Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1880-04-21
The District Investigation.


EX-COMMISsIONER PHELPS AGAIN EXAMINED
The House committee on the District of Co.
lumbia to-day resumed the investigation of the
charges made against the District COmmiS-
sioners by Treasurer Gilfillan.
EX-Commssioner Phelps was recalled and ex-
before the committee in his own behalf. He
Gid not pretend to represent the present board
OF commissioners Witness said when he went
into Office as Commissioner he found matters
in state of chaos; it was May, 1876, when the
commissioners found that great many special
assessments were so erroneous as to be illegal.
Q: DID It take you sixteen months after you
became commissioner to discover that fact?
A. The assessments were made by an officer
OF the Dstrict-the engineer. Witness then eX-
pla1ned how assessments were made up and
errors Which was discovered, made by the sur
veyor
Witness was asked if he had examined the
rules OF the board OF public works when he be-
came Commissioner and found them correct
and just? He said he didn't think any of the
commissioners understood those rules until
after they were in office some time; they were
mod1hed, however, from time to time after eX-
animation.
Mr. Aldrich.-I want an answer to the ques-
ton whether you as a Commissioner made an
examination OF the rules OF the board Of public
works?
Captain Phelps.-The Commissioners made an
| exhaustive examination of the rules in 1916 and
the methods of assessment. Witness did not
| remember whether in the year 1876 the Com
missioners, changed the rules OF the board OF
public works or not.
| Q. Subsequent to May, 1876, did the Commits
| sioners make any assessments at all?
| =, Al would not undertake to say whether
| they did or did not. In May, 1876. it was dis
| covered that. the surveyor was charging the
wrong frontage on streets. and the Commission
| erS made correction OF the errors; it was dis
| erroneous; that the sewer charges were exces-
| sive which necessitated changes in the method
OF arriving at results. Witness could not recall
| whether, in the report made to Congress In
| 1876 by the commissioners attention was called
| the errors made in the assessments; in May.
| 1876, the Commissioners sent letter to Con-
| greSS setting forth the fact of the erroneous
| assessments and accompanied the same with
bill to correct the errors.
| Witness was questioned at length touching
| the failure of the Commissioners to issue tax
| le1n certificates and the great work imposed
| upon the special assessment division. He said
! the clerk In charge of special assessments
| worked SO hard that the Commissioners had to
send him away for a rest.
Witness said that the assessments against the
| Metropolitan Street Railroad Company were not
issued while he was Commissioner, because
the act OF Congress OF June 2Oth, 1874, made it
the duty OF the board OF audit to find out equi-
Iably what the street railroads should be as
seSsed; the matter was taken out of the hands
OF the commissioners; they couldn't act at ALL
the commissioners had no right to assume what
Congress would do with the report OF the board
OF audit on the subject.
1 The further examination of the witness was
connned TO matters OF detail i'll connection with
the issue OF certificates. Capt. Phelps vii! again
et recalled at Fridays meeting.
Attorney Riddle said that at some future time
he would like TO make a statement concerning
opinions he had given the Commissioners with
reference TO special assessments. The Commis-
to make an opinion one way or the other.
NATIONAL ACADEMY OF scrENcEs.-The public
session OF the National Academy of Sciences
commenced at half-past o'clock this afternoon
AT All Souls church. There was a large atten-
dance. AT the business session this morning
Major J. W. Powell and Prof VIM. II. Brewer
afternoon session the following papers were
read: Alex. AgassiZ-The sea urchins of the
Challenger expedition. o. c. Marsh-Size OF the
complex Inorganic acids. t. sterry Hunt-on
the Taconic system in geology. Captain F. NJ.
Green, C;S.N:-On the telegraphic determine
eranhc oS di longitude py the United states Hydro
structure Of the brain of Limulus Polyphemlis.
Dr. Elliott Coues will read tonight biographi-
Newcomb, at All Souls church. The following
papers will probably be read tomorrow: S. r
Langley-On an instrument for measuring
faa,at fon IN cotaN meat: Langsyoon the compost
ment of the discoveries of intra-mercurial
planets by telegraph. Prof w. Harkness-On
nea Of oqon PrP s the
electric telegraph during total eclipses applied
10 the search for intra-mercurial planets A.
Graham Bell-On some improvements in thu
double stars. o' "''oi' Vi
REsIGNED.-Col. }. NJ Armstrong yesterday
resigned his position as chief clerk of the pen
eral land Office. and at 7:45 last night left for
the far west. He has been appointed and CON.
nrmed as register of the land Oflice at COifax
wS. N. Pillsbury improvised a guillotine at
Chelsea, Mass, and cut of his head. Sunday
He was temporarily insane.
"a An Lee, Chinaman was hanged at Port
land, Oregon, yesterday, for murder Committed
over two years ago.
~ The U. s. grand jury at Cincinnati has in.
dicted Thos. Ambrose, late clerk OF the n. 9.
court there, for perjury and making false
claims. A"''0
UThe ship carpenters of Philadelphia and
vicinity have struck for an increase of Is per
cent. In their wages. - ~ ~.
~Chaa Townsend, aged 1ve years. died
near chester. Pa, Monday night Of hydrophO-
p1a ne was bitten by q dog March 81.