National Republican., 1874-05-16

generally, and New Hampshire avenue among
the rest, when l arrived st my quantities ap-
piled for. the vouchers, In order to determint
the payments that had been made TO the con
tractors, and asked for everything that had
been paid for upon the avenue, so that could
get at the aggregate Of the whole Of IT,. was
furnished with this voucher Of payment 10 Mr.
Hudnell, amounting to 81 1865, in which
there are ASS yards of grading, and purports
to be on New Hampshire avenue, between Six
teenth street west and the boundary. did
not allow it simply because could not find Il
there; did not make 3 statement of it be-
cause could not find IT, It may belong some
where else; that ! do not know.
Q. This seems to be certified to by Mr.. For
syth A. The names are on it there-Forsyth
and Green. / may say that / applied to Mr..
Barney for Information IN reference TO this and
he could not give me any. l remarked that
there was grading done at the avenue or the
4 crossing Of Fifteenth and the crossing of Six
teeDth streets; that is to say, Sixteenth street
has been graded across the avenue; fifteenth
street has been graded partially across the ave-
nue., but 1t was new work undoubtedly, and !
asked him whether that work was this work
'No, sir" says he, "t is not; that is different
matter entirely, and ! cannot give you any ex-
PLANTATION about this"
Q. You have had considerable experience as
an engineer; state to the committee your opin-
ion as to the manner in which this engineering
has been done in this city. A. Well, should
say that think good deal of it has not been
done at all.
| Q. should like to have the benefit of your
opinion from your investigations here. A.
think, sir, that so far as am able to Judge,
especially In reference to the earthwork-I
cannot say somuch N regard 10 the balance Of
TIT has been what, I should say. loosely
done; not done with that degree of care and
attention 70 securing the data upon which you
can base your results and the calculations of
your quantities-the determination Of the facts
which you want for the purpose Of settling
with the contractors and those in interest; not
that care devoted to the determination of that
which think the work, or any work, deserves.
Q. If contractors were to put to work upon
| streets before the engineer and before the en-
gineering department had an opportunity to
make their necessary data, would It be possi-
Bile for them to get at accurate resultsi A. In
regard to grading think 1t would be very diff
cult, sir; next TO impossible; IN regard to mat
ters that appear when the work Is done, such
as pavement and curbing, do not think there
would be any difficulty.
Q. Have you made an examination of q
reservation or space at the intersection of o
street, Twentieth steeet and New Hampshire
ayenuel A. have.
| Q. Have you your calculations made in re-
! SoAe W bhSlhi n HafC= =IuCln uCdAlJ lud1C
up, but they are not completed, and did not
refer TO them this morning on that account.
By Mr.. Jewett: @. Where earthwork is COM
menced without profiles and without cross
sections, is there not great room for fraud as
between the contractors and the engineers,
and almost beyond the power of the detection
of the .employerl A. I think the room for
fraud depends-well, yes, there is room, be-
cause the means Of accurately determining the
quantities are gone; they are not to be found.
Yes, in that respect there is.
| Q. Well, as chief engineer, which YOU
have been great many years, if you had
found subordinate permitting contractors to
go on with their work, making excavations and
| fills previous to his taking q measurement of
the ground and making his proiles and cross
sections with his calculations, would you keep
himl A. / do not think would allow him to
try me more than twice upon that subject, sir.
l am not sure that have definitely answered
your question. .n .. %
Q. Well, make it definite, If you please. A. /
should certainly not keep him at all if found
him doing 1t a second time after being repri-
manded the first, and could only excuse such
a thing as having been done at all by his being
| young man inexperienced, or some excep-
tional reason-of illness, or something Of that
kind.
Q. Suppose instead of his being young man
and inexperienced, you would find him an old
\ Luau VI twenty UT tWtuIy-uEe years eXpeTl-
| ence, how would you excuse him then, or could
you excuse him7 A. / cannot say how would
excuse him; that would depend upon elrcum-
stances. II there was any excuse cannot see
what 1t would be; it must be something that /
cannot think of.
| Q. Suppose you would find, with the same
engineer, errors in all these calculations, and
what would be your conclusion as to that en-
gineera A. Ny conclusion would be that 1 had
better get rid of him right away.
By Mr.. Bass: @. Was this earth-work that
you examined selected as simply earth-work
of that which had been done in the city, or
was it because your attention was directed to
those particular places as being places as to
which there was criticismi A. My attention
was directed to some Of them, and to some of
them believe not; but selected them out of
those that / directed my attention TO chiefly
because upon them seemed to be able to get
data that would lead me to definite or accu-
rate result-better data for brining out an
accurate result than those found in any other
| case.
Q. So that there were some that you selected
yourself for the purpose of testing the aecu-
racy of the work. A. Well, yes, sir; can
hardly recollect on that subject. / may say
that have had my attention called to great
many things, and can hardly tell which ones,
and to which ones 1t has not been directed, and
it may be that they have every one been sug-
gested to me. Besides that, however, looked
around to see where / could find something
that would lead me 10 q definite result-some-
thing that / could rely upon, and I selected
these in that way.
| JAS. A. MAeRUDER, RECALLED.
By Mr.. Wilson Q. (Handing the witness a
that paper, or one of the same character, was
posted up on the doors Of the offices of the
Board OF Public Works. A. do not recolect,
sir. l think it very likely 1t was so. Mr..
johnson can tell you.
Q. Please read it. A.
BOARD OF PUBLIC woRKs,)
DISTRICT or COLUMBIA, }
WASHINGTON. September q, lS.3.
Ordered, That hereafter no clerk or employee
shall give any information or show any official
paper TO any person not connected with the board
unless by special direction from this oice, under
penalty Of summary dismissal.
By order Of the Vice president.
CHAs. 8. JOHNSON, Secretary.
Q. Did the board make such an order as
that A. do rot know; suppose you will
find it upon the journal If it is SO.
@. Did you see such paper as that posted
up on the doors of the oficef A. 1 did not to
cannot recollect that did.
TESTIMONY OF CHARLES s. JOHNSON.
Charles 8. johnson sworn and examined.
By Mr.. Wilson: @. Was that order made by
the Board of Public Worksl A. It was done
by order of the vice president, Mr.. Willard.
Q. Was 1t an order of the board, or simply
an order of the vice PRESIDENT A. The order
Of the vice president.
h bSs % I'll Ss WSes Rs u Y as Ras aGsss passd
up about the bnilding, believe.
James A. Magruder took the stand.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. Was your attention ever
directed to the act of June 25, 1873, which
hand to you, containing the appropriations for
raising and underpinning houses and raising the
market housel A. Yes, sir; have noticed that
act.
Q. Did you receive the bonds that are pro-
yided for in that act-that were issued pursu-
ant iti A think SO. sir. Yes, sir. received
those bonds and have charged them to myself
as treasurer.
Q. You seemed to have charged yourself
with these bonds on the 27th of August, 1873,
amounting to $3.50, ,000i A. Yes, sir.
Q. What did you do with those bondsf A.
paid them out for the obligations of the
board.
Q. What kind of obligations, A. Any that
came along.
Q. Anything that came alongi A. Yes, sir.
@. Are you enabled to show to the COM
mittee to whom you paid those bondsl A. No,