National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-04
DISTRICT INVESTIGATION
[CNatiRaled from, second paar..J

lowest bidder or not.
2. You know the fact that he abandone, nl
contracH A. Yes, sir; or rather the contr- &C
Q. After Major FsndenbuTp burg commenced
work there, within what time did he finish 1T
A. Maybe It was some time in December; that
Is the sodding.
Q. How many months was he engaged in III
A. He commenced in the latter part Of July or
the first of August. He commenced and he
finished the road, you might say, in November.
Then he commenced to sod on the side Of the
road, and filed up, and that took him part of
December.
o. According to your notion, then, he was
three or four months in doing the work therei
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Was portion of that excavation potter's
clayi A. Yes, SIR; and pretty tough, too. =.
Q. 1t was pretty bad clayi A. Yes, Sir; it
was springy.
Q. Now, we have had some testimony here
relative to the prismstic pavement laid by Mr..
Faehtz, on Third street. Just tell the commit
tee what that pavement was, and whether It
was a good pavement or not, and why 1t was
taken up. Just state what connection you bad
with It. A. That pavement was laid by Mr..
ence to its form, being prismatic, and the I'M
possibility of laying that pavement without i'm
mense expense, so as to have IL settled. l
wrote letter to the Board of Public Works.
addressed it to Governor Shepherd, the vice
president then, and It was signed by different
property holders. 1 stated in that letter the
objections had to that pavement; that It was
impossible to lay it; that it could not be laid
so It would stand at all. On one side there
were spaces that you could get as much as three
fingers in, whereas on the other side YOU might
get only thin cardboard in; consequently
when the gravel was put on it 1t could not be
rammed or packed, and the water would get
In under the blocks and rot the pavement in q
very short time. Besides, some portions of it
were raised up about half or quarter of an
inch above the surface there, and horse going
along would hit it with his calks, and thus the
blocks would continue to loosen all the time.
called Mr.. Shepherds attention to its condt-
ttion, and he and Colonel Magruder and Mr..
Mullett went and examined It. Mr.. Mullett
said that the pavement would not last six
months. He said that it was impossible to lay
that pavement without great expense.
Q. Then 1t was at your instance and that of
the property holders that the pavement was
taken upl A. Yes, sir.
Q. Mr.. Shepherd, Mr.. Magruder and Mr..
Mullett made q personal examination of 1T
A. Yes, sir.
Q. Was it by the petition of the property
holders that the other pavement was laid
| therei A. That do not know. 1 did not care
what pavement was put down, provided it was
a good one. -
Q. And you think that is good pavement
that they have put downl A. Yes, sir.
@. You thought so then, and you think so
stilll A. Yes, sir. There are still some places
| that have sunk q little; but, of course, that Is
the fault of the earth.
Q. How about the parking and soddingi A.
That parking will compare, think, with any
| IN the city. The sodding is good. will state,
in this connection, that Mr.. Linville says that l
am connected with the Globe. l am not con-
nected with it. My brothers are. have been
in the army, and l have never been interested
in it one way or the other. Mr.. Faehtz told me
| ut the time that this pavement was great
deal better than any other pavement laid,
and that he could get from 10 to 20 cents q
yard more for 1t in Chicago than any one else
could for his, and that the people were clamor-
ing for IL, as it stood the wear and tear better
| than any other.
| Mr.. Stewart. What pavement was that A
gentlemen, asked how long 1t had been done
He said since September, which was two
months.
Q. That was in Chicago1 A. Yes, sir.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. Did you ever make any
examination to see what the mode was of meas
uring these streets for instance, whether ir
measuring the streets lying north and south
they have measured the street all the way
through, and then turning and measuring al
the other streets through, thereby measuring
the intersections twicel A. think they charge
US that way on z street. think that has beer
done there.
Q. Do you know whether that has been don't
on any other street, A. No, sir; have neVel
examined. was going to call the board'i
attention to that fact, showing their surveyor
or engineer in that return of the curb on
street to Third street that since that was paiC
for by Third street it should not be charged u
Z street. In their calculation, think, from
the amount of credit they have got down, theI
must have taken this in-what was paid To-
by E.
Mr.. MattIngly. Mr.. Wilson's question wa
whether, in measuring the carriagewsy, theI
have counted the intersections in both streets
the full measurement of the intersections. d.
you know of any case of that sortl A. No, sir
@. Have you made any examination to set
whether that was done at that pointl
The Witness. Third streeta
Mr.. Mattingly. Yes, sir. A. They have only
charged 1t once.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. Have you examined both
streets? Here Is one running this way, lindi,
cating] and the other here, Indicating. Have
you made any calculation to see whether they
have measured the one all the way through for
wood pavement, for example, and then the
cross street all the way through for wood pave
menti A. No, sir; never made that calcula-
| ton.
Q. You are not prepared to make any state
ment about that!
p Mr.. Mattingly. You did make that, 1 under
stand, at the corner of Third and E.
The Witness. He is talking about Third
stree.
corner of Third and e. A. That has not been
done; where measured it 1t had not been done
at all.
| Q. Where you ever called the attention Of
| the board to any mistake has it been corrected
or notl A. Yes, sir; in every case it has been
corrected. It has sometimes taken little
time In reference to some cases. For that rea-
son did not care about giving this testimony
because If they had not corrected it then
should have gone to the courts.
@. Wherever you did call their attention tC
| It they have corrected it, 4. Yes, sir.
Mr.. Merrick. To what extent have you called
their attention, and to what particular points
A. For instance, for so much should say Their
on Third street, from D street up to F-ther'
was 9 sewer-a large sewer, laid some year
ago, but from F to New York avenue Their
were no sewers. The board, In charging tn
assessments for the improvements on the street
calculated the sewer to run from D street Il
New York avenue, instead of from only + stree
to New York avenue, therefore making US pa,
from D street to F street for sewers that W
had already paid for years ago, and where Their
had been none put down. called their atten
| u,
mistakes had been made. They had it veriiet
by Mr. Forsyth, who said should be allows
so much drawback. I went over the calcula
ton, and found Mr.. Forsyth had made snothe
mistake. then wrote another letter calm
attention to his mistake. Then they submitte
1t to Mr.. 0ertley, who found what had state
to be so. made just rough calculation.
did not 90 into It infinitely.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. Do you know snythin
about double charges, If any such there wert
for superintendent
The Witness. Superintendent being pal
twicei .-.....-
Mr.. Wilson. Yes, sir. ...--..-
4. / do not know of any superintendent b
ing paid twice, or even of his being paid once.
Q. You speak Of charges for superinteno
ence in calculation
, The Witness. Oh, In the Board OF Publ
Works report for 1872, on Third street, If yol
will examine that report and table you VII
find there that there Is charge to superintend
ence of S855.12. Then they have added u
these charges for the whole cost OF the street
including everything, with this sS5512, an
multiplied and added five per cent, whic
amounts to %, 24s 40, as stated here, for ger
eral expenses. always understood that tina
five per cent. was to pay for the superintend
ents. do not know anything about It, but
always have understood that. But there Is tn
superintendert's pay In here.