National Republican., 1874-05-13

operstions-before any work was let them;
and they had to substantiate that fact to the
satisfaction of the board. gF
Q. And then you let the contract 10 tbs par
ties jointly; ia that the way Of III A. We let
the contract to whoever the party might be
1 who was named by them. For instance, II
there were three or four partners in the mat
ter, and they would name one Of their hrm az
the party to whom the contract shonld be let,
/ IL would be let in his name and the contract
made with him. :.
Q. What Is the reason for that A. Simply
TO simplify matters.
| @. Then, II three or four parties came to you
| and said, "We propose 70 take q contract, /"
you would allow them to designate the party
to whom the contract shonld. be awarded A.
They would have TO put their most responsible
party forward as the man to take the contract.
| @. Do you know Of any cases In which ar
rangements Of that kind were made where one
of the parties was purely nominal and he was
/ to get percentage Of the contract A. j do
not know of any case Of that kind. =.
| Q. Do you know James z. Gregg A. Yes,
sir; there is aeontractor Of the board by that
name. I-.a
O.. Where is he fromi A. Ohio, 1 think.
| @. How long has he been in this cityi A.
Well, ! suppose year or eighteen months.
| Q. Had he been contractor prior to the Or
ganizstion of the board, that you have any
knowledge Oh A. Not here.
Q. Had he been anywhere7 A. BE was SO
represented to me.
Q. By whomi A. By several persons. lido
not recollect who they were. His recommen-
dations were frst-class, know that.
Q. Have you those recommendations A.
do not know; may have them.
Q. Do you know what his employment had
been prior to his coming herea A. He was
represented to have been a railroad contractor
"a man of great energy, and Of considerable
means. ..a.
Q. Do you know where he had been engaged
In building railroads. A. do not.
| Q. Had he a business partner, that you
know of A. / do not.
Q. notice In some of these contracts James
E. Gregg & Co. Who was the company? A.
l do not know who the company were. did
not know that there was any company at
tached. Mr.. Gregg was the man with whom
the board dealt.
| Q. He was the man with whom the board
desltl A. Yes. sir. 40
Q. He had q contract, No. s06, on Fifteenth
street, from Rhode Island avenue to Boundary
| to grade and lay the Miller wood pavement
on Fifteenth street northwest, from Rhode
Island avenue to Boundary street to grade
and lay the Miller wood pavement on Seventh
street west, from NJ street north to Boundary
street; aud that contract was amended on the
2lst Of October so as to include the laying of
sidewalks, resetting the curbs, laying of new
sidewalks aud of new curbs, where necessary,
on Seventh street, from NJ street to Boundary
The whole seems to have aggregated s140, 900.
How much Of that work was done by Mr..
Gregg, or by Gregg & Col A. Indeed, / do not
know.
Q. Did they do any oft A. suppose they
! did, If 1t was done. .-.r -.
@. Is It not the fact that he sub-let the Fif-
teenth-street work, the grading of it, to Albert
Gleason2 A. Indeed, do not know.
| @. And the wood pavement to Taylor & FL
bertl A. Indeed, / do not know. It would be
| impossible for me to keep the run of all the
sub-contracts that were let by contractors. 1t
might have been let. He might have sub-let
It. / do not know.
Q. 1t seems that he had a contract for Sew
enth street. Do you know whether that was
sub-let to Taylor & Filbert : A. think Tsy-
lor & Flbcrt did the work. at -,
Q. Do you know whether Taylor, & FHbert
got paid for that at 3d. so square yard A. i
do not. They got the board rates, whatever
they were. -
q. And in addition to that got paid for put
ting floor under the pavement A. know
nothing about the details of it. 1t was done
AFTER 1 ceased to be the executive officer of the
board.
Q. These contracts you know nothing about
Q. Do you know whether Mr.. Gregg had q
large sewer contract A. He has q contract
for q sewer, which we looked at the other day.
Q. That is the three-wiDg brick-barrel sewer,
contract 500, for s6S, ,2S5.01--the estimated
cost. Do you know whether he did any of
that york or notl A. He is doing it now; yoa
looked ~ It the other day
Q. Is he doing it himself, or Is Mr.. William
Fl. Adams doing III A. do not know who Is
doing It. The work is being done.
Q. You do not know whether he Is doing iti
A. l do not know anything about it. -
Q. Do you know whether he has done any
work at all, in this city, himself A. do not
know anything about what he has done; only
know the contracts were let to him as proper
person, aud that the work has been done.
Some of It was done badly on Seventh street,
and will have to be done by him again, at his
own expense.
.. Seventh street is in pretty bad condition.
A. Very bad condition, sir.
Q. Please turn to page 2l6 of your answer,
OF date September 10, warrant number 1858,
which seems to have been issued to Mr.. Ma
gruder, treasurer of the Board of Public
Works, account of requisition Of the Governor
for repair Of pumps, &C., 5 100, 900. Then of
date September "a, warrant $3.50, Mr.. Magru-
der, treasurer oftho Board of Public Works,
account of improvements and repairs In the
District of Columbia, s2G0,0O0. Then of the
Il.
Magrlder, account of repairs 70 pump, &C.,
District of Columbia, $4,000. Can you give
the committee definite information in regard
to that transaction? A. Yes, sir. ...
The act of the Legislative Assembly of June
%, 1873, reads as follows:
lAct OF the Third Legislative Assembly, ses-
e. .H sion !.
CHAPTER III. An act in addition to an act
making appropriation for improvements and
repairs in The District q Columbia, and pro-
10, 1871.
Be 1t enacted, &C., That, in order to provide the
full sum Of four million dollars appropriated for
the Improvements OF the District, in and by the
act of the Legislative Assembly Of July 10, 1871,
entitled "An act making appropriations for I'm
bs snS r,odi so ~ an me oi S9ioIn;
to supply the deficiency of said appropriation oc-
easioned by the sale at discount OF four million
thorized by said act, the Governor Of the District
Of Columbia, to ISSUE or cause to be issued, ad-
ditional bonds of the character described in said
the Limitations aSa restrictions provided in saiS
act, sufcient to supply the aforesaid deficiency in
said appropriation, and to place, In connection
the Board Of Public Works, the fun sum OF four
millions dollars: subject to be disbursed upon
warrants q The Board Of Public Works P
dItional issue Of bonds however, not TO exceed
two hundred and sixty thousand dollars,
OF the emergency arising from the necessity for
the immediate payment by the Board OF Public
Works OF outstanding claims for work done In the
improvements Of the District, this act shall take
effect Immediately upon It's passage.
Approved June q, 1873. I
That is the s260,000 item; the Legislative
Assembly act Of June 25, 1873, reads as fol-
lows:
CHAP. Kill An act making appropriation for
reImburslng the Board Of Public Works of the |
District Of Columbia for the money expended |
by them for the erection and repairs Of pumps, |
cleaning and repairs Of streets, and raising and
underpinning Of hons es and markct-houses.
Be IL enacted, &C., That the following sums be, !
and the same are hereby, appropriated to re-
Imburse the Board Of Public Works Of the Dis |
trict Of Columbia, viz:
For the erection and repairs of pumps ffty-one |
thousand dollars.
For cleaning and repairs of streets, two hun
hfty-ive dollars.
For raising and underpinning houses one hun
1red and hfty thousand dollars.
For raising and underpinning Georgetown mar
ket-houses, twenty-four thousand nine hundred |
and elghty-four dollars and sighty-three cents.
For amount expended on Western market
house, three thousand hve hundred and ffty-fve
1ollars and sevepty-ope cents.
For amount Expended on Northern market
house, twelve thousand and twenty slx dollars and
cents: Probtded, That the money
hereby appropriated shall be paid out by the
Treasurer Of the District Of Columbia upon war
'snts drawn By the Governor and Comptroller OF
.he said District. --I
Sec a. And Be Il further enacted, That to enable
he Governor to pay the above appropriations, be