Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1876-05-04
The District Inyestfeatfou.
REPORT OF ADOLPH CLUSs.


Hon. Il. II. B1Gckner, Chairman:
SIR: In compliance with your instructions
!herewlth report upon the prices adopted by
the tate board OF public works for work on
main sewers. Increased rates for work OF
this class were entered on the price lists in
tne spring of 1873, on account of exceptional
dlnculties encountered in narrow eXcava-
lions, mot less than sixteen feet" and reach
ing as much as thirty-seven feet below sur
race, and on account of the impaired credit
in consequence Of heavy amounts of unre-
deemed AUDITORS certificates" then afioat.
On Jrne 70, 1913, the District Legislature
passed a law authOrlz ing the Issue of ahOut
two and quarter millions of : per cent.
sewer hCnds, which prompted the late board
OF public works TO force the system OF main
sewers to completion before the end of the
season. To accomplish this. seven 40 con-
tracts were entered into under the original
provisions OF which about fifteen millions of
bricks were required and about SIS0O, 900
have been expended 10 date. \ forfeiture Of
S1C0 per diem was stipulated IN the con-
tracts for eBcu ard every day the work
remained uncompleted after the specified
time. The feverish activity and unsOund
financial condition OF the District
government had raised al prices OF mate
rial snd labor quite excessively, SO that
special arrangement had to be made to meet
this emergency. The board rates were tenn
poTarily suspended, and contracts were
made at the best terms which could be, in
each case, obtained for the District. Ten
per centum were generally added to the
board rates "fOr contingencies" aud fifteen
per centum were added 10 this increased
quotations OF the District securities, max
Ing total of 26t per centum of additional
allowance in these extreme cases. / have
not been able TO trace any case which eX-
ceeded these rates. There is no official re-
cord OF the computation in the case of Sam
uel Strong, the only case cited by Lieuten-
10 have been added. a memorandum in
Assistant Engineer Oertlys note book is
solely relied upon to sustain the case, but
this is mere private slip, not corrobOrated
9nVthinO "a a
tiOnal case, which should not form basis
for altering the price list. Those heavy sac
rihces were not intended TO serve as prece-
dents, since the recognized price lists include
ample margins for profits and contingencies.
BrickIayers wages, which were in 1873 five
dollars per diem, had fallen last season TO
four dollars. The price OF the bricks pre-
scribed under the specifications had come
down from Sill 10 $3.50 mile; cement from
81 IS to 81 35 per barrel, and so forth. The
& testimony adduced by Lieut.. HOxie in his
report. dated April 10Th, had reference TO the
deOts accumulated and falling due under
these we'll defined cases, for the payment of
which provision had TO be made at the time
this testimony was given. The 26b per
centum extra compensation We're allowed, /
think, in one main sewer case, where strata
OF quicksand and spTinSy, spOugy nature
OF the ground are more than an Offset against
difficulties of excavation in excessive depth.
Typical cases, where 81 Z per centum extra
allowance We're paid last season, are: a six
feet barrel sewer, built by CAN'T d Annie
man, from Intersection Of "a aud Boundary
streets northeast, down tie Old Tioer valley
To Intersection OF North Capitol and l. SITS.
This is merely secondary sewer, which
Will relieve the main sewer on Boundary
street during extraordinary freshets. Far
from being 10 feet or more below the surface.
IL IS mainly built right on the surface above
gTTGuho, Oh the bed OF the street, and yet
hiled up 10 grade. Such work is less expen-
slve than work or foundations and walls OF
The plalneSt one story tenement hon SEES with
me usual coor and window openings. which
Ion IN. =
excavation, a mere Scratching Of the surface
," " ~! ~ CT cents plus 10 per cent or y
ceDts per yard, ranges In the class OF com
mon sewer excavation marked In the price
list at 40 cents per cubic yard. The over
charge merely In briclHlayin8 and eXcava-
ton is, according to computation, SI2,65I Il.
Another case is that of the sewer Quilt by
W. GantZ, a member of the last named firm,
from Boundary street, down 18th street
northwest, TO e. and along q street to 2lSt
street. This is also mere relieving sewer,
Off diameter in the average. For It's whole
length on 18th street IL is but - feet below
surface, which brings IL in the classification
Of common sewer work, but In consideration
Of heavy cuts in the lower or g street section
Of the sewer, the allowance OF the established
main sewer tate was clearly within the dis
cretOn OF the authorities. For the extra al
loWance OF 524 per cent. over and above
these rates there are no tenable reasons.
The amount Of Overcharge has been stated
by NJ. Morris before. Besides those "eXten-
sions," mention must be made of the pay
No. So, for the construction of a 20 feet wide
main sewer under North Capitol street,
from T. to street (aorth.) This firm
had commenced operations in the fail OF
1852 without contract, and special arrange
ments were made for this work after long
continued debate, on July 18th, 1873, three
weeks after the passage of The main sewer
act The method OF grouping the Items in the
computation on which the price was subse-
quenLly based, Was different from that
adopted some weeks later, but IL secured the
privileges enjoyed by the other sewer con-
tractors to the firm just as well. AS a con
sequence, their petitions for increased COM
pensatlOn were promptly reused but after
u revision of the computation the price was
paid, on December q, 1873, at $50 IS, instead
of $50 co per lineal foot. as first stipulated.
The contract contains provision that
special agreement would be made in case
tunnelling should become necessary. To do
away with any necessity for such work, the
firm were, on January 9th, 1874, awarded
contract No. -0lS, for reducing North Capt.
tol street, between and n streets. down TO
grade, and under ii the sum OF S30.7S5.95 mas
been paid for grading these two squares, in
which the old grade has been maintained al
both ends, and steep grades remedied by cut
ting out knob about y feet high in the
center, at NJ street, where the old grade
Of ~ feet was reduced 10 s. feet above
high tide. Besides the charge for gra-
ding, another sum of Sl39lO0j has been
paid in 1915, under the tunneling clause of
the contract, for extra depth of sewer exca-
VaIiOn. This payment was at the rate OF
der the most liberal construction, at the
common rates for sewer excavation, since
the mat erial was cdIfed away from the wide
bed OF the street, instead or being thrown up
by several lifts, as implied by the price of -
cents. The overcharge Is S6,CSi 05; but under
the terms of the contract The whole Item is
hardly admissible. Finally, the board Of
audit have OyerrUled the engineer, and paid
another sum of S54 II rs, or 10 per centum Of
amount Of cost of sewer proper, under con
structiOn entirely outside OF The contract
and which appears to he an allowance for
depreciation of bonds. The strange part OF
this transaction is, that at the time the
allowance was made the board OF audit were
in possession of the vouchers showing that
under the auditors certificates OF 1873, No
l $40, 2,3S8 and 1915, the firm was paid
by Treasurer Magruder SG4,O00, mostly in
eight per cent. special improvement bonds,
which were, at the time they were delivered
over at very high quotations. This sum
forms part of the amount upon which the ID
per centum extra were paid. None of the
contracts of the summer OF 1873, which are
commented upon in this paper, were finished
within the specified time, and some were
only completed in the fall OF 1875. This is Ia
part due TO the fact that the promises To pay
In sewer bonds or any other convertible Sc
curities, came to be, before long, dead let
tiers, as is evidenced by nearly four and a.
half millions of unpaid Auditors certificates