National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-03-25

2
DISTRICT INVESTIGATION
: (ceastsset 1tea Mrs Ysss.l
eylvania avenue between Madison place aId
Stheeuth street: A. There was very ~
Grading thers-vesy little. ! don't I'M ~.
&aklroad track was altered. think the
- Of the eobblestone, and proosoy ~
away three OF four inches, or somesnnt 49,
Vay, Vas the amount of the grsaMx;
Q. What grading was zone % tssrirno,
there M no peyement on Madison place; taere
-probably mieht have been . fooe' -,
~. Ebrief v, The COMMITTEES VIII oce0fve
III an contracts TO lay carriageway mciuoeo
I've s sss cs e fhs .onm,sse. observe sh..
II. Christy. We are through with tbs wit
n Senator Stewart: Q. Tour I'D vas $50.
a. Ny arsa bid Was four-a1d-s-hsf street
Goa PennsylvaniA avenue 10 The Arsenal; W. !
oS.9S for six inch concrete pavement: think
he'd nd for J street, iron IL War Dsparsmen'
ISenator Stewart having made an observe
Non 70 one of the members, which the witness
hsesd. but TIE stepoeraphar could mot hear:]
That was laid with nacadam. unoerstano
thsy are going to lay concrete pavement on
a. You ssy You put IN one bid Of t2.2a 4.
Two dollar and twenty 1--we cents:
a. And another bid for t2.So ior the same
Kind Of pavement A. Two dollars and
einhtv-nye cents, and II an not mistaken
there was another bid, but I amt positive; the
bIds WIN show; they are al matter Of record.
o. Without going into detail about what that
psrt or this part would cost, how much would
b the actual cost Of pavement that you put
in ct t2S5a A. II would cost more In propor-
tion to haul. In -Four and-s-half street /
would land my material right from the vessels
at the foot, there BY the Arsenal, where Il
w6uld have been on the street. In gong to +
street I would have had . good deal further
hauling.
q. That would have to Be taken into eonsid-
atlDua "A. Certainly.
q. Take, for instance, street; that you
wslldput in at ea.Sa A, two dollars and
etghsy-6ve cents. ~ cd -.
Owns would Be the actual cost A. The
actual cost would not have cost me over about
e1.95 yard. G EET 49, ~
q. Could you not afford, then, to make .
lover bid than that! A. didn't see any
occAsion. The only trouble was that my bids
wsce too low TO last. II they had been higher,
I would have got contract; there was no
margin; or. at least, they thought there was
contracts bid q, and they had never laid .
foot Of pavement In their hves. was the
pioneer Of the psvemeuts I'm this city; but they
said didn't know anything about It.
Q. You could put It down ON r street ut what
6gure3 A. Two dolla8 and eighty-ive cents,
I think, was my bid.
q. One dollar and twenty 1--WE centss A.
That ID about whist II would cost there.
Nov, an speaking about . pavement six
inches thick; the pavements Of this city, with
the exception of one or two streets, arc only
two inches Of concrete on four inches OF broken
stone, nearly all of Il. d.. 1850 ...H-.. g. 81
BY Mr.. Merrick. You say there are six inches
-aix inches of concretei A. / mean concrete
from bottom to top-every stone covered with
the material.
By Representative Jewell: Q. To make one
OF that Kind, understand the course Is to lay
mist stone, and then concrete, and mix to the
topi A. 1t 10 stone and concrete.
q. You mix It In that wayf A. To make
proper pavement, you want TO have material 50
that the stone viii bind together, and, eventu-
ally, they VIII pack a solid mass OF stone
SIX inches thick. Take from three to four
inches deep of broken stone, and then sprinkle
In your tar. Then the concrete Ii mixed and
put on 50 % to bind with the other, and there
VI four inches ct the bottom that 10 solid
band. H
@. II you could lay . concrete pavement Of
six inches In thickness In the manner you
state for 81 IS, what would II cost you to lay
one With four inches Of stone simply, and with
tIo inches Of concrcte-what would be the
difference In pricef A. should think there
ought to be at least twenty-five cents q square
yard think that 10 about what II would cost.
@. The pavement laid In the city, with few
exceptions, understand you. 10 four inches of
stone, and two Of concretei A. Yes, sir.
q. That pavement should have cost but
81 . Yard A. II they had handled their
men and done It judiciously.
Q. / ask your opinion as an expert; properly
managed, l say! A. When l WAS laying, 1t
would not have cost me over that.
@. Can you locate the pavement that was
laid-the exceptional ones-that which was
more than two inches of concretes A. Yes,
SIR
O. Just locate 1t. A. G street was mixed
bottom; Thirteenth street from r street, run
ming north, Is laid that way; outside Of that
don't know that know any more.
@. Then, 90 far Is you know, the balance Of
this concrete pavement consists of four inches
of stone and two of concretea A. Yes, sir.
O. Thst1n your judgment could be laid, prop
erly managed, ut 81 q yarda A. When I was
I have done It over and over again.
@. Does that include gradinga A. No, sir.
By Senator Stewart: Q. mean the whole
thingi A. The price have given don't include
the grading. Hyou 20 to work and take the gen.
erality of these streets the grading that is done
1on,t amount to the amount that the contractor
q 60dn1 . 10 at his own expense. In many
Instances there s's 20. SIX inches, and in some,
. great many, no grading.
BY the Chairman. Do you include In this
statement Of 81 yard the expense of prepar-
Ing the groundi Suppose there y no excavation
or filling In to be done, eithera A. I mean the
ground already, without any reference to the
grading or preparing.
By Senator Stewart: Q. What would you a.
mate. A. That would depend altogether onthe
condition the street was in, how much grading
there had to be done, and the price given for
grading and fixing that. w.
@. WANTED to get at the whole thing. You
bid on q contract which Includes. A. At
ny bid include the two feet Of grading.
Q. Take F street; there you bid e2B5. A.
That includes two feet of grading.
Q. What could you have done the work for
to your i'd A. /, In the first place,
would wsnt to know II had TO grade but two
feet.
@. Take that particular work with the grad
Ing; you figure on It, and you put In bid! A.
II you just add the amount that they paid for
grading.
Y. could not tell anytnfng ABOUT tnat, De-
cause don't know anything about the street;
but you figure on II, and make . bid. Now,
how much could you make on that contract |
POI yard II you had been given the contract |
1t $sS9 A. The TIVE feet Of grading would |
cot about
@. That particular contract-no matter what |
The common cost was; you ngure on II and bid; !
Whist profit could you have made on that II you \
had cot that contract! A. The grading would \
not have increased my bid more than twenty |
i've cents yard.
Q. Then you could have done r street, &C |
eording to your bid, for one dollar yardi A. |
Yes, sir; that would include two feet Of grad
Ing.
o. Then you could hare made the difference
between $2S5 and 81 .50 A. That would have
been living profit for me. Laughter.]
@. You could have made 81 IS on that A. |
Certainly, there is no doubt about that; thai
would have satisfied me.
By Mr.. Merrick: Q. II the committee will |
allow me, I will ask what would be the average
cost of two feet Of grading, taking one street
With another generally, through The city, with
regard to which these concrete pavements were !,
lald-he general average of grading-the |
- a Il T. III