The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-11-20
The Dock Departments Five Millions,

displayed
The Dock Departments Five Millions.
The Dock Department is now known to
be such fraud on the taxpayers that the
negro minstrcls amuse their audiences by
chanting burlcsque rhymes aboutit. Its,
however, impossible to make the thing
more farcical than 1t actually IT, The evil
dence OF Mr.. SALEM II. WALES, the plain |
spoken President OF the department. be-
fore the Legislative committee, confirms
the views taken by the end men OF the |
MINISTRIES.
Mr.. WALES said 10 the committee that |
the revenues OF the department during |
the 1--WE years of its existence have been
e., Goo 600, and its expenses during the same
period 500 ,000-rcprcs just 50 much |
addition 10 the bonded debt of the city, and |
n yearly interest account of about S350,t0O. |
Where have these Ave millions gouo2 l. the |
amount represented by the improvements
along the water front; by the rotten wall |
that Mr.. WALEs's engineering corouers |
jury is now holding inquest upon; by the |
bulgcd river wall at Christopher street,
which costs at the rate of two million per
milo, and which il sustained when the hll-
ing Is behind il by "a wooden pier built in
front OF IL; by the east ard west bulkhead
near the Battery, built by Mr. VAN BUREN,
one of Mr. WALEs's "skilful engineers"
and which has been forced out oil line by
the earth backing some eight OF ten feet;
10y few wooden piers and Che spruce
plnnks spiked on the old ones; by the
f4i, $50 department yacht, or by the $500
th. .,,r al Bn
river front
Mr. WALES, shortly after no came into
Office, wrote that "no matecial change hH
yet been made by the present Board OF
Commissioners In the original plan OF 'sn-
provenient OF the wafer front" A little
while afterward he said that after sc eng
the authorities which Cen. GRAHAM. had
quoted Ia favor of fredericksburg tina sys-
tenn adopted by Gen. NCCLPrLAS, la con
sidered him 10 be justified in aban doning
the system" IL anything further itpeces-
sary to show the mud1lo into whkh this
| bungliug commission has rot th'k model
| department, At l. furr shed by Mr.. WALES
| landscape lrntds1er hs'new chief engineer
who says he found tina. on cnse1ug on
the duties OF his OF &c IL las,-O part OF the
| work OF his predecessor w.B faulty and a. =
|
70
his own usefulnrsc as a.public man, t.
throw overheard Cen. GRAHAM ANA his
| plans Along With him, a,sd that though he
had uuqual1cdly rpproTed both cnginecr
and ms plans, and to engage now en-
Gineer who would assail. both. Ths may
| have been getting things in a shape to
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he has zone down stairs and picked m
those MANS and they are now helm
worked upon. lie should NOT however
nave turned on Gen. GRAuAM and t,ied
ID make him the sesD.poat OF the deDart.
eent's tomfoolery Gen. GRAHAM had M
u over exceDt what was t1yeu him bv hi,
81 tperiors. and IL n had b..u allowed :,
a.. his work i'm H. avn way The result
ould uudoubtedly HAY, bern far d,f
| f,reut from what il now L.
Gen. NEWTON md Con. Cr1rMonr mr.,
now engaeed i'm examining som. of fla,
work done by the Dock Dcpnrtmrnt. The,
find the rotten well built under the an.
prevail of the Commissioners 70 he in ,
much worse condition than was sluipns.o
even by Mr.. WALES. Their survey Will
therefore take much more time liam 4
was expected they would consume. Mean
time, while awaiting their report, the leg
islntive committee, now in session IN ia,
city, might by properly apportionme Tia,
details OF the matters TO he investigated
among the different members Of the Docb
Commission, arrive nj fund of facts OF
extraordinary value. We beg 10 suggest
ule following apportioumeut: The task ot
showing how much the rotten river wal
viii cost the Taxpayers Will naturally fal
TO Ar. WALES, who is experienced rs nj
aooo untant ana a. n mechanical expert
abilities acquired as IA Park Commissioner