The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-10-14

We print herewith detailed statement,
taken from the official records IN the
Comptroler's office, Of the expenditures
of the Dock DE- partment 1t may be safely
said that nothing relating to city eXpcndi-
lures since the accounts of the New Court
House were unearthed and brought into
the light of day. presents such an exhibition
OF waste % the public money. The state
ment reveals the results brought about by
a combination of ignorance, fraud, and
self-conceit.
Since the original Commission retired
from Office in May, 1873 no less than
e., $50, 9sG has been spent on the Improve
ment of the water front" OF this great
sum- only $500 has been expended in Sc
curing property rights along the river,
the remainder having been used in build
ing river walls that it is now evident must
be torn up, i'll building and patching up
wooden piers, constructing yachts, main
taiuing the official state, and buying red
tape. A novice strolling along the water
front where this money has been spent
cannot fail to wonder where all these mil
lions have gone. He sees here and there a
little patch Of river wall encumberng a
Nut3illi SIP, anu etuit lltN INtuhs anu pllts
around wooden piers, but that Is all.
Gen. GILMORE, Gen. NEWTON. and Mr..
WoRTHEN have begun their appointed
task of inspecting the work Of the Dock
Department which the departments new
engineer pronounccs a bungle aud fail
ure. II is an unhappy ending of the lahors
of the Commission, a sad case OF self-Stul-
uhcatiou and gloomy example of the
waste of the peoples money 10y a high
sounding board of eminent citizens, to
whom was asSigneda public improvement
of vast importance, and involving large
expense.
The present Dock Commissioners threw
overheard Gen. McCLrLLAN's plans, adopt
ed by the original board and approved by
the best engineering authority, and substi-
tuted an untried mode of construction,
proposed by clique Of engineering in
fants in their service, and which, under no
circumstances, would save a penny in the
cost of building. This new-fangled con-
struction, moreover is now tumblinG to
pieces. II is the work which Messrs. WALES
and WEsTERvELT asked the Mayor to have
examined by "A post-mortem engineering
board of experts, and which they spoke of
as having been approved by their "prede-
cessors"
This attempt TO throw on the shoulders
OF the old Commissioners whose plans they
cast overheard, the odium of failure in
their bungled performance Of the altered
plans, cannot save the present board
from ridcule. They and they alone
are responsible for the work they now
"a, I, l., ~
them to try to make scapogoats of
Gen. GRAHAM and Mr.. VAN buren,, his
chief assistant, their late engineers; for
what they did was done under the Com
missloners' orders, by their direction, and
with their hearty approval.
If the work which the Commissioners
themselves now discredit proves as bad as
they in their quandary represent il to be,
it, present great cost must receive further
addition, In order TO take II down or thor
oughly reconstruct il from top to bottom,
So rs to save il, if possible from tumbling
into the river. Think Of "A river wall rest
ing on piles the heads Of which are not
even sawed of, but are all splintered up
just as they remained after the powerful
blows of the massive pile driver! You
might as well base wall on corn husks.
Yet this is the sort Of work that that
shrewd, experienced, aud practical man,
Mr.. WALLS. sanctioned. II shows how n
man may display the greatest energy, in
tclligcnce, aud foresight in his private
business and yet when he comes, however
hon' stlyi to undertake that of the public,
fail TO exercise ordinary skin and prl-
dcnce. II the work under examination
has TO be torn down ana replaced, the city
will have pretty bill to pay-about three
times what it would lave cost if it had
been rightly done in the first place.
We sympathize with the Commissioner:
deeply in their desperate straits; but there
Ia no help for them but TO face the conse
quences OF their conduct squarely. The
more they try to wriGgle out of the scrap'
anto which they have got themselves. thu