National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-08

been done-what was It reasonably wortf
TO DO fh A. would be very glad to do ,
great deal OF It that has been done for 90 cent,
or % cents. would take 1t ali, easy, ant
make money on It.
Q. Does that include the soIiing or grading
necessary to be donei A. Yes, sir.
By Mr.. Stewart: Q. In taking these specia
contracts, when You did take your pay did yot
take orders on the board? A. No, sir; I 90
money Of the gentlemen.
g. Got the money right alongi A. Yes, sir
except from one. have not got that yet;
suppose WIN get II. =
%. When was this sodding done7 what
yearl A. think some of the sodding wa.
done year before last; some last year: and
done some this year.
Q. Could you do It more cheaply with the
well. ....H wv
Q. What difference would there be in taking
private job and being paid down and getting
pay as people ordinarily do from the boardi A
1t depends upon what q man had to do.
Q. mean taking certificates or cash. What
not had anything to do with certificates, and
do not wish to; have had them offered to
me, and 1 said didn't want anything to dc
with them.
Q. What will you grade and sod for, and
take certifcatesl A. could do very we'll al
forty cents, the way they are selling now, they
tell me. / do not know anything about that
/ could do 1t very well. Ea
Q. Then, If you had been doing this work
for the board, you would have wanted forty
centsi A. If | could only get twenty cents fol-
the scrip would. . Do 1-a1 FL
Q. You would want more than that II you only
got fifty cents on the dollar? A. You asked
me why wanted forty cents. It was because
1t would not pay me more than twenty cents.
By Mr.. Harrington: Q. Where did you get
your sodl A. At different places.
Q. Did you have to buy your sodi A. did;
some. .'.0....-.- ......
Q. What would be fair price to pick the
soil six inches; to cover that with rich loan
of eight inches; then to put upon that sods
two inches thick, and roll them afterward. or
pat with spadei A. have never done any
of that work yet.
Q. Then you do not know what 1t would be
worth? A. No, sir. =.
By Mr.. Thurman: Q. Did the contracts re-
quire eight inches of soil and two inches OF
sodl
Mr.. Harrington. Yes, sir.
THE specifications were here read by Mr..
Harrington.1
Mr.. Thurman. Are those specifications in all
those sodding contractsl
Mr.. Harrington. Yes, sir.
Mr.. Thurman. Did understand the answer
Of the witness to be that those specifications
have not been complied With -
Mr.. Harrington. He says In his case they
were not. (To the witness:) Did you grade at
those placesa A. Some of them graded off.
Q. How muchl A. 1 could not say; some
times an inch, sometimes three or four inches.
would cut off and level for myself.
Q. Did you pick the earth underneath A.
Some did; but not the depth that you speak
of. o.. ~ s .#.. -.
Q. How deep was your loami A. suppose,
as said, from an inch to two or three inches.
tractl A. Well, sir, do not know about that.
It passed. .r.
By the Chairman: Q. As sub-contractor,
did you have these specifications handed you by
the contractor A. believe had one given
to me. . $685.
Q. Did you pretend to work under those
specifications A. Well, no, sir.
Q. What were your instructions? A. worked
under the instructions of the superintendent
the contractor. They said 1t did not need no
eight inches Of soil under it. 5a5=- ..-
By Mr.. Thurman: Q. Did anybody superin-
tend the work that you. were .doing3 A, Yes,
sir.
Q. Who was there to see how you performed
1t! A. There was Mr.. Cullen. He was super
intending Sixteenth street when was parking
it for Fletcher. - r-v-.-
Q. Was he a superintendent of these con-
tractors or of the District government A.
think of the District government. - ,-
Q. Did he see how you were performing that
Q. Did he say anything to you about It's not
being performed according to the specifeationsi
A. Yes, sir; sometimes he would.
@. What did he sayl A. He said he would
not allow It that way, and he would 60 of; and
then would quit, and Mr.. Fletcher would tell
me to go to work again, snd went and finished.
Q. Who was Mr.. Fletcher A. William
Fletcher and Birch. - -.
@. He was the contractor A. Yes, sir.
O. That is, the District inspector of the work
said you were not doing the work according 70
the contract A. Yes, sir. ~ b.
Q. But the Observation-Disclosures employer
said ego sheadp That is the way of i'll A.
Yes, sir. We had not more than one little
furry at all, because Mr.. Fletcher was putting
considerable soil in on Sixteenth street.
Q. Did the District inspector see all the work
that you put down. A. On no, sir; he did in
places.
Q. What place was It that he saw the work.
A. Fletcher and Birch's. That was soiled toll
erably we'll, as said, being from one inch to
three or four inches.
Q. You say you did work for John o. Evansl
A. Yes, SIR.
Q. Was that work inspected as you went
alongl A. No, sir, do not think there was
any superintendent there. If there was, he
made himself very scarce; did not see him.
@. He said nothinga A. did not see any
there, unless It was Mr.. John
o. Evans superintendent, Mr.. Jewett.
0. You saw no government superintendent
there at all. A. believe did on one or two
occasions, but not often.
@. When you did see him, did he complain
that you were not doing the work according to
the specifications A. No, sir.
Q. Did he see how you were doing 1T A.
Yes, sir.
Q. In any other instance thanthat of which
you have spoken was there q government in
spector seeing the work from time to time as it
A. Not under Mr.. Evans.
Q. You stated that before, but under either
of the other contractors was therei A. With
Fletcher there was. . .
o. You have spoken of Fletcher, but there
were other contractorsl For whom did you lay
the sod; for Evans, Fletcher, and who elsei
A. Mr.. Clark. ..-
@. Was the work that you did for Mr.. Clark
ever inspected as It went along. A. Yes, sir.
Q. Who was the Inspector A. I do not
know that can think Of his name at present.
Q. Was he the government Inspector A.
Yes, sir. There was some sol, under some of
that three or four inches deep, and some was
not so deep. .....
O.. Did he see how that work was being
done2 A. Yes, sir.
Q. Did he require you TO do It according to
the specifications A. No, sir.
@. Did he ever complain that you were not
doing it according to the specifications A.
No, sir. 80
Q. Have you any idea why It was that those
inspectors allowed that work TO be done that
wayl A. 1 have not. w.
Q. Why was 1t allowed to be done in plain
violation Of the specifications with only an inch,
or two or three inches, of soil when the speci-
feations required eight A. / do not know.
@. What kind of sod did you put down as to
thicknessl A. From an inch and half to two
inches. ..
Q. Did you know the specifications required
two inches of sodi A. I did toward the last.
@. Did any of these Government inspectors
tell you that the sod must be two inches thicki
A. Not to my recollection.
Q. You are totally at a loss TO know how It
was that they allowed this work to be done In
that way contrary to the specifications A.
have no idea.
By Mr.. Stewart: Q. What sodding did you
agree TO do when you took the contract A.
agreed to soil and sod II for twenty or fifteen
cents, whatever Il might be.
@. Without any specifications as 10 what
kind Of sodding there was to bel A. Yes, sir.
Well, I saw the specifications. They would
speak of the obnoxious weeds, &C., and
always tried -
Q. Did you or not agree to do the work ac-