Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-05-11
THE DISTRICT INVESTIGATION.
Proceedings Of the Joint Congressional Committee

A
Mr.. Christy called attention to certain circn.
lar letters concerning prices Of work in otier
| cities in regard 10 wood and concrete pave
| ments, heretofore alluded to which he desired
| to go in evidence.
The committee reserved action for the
| present
| GOV. SHEPHERD RECALLED.
Gov. Shepherd recailed.-The chairman said
| Governor, last Saturday there was a committes
| made lis appearance here, ana in connection
| with ID at visit took lot OF testimony hAnc,
| We thought IL best on the subject 10 Question
| You with reference thereto.
q. Did you know W. n. Adams as a con
| trac'or prior 10 the organization OF the
| Beard of Public Works? A. did not. H.
has done a good deal OF work. mostly sewer
| work. i don't think he paved street south;
| don't recoiect that he constructed q sewer or
| 18th street. / cannot tell whether the Board OF
| Public Works kept back any payments or not;
| the auditor can tell. / do not know OF any
| orcer of ". Ii. Adams given to the board for
81 900 for the benefit OF his creditors AID ac-
| cepted by them; If MIR. Adams used any bricks
taken Oft L street south, tue superintendsut AT
| property can tell.
The Governor sent for the records concern
| ing Adams contract on b street south.
| =. Have you sold any real estate TO W. II.
| Adams recently? A. My agent sold b m a
| house at the corner OF 18th and l. streets for
$4,000; there was a mortgage Of s., 600; he said
| he had q chance to get the difference taken OF
in certificates of the Board of Public Works;
| Col. MaRruder gave me an acceptance for
rs 900 OF the certificates about two months ago;
the money has not been drawn out of the treas
uTy; IL is an outstanding acceptance; L never
sold any real estate TO John Collins; sold some
houses on % street to Daniel A. Conaollv; he
payments were part cash and notes; l don't
think there were any certificates in the trans
action.
Q. what was the aggregate of his purch ases?
A. should judge about $4,000 Ny imp:es
zion il one payment was i'll certificates.
| Q. What amount of certificates Of the b Arb
| of Public VOL do you hold now? A. Zen,
fifteen or twenty thousand dollars. Ihaye held
SO ,,csv.
L always accepted certificates aud took them
dollar for dollar at the market rates OF the pro
perty. Adams had a contract TO gather garb-
age, but he expressed himself unable to CARR
| it out and l annulled it last week. Adams hsl
contract to clean streets; he has not now
EmmeTt and Smith had the first contract bu
could not go on with the work and the cont a,
WAS given to Adams; there never was any A.
raDgements 10 pay Adams In certiiic ates al IS
cent? on the dollar. He was TO be paid the ne,
cost of the work and fifteen per cent. additions
for fuTnisi ing the tools aud machinery.
q. Do yIu know what became of the brick
that was auled away from New Hampshire
avenue til OF street? A. do not; 1t is =
matter of detail of which some officsr o. IA
board pr sumo has coguizsuce; tns govern
ment is not entitled TO any credit tor Is ridge
street; it b, longed to the District
q. What amount of money did the New Y ok
Avenue Railroad company pay for the coz
struction of the improvement of that ave rue?
A. 1t is shown by the assessment of New YIrk
avenue \ illness refers to report or 1872
81 pa 40, 4 ON 9th to 18th stree Is west.
q. All that that company has paid then il
that sum? A. That is the assessment bet~aon
these poil Is.
Q. is Il at all that the company paid?
Thst Is hat the record shows; 1 DO not knO
what they have paid 50 tar as 1 know that i
sll they have been required 20 pay.
q. Is it or not the fact that tue whole or the
Improvements, including between raiiVO.d
tracks, in front of the Post Office has been
charged to the United States? A am anA5le
to answer that; | think the United States
ought TO pay Tor IL; the Board of Pu5li,
Works, acting as the agents of the CnIted
States, put down a first pavement in tr,a
Of government property; some arrAngem AZ
should be made to determine what the railroa
companies should pay and live; the law Gu "a
to be so fixed as that they can pay justly Wa
they can stand; ate .,ted TO pave the tceca-
Of railroad companies bur they enioined us.
=. How Is the grading that WAS done IN 81
street paid for where the Baltimore and PaJ0
mac railroad tracks are put down? \. | 30 no
know; don't know If anything As assured (
them; the grading was done under the orde-
Board of Public Works by Albert GicasC O; &
am not aware of the company being called upon
to paw any portion of the expenses
q. Was it he rule for the vice presiden.
the board to award contracts and aiterw3ri
have bis action confirmed? A. In all contract
OF moment the board was consulted. CONTRACTS
were not let in any instance to my knowledge TO
parties whom the board did not expect would
do the work. doD't know any cases in which
one party was nominal, and was to be paid a
per centsge. 1 know James Z. Gregg; he wa :
represented TO me as a contractors rsir ,aG
contractor; don't know where he built railro ads;
don't know who his partner was.
z. He had q contract on eth street, one on
litn street and some on other streets, aggre "a
ting 500 600. How much of that work was lone
by Gregg? lido not know; don't know whether
he sub let TO Albert Gleason and Taylor ana
Flbert. he may have done SO; L don't know.
Ii would BE imposs bic FOR me 10 keep the run
OF all contracts that were sub-let. Gregg aad
contract Tor sewer he is doing that wOIS
now.
q; Is not VIM. H: Adams doing it? a. ]
don't know who Is doing the work; 1 know IL lie
being done; Gregg did eth street badly, sni h.
Will nave to do 1t again at his own expense.
q. Can you give the committee definite in
formation with reference to the expenditure
for the repairs of pumps, e.?
witness quoted the law passed by the Legs
Iative Assembly authorizing the Governor to
issue additional bonds to supply the deficiency
IN discounting the four million loan, to eKpl Ala
one expenditure OF $3.50 900. He also read tue
law passed by the same body authorizing tn .
Governor to sue bonds to the extent of - ,O1l
SC.
Q. Were these bonds issued? A. They were,
and paid out to the contractors; do not ka5w
TO whom they were issued.
q. Do you know whether Mr. MuIlett received
pay as consulting engineer? A. He did; he was
paid IN the aggregate about 5000. That wa
all he ever received from the District govern
ment, and he earned every dollar of it.
q. Who let the contract on 18th street, be-
tween the Boundary and street? A. 1 diG; /!
was let TO Mr. Gregg; don't know who did 30 IL
work.
THE contracts made with Gregg were called
for.
q. Does the Board OF Public Works contem-
plate cutting through the hill on 18th street al
the Boundary? A. That was the original Dn-
te temptation; the work was suspeI ded in 1872.
q. Do yeu know if the grading on 9th street
was charged to the government? A. 1 do not
know; don't see why the Baltimore and Poto-
mac Railroad company should pay anything
the street belongs to the city; they asked us to
tx the grade, so that they could make 1t easy of
access to the bridge, which they are compelled
TO put up under their charter.
=. What Is the character Of the work which
Is oelng dome In connection with the james
creek canal? A. 1t is to answer as an open
sewer and as canal; it is being dredged out
SIX rect at low tide 80 as to allow long boats 10
come up and unload wood. IL the Improve
ment Is carried ouAmost Of the lumber and coal
business will be done along it. The improve
ment will be utilized to the city by renting ont
sites for whaTves. There is q street on each
side Of the canal.
q. Do You know of any company having been
formed to take these leases? A. do not. Ii
IL matter which is wholly open to all alike
An act OF the Legislative Assembly provides
that the leases shall be let by public advertise
ment.
TREASURER MAGRUDRR RECALLED.
Mr.. Magruder recAlled:-Please state the ar
rangenelt made by the Board Of Public
WORKS with reference to the claimants for dam
age sustained on Massachusetts, avenue? A.
They both objected to the improvement; we did
not yield to their opinions; they both sent
claims In for large damages, but finally agreed