The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-04-08
.atnamsaltleybA WsH
THERoBEsoN INVESTIGATION.

| W1s1NdToN, April B.-The Naval In
yestlgation Committed met this evening
Mr. Dana and his counsel werenot pres
Rear Admiral Boggs was Examined b,
Secretary Robson, BE testified that b
has been in the navy ior iorty.flve yeara
was president Of tho Board. which exam
ined tho Secor claims; he considereC
them according to contract; he examine,
and found they had not been paid. Sidii
lar claims were paid Miles Greenwood
under secretery Welles.i The claims werI
ordered to be treated alike. In the allow
ance Of the Secori claims, everything no
under the contract was thrown out. Wit
ness thought the Board OF which he wa!
presidehtS did not include any Or the al
lowances Of March, and the Board ID
1869 concluded that tho law Of 1868
which allowed Secor, Perrine 6 Co.
$116, 600 in iull settlement, did not apply
TO the case, but as the members were moi
lawyers, the question was for the Depart.
ment TO settle. The Board allowed Miles
Greenwood payment extra Of the contract
BY Secretary Robson Tho same allow
ance was made,astothe Tippecanoe, which
was about similar 20 those Of .Secor's.
Chiei Engineer LorinS, who was one Of
Boggs board, was examined by Secretary
Robson, and testified that the same work
was done by Secors as on the Tippecanoe.
The extras were not in the bill previous.
ly paid Secors. -. .-itA al. y, ~ 7
By Mr.. Archer Did not knowWhether
any bills presented by Secors were mark
ed as reported by the former board. The
member Of the Secor company who ap-
peared before the board was not sworn as
to his account. The board took no
declarations other than those Of the Off.
GERS who composed 1t, and the fact that
similar payments were made on other
monitors. lA.-
Mr.. King, Chief ofthe Bureau Of Steam
Engines, was examined by Secretary
Robson, and testified that the board was
authorized by Congress under the direc-
ton Of Secretary. Welles; the claims Of
Secors were ruled out as not coming
within the law; witness went to Europe
on his own motion; he had some Difficult.
ty In obtaining leave OF absence. ai
MIR. Archer remarked that 1t appeared
from the report of the board for March
that 1921 ,195 had been paid Secors for
work over and above their contract
prices. Witness said that he presumed
that the statement was correct. h. EI.y g
MIR. Archer said that Secors received
$4,000 damages and $4,000 besides.
MIR. Brodhead, Second Comptroller tes.
titled that lie was the officer having the
ultimate decision OF the accounts. When
vouchers came to him for payment-$93
600 to Secors-his impression was that the
allowance was a mistake. He took them
up to tho Secretary Of the Navy and
called his attention 70 law Of 1868. Wit
ness went over thelaw with the Secretary
and both came To the CONCLUSION that the
acts of 1S67-6S were completely In pGri
mdterta, and must be construed with re-
gard to each other; that the awards made
by the Board designated and acted only
on claims that could not he allowed by
the department outside of the contract,
being in the nature OF damages, Witness
pcChnlo ShIlSIlcli Will tuc NlcW lhhGu ny
the Secretary, and had no doubt Of its
correctness since the law of 1868 said
that $115O0O should in iulI discharge all
claims against the United States on ac-
count of these vessels, upon which the
Board made the allowance as per their
report under the act of March 9, 1867.
There was no need of any Intervention of
Congress as there was large balance due
Secors. Witness was entirely satisfied with
the passed vouchers, and said that it
was not unusual to reopen accounts.
It was sometimes donei II 1t was sup
posed that the claims were just; he never
had any directions from the Secretary of
the Navy TO favor anybody, but he re-
ceived letter from the Secretary. as fol-
Inwa, aI| fs. #. r..