National Republican., 1874-05-21

tie too big spill for me to swallow, and after
consultation, and after going on the ground
after making diligent inquiry all about what
had been done there, I found that II there
was little earth deposited there, IL had
been done by other contractors. While was
up there, the thing went even so far that saw
there was some earth put there. I asked the
boys on the line where the dirt came from; no
answer. asked the second one; no answer.
I asked the third cne, and as soon as l asked
the third one the password was passed along
the line Of thirty carts, "Don't tell him."
found those were Mr.. McLaughlin's teams,
and not Connolly's. All of these facts seemed
to me conclusive that nothing else was due
beyond that measurement which Mr.. Forsyth
formerly made 90 high; that, without having
further recourse 10 Mr.. Forsyth, tabled his
statement, and sent In statement, Nothing
Is due beyond the former measurement" !"
Mr.. Connolly then, of course, appealed from
that decision. He saw Mr.. Shepherd;
he plagued him considerably, so that Mr..
Shepherd asked me to have q remeasurement
made. / had q remeasurement made by Mr..
Moore, an assistant of this Office, and whom we
had the good luck to secure for a time, having
been chief engineer of railroads for q length
of time. He found that measuring the cut OF
the streets Mr. Connolly had been oyerpaid, in
fact, at least about IS, 900 yards. Those
35 900 yards were now secured under contracts
which he held on streets where he was paid for
the cut and for the haul to the streets. So,
again reported no change could be made be-
yond the money already In hands. At this time
Mr.. Connolly came TO my private office
on Fifteenth street and says, 81 will do a
square thing with you.- Suppose I cut off
1900 yards, and let It be 100000 yards
told Mr.. Connolly that was not the way !
was doing business. If lis, 600 yards belonged
to him he ought to have 1t; If not, he ought
,I,vko ko.Ta yhokh ha, a o.,
thing went on. Then Mr.. Shepherd came to
me and told me that he was very much
troubled with this man, and suggested that !
have an arbitrator appointed, or rather some
measurer, of the Treasury Department.
then went to the Treasury Department, and
secured a computor, Mr.. Thompson. But am
too fast. When the first remeasurement was
made, Mr.. Shepherd insisted that I should in
vite Mr.. Forsyth and Mr.. Samo, who was the
| Government measurer. He thought IL i'm.
portant that Mr.. Samo should be present, a.
what Mr.. Samo agreed to the Govern
ment would finally be responsible for
So I went and got Mr.. Same, ani
notified Mr.. Forsyth to be upon the ground
Mr.. Samo came, and we went on with thu
measurements, a number of contractors from
Capitol Hill being present. They told US al
there had been big gravel pit, and the like
l told the measurer to take the length AMI
width and give 1t to Mr.. Connolly. This wa
done until 4 O'Clock in the afternoon, when Mr.
Forsyth came in in q high state of excitement
He abused me In language that would no
like to repeat; but did not take any notice o
it. / was bound to see this measurement
through; l had come there for the purpose o
making measurement, and not for the pur
pose Of having quarrel. This measurement
was made, and 1 believe Mr.. Sapo an
1 Mr.. Moore figured it up together, bu
the muitipfication-table was hot TO Mr. Con
nolly's taste. About q week afterward Mr.
Shepherd asked me to appoint this measure
from the Treasury Department. said diC
not see the necessity for it, because Mr.. Sam
and Mr.. Moore have mentioned q couclusiv
measurement. He said, "No such thing; Mr.
Samo has reported to me that the twenty-five
years. experience of Mr.. Forsyth was q grea
thing" and so he could not 90 against Mr.
Forsyth's figures. Well, since saw eoull
not do any better, then secured that measure
from the Treasury Department. He came
While there one afternoon, Mr.. Arthur Shep
herd acting on the part of Connolly, I left him
and In the afternoon the next day heard thi
man had resigned his position. He said he dlC
not want to act.
| Q. Who had resigned his postion7 A. Thi
measurer of the Treasury Department. Know
| ing him personally went to him unofficially Il
ask him why it was that he was not making
these measurements. He told me afterw arI
that he was afraid he would get himself int
difficulty. An effort was made to get him Il
| sign the measurement in Mr.. Forsyth's hous,
in the evening, but he declined to do so, an(
would rather have nothing to do with it.
| Q. Who was that! A. Mr.. Thompson.
| Q. Is he here nowl A. Yes, sir. Then the
Governor, he decided without my knowing o
it that this matter should be settled by q Ger
tain commission which he had appointed fol
assessing damages. OF course as soon as thi
was in new hands considered 1t my duty Il
go there and make statement, as had don,
on every previous case. did so; and whel
Mr.. Connolly stated that certain place he hat
filled up was about 'twenty-odd feet, at ono
asked him to make pits. They refused to d.
IL, and then l said, ''If you do not make tht
pits will make them for you, and you cal
| take the responsibility or not of looking at tn.
| pits" The pits were made four feet deep
and we found stratified ground. Notwith
| standing this, this commission took testimony
and said their conclusion was that about % ,00'
additional yards were due to Mr.. Connolly; ans
i this ended the matter.
! By Mr.. Wilson: Q. How much grading d.
you think should have been allowed therel A
think no more than the cut.
Q. Do you know what that amounted tc
A. To about believe about 45, 600 yards, bu
TO be more equitable to tho contractorI sal
"Mr. Connolly, can you prove that you hav
brought any stuff here not coming from an
other streetsp He afterwards showed me on
square belonging to Mr.. Gulick. went there
and from the marks in the ground, anS fror
the statement could get all around, foun
about six or seven thousand yards might hay
come from there.
Agsin, there was another little property
From both sources It would have made, pei
haps, about s., 900 yards, and this is my earnes
opinion, that he ought to have been allowe
that, and nothing more; because the addltiona
earth came from other contractors on adjoinin
streets-1 should say Third and Fourth street
all around there, where there was more Gu
than filed.
Q. That is the history of the transaction
| A. Yes, sir.
Q. How much was allowedl A. think tn
final award was 105, 900 yards. think 5000
yards would amply cover all he ever did there
/ Q. Do you know whether or not the voucher
/ that were on file In your Office were used by Mr.
Forsyth and Mr.. Samo in making these Gov
ernment measurements A. Well, they hav
been used In making Government claims, Il
November last-the claim for work not pait
yet, around the Capitol extension here-th
change of grade.
Q. You mean for that work that has been dom
| within the last twelve monthsl A. mean 70
the work that has been done mostly since las
| August or so.
| Q. Done and not paid fort A. Yes, sir.
| @. Were the vouchers of your Office used TO
the purpose Of making up the estimates upol
which the former appropriations were procured
from Congressl A. Yes, sir; I could no
answer. Mr.. 0ertly did this without m,
knowing anything about it. He had access Il
the vouchers, whether he used them, 1t is har
| for me to say.
Q. Who fixed the prices for the fiaggin.
around the botanical gardeni A. Do yol
mean for the Government, or the contractorl
| Q. Speak with reference to all>of them
you knowf A. The prices for Government
were fixed exclusively between Mr. Oertly, Mr.
Forsyth and Mr.. Samo. And the prices for tn
contractors were fixed by private correspondence
between Mr.. Shepherd, Mr.. Oertly and M
Office. He notified me afterward that such wa
to be the price, that is on the record.
Q. Have you the record of that with you
A. Go, sir, have not, but can produce it.
Q. How was this price Of dollar and {
quarter q square foot fixed for new tagging
4. have not the least idea.
Q. Did you have anything to do with that
A. No, sir.
Q. Do you egard that as a fair price' A.
| consider It Is too muc1.
| @. What is Fair price for that iaggingi A
1 should think fair price fof that Tagging
with fair profit, would be, perhaps, between
4 about 80. There is one thing, again, tht
difficulty we had to labor under last year yor
know-the difference between cash prices anG
| certificates. Everybody knows that at present