Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-01-07
Sale of Southern Building Site
Melted 100000.
WITNESS BAKERS FIGURES
Former Treasurer of Corporation
Subjected to Close Questioning.
RICHMOND COMPANY HISTORY
Insurance Investigation Brings in
Other Issues-Testimony of Mu-
nicipal Architect Ashford.

That hundred thousand dollar profit
was made on the real estate deal be-
tween st. Matthews Church and the
Southern Commercial Congress on tn.
Southern building site. at 18th and II
streets northwest. was brought out I'm the
insurance investigation before the sub
committee of the House District commit
tee this morning. James A. Baker con-
tinued as a witness from Yesterday and
every question brought forth qualifica-
tions and explanations Mr.. Baker fin
ished his testimony shortly before noon
and Municipal Architect Snowden Ash
ford took the stand. primarily to give
expert testimony on the cost of the
Southern building. held as an asset 10y
the insurance companies. He figured Off
hand il would cost about s6se.@o
History of Richmond Corporation.
James \. Baker resuming his tcsti-
mony this morning, was asked TO give
the history of the Richmond Realty
Corporation. He explained ii was form
ed to buy some of the Southern Build
ing Company's bonds and sell its own
stock. IT was planned to take up seN-
eral hundred thousand dollars of South
to use the Richmond as a holding com
pany, it had been in existence for
several years.
Mr.. Baker said the Richmond Realty
COMPANY, got 2.34o shares of stock OF
the Southern Building Company and
cured control of the property of the
Southern Building Company.
And they failed to carry out any
other agreement he said
Then the stockholders of the South
@ RenreSenfafiNe
turned over their stock to the Rich
mond Realty Company. which company
| refused then to carry out the pooling
agreement"
YES"
Mr. Redfeld asked why Southern
building stock and bondholders gave up
their securities and took Richmond
Realty securities.
"They got the small end of it," said
Mr.. Baker, meaning Washington stock
holders.
Yes. but tell us about tt
The witness took nearly ten minutes
mony Mr. Redfield asked who was
Oliver j. Sands. as regards the Rich
! mond Realty Company.
"He was the whole thing.
Names the Executive Committee.
The committee endeavored to get Mr..
Baker to answer the question why tho
stockholders gave up. The answer
was not clear, but the witness got into
the record the names of the executive
committee of the Richmond Realty
COMPANY. mentioning +. T. Hawes. T..
C. Gum and Walter Moore. Mr.. Red
field had a hard time to get Mr.. Baker
to tell what wrong was done the WASH
ington security holders by the deal
Mr. Redfield had to coach the witness
on how to answer a question without
via n
ing.
lost some Of the value of his stock.
Agreement Submitted.
The witness produced an agreement
between Charles III. Davis and John NJ
Parker, on one hand, and r. ii. McNeill
and A. T.. L. Leckie on the other bind
ing the latter to convey the st. Mat
thew's property at 18th and III streets
northwest to Parker and Davis.
Where did McNeill and Leckie get
the property" asked Chairman Johnson
Mr.. Baker did not know lie said ne
thought that he was an associate or
I<eckie and McNeill I'm the transaction.
MIR. Johnson asked line of questions
to learn the price paid for the ST. Mat
thew's property and who got the money.
There were trusts OF Sl6O.Wn ana si'pr"
on the property the witness said and the
syndicate which stood between the
church and the Southern Commercial
Congress- as represented by Davis ana
Parker made S110,S16 on the deal
.Who got that sum-" asked Represent
atve Johnson.
ar was cut to 100000 -by mutual con-
sent and was split up between Messrs.
IIeckie Mcneil Charles \. douglass
James A. Baker. j. L. karrick ana o. w
Meeks." :.
The seven men did not get money. II
was stated. They got Southern building
stock After half an hour of the mos
strenuous fencing, Representative Tfou'H
cleared the air.
..What we want to know is the price
paid for the ST. Matthews property.
| Mr.. Baker replied that S4l0,oOO was the
price.
Municipal Architect Witness.
Snowden Ashford municipal architect
was next sworn as witness lie saia
he designed all the municipal buildings
and inspected them. Mr.. Redheld asked
him about the cost Of constructing mod
ern buildings, leading up to the cost or
the Southern building
The witness gave cubic foot costs on
school buildings His figures began in
1897 with $40 cents a cubic foot llia
cents i'm 1898: 1899. L. $40 cents: 1890. IL
cents. 1901 1oi. cents. F1reproof build
ing started i'm 1902 and the Mckinley
Manual Training School cost 22ls cents a
cubic foot. he said.
The witness said Ii was a structure
more expensive than steel-frame build
ings The additions to the Mckinley
building cost 26 cents and 30 cents, re-
spectiyely. Cleveland Park School fire
proof costs IL cents; Western High School
10 , cents per cubic foot The new nor
mai school cost 17ia cents cubic foot.
Mr. Ashford said there has been only
per cent advance in the cost of erecting
fireproof buildings i'm the last two or
three wears. Steel in buildings has ad-
yanced 81 ton since 1910. he said. He
added II cost very little, perhaps noth-
inp more to erect with heavier plates
and girders. except for the difference in
the cost of the steel. The cost of labor
is not increased, he said.
The witness told of a talk with H. III.
Darn>ille relative to appraisng the
Southern building.
..He asked me the value of the build
ing told him / had not been in touch
with the building and could not say. He
didn't tell me why he wanted it.
..He told me the dimensions and / fig
ured roughly il would cost % cents
cubic foot, and would total about $7Oo,-
COO, The permit for the building contains
the real dimensions, and at Is cents a
foot comes to $6S2,00O Darneille took