ,e
to the city.
Q. There was no necessity for this place as
q roadway A. No, sir.
Q. You think as matter of taste 1t was a
good thing to do! A. Yes, sir.
By Mr.. Mattingly: Q. Has the Government
itself improved these little triangular spaces
caused by the intersection Of these streetsl A.
Ithas
Q. All such that has been done on Pennsyl-
vsnia avenue from here to the Treasury De-
psrtment7 A. Yes, sir; all, with the exception
of the one at Wallis opera-house; these others
we're improved before the present city govern
,nent came into existence.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. Do you know of q little
plat of ground right north of the market, In
front of Wallis opera housed There is q little
park made there with fountain in 1t, and then
there is q street or part Of q street. Then
there is little plat in front Of the market, a
triangular piece. Do you know the size Of it,
A. do not.
Q. Do you think it good thing to do to ex-
pend about S12 900 on that piece Of ground as a
matter Of economy, prudent expenditure of
money! A. think that was a prominent loca
ton in 9 prominent part of the city, and
think SIS, 900 was very well expended there
The Chairman. Mr.. Christy, Mr.. Boyd has
hara and rrOd mad what &c l-no,up