New-York tribune., 1875-10-11
paid for rs 736O yards at 80 cents yard four times
it's fair value.

COSTLY " ERRORS OF JtDGMfNl.
Mr. Dcnson's bid for rock excavation, in the contract
now under consideration prcdccd upon an estimate of
only 600 varis, was So cubic yard EX-Satc Engineer
TAYLOR and the present State Engineer, Sweet, and
also Mr.. Croker. testify that 81 80 per GU
bic yard would no liberal price for such
work or just one-hslf Of what was paid the con
tractor Mr. Crocker desgnatos the extraordinary in
crase IN rock excavation OF judgment on the
mart Of the Engineering Departmenta pretty expensive
error TO the state will appear by bis own testimony
o. As Division Engineer IL was your duty, as under
stand IT, 90 make maps and necessary Tor the
letting ol work for extraordinary relairsf A. Nes' Sir
but could not do 1t myself IN pSIsonc e % whom, to
state looked that such things should he done A. sup
20 A / understand you no special survey and esti
mates werc made this Billiards. Bend iensf A. No.
% You only took traeing the map Of the enlarged
canal and the quantities that were obtained at the time
the original survey was madc' A. That Is H. .,,
O. n now appears that through mistake or through
lack Of Judgment otherwise Che part OF the Engi-
nSSsns ,nr S%, be rock at 500 yards Instead o. as
shown by the hnal estimate. nearly 10000 Yards ana
rock about 81 30 yard A. THAT is what
Iput 1t down at. ,.,. -. ,o
pcrience tie part Of the Engncerng Cols haS cns1
,hesa,e how much as IgEai9s T'S TS bald
o. WHAT would the amount Of rock excavation m as rs
shown by tlc fnal estimate cost multiplied pS II oV'
@ That Abducted from the amount credited the Son con,
througi the error Judgment of the Engineering ise,
that particular ttcmf ~ 1es, Sif' I1aI
seems to be
strange coincidence, however, that ike error
OF Judgment observable in the items Of slope wall anu
alton, and that t also accrues to the aVa
tue Of the contractor. Mir. Dentson obtained this con
tract b, bidding very low price Tor the earth excsva-
tion and o!ope WALL both major quantities hich couu
moi be constructed without loss 10 himself. and &n 61-
ceciingls high Price for the rock excavation, minor
quantity We have that The estimate OF slope wall
was 900 crc yards, and yet none whatever was 'uh'
its place being supplied by vertical wan and That the
e,rth excavation which MI Crocker estimated a he let
ting a. 10000 yards and for which only eight cents per
ss.s72 s.S&''' - '''''' W.
not ERRORS. BCT FRAUDS.
But these large differences in quantities errors
on the mart OF engnecrsi We believe not On the coH-
tar we consider them deliberate frauds upon The STATE
conceived and carried out N the iutoiest OF the con
tractors II is in evidence that Mr. Bahcocs IN th'
original survey returned the quantity Of rock eXcINd
ton upon this section OF the canal at l,2CO yards ana
that Mr. Croc&cr reduced il TO orehat or GOO yards
when making up the quantity sheet; that pri0r
to the letting, and at the time the survey
was made, test pits were dug by the cA-
cipeer md the rock exposed view hat Mr. CrOchcr
was conycrsant with the locality and had been ire
ouently upon the grounds aud finally that the rock
cropped oui ab,ve the surfa" and apparent to he
most casual observer Mi. Bulard, gentleman "i SUB
stance and intelligence, owner Of large paper mn IN
schuylerville and also Of the farm through winch ths
excavation aud Improvement was made icSlleS lS oi-
lows relative To the rock:
O. At the time the survey made fog the clareemcni
ami change line OF the Ciampain Canal at B"lrds
Bend through OuT farm was Vt Weltbno%h ac' ' II
was rock formation. and that rock CfCppaI out ~ %
surface in one ac, ana came Nllah a iDw van, r, &c &c
two three feet 81 the surface oi tlr ec .tc c'sS
your farGii A. Yea, sir; II was wen known INV GU
cncefs Who an de ihc surveys dll make itS-tS acFoe'
INV lot n, Billiards. Bend when thcy made the survey
and dd aScc that rock existed to my NnowledH"
q VS. that tHo suyey ttat Was uia0e previous 10 uIt
time ihcy commcrcol work on the Jobs A. Yes Sir At
was previous TO lCi;in. OF the work ,..,4.
wrrk across your farm at Tuari's BendY y Nut *
acty ren nber The leiuug but canno, now tse & nc
dhe: and snow that th' survey was mate ana 'cS' pS
dug pr.or % the letting
This evidence appears TO be conclusive in opinion
togc coal lave been dOa5t of ts actual existence
AwRR1CHFD PIECE or CONTRACT WORK.
We now turn TO another aspect OF this contract 1t
might he inferred that in return or the large remn'a
ton rcrefvc by Dcnison the state the work wond
have been faithfully performed and Of an uneNepOhd
ble character An examination, made by this Conms
sion IN yay last before the opening OF navgato' does
not warrant any such conclusion The vertical Wal WAS
bad in ovcry respect large portion Of The stones were
usond and entirely unfit for the purpose; those tha
were of better quality inferior IN size ana dlA
not at a correspond with the requirements OF
The specihcations the wall was built without bonl Oh
through headers. and in several places MAJ laieh h'o
the canal Judging from these and other places that
were taken down and examined the wall was 6i' Will
front face To the prism, and with mass OF sinai 1eg
ular-shaped stones thrown IN behind aud next to the
bank ny which they supported In speaking OF TINS
wall, Mr.. Billiard teStifies:
O. state what the character of the vertical wall Is tEa
Is constructed thce2 A. The ciaa ter Oi thr W' Is 'o
good in three four places across my 1"llh on
both SIDES slipped iuO the canIi the trst spring IL was
q The same srinc it was constructed A. The fret
epng ae. construction 30 or 40 1cet lcll dOWh Oh
tie letting in Of the waters. go ..,
watch that wall wa, constructed \. Ics. Sir
o. Give the szcs of the stones near rs you can now
rocOcct A. They varied IN size very iaurh Yer! sha
AZ thpru
tally OF the slate rock cNcaNatei RON ihe Dotom "I '
canal ., ..,..-,.
stcncf A. No, Sr; It would dissolve r'hdy DS lIos'
and action Of the water. .,...,...,
Ave-. sir: throw anon tn ground will all dissolve
q. Wilt dissoivr with greater rap"y Wncrc 10 eN
posed 10 the action oi ir0S anu "dte9f a 90 h"t
,oN S,r slouiG think IL would no, in frCStaa j. would
on the surface il dssOves very ouck; sometimes At VIII
O. h61u. what proportion Of tho ycrical wails that
were constructed there were made up rom thit s"'e
rOck4 a. | did net examine Il closely enough ,,,
O Wss there q considerable proforiiont A. should
thnk onc-quarter or on"-si IN ~, e,
q. PROM sixth 20 a Q"artcri 4. yes, Slr. . D.,
q How IS the other portion az stone; were tty sud
carefully with The headers - To- give the wall goo"
O. Was IT irrea1iarly laid in the back A. Yes Sir.
q The hack WAS i1cguarly iaid by stone thrown IN
were placed at the same time. -, ... a..
q Mas it laid make ono solid wall or was Their
simply "A face built1 A. The wall was ali lt together
q. Was there equal 70 oneIuaItcr Iaiu WIN he"Ies'
O. Anything like that proportion OF hcaders' A No,
q. Was this substantially the condition of the wall-a
face TO the can3land the remainder OF the wa" pu'
with irregular shaped stonesi A. los, Sir
O Aud OF very different szcsi A. Very different sizSs
4, How small was any of the about how small
Considerable quantity OF them wore from two 10 ioui
inches thcS averaging IN Sl2e from siA 10 h'e
inches square
Alanson Chase foreman the superintendent Of that
division canal also escs to the character of the
O. Are yoI familiar with the Bullards Bend work :
A. YES. Sir ,.,.,., =, .,