National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-22

; general fund Is taxed at two thirds Of tht
! whole cost, and this wood In good many saset
} wEl rot before the houses are built adjacent
10 It,.
By Mr.. Stewart: Q. You say that Mr.. Bar
ncy was an entirely reliable engineer A. Yes
sir. E
A. do.
Q. Do you know Of his doing some work Of
grading on New Hampshire syenuea A. Yes,
sir.
q. The voucher In this case, believe, is
signed BY Mr. Barncyi 4. Yes. sir.
Y. Mr.. Blickensderfer makes the over-pay-
ment 81, 1881 in that contract; have you ever
looked into'thati A have.
Q. What do you say about that1 A. / have
map here which shows the whole case
Q. would like to hear your explanation,
sir. How was Mr.. Bsruey's estimate therei
Mr.. Blickensderfer says here: 1.-THE correct
4 amount should be 30 500 yards of grading, At
80 cents; $500 yards of hauling, at BIZ
cents; making s12,7 iO. While the actual pay
ment is s17,99S 81; over payment, IS, 25s. 81 ;"
This was paid to Contractor A. Yes, sir;
that was to the contractor.
q. And that voucher was signed by Barneyf
A. Yes, sir; Mr.. Vandenburgh had a large
contract for grading on Virginia avenue. THIS
is painted in yellow, what Mr.. VaDdenburgh
did. do not know whether 1t was ever re-
Jul Hc udu u bpCCldl OEucE W OuL
also around the reservations, right and LEFT.
Mr.. Barney's assistant, Mr.. Mc1ntyre, meas
ured this work. Where Mr.. Franklin Is now,
Mr.. Mcintyre was formerly. Mr.. Mcintyre
left the city, and another assistant was ap-
pointed. The superintendent of the street and
Mr.. Murray pointed out what was done by Mr..
Murray. His contract was on New Hampshire
avenue. Mr.. Murray asked for a measurement
from Pennsylvania-avenu circle down to the
water. They found out soon that down below
nothing at all was done. However, Mr.. Muir
ray, the contractor, and the superintendent
pointed out to Mr.. Franklin that this work,
which was in fact done by Vandenburgh, was
done by Mr.. Murray, and this escaped the at
tention of Mr.. Barney at the time. wish to
say that, of course, we have got money enough
on hand, and his mistake would undoubtedly
have been found out in the final voucher, be-
cause the cross-sections are only calculated up
in the final voucher, and the 20 per centum re-
tanned. If it is not retained it is not the fault
of the engineer department, but the fact is that
the 20 per cent. is retained, and this would
have been sufficient to protect the District
against the temporary shortcomings of Mr..
Franklin, or rather of Mr.. Murray, together
with the statement of the superintendent of
streets.
BY Mr.. Stewart: Q. do not think I under
stand you. You say that the contractor on
Virginia avenue did some work belonging to
!, Q. And that when the measurement was
made by the assistant of Mr.. Barney, Mr.. Nc
Intyre, Mr.. Murray and the contractor pointed
out all this work as having been done for himi
A. Yes, sir; that is It.
Q. Were you there at the timel A. No, sir;
I have inquired about this matter since.
Q. That is the explanation that Is given by
Mr.. Barneyl A Yes, sir; Mr.. Barney can
speak for himself better.
Q. Have you figured to see, taking that
amount A. 1t makes that amount, sir.
Q. To see whether that is the accurate
amount that would make the deficiency A.
Yes, sir; not the exact amount, but an approx
innate amount. You know in the partial meas
urement the cross-sect!ons are not calculated
up, because it would confuse the case.
Q. That was q mistakei A. It was not a
mistake; one of the suborjinates had been de-
ceived by the contractor, together with the su-
perintendent.
Q. The engineer was. deceived by the con-
tractorl A. Yes, SIR and by the superintend-
ent appointed BY the board.
Q. Who was superintendent therel 4.
forget the name. He was superintendent on
that street.
By Mr.. stanton: Q. dbl understand you to
say that that deception was made possible By
the change of engineerl A. Yes, sir; if Mr..
Mcintyre, who measured all this work-if 1t
had been still in his charge he would have seen
the deception at once.
l. Q. Did I understand you to ssy that he had
left the service of the boardl A. Yes, sir.
@. And therefore he could not be here for
that purposei A. Yes, sir.
By Mr.. Stewart: Q. Some of these measure
ments of New Hampshire avenue were made
by Forsyth, partly by Mr.. Phillips. Mr.. Hulse
was certified to by Forsyth; have you ever
looked into it, A. Yes, sir; but specifically.
A. fe a siS. you H'Au' any '-nA''" u '-A',
Q. You have not measured It on the ground!
A. could not, possibly; but have compared
the cross-sections.
Q. Mr.. Blickensderfer here says that this
contract was overpaid, think, 81 ,600.. Hulse
was overpaid 81 ,615.S1. That was madeup by
Mr.. Forsyth Mr.. Phillips also made some of
these measurements. Who was Mr.. Phillipsl
A. Mr. Phillips used to bs chief engineer OF
the board, up'to January 10, 1873.
Q. Where 10 he nowi A. He Is in Gfnein-
natl.
o. Was he . reliable mamie was chief be-
fore youl A.. No, sir; he was not. He was
when Mr.. Mullett was the engineer member
of the board.
Q. When Mr.. Mullett was engineer he was
chief A. Yes, sir.
o. He has not acted under you at ell? A.
No, sir; only s-eouple of months-two OF three
months.
Q. Did he make the measurements on New
A. Well, think Mr.. Phillips was rather an
easy man, he would not take that care which
Mr.. Barney does in comparing the estimates OF
his subo-linates. He would consider his sig
nature more asa clerical formality. IL am
allowed would like to make a further state
ment in regard to this deception of Mr. Bar
ney. wish tosay as is my duty, and natur-
ally of course, Il looked carefully over those
measurements reported by Mr.. Blickensderfer.
found besides what you mentioned'there that
he found another apparent mistake OF Mr.
) Barney. It is Eight here. On Virginia avenue
there are a couple OF little trangles, Mr. Blck-
ensderfer did not know It; they were not on
our cross profles. Here was additional work
done by Vandsaburgh and this not bsing on
the street line was not on the cross section al
all, so Mr.. Blickensderfer, no doubt inadyert
emily, has been led into that error By not al
. lowing for these two -triangles Vandenburgh
did.
o. Describe,the location of theml A. They
were between Twenty-third and Twsnty-fftf
streets, should say to the east and west o.
Twenty fourth street.
0. Puttinethose in, and counting those IN a!
, having been done by the contractor, does tha
, make the work OF Virginia avenue correctl A
1t makes 1t exactly correct; 1t makes It lfttl'
more than Hickensderfer has 1t.
o. The deficiency on that avenue was small
but there was q deficiency however, A. Yes
sir; but that makes it just about right, and
, would request that this sheet be neferred Il
Mr.. Blickensderfer for examinationsand repor
{ to the committee, because l desire that Mr.
Barney clear himself of the only Two mistake
which Mr. Mickensterfer has found.
O. Are those the only two measurement
certified: to by Barney that Blfcksenderfer ha
: found mistakes inf A. That is So 70 the bes
7 of nv knowledge. / have examined to see
1 naturally, the testimony Of Me- Rlicksenderfe
\ very closely, and those are the oRly two case
whichI could find.
By, Nh. Wilson: Q. Do Understand you +
saw that those are the only two cases wher
: YOU haze found that Mr.. Blicksenderfer ia 4
i error}' A. Where Mr.. Barney has been Il
e errorF
Q. know; but where you are unable to cor
rect Mr.. Blicksenderfar's statement-wher
l Won. can explain his testimony A. do no
> think there was anything else that was errons
= Gus, except those.
I O. Where you are able to, account for tn
discrepancy that he (Blickensdsrfer) has found
4 does that arise out Of any: mistake that
e made, or out of the fact that he did not haY
Q the data upon which he could get at thes
Is pointsl A. Out of the fact that he had nc
Q the data to get this, point, because the eros:
I sections which were taken with q view to VII
sginia avenue, and the cross-sections did ne
!. show anything that the triGngles right and LED
hal haau oradefa