Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-28

ance, nor was the fact that 1t had Deen
made ever brought to the attention OF
the Engineer Commissioner or his as
sistants until the present time.
'The matter is being gone into win
great care. We certainly do not lii.eIu
to pay the contractor one cent more IMAM
he is entitled to under the terms OF ms
contract. On the other hand, We DO hot
wish to deal with him unjustly or IN
fairly in affy way, nor to pay MN any
less than is rightly due him..
p. J. Brennan. president Of the Brennan
Construction Company. declared TINS
morning that he had nothing to do with
the measurements upon which the pay
ments to him were. based, and that Col.
Biddle. then Engineer Commissioner.
authorized the appointment of a commits,
sion which visited his plant ana nxeo
the measurements in question.
II called up Mr.. Dow, former inspector
of asphalts and cements: In New YORK
this morning and had talk with him over
the telephone said Mr. Brennan. he
told me that Col Biddle. then Engineer
Commissioner. authorized the appoint
ment of a commission, composed or MAJ.
Morrow. c: B; Hunt. A. w; DOW +: =; :;
Bailey and Charles Fernald. to visit my
plant and take the measurements: 70
serve as a basis for payments for asphait.
They took the measurements.
Il had no more to do with that matter
than an entire outsider I accepted the
payment under them"
Speaking of the attitude Of the govern
ment toward his company, Mr.. Brennan
said:
Repeated efforts on behalf of the Bren-
nan company, as evidenced by responses
to its letters emanating from the engi-
neer department. showed that apparently
and. in fact. conclusively. the insufflciency
of the Office or its component parts was
responsible for the delays, resulting in q
final demand on the Commissioners to
make payment in accord with the terms
Of its contract. On this demand. appar-
emily. further time was evoked. with the
end in view of ascertaining how long the
engineer department could withhold the
money due.
Il called upon r. Golden Donaldson,
attorney for the bonding company, which
was on my bond for 100000, and George
e. Hamilton. attorney and counsel for
the Brennan company, with the view that
the Commissioners should assert them
selves and say why the Brennan COM
pany was not paid for its work. The an
SWer came in an afternoon paper.
eff the affairs are SO complicated in the
District governmental I am able to get
away with $4,000 there certainly must be
whole lot of incompetents in the, local
government-the whole engineer force
Should be wiped out. The Commissioners,
all of them. are responsible to the people
of the District
Markham Tells How It Happened.
In statement regarding the alleged
overpayment. issued last night, Capt.
Markham outlines the circumstances
which led to a change in the system of
paying for asphalt. He tells of the NOV
ing of the Brennan Construction Com
pany into it's new plant at the foot Of
31st street. and continues:
at then became necessary for the Dis
trict to make measurement of what is
known as the charging box to determine
the cubic foot capacity on which pay.
ment should be based.
1t was at this point that the change
in method OF measurement was made,
the method adopted at that time being
the measurement Of the material as it
dropped into the cart Immediately after
being mixed and before it had been
shaken down in the cart by the passage
to the site Of the work-a difference in
quantity over that obtained by the meth
Cd formerly used, and resulting in a
gain to the contractor estimated as the
result of measurements and tests re-
Gently made, at about IA per cent in the
case Of the top mixture and possibly 5
per cent in the case Of the binder ma
terial.
The change in this method Of deter
mination of the volume Of the box. it now
appears. was known to the former in
spector of asphalts and cements. Mr.. A.
w. Dow. and to officials of the Brennan
Construction Company, and to one or
more subordinate officials in the engi-
neer department. but was not officially
recognized as an authorized change by
any official nor was the matter ever
brought to the official attention of the
Engineer Commissioner, Col Biddle. nor
to his assistant. Capt. (now Mail Nor
row, nor to the engineer of highways
Mr.. Hunt.
"In July. 1905. the contract was extend
ed to July 1, 1907. During this term, In
all about three years, all payments for
material of these classes were made IN
accordance with these new measurements.
It is estimated by the engineer depart
ment that the overpayments to the Bren-
nan Construction Company during the life
of this contract amounted to about
$4,000"