National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-26

Q. You had no idea OF what you were going
to be called on 70 testify to. You had no COM
munication with anybody, but came right for
WARD here In this wayf A. Yes, sir. had
press OF the country just coming down on the
engineers thought st was unjust to tile com
mittee not then 10 callupon me, so that could
vnoicate my able associates, who are men OF
integrity and fearleesnese. -rrl
q. Did you come to that conclusion before or
after you were suop9naedi A. Before my sub
pGna. / should not have been subjected TO the
cross-hre Of four learned attorneys II had not
recoliected certain facts. You know II IL q
number of years ago, and
Q. Did the fact that the press OF the country
charged you engineers with these things incense
you at all against your colleagues A. No, sir;
have no nl-feeling toward anybody.
Q. You have defended all your engineers ex-
cept Mr.. Oertly. You have not defended Mr.
Oertly. A, could not well do 1t. IL man
gives so per cent. more in partial estimate
cannot defend him. It is against my principles.
Q. In how many instances has he made q
mistake, and given 80 per cent. morei A
find in all these partial measurements that they
are too full find good many cases OF par
tial measurement where there are about say
1000 or 500 yards below the partial measure
ment. If these were exceptional, then, OF
course, could have some indulgence, but
when It happens so often could not.
Q. Mistakes occur frequently on the part OF
engineers, do they not; even with you and Mr..
Barneyi A. OF course, an error may occur
with anybody, except the Lord himself.
Q. Then you would not have made prepare
tions to come here If there had been no attack
upon your engineersf A. / do not know
about that. am always that kind of man,
ready for emergencies, and SO, OF course,
made my scribblings-msde my notes about
the course Of things.
Q. You prepared for emergenciesf A. Yes,
| sir. .... a. .
Q. When you had made up your mind to de-
| fendN the engineers you commenced to make
this preparation. Who. did you go tot A.
didn't go to anybody.
Q. Didn't tell anybody A. No, sir. have,
perhaps, spoken to some of the young men
that hoped an opportunity would be offered
to say good word for my engineers, and that
l should be very glad and very willing to do it.
| Q. You did not furnish anybody memoran-
| dunn of what you had made up here at an.
You Just made up your mind that You would
defend the engineers. Don't you think you
brought little feeling into this matteri A. /
have none whatever.
Q. And you go away with no feelinga A.
Yes, sir. Ill. ...-- .........
Q. And you think that as soon as you found
that there was anything wrong you would dis
close it without keeping it concealed. You
have served on the board for nearly two yearsi
A. Yes, sir. ..s
| O. How long is 1t since the Governors an
swer was outi A. Yes; only ! saw careless
work was done from these Government meas
urements. / had positive proofthen, and was
ashamed Of 1t. . .. 80. .--.-
Q. Did you call his attention to 1t theni A.
The Governors answer was out, and the Gov
ernor didn't pay me the courtesy OF sending me
copy, and my attention was only called to It
when IL was moved in committee.
@. What was there in the answer that IN
censed you; just show me thatf A. didn't
see the Governors answer after 1t was pub
lished for several weeks.
Q. Show me where It isi A. These Govern
ment measurements. 3D..
Mr.. Hubbell. Don't you know Governor
Shepherd didn't publish the answer; that this
committee published If A. understand that
the Governor has been furnished with twenty
copies.
Mr.. Stewart. II you didn't get your copy
from him where did you get It FRONT Did you
ask him for copyi A. In fact, didn't know
the volume of the document Until several weeks
after the whole thing was out; didn't know,
indeed, there was such volume as document
out. .- -. --.--- -.-. ...-. -.--.-.. Pr
Q. Did you ask for q copy of I'll A. Ididn't
know at all; 1t was q couple of weeks before,
In fact, knew there was q book compilation.
Q. Did you ask for copy when you found
outi A. / think / got one; now you ask me
what points, last evening, on the question of
Senator Allison, Invent over It.
Q. You need not go over 1t again.
The Witness. find mistake of IS, 900 that
he suggested to me yesterday; that is on the
tagging of street north, between Sixth and
Sixteenth streets north.
Mr.. Hamilton. You need not go over that
now. .... p. -. .... . --.-.
Mr.. Stewart. Then when the Governors an
swer came out you made up your mind you
would not have anything more to do with it
with the Governor or the Board of Public
Worksi A. Nothing of the kind. or
Q. You made up your mind you would rot
come forward and make q statement of it
clean breast of It at that timei A. No, sir; 1t
took me some time, until ] got acquainted
with the whole document. The document lie
so voluminous 1t takes q man long time TO
read It. ..
Q. Did It ever occur to you that being asso-
ciated with the system that you condemned 80
ing, after eighteen months, being associated
with that system for eighteen months without
resigning, and without communicating Il to
anybody, and signing great many OF these
documents, appearing as the engineer, the re-
sponsible head, did It ever appear to you that
you were injuring your reputation in standing
in that position so longi A. did communal
cate It TO frierds-to Colonel W. q. Phillips,
who told me yesterday that be was glad to say
at any time that as far back as one year ago he
requested me to stay on the Board OF Public
Works as q champion Of the United States and
Of the taxpayers of the District. He told me
yesterday that at the time when spoke TO him
ard expressed to Linn some little doubts that
he had been speaking TO Mr.. W. W. Corcoran,
and Mr.. Corcoran remembered this converse
ton clearly.
Q. Who appointed you, A. The President
of the United States.
Q. You were somewhat responsible to him,
were you mott A. Certainly. BE- q
Q. He resides In the District A. Yes, sir.
Q. If this thing was wrong-you saw his
message on the subject A. Yes, sir.
Q. Don't you think you ought to have sug-
gested It to hint A. It was not in sufficient
shape that could tell him. .a g.- 7
Q. There was nothing YOU could suggest to
himi A. ! had my misgivings, you know,
about the whole work, about the punctuality
Of everything that was done; It was not sufH-
Gent to make positive charge
Q. Did you wait for q positive charge when
the President had appointed you, and you were
made the engineer, most important officer IN
this great city, where these improvements
were being made, and he had commenced the
work in his message-don't you think you
ought to have spoken to him and put him on
his guards A. 1t was not sufficient, any of It;
II 1t had bean sufficient, / would have resigned.
Q. Then, after all, there Is not much In lit
A. There Is more in 1t since the Governors an
swer was published; since i saw Government
measurements. ........
Q. Not much in what was paid to private
contractorsi A. we'll .s. =.
Q. Was 1t bad case or noti Have you been
connected now with q bad case or notl A. It
is q bad case, of course.
Q. How long have you been connected with
q bad casel A. II we have to pay our certif-
Gates worth thirty or forty cents on dollar
Q. Do you or not think you staid with O bad
case before you notified those who put conf
dence in you without staying too longl A.
No, sir.
Q. You think you came out at the right
timei A. No, sir; do not think / dbl did
not want TO put myself in that position. did
not create the occasion.
Q. You did not create the occasion; you
thought It was proper to wait until this time.
There has been large amount of money spenti
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Was It not your duty there, as an engi-
neer, If this machinery would not work, and
waste the peoples money, was not your duty
to put your foot right on It theni A. do not
think so. 1t is q matter for judgment what to
do.
Q. I am sorry to hear YOU say that, that you
could be connected for eighteen months with
machine, whereby the peoples money was
being squanderedi A. do not say so, Senator
Q. You do not think sol A. lido not say SO.