The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-04-04
FROM WASHINGTON.
rCincinpati Commercial, March 3lst.

lCincinnati Commercial. March 3lst
THE DISTRICT INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE
moved INTO more healthful and cOmmOdiOus
quarters to-day. The important develop
ments of the days session were elected
from men employed by contractors under
the Board Of Public Works. The b street
sewer being under investigation, three
bricklayers who had worked on that i'm
provement were examined. Richard SOrrell
testified that at least one third of the bricks
used were what are known as "salmOn," and
are of the sOftest variety. Will Curry, who
assisted in the construction of the sewer.
testified that three-fOurths of the brick used
were of the salmon variety. sewer
built Of that quality of brick would not
last more than three years. The owner of
the yard from which the +" salmon brick
were furnished, was also the contractor for
building the sewer, and sold all the good
brick produced at his kiln for sidewalk pur-
poses.
George w. Cliff, another witness of the
bricklaying profession, testified that two
thirds of the brick used in the Is street
sewer were Of the sOftest variety. The
Board of Public Works, he Informed the
committee. at first had three inspectors to
superintend the construction of the sewer,
and see that the provisions of the contract
were faithfully performed. One Of these ex-
perts in sewer construction was shoe
maker, another painter, and the third was
a practical bricklayer, but the latter individ-
ual, Mr.. Cliff remarked. knew too much
about the business to snit the contractor, and
was discharged. The inspecting after that
was solely in the hands of the shoemaker
and the painter. These worthless, instead of
looking after the interests of their EN-
plOyers, acted as sentinels for the contractor,
and gave warning of the approach of Chief
Engineer Phillips, of the Board of Public
Works.
When this gentleman was observed coming
toward the working party. the laborers and
hod-cfxriers were at once SGT to work "cOl-
oring DE salmon brick. This was done by
pouring water on them, which had the ef-
feet of darkening their color. The con-
tractor never allowed more than two or
three loads OF brick to be delivered at the
work at one time, and was thus enabled 20
speedily color up those in the street when
Mr.. Phillips was known to be coming.
During the little time that the professional
bricklayer was one of the inspectors the con-
tractor was not permitted to use inferior
material. The shoemaker inspector still re-
mains in the employ Of the Board Of Public
Works.
The only other interesting testimony ad-
duced was that Of carpenter named HUI
DER, who worked for the Board Of Public
Works, uCder direction Of superintendent
named Linnigcr. Most of the time that he
received pay from the District Government,
he was employed in the construction of
barns and stables for the employees Of the
Board of public Works and contractors. He
continued to perform this kind of work for
a long time, knowing meanwhile that it was
all wrong. Finally, when Linniger ordered
him to go to the house of an employee of the
of rio To ir fi,r t,,rl
his conscience rebelled and he reported the
matter to Governor Shepherd, who caused
Linniger to resign his place. Witness testi
fled that the lumber owned by the Board of
Public Works was used in the construction
of the stables ment Oned.
NEW LIGHT ON sANBORN RAsCALITIES.
The following letter, received to-day by
Mr.. Foster, Of Ohio, tn Ows more light on
the manner in which the Sanborn contracts
were carried out:
"UNITED STATES INTERNAL REVENUE, }
Collectors Office, Sixth District, Indiana,
Indianapolis, March q, 1874.
a Eon. Charles Foster. House of Representatives.
Washington. c.:
Sir-In the teldgraphic dispatches of
this mornings papers, l notice the follow
ing statement, viz: IF. NJ. Green and o. +.
Presbry, the agents employed by SanbOrn
to work his Western railroad cases, were
examined at length. They both testified
that the cases they had dealt with were not
of record in any internal revenue offices,
and denied that t.ey had ever represented
themselves as agents of the Treasury De-
partment. They admitted, however, that
they had never announced themselves as
agents of Sanborn, but had left parties to
draw their own differences from the secret
service credentials which they presented.
~ desire to say that if such testimony
was given by Mr.. +. NJ Green to your com
mittee, it was false. Mr.. Green represented
himself at this Office as a Special Agent of
the Treasury Department. and nothing else.
He also presented letter from the Secre-
tary of the Treasury, directing all internal
revenue officers to give him assstance-all
the assistance in their power, is the way it
read, believe. Mr.. Green was here in this
city for somie to two weeks, at this Office
daily and during that time his mail came
to the care of this Office, and among his let
tiers were many from railroad companies
throughout the West, nearly all of which
We're addressed to him as Special Agent
of the Treasury Department.
while MIR. Green was here the first expo |
sition of the Sanborn contract business was
made through the public press, and on the
very day OF It's appearance, attacked Mr..
Green in reference to the matter, and he
utterly ana entirely denied the truth OF the |
matter, or that he was interested in or con-
nected with any such arrangement, and
said that there was no such contract in ex-
istence as the one alleged, and was so
earnest and emphatic in his denals that l
set the whole down as a false report and
made no further effort to determine its
truth, having no other reason to doubt that
he was Special Agent of the Treasury De-
partment as he represented himself.
"lu regard to his statement that the cases
they had dealt with were not on record in
any internal revenue office, l have the honor
to refer you to letter written by me on the ,
10th inst. to the Commissioner of Internal
Revenue, in reference to collection IF
5000, made by Green, from the Indiana
polls and st. Louis Railroad Company. In
that case Green represented that the Com
missioner had examined the lists, ascer-
tanned the delinquency, and sent him out |
here to collect the money.
~ have the honor to be, very respectfully, |
yonr nl,adienf sarvanf