National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-17

feetS the property OF the united states Govern
ment. A. Yes, sir; if you want it from private
citizens will give you the citizens property
and what they pay.
By the Chairman: @. Did you give US therC
the size of the pipel A. Well, sir, the average
of the pipe is from twelve to eighteen inches.
can put down the twelve-inch pipe for S1.12
and make profit. l can put down the fifteen
inch pipe for S1.60.
/. By Mr. Stewart: Q. What do you include in
putting downl A. will complete it. will
purchase the pipe and put it in the waterway
dig trench, and cover it up.
By the Chairman: =. But may not some Of
this pipe be so inches? A. There are only $40
feet of S0-inch pipe purchased by the Board Of
Public Works.
Q. How do you get at the fact that this pipe
is all from 10 to 1S-inch pipel A. There is
al, 526 feet of 12-inch pipe laid; there is SO,
953 feet of 15-inch pipe laid; there is 40 1884
20-inch pipe laid; and then there is 4,0O2 feet
of 24-inch pipe laid, and $40 feet of S0-inch pipe
Now, sir, you can take the average between
the ~ and 1S-inch pipe and you will come at
it, and have allowed a big margin. have
given the board prices, and will now give you
my prices and what got from the manufactu.
rers at the commencement of the Board Of
Public Works taking possession Of the District
of Columbis-that Is, the government. That
was from Link & Black, who arc large manu-
facturers in the State of Pennsylvania.
Delivered in Washington.
Finch pipe, IS cents per foot.
l5-inch pipe 90 cents per foot.
1s-inch pipe, 81. is per foot.
l2-inch bends, 50 cents per foot.
l2-inch crosses, 50 cents per foot
15-inch bends $l4O per foot
15-Ineh crosses 81 10 per foot.
1s-inch bends. 81 per foot.
| lS-inch rs, 81 per foot.
| lS-ineh crosses, = per foot.
LINK BLACK,
| Per F. A. LYNCH
By the Chairman: Q. Do you mean to say
that that is the price you would have done it
| for for the boardf A. mean to say that |
could have furnished small quantities of pipe,
| and not hundreds OF thousands of feet of pipe,
in the city of Washington at that price.
Q. Suppose you had furnished large quaint
ties' A. might furnish it at less. That is,
the manufacturers offer to me for small guam
titles of pipe just as wanted them.
! By Mr.. Thurman: Q. Did you ever lay down
any pipe for the boardl A. Not dollars
worth.
2. Did you ever put in any bidl A. Not a
dollar.
By the Chairman: Q. Did you not bid for
some thirty six-inch pipe! A. bid for a
thirty-six-inch iron main that went down 4
street, which amounted to large sum of
money.
Q. That was an iron pipe2 Yes, SIR. put
In my bid and bonded for il, and that afternoon
1t was stated in the papers that was the low
est bidder. went the Den morning to the
Treasury Department to see the officer in
charge, and he told me my bid was informal;
but while was there, Governor Cooke came
in. l asked him why it was informal. He
says had not put my name in certain portions
of it, that it ought to have been put in Says
|, q do not know anything about that. sir;
this was drawn up by notary, Mr.. Nicholas
Callan, and put my name where he told me,
and he told me ought not to put it anywhere
else" told Mr.: Cooke that if 1 had belonged
to the ring would have got the job, and be-
lieve it, too.
By the Chairman: Q. Did you get it, A. No,
sir. Mr.. Same told me (who was the gentle
man who made the calculation for this pipe)
that was sec, 900 lower than the next bidder.
By Mr.. Thurman: Q. Who got it, A. The
Star Company, Of Camden. New jersey.
9. Were they the next highest A. No, sir;
it was let out again. would not bid again be-
cause felt so indignant.
Q. Well, how much was it ultimately let forl
A. About $50, 900 more than my bid. forget
what it was by the foot. think bid by the
ton. 1t was about three hundred and sixty or
three hundred and seventy thousand dollars.
Q. Who had the letting of that contract A.
Governor Cooke.
Q. Was It the Board Of Public Worksl A.
Yes, sir.
The Chairman. It was for the Government.
Governor Shepherd. That was done under q
law of Congress by General Babcock The
Board of Public Works had nothing to do with
1t at all. General Babcock had all TOT do with it,
and we had no connection with it In any way,
shape, or form.
By Mr.. Thurman, Ito the witness:) O.
Where was that pipe laidi A. On L street.
Q. In what part of L street, A. think It
g. u
suppose, to New Jersey avenue, and up
there.
Q. From New Jersey avenue along street
to the bridge over Rock Creeki A. Yes, sir.
By the Chairman: Q. That is what they call
the 36-inch mainl A. Yes, sir.
By Mr.. Thurman: Q. That is a water-mainl
A. Yes, sir.
the United States? A. Well, do not know,
Governor Shepherd. Yes, sir; the Govern
ment had perfect control of the water works
so far as applies to that. The District govern
ment laid the small 6-inch water mains in the
city. This S6-inch main was laid under q law
of Congress, which provided that the expense
should'b borne by the District government, but
that it should be done by the engineer in
charge Of the Washington squeduct, which
was the case. The Board of PuDlic Works
had no connection with it, directly or indi-
rectly, in any shape or form.
The Chairman. # runs through your reports,
/ see.
Governor Shepherd. No, sir.
Mr.. Thurman. Who had the awarding of the
contract
Governor Shepherd. The engineer in charge
of the Washington aqueduct, General Bab-
cock.
Mr.. Thurman. Had Mr.. Cooke anything to
do with itl
Governor Shepherd. Nothing in the world,
sir.
The Witness. Think the Governor is mis-
taken; think that the letting was given out
under Major Elliott o..
The Chairman. Major Elliott il an officer
of the Wer Department.
By Mr.. Thurman: Q. Did you see any off,
Ger of the United States with reference to thisl
A. No, sir; / only saw Governor Cooke in the
Treasury Department, in Major Elliott's Office,
the next morning.
By Mr.. Jewett: Q. In the Treasury Depart
ment of the United Statesl A. Yes, sir.
By Mr.. Thurman: Q. You saw Governor
Cookei A. Yes, sir. ..- ....
O. To whom did you deliver your bidi A.
To Major Elliott, at the lighthouse board.
Q. Was Msjor Elliott an officer of engineers of
the United statesl A. I presume he Is.
Q. Was there an advertisement inviting bids,
A. Yes, sir.
Q. By whom was that signedi A. I cannot
Tell you.
Q. You cannot remember A. No, sir. !
know felt very indign ant at the treatment.
Governor Shepherd. have the act Of the
Legislative Assembly here. was mistaken
In part. The Legislative Assembly provides as
follows:
Acts q F'r.t Ls0i:Idtivs 4''seIy, Sea-. l, ca. HI
2. q enacted, &C., That the Governor be. and he
y hereby, authorized and instructed, Immediately
after the passage Of this act, to adopt measures
ior speedily complying with the njunctlons Of the
iourtn and NTH sections Of the act or Congress Of
uly Il, 1870, directing the engineer Of the w ash
lngton and Georgetown aqueduct to afford to the |
CUES OF washington and Georgetown an addi- |
new iron main Of thirty-six inches diameter at |
the expense Of the cities aforesaid from the dis
reservoir above Georgetown to Capitol |
nlii tAe said new main to be judlclously con- |
nected with the water-main already laid al suoh |