National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-25

sire that he should enter at on this duty, aad
prosecute It to an carly completion.
Very respectfully ALEX. 4 VS. ssf Prs,;se.,,
A. cluss. E.q., Bagta.er Board % Pssife Works.
True copy: FRANK J. T. HOWE
By Mr.. Stewart: Q. At that time you had
begun to suspect that Mr.. Forsyth was not all
right A. That he was not exact enough.
q. As soon as you ascertained he was not ex-
act enough you asked changei A. Yes, sir;
and last September Mr.. Shepherd wanted me to
put Mr.. Forsyth back again, because he was so
much faster than Mr.. Barney, and then
firmly resisted the demand, and saw that Mr..
Barney was KEEP. at his measuring work. The
occurrence took place in the open room of the
Board OF Public Works at the time when they
were short of funds, and they were anxious to
have ahurry-furry in regard to assessments, SO
that they could get some money.
Q. Did you know at that time that you wrote
that letter that these matters were going wrong
in the bosrdi A. Well, / might not have been
positive about 1t, but then saw, you know,
there was great deal unnecessary, If l did not
want to lose my reputation
| @. Did you testify before the Starkweather
investigating committeea A. think was
| there once.
@. You are down here as having appeared
before that committee on the 18th of April,
| 1921 A. Yes, sir.
@. You had been in Office then only some
few monthsi A. No, sir; was not in Office
then-not as a member of the board.
| By Mr.. Mattingly: Q. You made report as
engineer, which appears in the report of the
board for 1873, on page ? of the appendix A.
Yes, sir.
Q. In your testimony the other.day you
alluded to the work being done at Seventh and
F streets. You made some statements as to
the heavy price that had been. paid for that
work. A. Yes, sir. .--. -
n find In rarort xvbioh "a bad-
in the report of the board for 1873, relative to
this work, that YOU say this: ...
SEVENTH AND = STREETS NORTHWEST.
The Improvement OF these two business streets
was undertaken this season. 1t was decided to
ShInEs , the grades quite rsacs AvSidng
determined to carry on the work in such manner
as not to interrupt the running Of the streetcars.
The difficulty of the work and, OF necessity, its
cost became thus very crest. The lowering Of
water and gas mains and their laterals; of sewer
lateralsi the gradual lowering Of car-tracks; the
cutting OF vaults and snoring Of houses was Q
work OF unusual trouble, rejecting great credit
on the energy Of the respective contractors,
change wrought by these improvements in the
appearance Of the General Post Once and Patent
the grades of these streets, cannot fail to impress
lavorably.
Are the statements contained in that truei
A. They are virtually true. OF course l had
to do the best l could. That does not say we
have not paid too much for it.
Q. No; you give reasons for the great cost of
1t, and they are good reasons, too. A. The
report was written by meuber of the board,
and was willing to cooperate, as well as my
conscience would permit, with my associates.
(Mr. Mattingly handed the following paper
to witness and asked him to read it.
The paper is as follows:
PARTIAL MEASUREMENT.
street southwest, bettoesn Tenth and Thirteenth
streets southwest.
Between Tenth and Eleventh, 1901 yards. |
streets, s,so5 yards.
streets, 1866 yards.
TOtaL- 1901 yards.
YARDS YARDS Sau al Is o sSRs
MI Barney's measurement, ls,5Ol Os
CHAs. E. BARNEY,
Principal Assistant Engineer.
Mr. 9ortly's measurement sI5,7S5 q
Difference, 4,2d3 %
to cover the oTerestimate OF u, 2S42o. |
Auditor Board Public Works.
The Witness, latter reading paper.] If suf- |
acient is retained, Mr.. Mattingly, this does not
justify the assistants in my Office in partial |
measurements giving 80 per cent. more.
Q. do not say 1t does. A. have right to |
object to any such man.
Q. But still don't think 1t ,justifies his chief
in denouncing his measurement of the street |
without knowing how much the excess is. A.
l know 1t was high excess, and know Il was |
q partial measurement of 30 per cent. more
than It should be.
Mr.. Christy. would like to ask in this con-
nection, by whose authority Mr.. Barney made
the measurement of yesterday
Mr.. Mattingly. By the authority of Gov
ernor Shepherd.
Mr.. Christy. And not by the direction of
the engineer of the boardl
Mr.. Mattingly. No, sir; the engineer OF the
board, l take it, cannot expect much further
intercourse.
To be contfnuedl