National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-05-01
DISTRICT INVESTIGATION
ExAMIxArIoH OF GoHEREoR sHEP-
j HERD ON CONTACTS. .sse

gs. = - f SD 80 e 4
.g-sarz y ,ae--ll. slssS;s.il . $ ~ s
INTEREsTINe CORRESPONDENCE BE
TWEEN GovFRNoRs COOKE -ANr, sHEP.
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NLNDiCAIloNrVf thE ovAhNotl $50 ~
DkNcE OF AUDITOR NEEDS AND THh
|. PARKING COMMISSION.
THIRTY-rorynRrH nay.
Tuupsn.y Anil On 1874 z.
.,-,, t-fF,..
AT Yen . Y eioch =. H. tne CON niistee resuiaee
It's pubic session. ~ 3 .z.s7i. sI-.s,g 5isss
The reading of the Journal was dispensed
with.
Mr. Mattfnolv. We aes;re "a mt Mr.. A. r
shn,ha-5 ~, a.. s.s,,s - t.s.,t, =, .,r, d;s
tincs matters, feserflng nus besunony upol
other subject-matters to another stage OF thu
case.
s,,.,,rDn
IhsfiAoNi oF ALE ~ snAf
Alexander II. snephero, nefetoiore s"orni
examined. 20
By Mr. Mattingly: Q. Please explain to the
committee the circumstances connected with
General R.bcoclr,s measnrement under tht
~. !, co1ore.. ,,.,;no. az .,,,',o,,r;.,,o,, I,
~ VI Conesss NAA,nS sNe -
WE'VE hundred and ooo Thousand COLLARS. a
As / said once to Judge Wilson, when he was
cross-examining witness, this estimate wa.
made up in September of work which was CON
tracted for and in progress, so as to be incor
norated in our November report, The epizo
otic came on and some of the work was de.
layed and not done, but q good deal more thar
the aggregate was done. The House in the
deficiency bill, which was introduced in De
cember, inserted clause appropriating 81,
1000 to reimburse the Board of Public
Works for expenditures around Govern
ment property-around the property of the
United States. That passed the House
and came to the Senate, and think 1,
was on the sd of December IL passed the Sen.
ate with q slight amendment-an amendmeu,
offered by Judge Edmunds, of Vermont, to this
effect: That the prices paid, as well as the
quantities of work done, should be approved
BY the engineer in charge of public buildings
and grounds. The bill virtually passed both
Houses with this amendment. The parties
were clamorous for their money. The amend
ment could not be acted upon until the House
met after the recess. After consultation with
my brother members of the board, we addressed
letter to General Babcock reciting the facts,
and asked him, in order to save time and make
this money available for those who needed It,
If he would not order his engineer to measure
I'D the work before the meeting of Congress,
so that there would be no DELAY when thew
met; which he did. Congress met, and on the
day after their meeting they adopted this
amendment: the bill was signed and the money
was drawn at once. That Is the whole history
of that,
By the Chairman: O. When was this request
made to General Babcock to measure? A. Just
after the Senate adjourned for the Christmas
HOLIDAYS. The bin had passed both Houses,
with the execution of a verbal amendmeut
which was to be copcurred in by the House.
and It was subsequently done.
By Mr.. Wilson: o. In YOUR answer, com
mencing on page 42 and ending on page Al,
tina. is the measurement made by General
Babcock, is itl A. Yes. sir: think so.
@. Now, on page AL you will find this reser-
walton IL that has been SO often alluded to.
that is embraced In that measurement A. II
is in this bin.
O. Had the board done any of that work?
A, Not to NV KNOWLEDGE, - -
o. So that there is in that measurement
work that was not done by the Board of Public
Works. A. / think so. -
o, Are there any other items IN there that
YOU are aware of except reservation IN A. No,
sir: none that am aware of.
o Bnt that one IL an item that was mt
done by the Board of Public Works. amount
inc TO S14. $50. 35l A, That is INV inlpression.
sfr.
o. I do not care TO take time now to 90
through this In detail. but should like TO ask
some further questions on this subject, sim
Div called YOUR attention to that one item now.
By Mr., Stewart: o, 1 should like to inquire
right in that connection by whom that work
was done3 A, / heard the surveyor testify
Mr.. FORSYTH testified that a part of il was done
under the Board of Public Works since they
came in, and was settled for by the commits
sioners of the sinking-fund for the District OF
Columbia. do not know that to be the fact;
he had the voucher for q portion of the work.
By Mr.. Wilson: @. You have seen that flag
ging down therel A. Yes, sir; have seen the
Tagging.
Q. Could you say, from looking at that flag
cling, that any part Of it was done by the Board
Q. You saw the character of the Tagging
the quality of it, A. Yes, sir.
Q. Would you think that sixty cents was q
proper price for that old Tagging that is lying
there? A. No, sir; think it is an exorbitant
price.
O. Here are cutters at IS cents. A. Ishould
think that was a large price. r--
O. Is not that an e1horbitant pricei A. ]
should think SO; yes, sir.
O. Here is grading at 40 cents that was done
prior to the board; what do you think of that
A. do not think 40 cents is an exhorbftant
price for grading. It depends great deal upon
the nature of the grading. -
By Mr.. Mattingly: @. Please state the con
nection of the Board Of Public Works and OF
yourself individually with the DeGolyer &
Mcclellan contract-all the circumstances con-
uected Herewith. A. The first intimstion that
/ had OF the DeGolyer & Mcclellan contract, !
think, was made TO me by Mr.. Huntington. II
my memory serves me right he introduced Mr..
Chittenden to me. am not certain of that
point. He said to me one day, in passing down
Fifteenth street.-the was standing on the steps
Of the bank-"What are you doing about con-
tractsf" think that was In February, 1872.
Says /, 1--WE are not doing anything; we are
going through our annual investigation, and
we do not propose to do anything Just now"
"Well," says he, al have got friend here for
whom want q contract" "Well,"I said,
she will have to take his chances with theothers,
put in his proposition; and stand on his merits"
heard nothing further about this matter until
after Mr.. Huntington's death. Governor
Cooke came to see me one day. suppose It
was a couple OF weeks, probably, after Hunt
ington's death-and said that Mr.. Parsons,
who was then marshal of the Supreme Court,
and an intimate friend of his, had been to see
him in reference to contract which Mr.. Chit
tenden, as an agent or partner of q firm in
Chicago, was seeking for LAYING wooden pave.
ment: he said that Mr.. Parsons was acting as
attorney for Mr.. Chittenden, and was anxious
that he should have a show. I told Governor
Cooke that was a matter to be deternined in
the future: that Mr.. Parsons and Mr.. Chitten-
den would have to out their matters before the
board and let the case be determined upon its