The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1847-03-28
The Report on Canal Frauds.

There will be presented 10 the House of As
sembly of this State, this day, report of the Sc
lect committee of that body, appointed to nves-
tigate certain frauds committed on the canals of
this State, signed by Sidney Lawrence, L. 8.
Viele, George 7. Pierce, A. G. Chatfield and John
T. Bush, members of the committee.
This report numbers three hundred and
seventy-four pages, and is computed to be the
longest report ever submitted to our Legislature.
Lengthy documents are proverbislly prosy and
uninteresng, but this is exception to the gene
raj rule Every page conveys moral, and ought
to be read carefully and t,ioughtfuLy by the PEG.
pie Of tins State.
We have had this extraordinary budget in our
possession for some days, and have given it care
full perusa. L he conclusion we have arrived at
from that perusal, is that in instance that has
ever come to our knowledge, has there been such
asystematic, bare. faced, and uncomfortable sys-
tenn of frauj, peculation, and corruption,
perpetrated by men who, by the most So
lemn obligation recognized by Christian men
were bound to perform the Iduties Of their
Offices honestly, and without regard to favor,
affection, or self interest. The most disgraceful
sorruption-a most villanous system of perjury,
Misrepresentation, deceit, double dealing viola
ton OF trust, rascaiy and robbery, is by this re.
port exhibited TO the people OF this Safe; and it
behooves the present Legislature to take, at as
early day as possible, measures to secure the
State against repetition of the evils that it has
suffered for some years back, by tho rascality of
Its servants.
We give the following instance, as a sample of
the vilanies with which this great report abounds
The first relates to the building of section No SO
OF the Genesee Valley Canal. 1t must be recol.
lected that the person named Mills, here referred
to, was thesengineer under whose direction the
expenditures were regulated.
Several propositions, it appears, were made for
the contract of this part of that canal, but it was
awarded to one Nicholas Van Derwerken, through
the fundamentally of II. p. Mills, the resident en-
gneer, who was particular friend of his.
The committee gather from the testimony the opinion
that the proposition of Van Dsrwsrksn for that work
after it had been opeEed unqueationably altered by
Mills not for the purpose OF bringing the amount below
competng proposition but for the purpose Of raising
high possible and still leave the less
the amount Of the next higher competing proposition
The estimated cost OF the section according to the
; sss ooc o. Van as n''' made was about
From the time when the work on section SO comm need
till Feb 22d l64l Mr.. stillman slant engineer
upon the subdivision Of the canal including that section
II his duty to measure the work done to classify
for the monthly periodical estimates on which
payments made TO the contractors during the pro.
Y,
he should have in his Office list Of the contract prices
for each kind OF work and materials each section
Mills the resident engineer, in whose office at Mount
Morris the contracts kept for such list Mr. Mills
sent him table by which it appears that the estimated
cost Of section SO at the contract prices $0732 81
exceeding the estimated cost Of according Van Der
werksns original proposition by over $l7 600; exceed.
Ing the cost Of IL according to the proposition after
ing been altered by Mills and accepted as the foundation
Of the contract BY about $la,OOs.
Ii will be seen that tho contract price of this
section was $4,000. Now lot us see what was
paid for it. On this point the committee sayi--
The amount that has been paid to the contractors 70
mate made after the work was suspended in 1879 h
Sl2aSl3 o. The estimated OF the work remaining
20 be done to finish the section at the prices
Sl272o 81 a. appears by statement made and su orn 10
before the canal board by John Van Nortwck and Je.
rome b. stillson, engineers, the l3th March, isaa
Assuming this estimated of finishing the section to
We correct the whole amount OF the cost Of the
,ec,ion would have been SIs5 2Aa 49, This sum en-
leeds the estimated cost according to Van Derwerksn.
Egps proposition. over SO 000 greater than the
ma,ed cost according to the proposition altered by
mills, by about $4,000 overreaches the estimated
under the proposition of Turner, Powers, Co, the
highest one considered at the letting, by a sum over
sorang 70 Mis table OF prices and quantities, SAT- 500
os below the amount Of the actual cost OF the section
weeds the estimated Of the whole section accord.
ing 20 ails tSos, BY sl47s0 b. II Ia greater than the
leads Van Derwerksn. propossion ~ over saa ooo
oeptsd about $4,000 and leaves Van Der erkens or
ana bsan winch should have remained unsl,er
already actually paid for work done " ~ "'no'H
The report IS repete with instances of corrup-
ton similar TO the above. We give the tolIowirr
AZ Tonawands, charges made thu. the stat. b,a
unnecessarily paid 20 William Vandervsort ero,han,
prices for gravel that payment had been made 10 b,
Tor than had TAKEN that he had no, ILL., ~
the land, any claim to the gravel for which he rs
osived payment
II happens that the contractors were bound to
furnish this gravel, which was required for re.
pairing the dam at that place, and they
did receive payment for Seo4 yards, at u pei
yard. Notwithstanding this fact, the State paid