Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1857-01-29
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Report of the Canal Commissioners.

be obtained how the money goes. our read
Ars will remember that we lately adverted to
she singular fact that the new superintendent
of the Portage Railroad was upheld by the
American and Republican papers at Holli-
daysburg and Johnstown, while the democrat
AL naners denounced him. The following,
which will be found on pages lG and II Of
the Report, throws some light on the subject:
THE WOOD BUSINESS.
at will be seen by the report Of the gu
perintendent for 1855, that lie states that the
cost of wood for that year was S58, ,227 90,
the whole of which had been paid for and
that he appended to his statement a note,
saving There is at the close of the fiscal year
wood on hand amounting to the sum of thlr-
teen thousand dollars, all of which is lnclud-
al in the expenditures for wood for lS55.'-
To test the correctness Of this alleged surplus,
the successor to the Superintendent Of 1858,
a was directed to go upon the ground and re-
measure the wood, and to make report of
1the actual facts of the case. lie accordingly
reported that he had obeyed his instructions,
and that he had found the amount of surplus
wood on the road, as reported by his prede
cessor, to be correct. A few months after
wards the Board, from suspicious circumstan-
.ces which came to their knowledge became
deeply impressed with the opinion, that there
was something radically wrong about this
whole transaction. Their attention was i'm
mediatey directed to the unravelment of the
mystery 1t was not, however, until the mid
die of November that they obtained the proof
In such form rs to satisfy them that an at
tempt had been made to perpetrate fraud
upon tho Commonwealth. At that time Mr..
a. NJ White a claimant, appeared before the
Board, whose testimony was taken down in
writing which is, in substance, "a follows:
The witness during 1855, supplied wood
at sevcrGl stations lie had difficulty in
getting payments, being put off with the
plea that other persons were wanting &Uuey.
At the close of the fiscal year 1853. he went
TO Ross, the then Superintendent. with
li.s Of his claims, who t7!d him that
fhe wood inspector had purchased more
wood thaa was required for that year, and
suggested that he had better take back the
# wood. The witness told Ross that he could
not do that ~ he had settled with those from
sxtlom he had purchased as we'll as with those
who had cut and hauled it out: and that a
portion Of it had already been used. Ross
told him that there was more wood on the
road than would cover his cluims-that that
# wood would be used in lS5G-that he Ross
s would see Gen. Calollan tine new Superinteu-
Y dent and try 10 get him to exchange and
cancel the Old certificates, aud issue ones
bearing dates in 1886; and, ~ an ;:ccUmmO-
dation to the witness, would ask Calohan to
pay him some Of his claims out Of the winter
appropriation for the fiscal year 1886. Boss
asked witness to get Lewis Pitts bill for
d wood, amounting to over $1,000, and to 20
q with him to Cllohan for the purpose of hav-
S ing Pitts certificates also changed. He did
see Calnhan, who told him that if the wUsd
was on the rpad, he had no objection to chan
ging the certificates, provided the claimants
would give a guarantee that there wood
enough on the road tJ cover the claims. The
guarantee was given, and the wood inspector
sent by Calohan to measure the wood, who
reported that there were about seven thousand
cords OF wood on the road. Calohan then
ordered the OH certificates to be cancelled
ard rev ones issued. New certificates were
accordingly issued aud the old ones delivered
to Calohan. by whose orders an entry was
made in the wood book kept in his office,
crediting the claimants with the wood, and
4 charging them with the new certificates.
This testimony was submitted to Mr.
q t.alotran, who admitted that it vas correct
The facts Ut the case, so far rs they have
. been developed, may, therefore, he briefly
4 summed up f,liaws:-ltoSs, 0a retiring
T from office, reported that there was Il sur plus
I of wioJ on hand after the expiration Of the
GScxl wear ISJj. amounting to Sl3,G 900 tne
/ v5hoie gE which had beet, paid for. Calulian
reports that he }szd al&A. 4 rc-lacssurcnlent
Of the wood, and that Hoss's statement vas
correct Yet in the face Of Rsss' : report, and
4 of his own alleged c-mcaSurcmcut, EalOhan
'akes eF osrfiIcEtes issued Eir soc3 during
the fiscal gear 1859 aa1 issues new sncs to
s#. i n
thus attempting 70 make the Commonwealth
pay twice iGr the same quantity of wood
For it has not been even alleged, dslring the
investigation, that there was, ut any time
during the pendency of the rcaew9i of these
certificates, any u,0re wood OF the road than
ahe quantity alleged to have been left by Ross,
/ and to have been paid for. In addition to
tins, Calohan has not, rs yet, been able to
account for the disposition Of the old .ccrtf-
4 eates, and ii rrmaius uncertain whether they
are not yet aGo@, - Dc hereafter pres, nted
for Liquidation. Whatever may. have been
the object Of this transaction, the public
N Treasury has been protected T4s Board
have stopped the payment Of these new GER
tificates, and, as 4 matter Of course. the Su-
perlutendeut was not re-appointed, or in
palmer terms, was removed"
LOWER JCNIATA DIVISION
The report Of the State Engineer gives the
following in reference to this division Of the
Main Line, ~ which it will be seen that Ma
jor Eisenbise can pension a small army along
the bottom Of the canal, no less than $4,000
being recommended for cleaning" alone
The whole sum recommended for repairs, &c
u is over $4,000, probably a greater sum than
Il the revenue derived from all the Offices on this
division
This division extends from the west end o.
Juniata aqucduct to Aughwick dam" Its
length is seventy-two miles, and the mechan,
zeal work consists of twenty five locks, three