The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-08-27
The Court or Impeachment.
CONTINUATION or TBB TRIAL OF JOHN @. MATHBa.
CANAL COMMISSIONERS.


CONTINUATION or TBB TRIAL OF JOHN @. MATHBa
CANAL COMMISSIONERS.
srB1AL CORRESPONDENCE or THR NEw YORK HERALD
ALBANY Aug % 1853.
At ton O'Clock being the usual hour the Presidsut
cs ed the court TO order anc upon calling roll
quorum Of msmbsss s~sred TO their names rso or
three Of the managing counsel were absent Mr., Aa
thsr. with Msssrs. Peckhsm Brady and Reynolds wsrs
present
Conmissioner Folstt recalled. who stated that
he had made an examination of ths papers on ale
but unable 70 sod the letting sate" prepared By
J. T. Gark, engineer
George Graham. the nsxt witness. resides In Oneida
county superiner dent Last ysar Msther visited his
section Of the canal several ues during tho Of
1852 he went upon ths canal with MAthsr for eramns
ton the engineers visited his section very frequently
has no knowledge how often MAtnsr upon his .ec
on hat met him the and heard of his having
been on the hre when witness did sse him
Francis Newkrk-ls su perintesoent Of section three
Erie canal thirty miles In leo MAthsr visited his sec
ton two or three times; he TO examine some en-
isgep ent work eDgnse also visited hts section fro
quenty; the public crest did require the attend
of Msther h. ,ecsved letters from Ma her
directions In reference TO work squeduc other
places
Simeon Sohsrmerhorn-Is . superintendent on section
wv kWenty mu0s OF CANAL 64tQ6r
has been his section several times and on one occs
sion travelled sith bin (wnsss) its entire sogsh
coDverss In Ieston to politics. that Msther vas
the lire 1t fmes when witness did .ot rec him. con.
ferred with AAsher frequently the subject Of repairs
&c the interests of the Stse did snsr BY ab
sence Of Mather witness directed BY Msthsr 10 eco
Dom.se In. the penduIs OF money and he spcnt 90
n0e than he considered necessary
Mr. Grsham recalled Hs ended about t.4 900 dur
fs~ ma
MstheF requested him 70 use the uno.t economy, and
thSs inosruc.lOcs he .ins,sl literally oseyed
Mr.. Hastings on same siis-Oh nc; not NV.
4r Brsdy-Oh, ye osh MIN IL T. good time now !.
~ss not put upon tho ctsod.
H. may os Well to that the article. charges
M@thsr with having neglected. hs duty, visiting the
sarieps stc'icbs Of the canals uDder his cnsrge
henry P.,rick swcrn-ls lun ber desler delivered
iu5s ~ West Troy for the Sts in 1851 heloct tim
ber oculc have beeo delivered there bstween Ocsobs
ls6t eLd Ap,i 1862 ia" from $40 Si2 per thouss
feet boz nesnrsi he made application to furnish the
timber for the West Troy cAnsl docks the pine timber
could have futnshsd s22 to S25 yer thou and
,hr mayket price for hemock timber ranged from eight
10 zine collars timber down at that time The 1t
ltsed his examinstion that he made aay
large contracts, docs he know from whom the tiu
ber could have been procured st the prcss stated
vent fur her and concluded by that he did not
hno. what the market price of henock timber dne
lug the winter of 1872.
Wl'i.m AcGou,Aty clerk in the Auditors Office pro-
ouced abstracts Of the cost of timber used in tho building
Of canal docks at West Troy
John SiIlimsu sworn-Lives at West Troy; has been
dock sp keU Of worth from ton to t~eIys do~ per
Thousand, there you'd be foulty furni-hiug ton
6er - those prices .. the tine spoken Of VIZ bssw-sa
October 1851 md April 1852 the timber could furnish
Cd from Renssaesr county he hAd never bought any
eep1 smaIl quantity for his use ne kaeZ
timber to BE- delivered In the wotsr SEASON. had never
dealt in the tice nor msde purchases except for his
own uIe.
Hsu.n Mathsr . witnsss-Live. in West Troy; is 60.
gagged the u nbcr business and acquainted With tbs
market; he had bcen furnirhiDg timber similar that
used In the docks Tor from s to SIS thousand
w1tneHB mot examined
Freesorn 8. LAmpo,t, csiisd-No answer.
Merritt Potter, swornaw Of the timber ussd In
said dock It was worth about ten dos does not think
be could have delivered the required at the
it was wanted knoss of no contract made tin
Der during the peoa speoaed-that H. between Ssptsm
bsr 1851 and April 1862
Edward James, another clerk under Ne veil was called
Who produced an original record Of the Of
Canal Board, though that record kept bv
himself. There are no Issoutons file changing the
Plans for the construction of shs West Troy dock
timber than 1t WORTH and that he altered the plan
for building those docks, without authority from the c.
william J. Skinner, sworn Was Superintendent In
1Sb2-snd 80 ncv-of Section four, comprising tvouty
three miles; tho anou.t Of repairs during that year
by appointment he visited the line several times vas
on section frequently; is on good terms With MsthsF
Court decided 10 hear no more OF bis testimony
Samuel n Payne, sworn.-He was competitor for work
under the law Of 1851 he bid for work Black River
get . contact; it was given to W. W. Wright; soms
COO more than witnesses proposal had sation
to be satisfied competspoy and bsn chis winess
at the time of tho lettings particularly
because his bid scosp,sd aud fu6eq asnty pre-
septed petition to the Legislature tho suoject
Mr.. Brady reques'ed the examination Of Mr. Roosevelt
this afternoon as he Is held under attachment auA de
bic. Mr. Loomis replied he prep sred take
his testimony until to morrow but would consent that
Ar might Leave tho court until Monday morning,
IN and NJ Iaftt Ar1s
Mr. IAmport called-He would have furnished the dock
timber Wes Troy for twelve dollars per thousand
Miner c. Story called and swora--hs lives In Pough-
keepse is contractor in Albany in December, 1851
the city during part of the me the letting board
in session; he bid for . large proportion of the
work between Albany and Rochester; there four
sections awarded to him. did advocate any other per
sons clAms George Law he proposed surety had no
ipterestin Mr. LAWS proposition there was no under
standing between them; witness in Albany at the
time Engineer vent TO Canada he Was absent
upon In the State hall; thinks he did slegr Aph Mr..
Seymour to Canada; did not occupy . room Ia Con.
which room oo,upied by tho letting board; did
not urge my claims upon any member Of ths let
ting board; bad NO conversation with any member in
reference to Contracts had conference with either
Mr.. Abeel or A. B. Dickinson /; did not dispose
Of his interest In any Of the sectops awarded to him
there was no arrangement nor understanding with
George Law with regard sharing in th ,se contracts
On tbs examination Mr. Story stated that during
the sitting Of the lettiIe board he was visited at Pough
Mr.. Church, with whom he had considerable conver.
sation.
Charles Cotk. late Canal Commissioner, called and
swop-The questions put to this witness related gen
orally to the specifications and estimates preparatory
the lettings under the Law Of 1884, together with rules
and regulations adopted BY the Canal Board applicable
10 propositions for work under that Law. Wtaess
tnew Of arrangement by which wings wsre
to have the great portion Of the work himself
or NJ Seyu our prepared the 6rst ''slate" for
the MIDDLE division; bat In making the alot.
merits no political considerations brought in
question the board ret at the house of Csgger and II
aas 'hsre proposed to give George La, million and
ha and divide the rest equally between the two pot
cal parties ChAtfed would not agree but proposed tc
give Law million; it fnall, agreed to sllot the
contracts equal possible between the tro parties
There MEMBER o. the board who Ia favor OF
giving the cont to the lowest bider The wav the
lettings msdo, by taking the first section
the eastern division, and running through the PROPOSE
to ascertain who supposed 10 be most com
tent, having In view politish equilibrium, and
through the whole work 4 the ground of re-
fusirg the award to Payne was becauseit under
stood that hts surety aIo his partner and Who had
abandon ed certain work previously awarded him. Some
II the bidders of class Of who generally bid