New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-11-22
CANAL CLAIM FRAUDS.

| CAsEs-ClIAEGISG A HIGH PRICE FOR EARTH
AND USING AsHEs-wHAT SENATOR WOOD MAY
| DO.
! IRON STAFF CORRESPONDENT OF THH TRIBUNE
| ALBANY Nov. 20-The Legislative Committee OF
which Senator Cole is Chairman, has reached a de
parlment of the canal investigation which the Gov
ernops Commission has not yet found time to
attack-that Of awards by Canal Appraisers The
field is perhaps moro fruitful than that Of the
contract SYSTEM The robbery has been holder, and
has shown less regard for the methods Of law. Con-
spiraces would be formed between the counsel for
claimant and for the State, and the Appraisers wit
nesses would peTiuTe themselves in dr0ycs often as
witnesses woud be called for the State, and there
would be no EXAMINATION of the witnesses Tor
the claimant the sum total being an award for dam
ages often exceeding the entire value of the prop
| erty claimed TO have been damaged, which the
claimant often in accordance with previous writ
! ten agreement and counsel would divide equally
/ The share Of the Appraisers hasneyer been made
/ subject of contract. The Committee has vast reid
| of inquiry, and easily reap rich results.
| Last Spring a full exposure made in JHE
| TRIBUNE of large number OF canal awards, most of
! which bad been obtained by Senator ID. L. Wood as
| counsel and yesterday testimony was taken by The
| Legislative Committee which confirmed and more
/ than confirmed many of the most damaging state
mcnts made at that tinc. This done IN spite OF
! all Senator Woods efforts. lie conducted his own
ease before the Committeeman completely broke II
/ down. The Committee were a. drli;iy determined
that Senator Wood should have no ground OF COM
plant that be had not been allowed 10 defend HIM
/ self aud therefore practically resigned the days
! work into his hands. The witnesses examined are
all youched for as men of integrity by wcl-known
cilzcns Of their rigIborhoods and their testimony
made The most damaging array of facts that has
been marshalcd AGAINST major Wood before an in
vestgatiug committee. The Senator eXertcd HIM
self 10 divert or nuliify the force Of their state
monts, and no Doubt succeeded in keeping back
facts hat might otherwise have appeared, bUt be-
yond ibis his cl'rts were unaYang.
The first ease taken up was thdi Of tie notorious
Petit claim Which, if the testimony given yeSier-
day cannot be broken, ought to bring every man
implicated IN IT TO the prnitentiary. il VAS claim
for damages 10 land lying along the Seneca River,
caused BY the raising OF The river foot by dam
six miles below. There were go acres Of land which
the claimant sworc was worth or sualiy 500 an
acre and owing to the damage has deprecated in
value 10 so on go An award was made Of $50 an
acre, amounting, with interest, 10 more than
$4,000. Yesterday Rufus T. Petit testified that he
paid s. per acre" for The land originally; that " il
was swamp land :" that "it was never cultivated,
| owing 10 the water on il: that cit was
never worth more than ~ or 80 an acre"
Elisha Hitchcock conliruicd this witness.
Andrew W. Wagner was disposed to give the
land little higher value, thought it worth $50 or
$50. and that the land had been dsGaQed a LITTLE by
these state works, that is, in certain seasons when
tho water vas kept on longer. The allowance OF
$50 an aere was about tcire IRE ralue Of the iapd'
pag;d Voorhees, did not think citits lands very
valuable; they were low and s"ampyi take the
land at any time. and he would not want 10 give
more than $50 per fol it; th' Sc lands had not
been pIowcd and tiled.' Accepting the estimate OF
go an acre 81 that Of the value Of the land and
admitting that the State onclt to have awarded the
entire yalue Of the lands simply 81 repair damage,
and surprising hat damage proved, the amount
of which the State vas still robbed ~ this award
was -, 500.
TIE testimony as 20 the Syracuse sali-blocl cases
was quite az conclusive. The principal fraud in
these eases was the amount awarded for filling up
the lots said TO have been overlooked with earth.
The price charged in most of the eases 10 and
80 cents yard, and the amounts oI earth varied.
In one case 900 yards charged for; in another
1885; in others 2.445, l.410, 1875, 3,OSG, 111i,
1922 The truth was that probably many, if not
all of these lots flied, if ut ALL with ashes,
which are produced in such quantities In the salt
blocks that manufacturers are compelled to pay TO
have them carried of, and always glad to give .
them away Martin Cooncy. of Mr.. Woods
claimants, sworc positively the other day
before the Committee that his lot was
filed with earth, 1850 yards being the
figure accepted by the Appraisers at 10 cents yard.
This was the argcs, of lhese awards. Samuel Kent,
q man Of character, whose bu-ines- has kept him
for many years about the sait-b'ocks sworc just a.
positively yesterday that Cooney did not Ill in his
block with earth, that If lac did put ia any," he
thought he lid not put in 80 yards Angus
tu- Avery thought the value OF Cooney'- block, be-
fore The ra.iLg of the banks OF the canal was
$1,000 If IN good condition. the award which SEM
ator Wood obtained amounted with interest, 10
~, lls rs. Edward T.. Chapman gave strong testi-
mony to the real cost Of raising ,he salt-bl0cks,
stating that all these blocks were on low ground
and could be raised, least OF them, tor from
$500 to II 800.
Perhaps the most striking ease was chat of Jere-
miah L. Barnes, who Owned salt blocks the
same level with C0Oney's, aud suffered damage to
the Amount of 800 $500 f0oRey's damage tGs
atom he same or.0aaiMr Wood got 5000 for
Cooncy. Mr. Barnes raised his blocks Just as many
of these claimants did at that time, I" to increase
their hight aud 90 increase their capacity - he
made claim for damages, but sold out before
getting any he 10 get third OF the allowance
after all expenses were paid; biz share 10
1920 17'-hearly the whole original damage. The
whole award including interest, 1861, or
abOnt six times the amount of the damage. So that
Mr. Wood in receiving his fec of One-half, which
was his clis OInary charge and which he is known
to have received in this case pOcketed three times
the amount of the damage as stated by the original
claimant himself. Before the trial of the ease, Mr..
Barnes declared that he would not swear to more
than ~ 00c damages if called to the stand, and was