National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-07

continued rains aave made all the roads worse.
Q. What is the condition Of the Seventh
street roadi A. sfn speaking Of the SeTensh-
o. How about the OTHER road, the cotumt,.
turnpikei A. have not 5csn over that road
lately. Ny superintendent reports to me every
few days, and from his reports il Is In q good
condition. 4 was there shout tue last of Feb
ruary or the first of March.
Q. Who made up the estimates on which
payments were made to contractors on thoss
two roadsf -
The Witness. Do you mean for the work.
Mr.. Wilson. Yes.
Al did. 1900. $1,000
q. They were al made BY you, A. Yes,
sir. ....
By Mr. CbFisty: Q. The original estimatetOr
the cost of improving this road, as reported 70
the Legislative Assembly, was So, 600, was u
$500. = -. -
Q. But when Il was corrected the smounS
was SIS ,0OH A. Yes air.
g Who furnished the basis upon which that
estimate was nadei A. do not know.
y What was the cost Of the repairing Of
thst road In facSS what has L actually costl A.
10 you mean the construction of the roadl
Q. Yes, sir; to the present time. A. Think
u Is IN the neighborheod of 1896, 900, SIR, In
Guiding repairs and construction Of the road.
Y. WHO'S responsible for that upder-esti-s
mate as communicated to the Legislative As
semblyi A l do not know, SIR -
Q. You were not advised Of thisl A. No,
sir. ~ =
( @. You make no statement in regard TO i'll
A. No, SIR i never knew who made the esti--
mates for either Of the roads. - = :
O. Were you In the employment Of the Dis
trict government at that time7 A. was not,
sh-yes, sfr, Twas. I was acting as member
of the board Of registration.
/, Q. What additional cost will it require to
put II in good repairl You say part Of 3 is
in bad condition. A. WE'LL sir, those por-
tons that considered in a bad eondition-it Is
uneven, and it Is caused principally by putting
gravel on too late last winter; the weather
came OF wet, and the travel then would pick
up portions of the gravel and go q little ways
and deposit it on again-it would require now
to have It dressed off and fixed and shoveled,
especially on the upper section. On the lower
section there is but little to be done there, II
you could get more sandy gravel.
Q. Now, make a reasonable estimate What
would be the cost Of putting It in complete re-
pair as the road ought to bel A should be
obliged to make some measurements before
could give any satisfactory estimate.
Q. Well I'VE do not want satisfactory one;
that is, what would be satisfactory or exact,
but simply reasonable approximation. Would
it cost 100000! A. No. sir; l think not,
There is great difficulty in getting frst-elass
gravel. We have to haul it a great distance
By Mr.. Stanton: Q. What kind of drains
we're constructed along the Columbia turnpikeF
A. l do not understand you.
Q. How was the road drainedl A. BY the
lateral grade of the road into what we call
side-ditches. There is not any undertakings
laid yet.
Q. What was the depth of gravel along the
roadl A. Twelve inches in the centre.
Q. It was never less than twelve inches, was
it, A. No, sir; in some places more. At some
places II was fifteen.
Q. What was the character of the grayelI
A. Well, sir, it was good gravel.
z. Was there any large stone in IL A. Yes,
sir, there were some, but not Objectionable.
Q. Was there any dirt in it, A. never saw
any.
Q. Ought that gravel to have been screened
before it was usedf A. lido not think it would
have been any advantage at all to have screened
il. II was picked gravel. cannot conceive
of any benefit that would have been derived
from doing that.
Q. The drains were properly constructed for
the road, were they not A. Oh, yes, sir.
Q. What was your occupation before you be-
came connected with the Board of Public
Worksl Had you built any roads in the county
beforea A. was employed under the Levy
Court to DO similar Woodwork of this h nd,
SO far as the Levy Court had authority.
Q, For several years. A. Yes, sir; between
six and seven years.
@ Between six and seven years you were
employed under the old corporation building
roads In that section of the District A. Yes,
sir, under the Levy Court.
A. B. KIRKLAND RECALLED.
By the Chairman: Q. think Mr.. Wilson
asked you ifyou remembered anything In rela-
nk iii III
A. think that question was asked me.
Q. What was your answerl A. do not
know what answer I gave. said had en-
tirely forgotten.
Q. Have you refreshed your recollection
about iti A. think you refreshed my memory
by reading document to me. told you'll had
very little interest in that contract; it was to
assist Mr.. Reed and Mr.. Wilcox.
Q. You we're merely ineidently in 1t them A.
Yes, sir.
Q. You had no particular interest except to
aid theml A. That is all, sir.
Q. Who first suggested that matter to you;
do yo1 remember A. think it was Mr.. Reed.
@. Wherei A. In this city.
Q. Had you known OConner before, A. No,
sir.
Q. Or shanleyi A. No, sir.
Q. Did you ever meet either of them? A. Mr..
Reed brought them here. met them.
Q. You saw them here? A. Yes, sir.
Q. Had some interviews with them. A. met
them once that l remember.
Q. What did you say to them you could do in
reference to procuring contract A. / made no
promises to them whatever.
Q. You held out no indueement, to them on
your partl A. No, sir.
Q. Did Mr.. Reed3 A. ThatI do not know; he
was to furnish them lumber cured.
Q. You saw them here once, or did you see
them more than oncel A. think they were
here together once; not more than once; am
not sure but Mr.. OConner was here twice.
Q. Did you see him the second time he was
herea A. Either Mr.. 0'Conner or Stanley,
do not know which one 1t was.
q. You saw them the second time they were
here? A. / am not positive as to that.
Q. Do you remember seeing either of them
more than oncel A. think / saw them in
Newark. ...-
O. How did you come to see them there? A.
went at the instance Of Mr.. Reed.
Q. What forl A. To ask them to fulfill their
contract if it was awarded.
Q. What was that contract to BEL A. That
was to be wood.
Q. Butt mean as to quantityi A. Well,
they wanted o large coutract-oDe hundred
| and fifty or two hundred thousand square yards,
think.
O. Did you not 90 to Newark and tell O'Con-
nor and Stanley that you could get q contract
| for them oftwo hundred thousand yardsl A.
| No, sir: do not think told them anything Of
the kind. could not tell them anything Of
the kind.
Q. You never told them anything of the kindi
A. No, sir. N
Q. What did you tell theml A. do not re-
member what I did tell them. could not
have told them that. 800
Q. You are certain that you made no repre-
sentation to theml A. ! am cert ain of it.
I Q. In your conversation with them, was any,
thing said about grading, do you rememberf
A. / think there was something said about it;
but told them had nothing to do with that
whatever.
Q. Did you not tell them that other parties
could be procured to do the grading, so that
all they would be required to do would be to
lay down the woodf A. told them that that
was the way the DeGolyer & Mcclellan con-
tract read. did not know how their Contract
would read, or anything about It; that DeGol-
yer q Mcclellan were not obliged to do any
grading.
O. That was che understanding with refer
ence to the DeGolye- & Mcclellan contract
A. do not know what the understanding Wass
think that is the way the award read.
Q. That DeGolyer q Mcclellan were to do
no gradingl A. think so, sir.
Q. Was not that the Understandings A. do
not know anything except what the award
said; do not think there was anything men
toned in the award about grading.
Q. But you understood that they were 70 do
no grading A. / understood that from tho