New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-10-21
THE BUFFALO CANAL FRAUDS
Continued from First PAGE.


thing else as to put myself in position TO enable people
around me to make money dishonesty.
Shortly after Mr.. Davis had been summoned TO
appear before the Commission asa witness III aho,htr
transaction of similar character. 10 which we snail
presently have occasion to refer he sent his check
Tor s 900 to Bennett q CO.. and now claims 'nat
he only retained the $1,000 as tempcuty loan.
We viii see presently whether Mr.. Davis had any
connection with the Baxter claim but before pass
ing to that subject desire to conclude what we
shall have TO say in the report on the subject OF these
The cost of the work done under this Mowry con
tract up to July l. 1919. appears by the r. glncers
estimates 20 that date 10 have amounted 10 TZS'-
i42 IS. At the same rate of expenditure, when
completed. it will have cost over Si3o.0O0:
When this contract was let, the following osten-
tatious notice accompanied the proposals.:
NOrICK-Parties TO whom the above work shall he
awarded. will in every instance be required 10 cOni'rn
rgidy TO the requirements Of the slccncaiions and no
work will be estimated That does not iuIly ana subsa
TALLY comply herewith
If this notice was designed to encourage watch
fitness it certainly to have failed OF ITS ir-
pose for in utter disregard of the terms OF the con-
tract, the excavation on tins work has not t
lined and the vertical walls are not such as the con,
tract required and yet all this work was estimated
to the contractor al tul contract prices, us IL IL "'ic
entirely above reproacb.
THE PRoDIGAL EXPENDITURES AT BUFFALO.
We have thus far been able to touch only upon
the main features of the work done of late years by
the Canal Department in and about the Harbor oil
buffalo There has been great deal Of money spent
by superintendent on Ordinary repairs. some OF
which we have, as yet. only partially investigated.
What We have investigated, however, affords us no
reason to suppose that the remainder reflects any
credit upon those who spent the money OF upon
those who received it.. -,
Both these classes the agents Of the state ana the
contractor seem 10 have been animated by the SIN
Gle purpose of getting rs much as possible fr0ln the
Treasury and If at any time they have manifested
any forbcarancc, ii appears to have been only upon
the principle of not pluckng the pubiic goose ;"
roughly as to make it scream. In no other way can
we explain or account for the enormous sums oi
money which, in the short period OF seven years
have been pledged or swallowed mp III and upon the
harbor of Buffalo. under the prceXt of improving
the canals an amount considerably exceeding one
fourth of the original cost of the Enc Canal ~, "a
will appear by the following statement:
Total expenditure for extraordinary re-
pairs the Erie Canal slips and barbors
Susive 'O 1G9 i3o 90
fao and vicinity. from March 1863, to
May. 1872. when repair contract was cam 80 49, -,
Total 81 ,iGSI24 n
Add to this rs a part OF the expense for
which ,he state has made itself liable:
IL menfs '".-..'............... 10000 90
To complete the system of improvements
for protecting tie Ere Candl.........-. Z-'oo" w
Total cost OF these works completed or III -
progress loo9' - -
Had these vast sums of money been honestly al'-
piled by the agents of the state, and fairly earned
by the contractors-neither unhappily proves to
have been the case-we should still be obliged to
treat large portion of this expenditure AS utterly
ineXcusablc if not corruptly eXtTayagant. ,
The whole object aimed at IN constructing Inc
division wall between Black Rock harbOr and the
waters of the canal TO overcome the strong cur
rent caused by the withdrawal Of wafer IN llnncse
volume to furnish motive power 10 several mills
located upon the banks OF The canal ana harpor. ,
These mills were never entitled to more than the
surplus waters of the canal at this point They have
paid but little, and for many years no revenue
to the State and yet they are now using nearly f"r
times the supply of water necessary Tor cana Pur-
poses causing a current through the canal PRISM
almost sufficient to stop navigation 10 upward bound
boats when the sluice gates to the mills are open
more detailed statement oil these Iacls VIII pc
reserved for a future report , -,
there had been expended already on the Black
Rock harbor contracts and the Ere canal piotcc-
ton contract prior to June |, 1879, S6I7,1|e ~
For work since done and yet to be done to complete
them there must be added 100000 more, making
an aggregate of Sl.Os2,7ss ~:
A careful examination OF this whole Work 10y our
engineers has satisfied them aud MS that every 1iir-
pose contemplated by the Legislature IN authorizing
these improvements, and every practical purpose
that will be realized from their completion, could
have been fully attained for Oncfourt the expense
actually incurred In this connection we submit an
instructive and lucid report nom MI. f. oweet, Jr
the Engineer of this Commission winch we would
specially commend to your attention.
PROMISED REVELATIONS.
We will now recur to Mr.. Davis and the Baxter
award with which he testified he had nothing to do
We propose, in our next report 10 state the history
of this transaction, so lar as II ILLUSTRATES the haiu
raj and inevitable consequences Of practice when
seems to prevail to dangerous extent al this Cap-
toll and which Mr.. Davis d0glnaIcally Justlhes. We
refer TO the sale Of official influence and official Ia
Critics to the creditors Of the state: We have al
ready shown that i'll single year Mr. Davis, while
holding the position of Canal Appraiser received
over 81 ,OO0-not to speak of the 5000 which he
expects to collect from George d. lofd-for services
of which he tells us he never made any book ac-
count for which he Processes to haNeeniered lntono
contract for which he never rendered any bill. ana
l,i.I tyhnu maid hp never Va IN
All that money appears to have been pad to lnIn at
divers times, either for assisting III schemes to get
money from the state by fraud, or to overcome OBJ
sacles to the payment of debts due from the State
for which its creditors should never have been taxed
and for which. in Judgment, no State officer
could with deCenCy accept compensation.
JOHN BiGKLOw. DANIEL NAGONE, IT,,
A. f. DER joins ID. NAN BUrtN, jr.,
Commissioners.