The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-11-15
CITY INTELLIGENCE.
For additional Oity Inteq,oeoce coo Fit,1 pooe

| T.,Saas On vOnes, PRESIDENT OF the Board oil
Iluslees Delng the witness. As on previous
occasions, he gave his evidence with cheerful
ness' Inc refusal of the officers of the Trust to
appear before the Committee compelled Colonel
rage 10 go to President Jones ns the best in
formed person to whom he could apply.
Mr.. Jones said that he had heard that some of
tne FORMER Trustees we're interested in a Penn
sylvanla coal company. He didn't know it. He
heard Mr.. John A. Houscman, Trustee, say that
he had stock in the Shafton Coal COMPANY
and was sorry that he had.
The Hays contract made with the Shafton
Coal Company was completed. All the coal
under il was furnished. Its price was eight
dollars and fifty cents per ton, and all freights
over four dollars and fifty cents per ton and
al extra expenses for mining were to be paid
! by the Trustees Mr.. Jones said he didn't
| know any moneys had been raid for mining
Colonel Page said he had no desire to be secret
ana would say that he would prove that under
ILe We gulse Oh extra mining pay the Trust had
! PAID enormous prices for coal simply becabse
! lts trustees were interested in the coal com
! panles making contracts for coal. Mr.. Jones
sald ne dldn't know how the Trust found out
tnt wnuS aLuouht IN, was paid for extra mining. He
! supposed the engineer would know.
MI Jones said that the late contract with
alexander Harmer was valid and good. He
VOted lor It, Harmer offered to sell coal at less
prices than any Others did, his price being eipht
dollars and twenty-five cents He believed no
trustee was interested in commission But Mr.
Trustee GraeH is a clerk in Harmer's brotheris
store. Clay retorts are now being made for the
|
bought from New York.
Mr.. Jones said members Of Councils are now
DONG work for the Trust. This has always
2een SO; The members are given work because
ther plds are low, not from favoritism. These
Gounclmen are Henry G. Gram who supplies
me Trust with portion of their retorts; Mr.
Llttle, OF Common Cou~cil, is building the
Sewanh SSeVenth street otice; Or. Ray, Of Common
Souncll, mas made betting; Mf. Cres well, of
common Council, furnishes castings for the
WorEs; MI. Barlow furnishes oil; Mr. Robert
N. Evans furnishes oil: and Mr. Harper cigars
competition is invited sometimes by pronosaIs
ana sometimes by sending around circulars to
business men. "
Colonel Page asked Mr.. Jones if the Trustees
nad mad not visited colheries in Schuylku county IN
1865. by the way OF Niagara Falls Mr. JGrns
SAID that they went to the Westmoreland comfy
colileLles, coming home bv the way of Niagara
and Elmlra. So he had heard; he didn't Know
vi personal kno Wedge, MIR. Robert H. Gratz a
president OF one of the coal companies. having
contracts with the Trust, took the party. The
pennsylvania Railroad furnished its directors,
car Tor the party, and the party took cook
alo1g s ana furnished good edibles and biblbles
ior the eXcursonsts. Who paid the bills Mr.
Jones didn't know. Mr.. Gratz invited him
In the same year the Trust had an excursion
TO Boston and New York to examine The works
IN tnose cities. The Trust paid the expenses of
this journey. That one thousand dollars was
pald for the trip before it commenced and five
hundred dollars afterward added, Mr. Jones did
not know. lie had no recollection of any dis
DJ,
teeqlng expenses of the Board, he thought were
included in the three thousand nine hundred
ana htty dollars reported last year for the
sspppers and cigars, This year Mr. Jones said
the expense would be heavier. What was
annually paid for cigars and liquors he could
not tell. Latterly there were three thousand
CIGAR ordered. They were not ordered by
Trustee, and by,whom he did not know. but thew
were ordered; two thousand were returned and
one thousand kept and paid for-seventy-fve
uolars. When committees went to Point Breeze
or other works and came home at night, Mr..
Jones said they went to Prosser's and got
oysters. They were charged to the Trust
Twice week the Trust have meetings and sup
pers. The committees when they meet at night
60 10 P1ossers and take bite. For all which
the Trust pays.
Mr.. Jones said that the Trustees charged all
the gas that was not paid Tor or not used to
leakage. Thls great account included all gas
that was not included on the paid list and the
delinquent accounts He also said that the ac-
counts at the Trust have been kept uusatsfac-
torlly. The books were kept loosely, SO much
so that when the Trustees wanted to see if the
price OF gas could be reduced, no account could
be made of the financial condition of the Trust.
Two statements made by the different cashiers
were pronounced worthless, and two Trustees,
Mr.. Mccarthy and Mr.. Elliot, made a new one
the Trust paying them three hundred and
fifty dollars each. This is the fee that Councils
pronounced fraud. Mr.. Jones said neither
Trustee had refunded it to the Trust great
deal of gas, he said, was also lost by cheating
in the meters
Professor John G. Cresson was next examined.
His testimony only tended to show the former
management of the Gas Works. Colonel Page
questioned him very closely concerning the
time when the Board at their meetings indulged
in refreshments. The suppers he deposed at
first were very modest in their spread prior to
consolidation II was mere lunch; gentlemen
came from long distances to attend the meet
ings, and refreshments were necessary; liquors
were introduced long afterwards, but the wit
ness showed the Board that any workman there
do nIo,o h.oI - -
into the place, and that it was not a good ex-
ample tortne members of the Board to introduce
liquors.
The Board saw the wisdom of this course,
and the liquors were banlshed. For ten wears
the suppers were kept up, but they were not
very eXtravagant. This was the case under all
the various administrations. The cost was
charged 10 mcldentals. When Councils were
invited, the cost of an entertainment was not
more than three or four hundred dollars In
those days no member of the Trust had any
personal interest to subserve. The witness
knew every man of them intimately. and for
twenty years, IN the old modest WaV of DOM
the business of the Gas Trust, nobody could saw
a word against the management OF more
recent festivities, charged to the account of the
Trust, the witness could not testify KNOWING of
them only by hearsay. He had often hpen in
vited to participate, but had rarely done so.
At this stage OF the proceedings Colonel Pare
desired an adjournment until next Wednesday
evening. He proposes then to terminate the
investigation, and will do so if the promised
witnesses are in attendance. He also announced
that he should subpoena each individual mem.
Der OF the Trust, leaving upon them the onus of
refusing to respond to such questions as might
be asked. Mr. HoXie, the builder is also Wit
ness, whose testimony II will require ONE time
to take.
LIGHT-FINGERED.- Before Alderman Belt
ler at the Central Station, yesterday, Thomas
Dillon had hearing on the charge of stealing
Two pieces OF merino from the auction store Of
JOhn II. MYers AZ Co. Market street. Thn thnft