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

must, according 10 That rate, COST olUO,VVV W
put 1t in order. That $50, SS1 part is now
rolled up Just like q snow drift with, at certain
distances apart, deep places full Of water
By the Chairman: Q. The road is IN oao
condition. A. Yes, sir, from the manner ~
which the material has been put on, ana she
way the contractors have done the WORK. TOT
instance, the macadamizing through the prop
erty 1 own now was In many places not over
three inches, and it won't average seven iIsneS
ali the way through It was contracted for
foot. And as for the road being graVeled, II
never was graveled.
vas taken from the bed Of the road where the
fuIler's earth and clay, which composes part OF
fbat country, and some poor sand, and that
was what the road was finished up with. To-
Siay. if YOU will go out there, you will find that
the carriage just rolls up with the fuller's
earth, the same as II would snow, which Is
drops in different places.
q That additional cost, $50, 900; do YOU
mean that is additional to the S136, 000l A.
Yes, sir; S174, 600 in all. There is singular
thing about this Seventh-street road. We are
sent these bills on an estimate of $166, 900.
That is for the first year, of February; but the
B1st of October, 1878, Mr.. Forsyth reports to
the comptroller that the cost of the improve
ments on Seventh street Is $172 900, SS4 900 to
the Government. He names that particularly
in his report. Now we do not know, then, as
I said before, about this property. Why, 1t is
state of affairs is going on it is useless for
man to talk about property in Washington
county. All the roads are in the same condi-
tiou-the Fourteenth-street road and every ROAD
In connection with it. The Governor won't
deny that.
BY Mr.. Mattingly: Q. The Piney Branch
roaoS A Yes, sir; you know the Fourteenth
street road, after making good road, you
know that it is now in an impossible condi-
lion to-day.
Q. 1t isl A. Yes, sir. There are cobbel
stones Just laid there. You cannot get down
there with a carriage without great difficulty,
or with wagon.
O. On the Piney Branch roadl A. Four
teenth street road, College Hill.
Q. Just tell the committee about that. State
whether the College Hill road, there at Four
teenth street, is not still in an unfinished condl-
zion. A. That is like the Seventh street road
was in 1871 and 1872.
O. Do YOU not know that the contract lot
Seventh street has not been completedi A.
do not know anything about that. know
the work is not done there.
Q. The committee would naturally INFER, un-
less they were familiar with the location, that
the Board of Public Works had finished its i'm
proycments there, and that the road was in an
impossible condition. want to know OF you
whether, In point of fact, the contractor has
Completed his contract, or anything like COM
pleted it! A. Yes, sir; he told me that ne was
not going to do it unless he could get his
money
@. But that road above College Hill-from
there to its junction at Brightwood with the
Seventh Street road; how about thatf a.
That is in a tolerably good condition, because
they never rooted that up and cut down to the
fuller'S earth.
@. Has not the Board of Public Works re-
paired that road all the way out from the top
OF College Hill to the junction of the Seventh
Street roadl A. And It is not No. roadl
= l;+kl Irpa ON, EO1rtanOth street
road after YOU leave Mount Pleasant village.
@. Do l understand you to swear here, under
oath that YOU, living on the Seyenth-street
road, and travelling it daily, that no gravel was
used on that roadl A. l say no gravel was
used on this property Of mine, and very little
on the other until last year, when the S36, S3l
was spent there, and that shows to-day.
Q. WAS there any gravel used them A. That
shows to-day at the Schutzen Park. where that
gravel is used. That is good gravel. But go
6p near Governor Shepherds farm, where q
kreat deal of work is done, and you cannot
DENY but that the road is in an awful condition.
@. Theu the nearer you get to the Governor s
broperty the worse the road isl A. Of course
he intended, no doubt, to make that the best
part of the road, but he failed in 1t; and am
sorry for it, because Governor Shepherd is q
young man, and Lave known him all my life,
And an sorry to see this failure Of his.
By Mr.. Christy: 2. Do you know of charges
both for excavation and filling! A. Yes, sir; l
know this much about that: When Captain
Dougherty had the contract that was for work
on my own property in the bottom, near the
bridge, the culvert of Piney Branch, there was
q man by the name of John Brown one Of the
-superintendents. He stated to me that they
STere putting rotten wood and fuller's earth on
the road for gravel. went up to find out
.ebout it. l said, Mr.. Carpenter-Mr. Carpen-
ter was the engineer of the road-there has
been a report to the Board of Public Works
fharr rrno6 and fullpF,e earth have bnpn
put in the road for gravel. Says /, did you see
I'll Yes, said he. What is to be done about
iSti said 1. He held down his head, like as if
he was confused. Said he, reckon it will have
TO be removed. But next morning the con-
Tractor came to me and wanted to know
whether 1 would allow him to have an inch or
an inch and half Of gravel to dress up with.
1 told him had no gravel except where they
had cut down where had O barn, where there
was some little gravel mixed with some clay.
If that would suit his purpose he might have
1t. He went there and dressed 1t in that way.
Mr. Christy. We are very anxious to call
William A. Cook. The messenger was sent to
him this morning.
Governor Shepherd. Mr.. Cook, as I under.
stand it, is sick in bed.
TESTIMONY OF C. RICHARD.
G. Richard sworn, Cat the instance of coun-
sci for the memorialis:.)
BY the Chairman: Q. Are you the auditor OF
the city government! A. No, sir; the District
government.
@. When were you appointed, and how long
continued? A. was appointed on the Sd
OF May, 1871. Ny Office expired on the S0th OF
November, 1873.
Q. Were you member of the Board of Pub
Lie Works at any timer A. No, sir; never held
any other Office but that of auditor under the
new government.
9. 1 am requested to ask you If you had any
knowledge about the method of passing appro-
prIation bills through the Legislature.
Mr.. Christy. No, sir; not in regard to that,
but the passage of certain bills-the allowance
BY him as auditor on accounts.
Q. State any knowledge you have upon the
Subject of accountsl A. 1t was my duty to act
upon all accounts which were presented to the
District government for adjustment and settle
fpent, Of every name and nature.
Q. Did you so dol A. did so.
Q. Did you ever have any difficulty in adjust
with any other officer of the Government A.
do not know that have had what might be
called serious difficulties. l felt frequently
constrained to reject claims and 70 modify
claims before passing them. If there were any
epecifc--it would be impossible for me to give
anything unless something specific is men
toned.
The Chairman. Do you wish to call his at
tention to any particular audited account
Mr.. Christy. Yes, sir.
@. Do you remember a bill amounting to
4F50, 900, or about that, in regard to which you
bad discussion with Governor Cooke, or Gov
brnor Shepherd, at that time vice president Of
The Board of Public Works. A. About year
ago, on the LIST of July-not far from year
AgoAI received statement and a batch of bills
from the Board of Public Works, claiming pay,
and asking me to audit the same and approve,
Tor Improvements which were made, as they
alleged and as suppose was the fact, by the
Board of Public Works in carrying out the
contracts and laws of the Old corporation of
Washington.
The amount of these biIls-the fall amount
Fas not as stated. The first statement of the
hmount contained about S475, 900 and some odd
hundred dollars, and soon after an additional
Statement was handed in amounting to-I can
not give the exact sum-some $500 or
$4,000, for improving, grading, and crawling
the streets which were authorized by the corpo-
ration of Washington.
The claims was requested to audit and sp-
prove in order that the Board of Public Works
might draw back from the city, or from the
Sinking fund, as it was said, to meet this amount
which was claimed to be due from the old gov