New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-17

Large on.ntitics Of hemlock timber for f0unda-
t;ons were estimated. of which we could bnd no
trace in tho work. More than 10000 foe6 ~ ID. OF
MAPLE birch and beech were ,esthnateo ~ vhite
oak. Over 1000 cubic yards of rock blasting was
estimated. though we have no cvidence that yard
of work eutitiod to this classification was done.
pRorIrs vRoN FAIss MEASUREMENTS
Upon these points your attcrticf,s invited 70 tf'
sopexca cxtsets from the testimony Of Horatio
seymour it,. Assistant Engineer in charge of this
section OF the canal since December last; OF Mr.
R J. Car,veil his predecessor, Under whose super
vision most of il a. DONE and of Winfield S. Lasher'
alcyeler who was instructed by MIR. Seymour to IN
spect this work and report upon it, no. LII AZ.
SEYMOUR estimates the amount which was credltfu
"a the FACTOR throagh false and fraudulent meas
urements and for which he had no prefext OF
claim. q. SI4.121 %. La his. summary OF
these false and fraudulent measurements, BIT
Seymour puts down excavation aud emhaAi>ment IN
rear of vertical walls given in the estimates of the
engineers who made them. having no personal knowi-
edge of the work when this was alleged TO have
hecn done. We have since ascertsined from the
<st;mopy of the engineers who supervised the work
that 1880 cubic yards Of earth excavation were
copxtruct,vcly estimated the greater part of which
was never done. This and other frauduientv est
mated excay alton in the prism OF the canal. wo be-
keye to as-regate 5000 yards which. at 70 cents
ward a.nouuts to 81. 900. This syells Mr. Seymours
estimate Of che amount of fictitious work ana ma
terials furnished by the contractor on THIS contract
from Sii.1o1 20 to $16,12i 81. X. j.. Cantweii'
Mr. Seymours predecessor. by whom most OF 'hese
;f,,se estimates were maas. pats thsse fictitious
charges at a ruct higher figure. ~ viii appear t~
the extract from his testimony no. LIZ whicn Is
annexed.
Hitherto we have spoken "a the work Oh thc
ber,ne SIDE Of the canal. We win now invite yonr
attention to the character and history OF the WORK
dome under that portion Of the contract winch pro-
;aes for the removal Of wall benches and the sub
situation If slope walls along tae tow-paU siae
the canal for the same distance.
Mr. Hcratio Seymour. jr., was appointed ASS ''sa'
Rrg;neer in charge of the Utica office Dec. l. le|3,
an Mace of T. j. Cantwel WAC in turn was detailed
to assist Lin. A day OF two before the wafer WIS
let out of the canals. Dir. Yates. Division Engineer
was in Utica and told Mr.. Seymour that this WORK
was to b. orcncd by Denison immediately Nosurvey
or cross-soctions of the ground had been made hci
had any OF the preliminary measurements prescloeu
by law to guard against erroneous ana Tand"ic"'
estimates been taken. The following day the eoii-
tractor sent gang of men ard core out the oehc''
xa, for nearly the entire length of the oentfac'
,ool, CHAINS or about mile and hall. THROWN
the stone on the tov.-path es nte canal, and thus
renderi.o navigation AZ that point impract'ea"io Ill
c..e from any accident, the pGo ectod improvement
sbould MOI be Completed before the reoienlng CT
the cana. No orders wepo given 10 d"iaS
tlas work until it could be CROSSE ctioned. nor ia
confne within prudent limits lie stretch Cd beach
wall torn cut On the daS TIE WORK oi"eed' MI
SeYmour was absent from U&ca WITH bir Greene
the DEPUTY State EngineeT. bat before gong
directed Sir Cantwe. of his assistants. to run a
hase line the whole length Of the work to Fnt III
tob N craC
many cress-scciious as possible. Tho line was RUIZ
nm the day the work Of tearing down tic wall coili-
n,ncaI a.d du.ing the second day some cItf>-sec-
tions welo iaen by Cantveii hut wltAout any
referonce to the base hae Of which. lhdeeo. no
record appcars to have been made OF at least pre-
served Ar. Cnntweu PROCESSES to have made one
and los. il. A few cTOss-sections were taken ait@
throe-fourhs of the wall torn owt, but no de
tanccs from the base zine to any point were socuseo
FIorrTfas ESTIMATES.
Tho FIRST Instruction which hlT seymour received
An regard 10 tlis work from the iscSideAt En-
r;neer Babco H. the day before the bench walls wee
torn down directing him, not 10 slsuld have
done. to .op Dsuison's ttli proper surrey hae
beeo made but GO got a. maIy ss-SecuonS ~ he
coEld Of lie ST .ch OF thc cana. covered By the con
tract. wlicut interTuptng the work OF denGli'ioA
Til, mex; Instructions were froa BabcOck and lat'~
througi some zen in Seymour once, to " us si''e
for iinira I'D to 1--we upt speahcaFoS though TIC
kpecifcatio:s required him to Uso Clean nara grave
for lninc IS 30 t. estimate sa:c rock excavation 81
the same lice a. rock blasted excavation though 70
blasting done aAd the cost ""' oou"1' Inc i"i-
price foY .ia.e rock excavation"
Mr.. SEYMOUR veIy properly do<iaed TO sTcn 10
esti.natas r.adc on such IsiHcpies tA ooniract"a
com,.aiL,1, and theIeupcn MI B.G'coek saNa hl
some lessons ri the AIT ~ moa ui'ig work on cahais
He wa t.,d to estimate wall As fifteen inches
thick Il a!loh gneeT iai reported IL. thouSi
he knew !,v careful measurement that 81 was iu'
little more eln hall tIat thickness; that an o'ncii
wall Wa better than 15-inG. wall, and finally mat
ayertioAl al should b. estimated to the contracts
rs if excavation had been MADE for II On slope o.
one 10 one wiz cher the excavation was sctuSiiy
male or ro aud that the contractor WAS to lie paid
both for excavation and embankinc. regardless OF
the pla Ir0visicos OF the contract to the CONTRARY
Nj SeyL,our wishing to be srce ti'at Le lad not
u,isapp!clc.dcd the directions Vi the Hcsdont In
gineer sent hiin note Y asa a lie haQ correctly I'M
dcrstood tI the contracted WAS to be paid both fr
excavation and einbanklncut WAetEor made Or not
Mr. B:.Sooci. answered this letter not in writing.
INT by s,udirg a Mr. W. E. Scott. who lie r1're
scented 10 having had lapso experience ia measure
nepts of wo.h" "Her said Mr. Br>'coch. will
exp,aia 10 you the details of the work, method Of
esti;uati;:g slope" SC. This Dir. Scott was young
man Who til lie arrived at Cuca with this letter,
had never dcuc days WORK on canal III bis he.
The Mission H. help Seymour measure this wora 10
the satisfaction ef the contractor was his very hrst
exoer!olcc Of canal ensnoeiing and he improved
so rsn;dly under Mr. Babcoc{s Instructions that
within month oftcr his transfer in April last from
this Utica woSS to DenSos's woi. at Port Schuy-
lx. trea:ed of in cur first report. he swore
to faloe estimates for labor and materials