The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-08-08
Ghe Chilly Arens,
JORBERY.

The Work Of Grant, Shepherd. Boutwell, 1
Co.'S. New District Commissioners.
WASHINGTON, Aug. This morning,
Republican contains an account of the ac
ton of the District Commissioners in re
awarding the contracts on which work was
ordered suspended a few weeks since
1t is quite plain that the Ring influences
are o%mnipotent.
Among the contracts awarded we find n
revival of contract 69I, j. o. Evans. law
ing flag ~tootway and Belgian pavement on
b street, between Twelfth and Seventeenth
streets, N. W."
The estimated cost under this contract
was reported to Congress on Dec. /, 1873.
as $l47, s0l,ll (page 80, Rep. b. z. WI
When, however, in February, 1874. the
investigating committee compelled the
Boss to show his true coiors. another
statement came forward Gov. ans. u. 1851
viz:
Contract 694, John o. Evans,
Total amount OF certificates paid ont =. SAL, 1865
Actual cost below estimate soIita
Remarks: Work complete. ' N'''
1t will be noticed that $247, sol is sub
stituted for $147,S0l as originally stated |
that the work Is reported as completed |
and that a saving on estimate is claimed
III fact is that the work is not conDleted |
and that there is al excess of S94Ia5 a
estimate as first made ont, AS result
of one OF Shepherds u%nderhanded onera-
tons. This leaked out before the ;pvas.
committee. Under date of Nav
IA. 1918, Evans wrote a letter to have
prices established for work then ha;no
lone under Shepherds (private) orders.
This was mainly work through and around
Government reservations which was uni
agreed upon between Shepherd
and babcock, who called upon Deputy
Engineer Oertly as a sort of private sec
fetary IN these matters. SO when the
after liked the price for tagging, for which
here was no board rate, Engineer Cluss
'lgned the paper without particular in
Jury, not suspecting the magnitude of
The JOB. AS soon as his apparent recon-
nendatlon was obtained the Job was put
Up under personal orders of Shepherd to
and l25,077 square feet ofcommon |
lag footway were ordered, laid, and paid
at the rate of ninety cents per souare
GOT, or a total of $ll2,5 500, 80.
The same material is furnished and laid h
p the arlstocratlc uptown streets of New =.
lork at rs cents, and could have been laid t
ere, near to the wharf, at 35 cents, with a
good profit. There vas therefore an ex ii
ess OF nearly $4,000 over usual business
rotts OF which Messrs. Evans, Shepherd, fl
nd Babcock should know the particulars, a
ley having. been the PARTICIPANTS, while a
Engineer Oertly was the accessory -
dupe. When questioned by the com L
llttee, Engineer Cluss promptly stated
Nv his confidence had been abused. and p
ne Boss himself could do no better than is
hide behind the victim of his confidence U
anna. And when he was asked about the "
lpage 1885 the following occurred. -
lr. Wilson examining Shepherd:
Odd j. o. Evans furnish the fagginy that no
I'd down on b. street North? A.-Ycs sfr. / think
did. 'hnA !,
is the price of such tagging as tbatY I
about 80 or 40 cents. ~ '
Now, such tagging is LAID throughout
ew York at 10 cents additional to the
so We have about 45 cents an tho
oss' $ own average price for material and
Dor Yet this contract is revived. the Il
listening to the inexperien. 1
"a Lieut.. Hoxie, being hoaxed nv tbe
me relnstated Assistant Engineer Ger.
Y, who was connected with the fraud
ON the first. There are under this con.
act about $500 square feet of tagging
be furnished yet in front of and oppo. y
e the White House grounds, which '
a bonus or corruption fund of BIG.
D over and above fair business profits.
Oh as would be had under open compe N
ion.
This is but one item in the contract. ]
llch has tales to tell. A Belgian pave =
was to be laid by Evans, whom r,
swears to be zone of the souar. ~
men he ever saw" A sand bank was
severed some squares off, under
ayy bank of earth. Albert Gleason. a
Moderate Of the 'squarest man." got a
ltract for a street through this earth
ok, covering the sand bank. Oertlv
tined to a measurement proved to have -
tr~audulent-an o%verpayment of
out $4,000 in $4,000, even ut the hiph
ird prices. This done, Gleeson dug for .
I'd and furnished it cheap to Evans. and -
20 doing they excavated a hole which
up to the grade will cost another DA,
200. These are the men who, patron,
by Grant, undertaking to defy public
Mon, honesty, decency, and Congress.
.er this the Commissioners cannot main.
J hat they were not aware of the sum
substance of their advisers, if they
not know hefnro