Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-11-24

me ut furnished 70 regiments upOn the reg9sitiOn
Of their commanding ofieer Other similar reports
the committee have on Gle
CoiP Sullivan, WARstw, Oct. q, 1861. \
70 Colonel JEisiaF Bishop:
The undersigned having been sunmoned SIS e
Board Of Surveyor, to e'ssuliHe and inspect the
condition CT the horses forwarded TO ths regiment
from ST. Louis and report the result 70 yUnr heads
quarters would respectfully report thas re have
examined said horses and dHd ssventy-six tIG) It
for service, five 90 dead, and three hu-ll q sgd
thirty (350l understood, uudeE lad evsr SIS
esd. ring-boned. spawned, and -..1lzly III ~
any pubic Sess.Ss said h~1ses girg lGrt u lie
Missouri centrac-. Very resFaelailys
DAVID BCkEE, Ms1c7
CSC. R0CkwETIs CSptsin.
JouX SouE1, Lieatenant.
The Committee also have in evidence tSat United
States District Attorney Jones was associated with
Eessrs. Thompson and Bowen in me purchase Of
horses and mules, their ntract being at SiI9 50
for each horse Bowen sold out e Thompson snd
Jones Tor S. GOO, payable n bsnk4bls funds
ThompsOn went to MckmstrE for payment. on
horses. Hessrs- Thompson and JCrfs hsd FURNISHED,
and were tod that another pGFty were Interested
In this horse business and unless $1,000 m god
as deducted by Messrs Thompson asd jones. iole
Of the money could be paid TIE 600 vas kept
b. McEinstry and the remainder pan ever to.
Thompson aud Jones.
Under this head Of fraud the Committee hare
testimony Of over half million 0f dollars sunk in
hay contracts. The Gu1rtsrmaster aid SlT 81 per
ton for hay in bales, which, or -ninsiion, is found
TO be prairie grass and hay, Of very poor quality.
The cost of transportation between St. Louis ard
Sedaia s about IS per ton, or SO per len delivered
at Sedalia. The Committee have Gecummul8jive
evidence that fresh hay from the stacks, and ia
abundance, along the entire route 20 Warcaw can
be obtained at SIX eight dollars per ton.
"a Government wagons the evidence shows that
la-ge. Numbers sre here without owners uocl they
have been pressed into TIE Service ami tEea tAe
builders present their claims. 4 lj0rity o. these
wagons are unfit for service. The aZlcs reach (
holsters spokcs hgbs, &C.. are found to have been
cracked, and the cracks filed wiki ieather and
putty, and painted over. Where the fraud was pat
ent, several Of The wagons were condemned. The }
Committee Tll report that q number Of the wsg1us
thus received By the Quartermaster and his agent
have broken down before the army had proceeded
far, and that the wagons viii be usel less after few
weeks service
Tue third act Of fraud is in the buIiiag Of forti
fcatIons at St. Louis. On the lJth OF August, Col
Hassendeubel. By order Of General Fremont. e1gi
neered and surveyed the points within the its Of
ST. Louis for the erection o. eleven I'D fors. IN
der Major II IS superintendent five 90 were built
directly for the Government without any interTen-
ing contractor. The wages OF ths Iab0reTs we're
sixty cents each per day. and the cost Of each for
fcatiOn not 70 eXcsed $40 600. On the Z5th of Sep
TENDER. when General Fremont tnew that tie forts
completed cost SO goo each, OusrterHlaster Gen
eraf McKinstry. per order Of General Fremont
made g contract with i b. Beard, of California
10 build six additional forts for toe Govern
ment, similar IN sl respects % the five con-
strucfed By Colonel Hassendeubel-; agreeing to
pay f8rty-ve cents per cubic yard for al cXcava-
tlons 6ftyf cents per cubic yard Tor the same
dirt eScavated upon the bank Of the fort ard form
ing the enbaukment; for all puddled EARTH ninety
cents per cubic yard; paving walks with brisk OF
stone, floors Of block houses, &c. one dollar PER
square yard for Cisterns twenty-five cents per I
cubic gallon q two hundred ard thrty~oue inches;
arChed with trek, and cement lumber for
maQazines block h6nsas Gnd quarters for Ci'ieers
and troops, sewers az, &s the lumber and tmb.
20 be measured ia the building Sl0l per 1000 feet;
for facines and breastWOrks required or the work
one dollar per cubic fo0t and Tor r0otug all tie
buildings with three ply roofs four dollars and
half per squ2re Of 100 superficial feet The total
cost Of the sixf0TtfeatiOHs figures upward Of $780,
000 upon which Mr. Beard has received $40 600. Z
An additional payment Of an order for 100000 from
Gen. Fremont was stopped By the Secretary Of Vsr .
when in St. Louis. The evidence SETS forth that
notwths taEdiBg Beard has received already three
times the original cost Of the works the lab5rsrs
are c.amorous at the Government officers for t5sir
gay.
The items Of the cost Of forts. as proven b. other
forts b1ilt and the evidence Of master mechanics
put the figures w; ten cents per cubic yard for
excavations and embankments Puddled esrlh
thirty cents; paving d., forty cents, eisterus &c
three cents; lumber and TIMBER forty and fity d0~
lars per thousand feetfacing and brestWcrks thirty
dollars and total cost Of six forfeati0ns 60 over
500 600. The contract fer f0rdfeatious was drawn
ND per order cf General Fremont. Tire contract e :
regarded by the committee as irregular ard in (
formal, except that it proves that no member Of
Congress shall be interested in that contract The
contract IS in part, Irregular fer the reason that
according to the regulations of the department the
QuarterInastera only can make contracts of this
kind.
The fourth act Of fraud in Tie house rent frst in
10 r,1lasir
OF Mrs. jessie Fremont, rented TO General Fremont
for headquarters Of Asj0r~(Teueral, his private I
Secretary, and Chef Of Staff, at the rate Of 5000
per annum. Other palatial maasions in the neigh
b0rhood are rented &C similar rates Rad occupied +
for eli ,eTs Of members Of the staf.
Large aud expensive barracks have been built il
the immediata vicinity as quarters for the aCcou~
nodatOl Of the Fremont Body Gnard, numbering
600 men. The barracks viii accomno1ste 500
men. The clat Of these barracks ard Benton Bar
racks, capaci0us enough 10 accommodate 80 600 /
men, VIII be about $50 090, double the amount ne
cassary to erect precisely similar buildings. IN tho
roofing of these buildings, which is upwards Of i've
thousand squares Of 100 Superficial feet the com
mittee having discovered much frsu1. The con-
Taet provides that the roof shall be th-ee ply and
put on with felt snl soaked in hot tar and 81
snd durable manner.
The Committee have evidences that the SueEr-n-
tsnient and Architect. A Z Osdsn, received draft
Of 500 on General Nckinstry, from Clapp & Co.
provided he OGDEN would Obtain the contract for
them at their bid, winch vas So 50 per square foot
Of 100 superficial feet. 4 Mr. King. under cat
tesGfes that he gave Ogden g drIfl on McElls-7y
for s. 800 for his services getting him tIe con.
tract for $3.50 per square. To each Of the-e Oy
den promised the contract. !
The work was awarded 70 Alne1 Thompson At &
So o. but whether any bonus was given does no,
appear. The Committee end that Thompson sold
The contract fer an advantage of 5000 aRl that
the party doing the work only put on one ply root.
and that with the felt dipped in cold tar ia q Few
places there wesa cnly two pigs The facts were
sscsrtsin7i by cutting iatG the roof At yariols
places. i. IS also in testimony thag there were
responsible bids al 81 for the same work.
Another fraud was in the contracting with W.
Fox for the Manufacture Of picket pins az forty
i've cents each, when Thomas Hood, q blacksmith (
9Th good security, oi3 or the same at twenty five
ents per pIn-the number 20 be made 10000 PICS. 7
Also to tON and others, complexities st thirty five
ents when they were bid at twenty cents nails axes g
pixies kcat similar rates Saddles that we're reject
d BY the llgrtermGster we're purchased by Fox 81 q
ow figures and sold 70 Mex instry Gtinereased rates
The building Of several tugboats zli cAart-ring g
+ several steamers ct double their cost and value,
The chaFterng several boats belong