National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-17
DISTRICT INVESTIGATION.
atiRVsd ron second pdqe.


graded A. I was.
O. Were there any crosssectio.s made before
the exeaystiDg or grading of those squaTesi A.
presume so.
Q. Do you know whether or not there Eerel
A. I do not.
Q. Do you know how the quantities were
made I'D IN those fnstsDcesl A. You can gen
erall tell by the contour of the ground there as
general thing for the small amounts that we
charged for those places
Q. What amour. Of cutting or fllingf A.
You can arrive at It pretty nearly.
O. You tell from tbs contour of the ground,
because the banks on the opposite side all
around II are to be seen there yet. Do you say
that the contour Of the ground there has not
been so far changedf A. do.
Q. You give that opinion now ss an engineeri
A. Yes, SIR.
By Mr.. Stewart: @. Where Is thatl A.
Abound this P-street square,
BY Mr.. Jewett: O. And that you could as an
engineer ascertain the quantities of excavation
made there without having the eross-sectionsl
A. Yes, sir; near enough for all Practical pur-
poses.
Q. Could you do It near enough to mako
payments upon q contract for work donel A.
l think so.
Q. What would you caH near enough for
practical purposesi A.. dare say that you
can measure that just as close by taking sur
faces Of the ground around the square as from
the original levels that are in the book of grad
uations In my Office You can come to it prob
ably, and in many instances where there are
too many cross-sections and too many levels 1t
many times makes great deal of confusion in
calculations, and in this particular instance,
around these squares, you can come to 1t prob
ably great deal better than by having too
many levels and cross-sections taken.
Q. You think, as an engineer,.it is embar-
49,
when the ground is very extensive; but in
small places, such as these are, you can arrive
at your result probably as easily, and perhaps
better than if you had Cross sections.
Q. By engineers, probabilities, possibilities and
probabilities are not words used. They can
generally ascertain with exactness. A. Iwould
say that the cross sections ought to be taken
In all cases.
Q. As an engineer, you would say that cross
sections ought to be; taken, in all casesl A
Yes, sir.
Q. Is It 8 fact that you have any cross sec
tons of any of these circles or squares. Il
there any to be found in your oflcel A. You
can find the original levels of any street in the
whole city in my Office.
@ was asking you. about the cross sec
tionsi A. Not in my Office.
Q. Are they to be found in any object A.
presume they are to- be found in the Board Of
Public Works office.
Q. Did you aid in making up the calculation:
for the work done at this pointi A. 1 did.
Q. Did you do 1t from cross-sectionss A.
No, sir
Q. What did you do It FRONT A. From the
book that I have stated to you about, and also
from the general appearance Of the surround
ing squares.
Q. Then you admit that cross-sections is the
only accurate mode of ascertaining quantities
A. That Is the only way that Is recognized
and 1t is the proper way
Q. But in the cases to. which reference ha,
been made you did not resort to that means
A. No, sir.
Q. You used simply your knowledge of the
contour of the gound, and then estimated as 70
that could be got.
By the Chairman: @. Have you the papers
connected with the final award on. Massachu,
sets avenuei A. I have not.
Q. Where are theyi A In: the Board Of
Public Works office.
Q. Did you make any measurements on Fif
teenth and Seventeenth streets, from Pennsyl,
yania avenue to the canal A Twas by when
they were made.
Q. Were they accurately madel A. think
Q. Who made them2 A They were made
by Colonel Same, Mr.. Oertly, and myself.
Q. Who retained the papers. A. Colonel
Same.
@. Did you make an estimate of the pave,
ment laid by DeGolyer & McClellanl A. No
sir.
Q. On Pennsylvania avenue eastR A No
sir.
Q. Did you ever have any differences with Mr.
Close In relation to measurements? A. Moth
ing except on this Massachusetts, avenue.
o. What was the difference? A. He wa.
under the impression that it was too much.
told him If he considered it so he had not any
business to send any such papers to me. 1t was
the best could do under the circumstances
and / did not consider 1t very dignihed oil
manly in so doing, and 1 think yet in the same
way.
Q. Which did they pay on, yours or his? A
1t was paid on what the commission allowed
the arbitrators.
Q. What did they allow, yours or his7 4
Neither.
Q. But split the difference between you? A
do not know what they did.
Q. It was guessing all rounR A. No, sir
they had pretty good testimony.
By the Chairman: Q. There was some differ
ence between you and Mr.. Barney in relation Il
Twelfth street northwest Did not Mr.. Barney
estimate twenty-five or twenty-three thousand
cubic yards and you twenty-one2 A. / never heard
a word of It before. That is the first evel
heard about that.
BY Mr. Jewett: Q. Did you estimate 81 600
A. don't know what did estimate. What
ever Is recorded in the vouchers; you can SCI
them. That is what was done there.
Q. But there were no croSS-sections there
A. No, sir.
Q. That is, from taking the general contour
of the surrounding grounds you made thu
estimatef0A. That is so.
By the Chairman: @. Do you remember tn,
amount you allowed for grading there. A.
do not.
Q. How is the grade point fixed with refer
ence to the tide here In this cityl The grad
point Is feed at so many feet above high-tid
level. In fact, all the grades refer to tn
grsnite-base course. of the Capitol, which i
| SO SO feet above high tide.
Q. Do you know the actual amount paid 70
this gradingi A. / know nothing about it.
By Mr.. Jewett: Q. have little curiosit,
about this matter, and would like to hay'
you Just tell me now how, as an engineer, yol
would go upon ground to calculate-not esti
mate, but calculate-quantlty, having no cross
sections and nothing Of the kind, after the worl
is done. What would you first dol A. Well
in the cases around the city, as general thing
the banks show for themselves. Along Twelfth
street IT will shQw, and along almost all tn
/ Streets here, Where the WORK has been per
formed, you can come pretty near the amoant
| You have been asking me question, and
have given you my answer to that before, an
l want you to distinctly understand me, that
agree with you in relation to the cross-sections
but it has not been done, and Consequent
there is no use of talking any more upon tina
| subject.
BY Mr.. Bass: Q. Were you accustomed to e
with Mr.. Same, the Government engineer, an
point out to him the work that should b
charged to the United States, A. have bee
along with him from first to last.
@. And you indicated to Mr.. Same in tn
course of your business, as understand, whic
particular work had been done by the Board c
Public Works, and was chargeable against tn
Government of the United Statesi A. hav
In all cases.
Q. You know where reservation II Is, do 20
moth A. Very well.
Q. Did you point out to Mr.. Same there th
quantity Of tagging charged against the Unite
Statesi A. Every inch that is there In tina
bill Is on the ground.
Q. see on page Al of the Governors an
swer, the United States is charged with II %
square feet of tagging around reservation Il
A. It is all there.
@. Has the Board of Public Works, since 70
have been connected with it, ever done an
Tagging around that reservation A. thin
theg have.
Q. On reservation III A. Yes, sir.
Q. You are sure of thati A. At least the
have been working there, or were in 1871.
they were in power then, know they wer
| lavinf fla0pinc down there than IN the suu