National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-04-11

answer. do not know as ever saw copy
This measurement Is the one made TO settl
with the contractors.
Mr.. Christy. desire to call the attention o
the committee TO the several entries here.
md no grading at 30 cents; but all charged q
Mr.. Wilson. You mean charged to the Gov
ernmentf
Mr.. Christy. Yes, sir.
By Mr.. Wilson: Q. Do you know where thu
earth came from that is filed into the canal
A. No, sir; do not. II came from all owe
the streets, In various portions. I think mos
Of 1t in that section of the city bounded By
Pennsylvania avenue, Seventh street, and N
street, and perhaps Sixteenth street. I thinl
most Of that earth was hauled into the canal
A great deal was taken from out of the ave
nues OF the city. What came from Rhode
Island avenue, or portion Of It; what can't
from Massachusetts, avenue, or portion of IL
and that which came from New York avenue
or portion of 1t, presume, was hauled into
the canal. AlfiT'- sistL 20
q. Who were the parties who hauled Il IN
therei On Massachusetts avenue, I think
there was laboring mans association. / dc
not know but sub-contractors, though, or some
other parties may have done It. Taylor & FIJI
bert, think, had that contract. That was q
portion Of the grading between Ninth and
Fourteenth streets hauled to the canal-ai
least they got that haul for It. And on New
York avenue, I think, Mr.. Murdoch did the
hauling. think he was q sub-contractor fol
some other person. do not recolleet who.
Q. Where did the earth come from that made
the fill on Fifteenth street and Seventeenth
street, from the Avenue to B street nertha A.
Well, I think on Fifteenth street that contract
was between Pennsylvania avenue and street
was all filing. r-,s-. .' 90 p.
Q. Where did the earth come FRONT A. ]
was going to explain IL. There was no work
given TO the contractor where there was cut
ting, so that he could make that fill. Conse-
quently, he got It where he could. / do not
know where he got It. We paid him, l know,
for grading the street. . ...'rl ~ -a,
@. Was there Q contract to I'll that street,
A. There was contract to grade, pave, &C.,
but in doing that work the contractor had no
cutting to do anywhere, wherever the con-
tractor has cutting we measure the cutting,
but where there Is no cutting and all filing
there is no necessity to measure the I'll.
= Q. There was no cutting in that contract
A. No, sir. = a. .. ..
Q. Do you know whether he had no other
contract that had cutting in itl Who was the
contractori A. lido not know. Hoffman laid
the wood pavement ithefe-the Manhattan
Paving Company. - - ...
Q. Do you know whether the earth was
being dumped In there from time to timel A.
Yes, sir; the earth had been dumped in there
for a long while. / know they were filling 1t
up and making general dumping ground Of it
when I frstcime here, two years ago.
Q. Who measured that work on fifteenth
street, between the Avenue and street northl
A. 1 think Nj. Forsyth. -r.a es-- nsEs
3 Q. Do you know whether all of the earth
that had been dumped in there was put into
the final estimated A. am unable to say.
Q. You do not remember who did the work
who had the contract for the grading on that
street, or filling III A. think A. s. Gleason
did that work. E 20 .--.-- -...---.
Q. Now. who did the work on Seventeenth
street, A. believe that was done in about
the same way. I think that was q general
dumping ground there. John o.. Evans did
the paving, and did some filling there last
summer. . O.. a -. g. ~
Q. Who did the filling there before. thatl
A. do not know. -. am
@. Do you know who did the measuringi
Witness. Which measuringl ~ , -..--
Mr.. Wilson. The measuring for Seventeenth
street-that filing. ...
Witness. The last measurement
Mr.. Wilson. Yes, sir. -.i.'-
A. think Mr.. 0ertly made that.
Q. Do you know whether the contractor was
paid for the whole amount of that fillingi A.
/ do not. He was paid for some filing, but
@. Do you reeollect who that contractor was
on Seventeenth street, A. John o. Evans.
. By Mr.. Harrington: Q. understood you to
say that you personally made the cross-sections
on r street between Fifth and Ninth A. Yes,
SIR III g-.- -71.l
@. Did you calculate the gradingi A. No,
sir; that work was done by days work
Q. understood you TO say that in relation
to the excavation on Massachusetts, avenue
there was difference between the engineersl
A. Yes, sir. --- ...-.. ..-
Q. That that matter was referred to arbitra-
toni A. Yes, sir.
Q. And the arbitrator decided to allow
1o5, 900 yards after taking testimony upon the
subject A. Yes, sir. ID
BY Mr.. Merrick: Q. Had not that street been
graded years beforel A. It had been graded
between Second street and Lincoln Square, or
partially So. But between Second and First
streets nothing had been done at all. E-
Q. But spoke of 1t up there by Eleventh
street, where this large discrepancy occurred
A. No, sir; this large discrepancy occurred be-
tween First and Second streets, where there
was an enormous Gil.
By Mr.. Harrington: Q. You speak of an al
lowance of two feet to the contractor on T
street. A. Yes, sir. a $3.50 q .s.
Q. VIII you state why that was donea A.
As / said before, Mr.. Willard instructed me to
write him letter stating that on account of
the difficulty In the expense attending the low
ering of the railroad track while the cars were
running, 1t was necessary to make some allow
ance, and to recommend that the same price
be paid to him as was paid to Vandenburgh.
Q. Was that q proper allowance for the In
creased labori A. Yes, sir; think It was.
@. And that allowance had been made to the
contractors generally through the city where
they had lowered the tracks Of the street rail-
roads while the cars were runningi A.
think Seventh and streets. think there
were only two streets where these same diff
culties were met with.
Board of Public Works, did they not at once
notify your Office OF that fact and designate the
streetsf A.. Yes, sir. .5 q .-,-a-.
Q. You made the cross-sections as soon there
after as you possibly could A. Yes, sir.
Q. Now, / want to inquire of you as to
in your Judgment, it fs the best mode
Of letting contracts In q city TO let them upon o
fixed scale of prices, or Is it better to let them
out to the lowest bidder, If you have any ex-
periencei A. All the experience I ever had was
before came to Washington. Contracts were
always let by advertisements to the lowest re-
sponsible bidder. There Is o great deal Of
trouble arising from. irresponsible men, and It
occasions tendency to run down prices below
living profits. 81.
Q. What has been practically the effect of
this rule In this cityi A. think 1t has worked
we'll. - go -. $1,000. .----.
Q. Are the prices generally paid by the board
or unreasonable prices for the work
that, they demandl A. Inever had much ex-
perience, so far as paying and that sort OF thing
Is concerned, until came here. So far as the
Item Of grading fs concerned, have been con-
nected with railroads for the last ten or fifteen
years; know something about It; and think
The price is othing more than what is perfectly
proper AT least, IL I was going to make q
to-day, so far 40 the grading
Is concerned, would increase the price 20 per
cent. r-I..-
BY Mr.. Christy: Q. During your railroad e1-
perienee did you know Of an instance in which
j railroad company paid forty-eight cents for
he hauling of earthi A. No, sir; do not think
ever did. But there Is one difference between
hauling dirt In the street and hauling it for o
railroad. Any boy who can be hired for dol
lar day will drive four, carts, AID the cost Of
his is probably about eighty seven cents day.
In the city of Washington we have TO pay two
dollars and half-s driver to each cart. The
general price on railroad runs from half o
cent to three-quarters per one hundred feet,
according to the length Of the haul.
BY Mr.. Harrington: Q. The board here, 1
runs 9 cent and quarter for over
,wo hundred feet3 A. For each one hundred
eet after the first two hundred.
By Mr.. Christy; Q. What class of persons
iriye these carts here-boysi A. Yes, sir.
By MIR. Wilson: @. Do you say that they pay
hese boys two dollars and half day for
irving a carti A. They pay the cart and