Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-11-05

sand feet; fol ssoInes sad essswp.h@ Isqulssd
on the work, 81 pei cubic foot, and fcr IoohDs
all tho buildings With three ply roofs - pO per
square Of one hundred gupeFhcia feet. Tbs
total cost oftho tik fort I1QAtots A1ares upward
Of $500 900. upon which Mr. Beard has receiv-
cd Si70000 An additional payment Of an
order for $50, 900 from uoneni fremont was
stopped by the Secretary pf Haf when N ~
ltandine Beard hasr eceiyad already thres timen
the original cost Of the works, the laborers are
|oIamorons at the Government Offices for their
pay. The itema Of the cost OF forts, Ae proyen
by other forts built, and the evidence or master
mecbanics, put the figures, viz; ten cents per
cubic yard for excayAtio1s Apd embApkmen'si
puddled earth thirty centBj paving etc., forty
oeptsi cisterpg, etcy}threc cents; Lumber eud
timber $40 aud $50 per one Thousand feettfa.
oIties and breastwo ks thlrty.fgp cents ndlorty
cents, roofug 50 and So 50, and total cost 81 six
Notifications not over $50 QOO The conTpet
for forti6cations was drawn up per order OF Gem
eral Fremont. The contract ip regarded BY the
committee as irregular and Informal, except
that 10 provides thai mo member OF Congress
sbali be interested In the said lcontract.'1 The
contr.ct 10 In part irregular, for the reaeon that
sccor ling 70 the reeulatioHs Of ne department.
the Clusdermaster only eau make contracts OF
this Zlnd. t.g.t r2gIg
\ .SThe fourth act Of fraud is the house rent.
6rst In the pAlatlal mansion Of Mrs, Colonel
Brant. cousin OF Mrs. Jessie Fremont, rented 70
General Fremont for headquarters Of Major.
General, bis private Secretary, and Chief of
STAT, at the rate of Sc, 600 per anuum9 Other
palatial mansions In the neig hborhood are rent.
cd at similar rates: and occupied for offices Of
members Of the stAf. @ g 80 -. i
Large and: expensive bRrracka have been
built In the immediate vicinity, 40 quArters for
the accommodation of the Fremont Body Guard,
numbering 500 men. The barracks will ac-
oommodate 2500 men. The cost of these bar
racks and Benton Barrscks, capacious enough
60 accommodate ~ 900 men, will be about
$3.50 600, double the amount necessary TO erect
precisely similar buildiDgs In the roofing OF
these buildings, which is upward OF 600 squares
Of 100 superficial feet, the committee have dis
covered much fraud. The contract provides
that the root shall be thtee-ply, and put on with
felt and eSaked In tar, and IN q substantial and
durable manner. The comuittee have EVIL
dence that the Superintendent and Architect,
A.. B. Ogden, received draft OF 500 on Gen.
eral McKinsry from Clapp q Co., provided he
(0sden) would obtain the contract for them at
their old bid, which was s. 50 per square OF lOO
superficial feet. A Mr.. King, under oath, tes-
tifes that he gave Ogden draft on McKinstry
for 81 500 for his services In getting him the
contract for 50 IS per equare. To each of these
Ogden promised the contract. The work was
awarded to Almen Thompson at 50 SO, but
whether any bonus was given does not appear
The committee fnd that Thompson sold the
contract for an advance of s., 600, and that the
party doing the work only put on one-ply roof,
and that with felt dipped In cold tar. 10 aSfew
places there were only two rlys. The facts
we're obtained by cutting into the roof at various
points. IL is also in testimony that there were
responsible bids ct 50 for this same work. ~
| Another fraud was in the contracting with E.
W. Fox for the Manufacture Of picket pins at
as cents each, when Thomas Hood, "a black
smith with good security bid Tor the same at
IS cents Der pin--the number to be made,
SO 900 pins, Also, to Fox and others, camp
kettles at IS cents, when there were blds at 2U
cents; nails axes, spikes, ETC., 1t slwilar rates
Saddles that we're rejected BY the. Quartermas.
ter were purchased by Fox at low figures and
sold to McKinstry at increased rates. Is d a.
The building Of sundry tpg-boats and char
tering Of several steamers Rt double their cost
and value, particularly the chsrterng Of sun
dry boats belonging to the Keokuk Packet
| OOmpanyy nave Deeu BOuo INV ~ ichbtuS hhu
much imposition found to exist. TIE tug boats
are being built at cost Of SO 200 each, when
| they ought to be built at 81 500 each.5 9lHCl
OSher frauds in the purchase Of oats, cloth.
Ing, blankets, tents, ETC.; the issuing of trans
portation tickets and paying of employees In
uncurrent funds-such as the Union, Bank and
Bank Of St. Louis, thirty-fvea cents discount
instead Of Governments funds, ETC., etc. are full.
ly In evidence before the committee, but ali are
on par with those given above. No frauds
were found 10 the Commissary Department, but
the report of the committee will exhibit the
transactions OF the other departments 10 an ex
ceedingly unfavorable light. As the California
| contractors are charged by the committee with
being largely interested In many of these con.
tracts, we give their namesi Joseph Palmer, oI
the firm Of Palmer, Cook 4 Col Lsonidal
HaskelL E. L. Beard; Major Seloyer, Of the
arm OF Selovar & Sintsrn, Real Estate Auc
tioneers, and I. c. Woods, manager Of Adams
Express Company. -, '...'-,----..---
Three of these gentlemen are living in St
Louis In fine style, and two are on Gen. Ere
| mont's staff. .,,1.s-.g 9 4
The committee could have continued their
| Investigations further, but they believe they
have sufficient evidence, and have gone to Cairo
to examine few witnesses there. They will
then visit Louisville and Cincinnati, and take
| evidence OF any frauds existing in the depart
ments of thole citiea