The New York herald., 1875-08-25
ouautiie. IPrtcs
THE DEN1soN AND DEIDEN CONTRACTS.


On Monday August o. it will be recolectod Judge
westbrook. sitting in Chambers at New York, on tho
application of Deputy Attorney General Fairchd,
granted an attachment against the property Of Henry
d. Denison, James j. Belden, A. c. Bclden and Thomas
Gale to the amount of s417 900, and also
orders of arrest against the parties,
requiring them to furnish bail in tho
sum of 100000 each. The writ Of attachment
directed to Sheriff Cossct of Onondaga in which
county the parties above named reside and in which it
supposed the bulk of their property situated.
The Sheriff yesterday made the levy directed in the
writ, and to-day his return thereto was filed in the
County Clerks Office of this county, together with
schedule of the property seized tho value
being placed thereon by two disintcrcscd appraisers
The total value of the property seized foots
up SG05 97 nearly 5000 600 in OF the amount
claimed and is divided among the four defendants
iolows:-Dcnison 1927 1873 James Belden $l5G 100;
A. c. Bolden, 1922 500 and Gale 500 900
The Joint Legislative Committee charged with in
vesticating canal matters met in this city today pur-
suant to adjournment The contract of Bel
den Co. for building dam Mt otisco
Lake formed the basis of the examination In the
original estimates three Of land to be cleared
nj so per When the first appropriation
hausted bill passed the Legislature providing for the
continuance of the work. and for clearing the lands
around the lake, provided that SAID clearing should be
done in accordance with the original contract price.
Under this bill the contractors cleared four hun
dred acres for which they drew from the State somc
$30000
TESTIMONY OF MR. MASON
The first witness called Mr. Mortimer Mason who
testified as follows:-I reside in Stafford Onondaga
county and have resided there the forty years
am familiar with the surrounding soil and with Lake
Otisco; in its natural state the lake was
basin surrounded by hills before enlarged by
the State the lake was milo wide by five miles long;
IL was fed from streams from the South; the timber
standing tho lands ought to have paid for the clear
ing the State paid $50 900 for haEing the lands cleared
think the money unnecessarily SPENT do not know
any of the contractors who had charge of the work.
TESTIMONY or MIR. HALL
Samuel B. Hall sworn-Have had charge of the dam
at the1oo OF otisco Lake for the last five years. saw
the dam while It was being built and know the surround
ing lands; was employed to build the gate frame by
G. II. Sweet; did not know that building the gate
frame was part of the contractors duty; two
of the Beldens were at the work good
were made of whitc oak the slope wall on each side of
the dam laid on the ground the ground was muddy
and wet; there foundation of timber laid for the
wall to rest on; the wall contained one tier of common
field stone the slope wall is tumbling down
have repaired it with gravel; would not call such
wall permanent wall water leaks through it as If it
sieve; If the wall had been built 1t ought to
have been IL would not have needed the repairs put
quired in the specifications; at the lake there
sixteen acres of land covered with underbrush and
elders.
EVIDENCE s. L. WHITE.
Samuel I. White sworn-Livc within three miles of
Otisco Lake; in 1869 began work a day aborcr on
the dam; next was made ovcrseer of the wheebarrow
men; subsequently placed over the men dong the
mason work; quarry stones were used for the
front of the dam and loose field stones for the uncx
bng done TO speak OF; grubbing could
not have been done without my knowledge aound the
dam; temporary dam was built before began TO
work; it gave way before | came on the ground; in
April last got letter from the Superintendent direct
ing me to repair the dam as quickly as possible; had
heard about the canal investigation and supposed tho
design of raising the water to hide the stumps
the dam and the slope wall
JAMES sHARP's EVIDENCE.
James Sharp sworn-Thc wood upon the lands
cleared would pay for the cutting; there grub
bng be done save about the foundation Of the dam
it, stumps left and also some trees standing;
no timber was used in the foundation of the slope wall
the stone work of the dam of dressed stone in the
'front.' and in the unexposcd places rough stones were
used.
Adjourned till three O'Clock P. NJ
AFTER RECESS.
MILES,
At the afternoon session Mr. Alfred Miles, of Otisco,
testified that he had sold 20 600 rails for Beldcn Co.
at $50 per 1000 Samuel H. Stanton of Stafford, near
Otisco Lake. testified that he knew John Ackets He
owned about six (thc State allowed for twelvc);
| owned about four acres; never got any pay for my
interest; could have made handsome profit out of tho
job if allowed to clear the land for the timber
ALANsoN HICKS EVIDENCE.
Alanson Hicks testified that he lived at Marcellus;
owned sawmill at loves end of the lake; in 1865
sawed SO SO feet of timber taken from the Otsco Lake
lands foc Bcden & Co. it was hard wood worth $l3
per 900 feet
ME- WILLIAM NEwALL's TESTIMONY.
William Ncwall testified that he lived at Marcellus;
succeeded Hicks in the mill sawed % 900 feet of timber
for Beden 4 Co; it worth $l4 per 600 feet;
there $50 acres of stumps now on the lands pre-
tended to be cleared saw no evidence of the stumps
being grubbcd
TESTIMONY or ALBERT TAYLOR
Albert Taylor, of Marccus, testified that he saw
eleven teams engaged for three weeks drawing away
timber that never came TO the mill; 1t went to Camius
and other places.
TESTIMONY Atoyzo BROWN.
AlonZo Brown testified that he lived in the Otsco
Valley at the head of the lake; he engaged
mill; sawed 2OJ $50 feet of timber for Bclden " Co. IN
cap q lc timber we'll
JOHN BENTnEysEN's EVIDENCE
John Van Bcnthoyscn testified that he lived at Otisco
and owned forty of the land that flooded;
would have gladly cleared the land for the timber;
thirty-threc of my lory-our acres cleared; the
state. allowed Belden Go, for clearing thirty eight
acres; there was no grubbing done the land
Hooded ii long before it. was cleared; they
these carried away the first freshet; there is
abundance Of floating timber coming down now;
bought some wood from Iclden n Co to burn at the
school house, and paid them $50 for It; do not think
there were 479 acres cleared by the contractors
NoAH BRIGGS
Noah Briggs testified that he owned land near Otisco
Lake; fourteen acres of it were nowed 1t meadow
land(Satc allowed for clearing two of timber)
there was timber the meadow land SAW con.
siderable clearing done other property but grub
bng; would not gvo much for such clearing as
done.
BY Mr. Smith-How much of n swindle do you think
there in it when the state paid $40 Tor clear
ing and threw the timber in
Wtncss-rhink there was about $50 Of n swindle at
lcast $l5 is n good price for good clearing; man
could clear all the brush OH my land in days and
cannot account for how Bedcn Co. received $40 for
the work.
FREDERICK WEEKS EVIDENCE.
Frederick Weeks testified that the cutting of timber
from his lands poorly done; they said If cutthc
timber before the appraisal it would be deducted from
the appraisal; would have cleared tho land for the tim
Der aud have done IL wcll--not as they did it,
Senator CucIf you had contract to clear and grub
the land would You leave II in It's present condition and
say II was in compliance with your conlractS
Wiincss-No, sir; would not
l.. NILES STORY.
James l.. Niles tostilcd that he owned twenty-five
acres ploughcd by Beldcn & Co. eight nine acres
IN TIMBER there would have been hadsomc profit
20 clear IL for the timber; some of the land they did
clear M ALL the black ash they cut into rails Orin
Griffin had about five OF timber land he State al
lowed Bcdcn x Co Tor clearing nlne acrcs); in 1868
they cut timber from my land before u was appraised
and would give no explanation for doing
JOHN a. DAVIS EVIDENCE
John A. Davis testified that he owned ten acres Mt the
foot of the lake and live Mt the head, all covered
by timber; the contractors did not clear IL In work
manlikc manner; would have paid for the privilege OF