The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1863-02-15

IA IGDlO AN AOD lOOs
/ Asst ounding Revelations About Frauds
In the Htri ng OF Transports.
| When the startling news reached the COM
munity Of the rottenness and unseaworthy
character Of the transport vessels of the Banks
expedition, some of which had foundered, while
others had been rescued with difficulty and
towed ashore in q sinking condition, public in
dignation was excited throughout the whole
country against the parties supposed to be re-
sponsible for this gross neglect or wilful fraud,
involving the lives of the brave troops who had
volunteered to fight the battles of the Union In
the distant South. A strong expression OF
public opinion constrained the United States
Senate to order an investigation. select
committee was appointed, Of which Mr.. Grimes
was chairman The transactions brought to
the light Of day by the report of this committee
are we'll calculated to astound the whole COM
munity; and the more SO because the negotia-
tons were, by the order Of the Secretary OF
War, taken out Of the hands Of the Quarter
master General, to whose department they spe-
cially belong, and placed under the control of
Mr.. Tucker, Assistant Secretary Of War.
Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York were
each the scene of these transactions; but the
largest amount Of the business was done st the
fzss named city. The dranatis psrson1s In Bal
timore were Amasa G. Hall, who acted openly
with the knowledge Of the government officials
and the shipping Interest Of that port in the
double capacity Of broker for the shipowners
and agent for the government in the hiring OF
transports; Charles Coblens, a Prussian Jew, q
pedlar and horse jockey, who could neither
read nor write English, and who suddealy be-
came an extensive shipowner. charteatng vessels
to the War Department; John F. Picauell, part
ner Of Coblens in this particular business, and
acquainted for nine years with Assistant Score
tary Tucker, who "has had heretofore business
transactions wa him" and is the only perssn
connected with the government who knew him
before the breaking out Of the rebellion; Col.
James Belger, Quartsrnaster at Baltimore, and
the Hon. John Tucker, Assistant Secretary Of
War. The actor who played the most conspicu-
GUS part was Hall. Hardly any vessels had
been chartered ct Baltimore for the last eighteen
months that had not been secured through his
agency, and Of the earnings Of these vessels
from FIVE to twelve per cent had found
its way into his pocket. During that time
it was weh understood among shipown-
ers, agents and brokers that no vessel
could secure = charter Of Colonel Belger
unless she were offered by Mr.. Hall. Accord
ing TO the testimony Of Belger himself, Of the
steamers, briggs, tugs, schsoners ships and barges
chartered since July l, 1861, wandering two
hundred In all, one hundred and sixty were
chartered directly from Hall, and twenty-five
Of the remaining forty we're owned by parties
for whom he acted and from whom he received
percentages; and it i the conviction Of the
committee that he received brokers' commits
| sion from the owners from the remaining
| eighteen. Beiger admits that Hall told him he
was receiving Eve pcr cent commission on the
charters effected through him. He knew it
| upwards Of year age, according to the test-
mony Of Mr.. Apologize, who offered to charter
his vessel directly to Belger in order to save
tho government the FIVE per cent commission
demanded by Hall; but Belger refused and re-
ferred him to Hall. In fact Hall had an I'M
limited license to charter what vessels no
pleased and to pay what prices he thought
proper. Belger says he had nothing to do
with the prices, but merely signed the charters
"to give them official character" AS a sample
Of Halls operations we may refer to the case Of
tho steamer Cecil, owned by Captain Rice, who
offered her to the government for fifty dollars
per day. Hall gave him eighty dollars, but
subsequently demanded two hundred and sixty
two dollars commission Rice at first resisted
the demand as an imposition, but ultimately
paid him one hundred and fifty dollars. At
the expiration Of month or six weeks
| Hall demanded more commission" from
Rice. The latter refused, whereupon Hall
| told him be was q secessionist, and he
would soon show him What he would do. Rice
was not intmidated by his threats, but soon
found that his boat, by order Of Hall, ceased to
be employed, and he sold her for $4,000 to Pick
rell & Coblens, who had been sent to him by
Hall to purchase her because they were ready
to pay the black mail. She was again immedi-
ately employed, and she was still under charter
at the close of last month, having earned In
eleven months s27 900. Coblens, the Jew, pur-
chased eleven vessels at cost Of $4,000.
They were chartered, through Hall, OF . cost OF
about thousand dollars per day. An old YES
sol named the Patapsco, which had been cast
off by tho government as unfit for service, was
purchased by Hall for $1,000, and transferred
to Coblens, who hired her, through this Same
Hall, to our War Department for $50 per day.
Coblens admitted to the committee that he had
refunded 81 500 TO the government which be
had fraudulently obtained upon sales Of horses
by bribing tho inspector; that he bribed three
Of the clerks in Colonel Belgers Office, and had
some connection with sale Of damaged corn
to the government. He was now very
wealthy person, rejoicing in the possession,
in whole or In part, Of ten steamers,
three bar0ea and eighty acres of valuable