National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-07
DISTRICT INVESTIGATION.
[Conti,i,ed from second pags.l


1t beautiful capital OF the nation. Il VIII be q
great advantage, as long as this nation lasts, to
have It improved and accessible, so as to be an
Invitation to all the surrounding States to come
q. What amount Of debt can this city and pop
ulation carryf A. I do not know; 1t has way
Of throwing Il of whom It is too heavy by calling
on Uncle Sam to take the load. They say now we
are employing labor on our highways and roads
to take care OF the wards Of the nation; but they
are being educated and improved, and 1t Is o
great triumph for our nation that we not only
freeing the blacks from bondage, but the whole
CSIp@sn would S ike to have your
views in regard to the obligation that the General
Government owes to this District to make It
nation. A Tho Father Of his Country laid out
the city for the nation; he never believed that q
commercial people would live here. He judged
wisely that these broad avenues were necessary
for the capital Of great people like ours; he laid
them out so that they can be parked and the
health Of the city secured They are laid out SO
direction. These broad streets are parks them
selves; and this will be the most beautiful city
o. You know something Of the traditions and
the history Of the location OF the capital here.
Can you state what was the purpose OF the
the most beautiful city OF the greatest continent
Of the earth; and 1t ought to have the assistance
Of the whole nation.
regarded It. q matter In which the whole nation
has an interest? A. Yes, sir; for such nation as
ours. II looks back to the Old World and sees all
but this city Is built on an elevation. Paris is on
o little stream, the Seine not much broader than
our canal; but here is tho broad Potomac; and all
these hills about the city are connected with the
mountains that here is to be city right at tho
falls of the Potomac, which has the mountain air
Near my house you can see the Blue Ridge In
Virginia, and Sugar Loaf mountain In Maryland.
This region is elevated and healthy, above tide
water AT the District line It Is 800 feet above the
ocean. 1t will not sink here, Hko cities covered
with the deserts OF sand in the Old World.
q. want you to give us the traditions upon
that subject for the use Of the committees and for
other persons In Congress who think that the Ma
tional Government has no obligations in this par
ticular. A. think the founders of the city en-
tertained no such opinion. Congress has never
this city made It is. 1t is the nations city.
and its very construction shows that 1t is made for
By Mr.. Coombs: @. How far do you think the
four million dollars will go to carry out this vast
system OF improvement? A. l do not know.
q. Do you think 1t will finish 1t? A. No: ex-
pect it win cost at least thirty million, including
q. II the General Government does not come
to our relief, don't you think that thirty million
will be a greater debt than this city can carryF
A. l am told by gentleman from Philadelphia
that our ta3atEI Is not 50 great sd 'soTem as
prOvcment put upon the city increases the value
Of the property here, and hence the wealth of the
city will grow in proportion with the debt.
B. oERTLT RECALLED.
By Mr. Wilson: q. Twas asking you whether
you and Mr.. Same had been figuring on New
Hampshire aveIue within the last few days!
A. He was figuring.
Q. What we're you doinga A. He showed
me his figures, and think lie also submitted
them to Mr.. Bleckenstoffer. l went over the
ground with him after he had gone over 1t for
himself. He also showed me his figures. l
think he also submitted them to Mr.. BleclSen-
stoffer.
Q. Were those figures that he had made
quite recently, or figures that he had made
originally A. No, sir: suppose that the
original figures were arrived at somewhat DIFF
ferently.
Q. Did you see the figures that he had made
originally A. think did.
Q. Were you with him when he made his
original survey or measurement OF New Hamp-
shire avenue2 A. Yes, sir; l was with him, and
l think had proposed much smaller amount,
for this reason: that thought so long as the
board had established rule to pay only for
excavation, and not for the filling, that the
same rule should hold good in this case, and
of course the result would have been con-
siderably- less. But in this case, the filling
was done at a different time from the excava-
ton. That is to say, the bulk of the filling
was not obtained from the excavation of New
Hampshire avenue, and the two gentlemen
have thought that in this case it was fair to
charge both.
Q. What two gentlemeni A. Mr.. Same and
Mr.. Forsyth. Finally, 1 concluded perhaps it
would be fair.
Q. You submitted to itl A. think upon the
whole it is fair, inasmuch as we had to pro-
cure the filling from other streets.
Q. Where did this filling come FRONT A. A
large amount came from Twenty first street;
some from NJ, and some from Twentieth.
Q. When had that filing been donei A.
Mo- 1afn In thaf Coll
of 1871 that section of Slash-run sewer >ad
been completed, and for the purpose of pro-
tecting it, (as It was above the ground them
it was ordered that the filling should begin
against It. or course it was not only on New
Hampshire avenue, but 1t was all along that
sewer. But that included large amount of
filling done on New Hampshire avenue.
Q. Between what points did you examine
that avenuel A. Between the same points as
1t was originally entered on the Colonels field.
book, between G street and Boundary. That
includes from G street to Pennsylyania-avenue
circle, and from Pennsylvania-ayen circle to
the P-street circle, and from thence to the
Boundary.
Q. Did you make up your account that wayl
A. think they were originally made out in
three items. Yes, sir. My original proposition
was overruled.
Q. cannot understand you. A. My original
proposition, / say, was overruled, as l have
stated already, and didn't pay particular at
tention further.
Q. Oyerruled by Mr.. Same and Mr. Forsyth
A. Yes, sir; for the very reason have just now
stated.
Q. Did understand you to state, before the
recess to-day, that the profile of that avenue
is not correct A. Well, will you allow me to
So The profile in this case, would say, is to
be created from the memory of the men who
were familiar with the ground.
BY Mr.. Stewart: Q. You say the cross-sec-
tions were made after the fill had been begun?
A. Yes, sir.
BY Mr.. Jewett: Q. How long before this pro-
file was made adopting the surface of the
original fill as forming the base of the proflea
The Witness. Do you mean when the profile
was Inadel
Mr.. Jewett. Yes, sir. A. should judge the
profile was made in March or April, 1872, and
the fill was in the fall of 1S71-late in the fall.
Q. You had put in this sewer2 A. Yes, sir;
to protect 1t from the frost OF the winter, we
made this fill-we filled against it.
Q. That was made before any profile was
madel A. 1t was made before any profile was
made.
Q. Then, in the following year, three or four
months afterward, when you came to fix the
grade of that street-or had you fixed the grade
before you put in the seweri A. No, sir; 1t
was fixed afterward.
Q. Then when you came to fix the grade of
that street, you made the profile at that timea
A. Yes, sir; the profile was made at that time.
this line Indicating or did you undertake to
make it in accordance with your recollection Of
this line (indicatingil
The Witness. Do you mean in my calcula-
toni
Mr.. Jewett. In the profile. The profile as it