New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-04

go which have been paid credited TO this con-
tractor, he should be permitted TO retain
DISREGARD OF THE LAW.
At Az early stage of our examination OF witnesses
Il appearcd
/. That of the contracts in trplcate one of which
is required by law to he deposited with the Canal
Commissioner Of the Division in which the work
was TO be done and another with the Auditor OF the
Canal Department. but could be found, thus de-
featnc one of the chief purposes OF the law req'ur
ing tie contracts 20 he made in tripicate-that oil
increasing the facilities for detecting any fraudulent
alteration OF their text, crime not without pTece
dent in the comparatively recent annals OF our
canals.
2 That there are no recorded details of any OF
this work to be found from the time the contract
WAS Lex. I'm September 1869, until December 1870
ncr for the work done during the year from April l.
1873. to January 1874. for which work however,
dome during these periods the contractors have
been credited with the sum III the aggregate Oh
$177.447.
2. The laws required that "before any work shall
he contracted FOR any Of the canals of the State
The Division Engineer shall cause to be ascertained
with all practicable accuracy the quantity OF en-
bankment excavation ard masonry. ana the guam
tity and quality of al materials 10 be used, and al
other items of work to be PLACED under contract,
statement of which, together with maps plans ana
specifications corresponding with those adopted by
tie Canal Board and file in the Office OF the Stte
Engineer and Surveyor shall be publicly exhibited
10 ner.ons proposing for the work to be let. The
quantities so exhibited shall be used IN determining
the value of the propositions received and after che
contracts shall have been awarded said statement OF
Quantities together with the maps, plans and speci-
fcations and all other papers relating to the Wolk
advertised and which were exhibited as AFORESAID,
and are necessary TO identify the plan and extent oil
The work as awarded, shall be filed in the office OF
the State Engineer and Surveyor, accompanied VITA
the certificate of the Division and Resident En-
snsers stating the time and place they were 80 ex
libited"
We not only failed to fluid any surveys, maps, ana
estimates such As should have preceded the et'lng
of this contract, but have LEANED from Mr..
Croker the Division Engineer. under whose diiec-
tion the work was initiated. that none were ever
made: that the work WAS begun and carried on Tor
more than year without any record to show thai
sincle cross-section taken, or any other means
provided fol- ascertaiDing the original proportions i
tne prism of the canal even .Idt the lire OF Inc
voIA was located at all
a. "rba regulations Of tic Engineering Depart
1uet require that the field notes OF the engineers
f,on which all the estimates are co.puted, shall DC
carefully recorded III INK at the tune Oi haiihg' OF
daring the day on which they are taken, and all
these notes. computations and measurements trans
frred to books TO be- furnished by the State Epgi-
ucer the diagrams and plOttngs to nc entered on
REGULAR scale" We found very few field books
none at all tor several years, and not one PRIOR 10 ol
visit 20 tbs work, that was linked up. Some are IT
yeyocably lost. Mr. Oliver one OF tho assistant en-
pineers and the one who began the work, When dls-
missed from the service carried his book away Win
linn and detained it, assigning as reason that II
Was incomplete and that Mr.. Babcock, tle Resident
Engineer, neglected 10 furnish aim the data Ior
completing it, and therefore he was not Wiling 10
sur,eudcr il in its imperfect state Some two years
ar.,r his removal Inc svears the book was burned up
with lis fathers Office.
such Of these notes as were transferred 10 Office
books were transferred i'll pencil. They are rapidly
l. coming iudlstinci; they bear abundant evidence
81 having been frequently eflaced and altered; they
are very incomplete; they in no instance dohIIte4!
locate the work they purport to describe; trey
rarely furnish the requisite data Tor computing tue
eusnfites: they do not give date by which to de-
t.rniae when the particular work was done, nor tie
FONTS to which the measurements gwen leiol.
= 'Tbel3w requires every engineer on whose GER
tjGcate pavmeDts are made for any pdb.ic work to
enter ma book to be kept for that purpose every
announcement made by himself or bis assistant Win
al explanations in regard to the location and
character of tn material, if the same has not been
,lacel in public work. as viii enable The successor
Il deni. ~ and the maternal toi the use OF Inc
satc. and on leaving Lhe public service sueh book
q measurements shall be deposited with tie Secre-
t., OF the Board Of Canal Commissioners
40 record of this kind appears to haze been pre-
e.lved nor are there any means OF asceriaAng the
Am amt oil material belonging TO tie state at the
opeing f navigation any one year snlce this con-
tact was let
The lack of any original survey and Of the maps
and estimates which shOuld have preceded ibc let
ting of this contract. together WITH TIE ia OF q
considerable proportion OF the engineering record
that should have been made duIlng the progr s. Of
the work under it, and tie fragrant rnp@4ecions oil
such as are preserved have greatly increased the
labor OF the Commissioners. 1t has been necessary
10. Only 10 make new computations from measure
uen.s made by our own engineers, bat to re-clasly
and compute anew q very large.pToportion Of he
surveys which have been preserved, for u wa Soon
apparent that no reliance cogld be placed upon the
monthly estimates Of the engineers.
DEFECTS OF THE WALL.
By the aid of these calculations and the testimony
Of the witnesses we have above enumerated, We
were enabled TO confirm, in reference to ;he whole
work. the impressions had formed Of ii from The
lart, we had dissected in April, ana to WHICH your
attention has already been invited.
The wall, which, III accordance with the CONTRACT,
should have been composed of sound, well-shaped,
aud durable quarry stone not less than SIX inches in
thickness and three feet area of bed, did not answer
& these requirements in any particular. Upon inns
CONT the State Engineer, Mr.. Sweet his deputy.
fir Greene and Division Engineer Yates, are all en-
,,r,ly agreed Mr. Dunsbacli, one of the Witnesses,
VINO furnished q large portion OF the stche s"Ore
that there was only here and there stone as large
hvt ha