They are printed in sets of five thousand each. We change the colors every five thousand, as we don't like to number up any higher than that. After we get up to five thousand, we change the color, and go up again, so that there will be an understanding. I issued the tickets; there were two sets on the bill, one on the north and one on the south side, and I employed a man on each side of the hill. The tickets, as you see, are printed so as to be torn in two in the centre, and each end numbered alike. The ticket was given out by the man at the hill to the teamster whole; then he goes on to the Suffolk-street District, and the man that I

employ there takes the right-hand end, and the left-hand end the teamster keeps, so that man can know that each team has drawn so much earth during the day. Eight loads is a day's work. After I commenced issuing the tickets, I found that night, when I came to pick up the tickets, of course it came out irregularly. Of course if any tickets were missing, it would show how many loads of earth had been stolen. We found then we could not tell what carts stole the earth. I found that difficulty, and I then insisted on having the carts numbered. I came to the City Hall, and found that I could not oblige the carts to be numbered.

Q. Who told you that?

A. The City Solicitor, and Mr. Page, the Superintendent of Trucks. He said that thing had been talked of before, but it could not be done; they could not oblige them to number the carts. I asked Mr. McCleary, and he said he didn't think he could oblige them to be numbered. I asked if we as a committee could not oblige them to number them, as they were doing our work. Mr. Healy said, "No." He said it must be inserted in the contract. I met no encouragement here. I made a good deal of stir, as they were stealing from sixty-five to one hundred loads a day. The next day after I was here, they stole two hundred and thirteen loads. I suppose they found out I had received no encouragement. Q. How long was that after you talked with Mr. Healy?

A. — The next day. The next day after, two hundred and thirteen loads were stolen. I found Mr. Hayes, and I said, "You must give orders to have the carts numbered!" Said he, "I will go with you, and have the carts numbered." He went with me to Fort Hill, and I employed a man with a marking-iron on one end of the hill, and another on the other end of the hill. Before I had the carts numbered, I had these cards printed, which corresponded as you see. Each man takes his card; one with one hundred numbers on it, running right up from one; and the other beginning with 101 and running up to 200. On each end of the ticket there is a blank space, and he puts down, opposite each, the number of the car which takes it. And after the cars were numbered we stopped the stealing entirely, or reduced it to one or two loads a day. I think the next day after we renumbered them, there were nine taken; and the next day

six loads.

Since that, I don't think more than two or three loads a week have been taken. The men whom I have employed can tell you more than I can, of course. When my man makes up his account at night, he can tell at which end of the hill the loss has been from, and whose teams have been doing the work.

Q. What has been your largest number that we have lost in one day?

A. — Two hundred and thirteen loads.

Q.

Whose teams were carrying those?

A. - Mr. Souther's one end, and Mr. Hayes's the other. The south end of the hill Mr. Hayes's teams were doing the work, and the largest portion came from that end; much the largest portion of stealing has been at that end of the hill.

Q.-Under Mr. Hayes?

A.—Yes, sir. Mr. Ware, whom I employ on Suffolk street, has charge of the tickets, and as they are issued to each man they are charged to him. If I give Mr. Merrill from No. 1 of a certain color up to 2,500, I charge him with those tickets. I know of course which end of the hill he works on; and I know where the loss comes. Mr. Barnes, he has from 2,500 to 5,000 on the other end of the hill, so we can always tell where the loss comes from, in all cases. First, I commenced issuing by thousands, giving one man one thousand, and the other man the other; but finally I took this course to distinguish which end of the hill the loss came from. The carts are numbered so we can tell. The carts on the north end are numbered from 1 to 50, and the carts on the South end of the hill we commenced at 50, and went up from that. So that whenever there is a loss, the number of the cart shows where it comes from; which end of the hill; there it is on your card. You look on your card, and you can find just what cart has taken the missing ticket. The carts were numbered the 18th of July, I think. The next morning I went up on to the district, and I had my report of the night before with me,-that there were nine loads. missing. I stood there as the carts came along with their first loads in the morning, and I said to each one of them," You stole a load of dirt yesterday; if you steal another to-day, I will have you arrested, and your horse carried up to the city stables. We can't have any more of this." Not one of them denied that they had stolen a load of dirt, that I accused.

Q.

Out of those nine you spotted every man?

A.

Every man, yes, sir. It is impossible for them to get

away with a load of dirt with that system, if the man at the hill puts down the right number on the card.

Q. If those teams are at work for Mr. Hayes, and they are obliged to run so many loads, — eight loads a day,

and two of them went to the Suffolk street District, and six went somewhere else, Mr. Hayes knew where they went to?

A.

Q.

I should think so, sir, I could not tell.

How do you know but Mr. Hayes took dirt from a dump or pile set aside for him?

A. - Where would he put it? He didn't put it on the Suffolkstreet District; I know he didn't, because he had only one route to go on to the Suffolk-street District.

Q.

Do you know that he didn't put it in the docks?

A. He stole from the Suffolk-street committee, for which we paid $7 a square.

Q.

How many cart-loads make a square?

A. - Almost twelve of those cart-loads. They had $7 a square from the Suffolk-street appropriation, and $2.60 from the Fort Hill appropriation, making $9.60 a square.

Q.That was for digging and carting both?

A. — Yes, sir.

Q. - On what evidence did they receive this $9.60? On the strength of whose reckoning did they receive it?

A. On the measurement of Fort Hill.

Q. Before you took these measures to prevent it, the city was paying for McConnell's measurement, as it went away from there, simply supposing it was delivered in Suffolk street?

A. Yes, sir; simply supposing it was delivered in Suffolk street. When I was appointed a committee, I went down, and I found Mr. Soule, and talked with him about it. He said the stealing was going on, he had no doubt about that, and I asked if there was any one employed to stop it. He said there was a man employed in Federal street to see that teams did not go down to the wharf.

Q. By whom?

A. I think Alderman Jenkins employed him. I found he was a decayed policeman, who had been turned off for drunkenness, and was employed then among the rum-shops. I never could find him, and I went there two or three times to find him. He was the man that was employed to see that the teams didn't go away with our dirt. I ordered his discharge; as the committee gave me full powers, I thought I would exercise it in that direction at any rate. Then I employed men I had confidence in.

Q.

You had two men employed there, and one at the Suffolkstreet territory?

Q. You have one man employed at the district to take the tickets up there?

A.

Q.

Yes, sir, as they come on to the district.

Have you had any trouble about the measurement of gravel on the Suffolk street this year?

A. Mr. Gay complained about the measurement of his bank out at Brighton. He said there was some mistake about it. He said, I think, that there was a mistake of about $5,000 in the measurement; that McConnell had made a mistake of $5,000 in the measurement of the bank.

Q. Who is Mr. Gay?

A.-The gravel contractor bringing in gravel from Cottage Farms.

Q. Ilad McConnell made it too large or too small?
A.-Too small, he thought.

Q.

ground?

A.

Was it measured in the cart, or after it was on the

It was measured in the bank, the gravel was, before it was

taken out.

Q. Has there been any trouble about the carts not holding as much as they supposed?

A. — I didn't know as that would make any difference with us, as it is measured, in the hill. The carts are usually well loaded. We measure it in the hill, and each cart as it comes out has to