National Republican., 1874-05-08

I tolls. It was in horrible condition when the
i some places the road was not over fifteen feet
) wide, with rayines on each side Of from thirty
to forty feet in depth. Ny wife and family
were riding out one day, and the horse shied
and threw them Oyer the bank, sotne twelve
ieet. Eestinately no one was hurt. But the
t road was Stunned by everybody. Instead Of
, being turnpike, IT was q shun-pike. 1t was
determined by the board to improve this road.
An estimate of the cost was submitted at
S25,0O0. 1t was found that that amount
!. would not begin to do the work. Work was
gone on with, the grade carried out, and mag
nifcent road made of It. 1t is one of the finest
, roads in the country. I rode on It last Sunday.
With the exception of some few holes where
the rain had settled, It Is in elegant condition.
Five hundred dollars will put 1t in condition
equal to any road in the United States of Amer
lea. It is about five miles long, and sixty to
sixty-feet wide.
BY the Chairman: O.. Do you knew the cost
of I hat roadi A. think the cost was one hun
dred .>nd forty to one hundred and fifty thou
sand d, ,llars.
Q. Alb ~. thirty Thousand dollars to the
nfiei A. Yes, sir.
O. Or gra Seledl A. 1t is graveled all the
way, and ma, Nadamized IL feet in the center all
the way out oacadamized 12 inches deep.
/ q. Mseadam, yed and graveled the whole
width, 66 feetl A. No, sir; it is macadamized
IL or IS feet in the center, and grayeled on the
SIDES.
| O.. Tfst Is, the frHT width of sc feetf A.
E0ver to slIe cutters. Thsre are cutters formed
sn each side to prevent washing. suppose
the width Of the road Is about IS or 56 feet.
By Mr.. Hubbell Q. THIS is the one that
lesis TO the Schutzen park! A. Yes, sir. The
lower part Of that road was grayeled with er-
\ cellent gravel. In the upper part the gravel
was the best that could be Fad, but not as
good ss the lower part. There are only two
| bad pShees in it: one about halfway out, and
the other about swe.thirds of the way out.
| By the Chairman: Q. Was tha5 road built
by contract or by superintendent A. That
road was built 10y day's work, except the me-
cadamizing; it was 6one by contract
| Q. will ask you this question: It Is said
that it was very improTidently done / think
some of the people living on the line of the
| road have been before US and testified that it
was very improyidently managed. A. There
were two parties living en- the road who testi-
fed, and who, think, ueald have been dis
satisfied with anything that would have been
done. They were dissatisfied with any i'm
provements at ALL.
Q. What do you think; about It yourself? A.
think that work was done as cheaply as it
was possible to do work. of that kind.
| q. State the action of the. board in regard to
the treating of wooden pagernents and the lay
ing of the concrete payementl
| The witness submitted and read the follow
ing, as an answer to the question.
Advertisements for sealed proposals for the
preservation Of wooden pavement blocks, by any
Of wood, was published February o, 1872 in the
/ dailies-Chr0nicle, Star and REPUBLICAN-Of this
ely, and Philadeiphta Press, Boston @ Journal and
February %, 1872: Proposals for preservation Of
wood for wooden pavements were opened by the
vice president. Journal A, 1871, p. rs.
| On the same date the advisory board Of en-
gineers was requested to be present at meeting
aS to consider the different msthods
wood. Journal A, 1872, p. 70.
February q, 1872: The board met at balfpast1
herd, Msgruder and Brown; OF the advisory
board, Generals Humphrey and Barnes.
The members Of the advisory board were pres
emit by request. for the purpose Of cOnsIdeEing in
connection with the board, the proposals for pre-
serving wood for wooden payements, which were
opened On the 10th instant.
The following bidders were represented, viz: @.
G. Waterbury, BY James g: Adams; DeGolyer
Mcclellan, BY NIckerson Mcclellan; A; b.
Tripler, not represented; Detwilder & Van Glider,
not represented: J. E. Dexter, not represented;
Charles L: Colt, not represented; John g. Moore,
ton; r. W. Trunde, not represented; Sigismund
Beer, not represented.
the several processes.
| Upon the recommendation of the members of
the advisory board, the parties representing the
bidders were requested to furnish samples of wood
prepared by their respective processes, with q
view Of having practical examination made Of
their relative merits. After which the members
of the advisory board withdrew. Journal A, 1872,
February %: General ]. K. Barnes was advised
that samples OF wood preserved by different pro-
| and was requested to designate some person to
make the chemical analysis. Journal A, 1872,
March 1: Dr. B. F. Craig, chemist, Army Medi-
cal Museum, was informed that Surgeon General
Barnes had designated him to make the chemical
| l0na Iva nj nj vai which
| specimens, fifteen In number, were forwarded to
him. Journal A, 1872, p. SO.
methods OF preserving wood-samples Of which
have been forwarded-were transmitted to DIR. b.
F. Craig, United States army for his information,
the SAME to be returned to this Office for file.
May 9-The able, comprehensive and ex-
Serving serving wood wood was va 'I received from Gen J. K
Barnes, and the thanks of the board were re-
turned for the same. journal a, 1872, p; 2oI)
tract for paving Pennsylvania avenue. from Egh-
teenth street to Rock creek, and on Aqueduct and
the Ballard or irOnwood pavement: blocks to be
51I inches deep, and to be treated by the "Seely
process" at $3.50 per square yard complete.
May I3-The advisory board of engineers was
requested to meet with the board on the 18th
instant at o'clock p. IN. Journal A, 1872, p.
2ls.)
May 15-GeneraIs Barnes. Mefgs and Babcock.
of the advisory board of engineers, were present
report of Drs. Craig and Tilden upon the speci-
mems OF preserved wood submitted to them for
chemical anays for report 3 of the board
The Witness. will state that the advisory
board consisted of General Humphreys, Chief
Engineer of the Army, General Meigs, Quarter
master General, the man who built this build
ing, and General Barnes, Surgeon-GeneTal, and
Generol Babcock. All these different prices
were submitted to two chemists in the employ
of the Surgeon. General, who made their report
recommending first the kreosoting, and second
the burnetizing, and lastly the Samuels process,
of which they do not think great deal. That
advisory board recommend that the Board of
Public Works use the concrete pavement so far
as possible In the city of Washington, which
advice was adopted, and so far as public opin-
ion would allow the concrete paVements to be
laid they were laid. There was great prejutice,
however, against them in the city which Is
wearing away, but which has not yet worn
away entirely, and the board endeayored in
most instances to consult the wishes of the
! property-holders on the various streets in re-
gard to the kind of pavement to be laid.
By the Chairman: Q. Have you not made
large contracts for wood pavements since the
report of that boardl A. Oh, yes. say that
the reason that we could not put down concrete
was the popular feeling against them. have
here an ATTRACT of petitions presented to the
board in regard to the different payements.
There are some IS or 40 different petitions. II
the committee choose 1 will put the abstract
in. The abstract referred to is as follows:
Tenth street, beyond N street-November Is,
1872 r. V. Belt states the property-oWners
, would like to have wood pavement No. 1855,
vol. E, 1872.
Sixth street ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS q, 1872. W.
b. Todd requested that this street be laid with
Flanagan wood pavement. No. 1881, vol E,
IsT2
b street, between Second and Third streets
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. l, 1872. Adams Express
Company requested that this street be laid with
wood pavement TO. eI32 vol. d, 1872.
Twenty-fourth street-July22 e, 1872. e. L. Hulse
incloses petition Of property In this street
in favor Of wood pavement. No. GAL, VOL U,
= 1872
, Pennsylvania avenue east-May II, 1872. g..
F. Gulick states that the property holders prefer
wood pavement to mcadam. No. 1859. vol. b,
, Eleventh street to street northwest-July 27,
1872 F. w. Pratt requested that pavement be
extended along this street. No. 6S25, vol u,
1ST2
. Tenth street, beyond N street-Novcmber 30,
. 1872. r. v. Belt, and others, request the wood
pavement be continued on this street. No. 1881,
vol. E, 1872
E, between Thirteenth and Fourteenth streets
northwest-October II, 1872. A. Nailor, jr., and
others, requested that the street be paved with
wood or concrete. No. 10536, vol. E, 1872.
Fifth and g streets, intersection ot-October %,
1ST2 w. r. Ford and others, requested that this
street be laid with square-block pavement. No.
1O64S vol. u. 1871