FEBRUARY 25, 1862.

Committee met. Present: Lazear, Kelley, Wall, and Chamberlain.

BARTHOLOMEW OERTLEY Sworn and examined.

Question. What is your business?

Answer. Civil engineer and architect.

Question. Where are you employed?

Answer. In the Bureau of Construction, Treasury Department. Question. How long have you been employed?

Answer. Since June, 1855.

Question. What is your especial duty in that department?

Answer. Preparing estimates.

Question. What date were you made sworn measurer or computer? Answer. In December, 1855.

Question. Have you discharged that duty from that time to this? Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. In payment of accounts, has it been your duty to certify to the correctness of the measurement?

Answer. It has.

Question. Has the department been guided by your estimates? Answer. Always as to quantities.

Question. Is there any other person who certifies to the correctness of quantities but yourself?

Answer. No, sir.

Question. Who makes the measurement of the material bought in open market?

Answer. The inspector of materials.

Question. Do you know in any case of a dispute between the contractor and measurer ?

Answer. I recollect of but one or two cases in which the contractors complained, but they finally yielded.

Question. You have never signed a certificate for a greater amount of stone or material than you found?

Answer. No, sir.

Question. Do you know whether the granite work of the southern enclosure of the treasury was advertised for?

Answer. No, sir.

Question. Were bids invited for the stone and flagging?

Answer. They were.

Question. Were bids invited for the marble floor of the south portico?

Answer. I think they were.

Question. And for the marble mantels not made by the superintendent?

Answer. I think not.

Question. Can you say what was the cost of fence and flagging for south wing enclosure and of the gate-posts?

Answer. Gate-posts, $14,807 83; flagging, $7,066 19; iron-work, 3,049 69; curbing, $521 74.

Question. What amount was paid for the buttress caps of south wing?

Answer. Stock, fine cutting, and moulding, $7,467 70.

Question. You say there was a dispute with Mr. Bowman?
Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. What did Major Bowman say was the contract with himself and Mr. Dixon?

Answer. Mr. Bowman told me he had a statement from C. P. Dixon that the stone in the rough would not cost more than $2,800 each. Question. When the claims came in for the stone what was their amount?

Answer. About $35,000 each.

Question. What was it finally settled and paid for?

Answer. The rough stock $5,500 each, and $1,650 for cutting each. Question. What was the estimated cost of the south wing? Answer. I do not know that an estimate was ever made.

Question. Can you say what has been the actual cost of the south wing?

Answer. Eleven or twelve hundred thousand dollars.

Question. What are the dimensions of the south wing?

Answer. Its length from east to west, 276 feet; its extremities in width 65 feet, and centre 95 feet; height, 75 feet.

Question. Do you know if there has been more than one roof put on?

Answer. There has been but one roof, but two slatings.

Question. How does it happen that two slatings were put on? Answer. By mistake of Major Bowman, by bathing the slate in asphaltum. The loss was about $2,000.

Question. Was that an experiment of Major Bowman's?
Answer. It was entirely an experiment.

Question. Is Mr. Clark, the present engineer in charge, a practical engineer?

Answer. I believe he is not a practical engineer?

Question. Has Mr. Clark made any drawing for the extension? Answer. No, sir.

Question. Does it require a practical engineer to go into the streets or quarries to make actual measurement of the stone?

Answer. It does not, but it does to estimate the reasonable market value.

Question. Is Mr. Young an engineer and architect?

Answer. He is an architect.

Question. What is his duty now?

Answer. His business now is superintendent architect of the bureau and superintendent of Treasury extension.

Question. Has he not been the agent for Beals & Dixon?
Answer. Not that I am aware of.

FEBRUARY 28, 1862.

Committee met. Present: Messrs. Lazear, Wall, Chamberlain, and Perry.

B. OERTLEY recalled:

Question. Were the antæ and buttress caps advertised for? Answer. They were not advertised for the size they are now. Question. How is the work now being done on Treasury extension? Answer. The granite work is furnished by contract.

Question. Was the contract they are now performing advertised for; and who were the contractors?

Answer. Beals & Dixon.

Question. Were they the original contractors?

Answer. They were.

Question. At what price are they furnishing the granite?

Answer. The rough stock, under thirty cubic feet, at forty-four cents per foot; above that, three-quarters of a cent a foot for each additional foot.

Question. About what proportion of the stone that they furnished will be found above the thirty cubic feet.

Answer. About one-half.

Question. At what rate, per foot, has the larger price been they have received, except for the caps?

Answer. About four dollars.

Question. For what purpose were these used?

Answer. For antæ.

Question. How is the iron-work contracted for?

Answer. By purchase in open market.

Question. Who is doing that work.

Answer. Ellis & Bro., Washington; W. Duvall, Georgetown; McClelland, Washington; Hibbard & Bartlett, Baltimore; Candel, Philadelphia; Trenton Machine Manufacturing Company; Cooper & Huet, Trenton.

Question. Was this not originally advertised for?

Answer. No, sir; none of the iron work.

Question. How is the iron-work being performed.

Answer. The balance is being done by day's work.

Question. How is the iron-work now being done; is it satisfactory? Answer. In the case of Candel it was very badly done, and some

by Cooper & Huet was nct satisfactory.

Question. What was the amount of Candel's bill?

Answer. About $6,000.

Question. Was he paid the full price?

Answer. I cannot tell.

Question. What is the amount of Cooper & Huet?

Answer. About $60,000.

Question. Was there any deduction made for bad work?
Answer. No, sir.

Question. Should there have been, do you think?

Answer. Yes, sir.

Question. In what particular were they defective?

Answer. Imperfect on surface, and warped.

Question. How is wood-work done?

Answer. It is done by day's work entirely.

Question. Who does it?

Answer. It is done by government.

MONDAY, March 3, 1862.

Committee met.

Present Lazear, Wall, and Chamberlain.

AMMI В. YOUNG recalled.

Question. Who made the measurement for the custom-house at Charleston, of the marble now lying at Hastings?

Answer. I did.

Question. Did you make it from drawings or from the materials? Answer. From drawings.

Question. Who furnished those drawings?

Answer. The Treasury Department.

Question. What officer in the Treasury Department made them? Answer. Myself and the engineer in charge.

Question. What amount of stone is now at Hastings ready to be moved?

Answer. The stones at Hastings now ready for shipment are capi tals of corinthian columns and antæ of very elaborate detail and finish, wrought in strict accordance with full-sized models furnished by the Treasury Department, and, as per invoice, are worth, when delivered at Charleston, $43,061 60, upon which there has been paid $28,382 70, being seventy-five per cent. of their value when finally delivered at Charleston, as per terms of contract, less $3,913 50, an ascertained error in the account of March 20, 1857.

Question. Who made the report to you of the quality of material at Hastings for Charleston custom-house for which the government has settled for?

Answer. Mr. Clark, the engineer in charge.

Question. How is that presented to you, in single stones or by foot? Answer. By foot.

Question. Will you please furnish us with statement upon which you made the calculation of the amount of stone now at Hastings for Charleston custom-house; also the quality and kind now at Hastings?

Answer. My calculation was made in strict conformity with the terms of the contract, applying to that portion of the marble work, viz: "For all plain, straight, square ashlar, not exceeding six (6) inches bed and build, one dollar thirty-eight cents ($1 38) per superficial foot, and for each additional inch of bed or build of said ashlar an additional sum of fifteen (15) cents per superficial foot, and all plain work shall be considered and measured as ashlar. For all carv ing and ornamental work such additional sums shall be paid as the

superintending architect or the duly anthorized agent of the first part (the Secretary of the Treasury) shall ascertain to be its fair cost, increased by fifteen per cent." The superficial feet-surface contents of the stone seen as ashlar before carving, multiplied by the price per foot, as produced by size of bed or build, gave the price of the stone in that form, to which was added (as per contract) for the carving and ornamental work thereon a sum equal to its fair cost, increased by fifteen per cent.