The New York herald., 1876-07-26

without the knowledge Of the commandant Of the
yard or the civil engineer whose subordinate VA
the stock hand at the yard belonging to tho govern
ment. aud II Is evident from the proof that tnis en-
ploye one childs, either imposed upon the a.
the testimony of VIM. r. Ferguson, n. g. Mccoy Goroon
Clarence Barton and Childs himself The testimony
oil these Witnesses taken all together, makes u very
patent that the government dcirauded In this
transaction. When tho chief OF the Navy Department
acts the House will not be surprised that similar
practices are induged IN by lesser officials In evil
dencc whereof committee refer 10 The use OF gov
ernment material in the making OF small cannon ane
gun carriage Tor the benefit OF political club. al
Norfolk, Va; the use OF government material
in the manufacture OF furniture 'or Contractor
hiring 6r letting OF dredgc by the civil engineer al
Boston Navy Yard u private PARTIES and similar in
stance OF the use OF a dredging machine by W. H.
Lyons, Master Mechanic at the Norfolk Navy Yard
Under the head OF retention ONCE Of unworthy
parties by the Secretary of the Navy, the committee
say
That gross and fraudulent management exists Ia
some of the departments OF tho Brooklyn Navy Yard
is manifest from the history of transaction drawn
IRON m Chain is advertised for sale % at the
Walton The amount Of his bill shows about i49, sst
pounds of old chain purchased by him at "a cents pei
pound making $4,0l2 l5 which he contracted for and
United States Lighthouse Department at az
cents, making $5 243 TIs is bad enough its face,
but when y is shown that Hall x lackey junk dealers,
agreement TO stop bidding against him, II IS LETT mat.
ter Of doubt whether Walton charged at all with
tho whole amount that he bid OF. And II
becomes quite evident that your committee do NOT
speak OF the transaction more severely than It de-
serves. Another Instance o fraudulent conduct shown
the part officers the Boston yard by the
testimony of Commander George Brown The COM
mitec saw that prior TO the sale OF the Phadclpna
Navy Yard II seemed to regarded that by dsposng
OF II, the new ono at League Island could bc built
without much, il any, additional cost to the govern
mcn and that the proof before them is abundant IN
showing that adequate provision was made at League
Island Tor tho storing and protection OF machinery
storcs supplies materials &c, belonging TO the Navy
Department the old yard that the proof abundant
before them that SAID sale was made without giving
sufficient time to elect proper ana udcious removal OF
property that the proof is abundant that in
sequence OF the short tmo allowed by the orders Tho
department IN which to take down the buildings aud
remove the property and materials very great damage
and loss occurred TO the government. In fact the evil
dence OF the waste and destruction OF government
properly following the haste and reckless confusion at
tendant upon the execution OF the orders eiectng this
removal as presented by numerous witnesses and as
conducted the investigation Mt that yard, incupa
tory Of almost every officer connected with the yard
in total Iorget!ulness OF his duty TO the government
Large numbers OF buildings, immense Quantities OF
machinery. stores and supplies, whose careful and
proper removal ought TO have taken from SIX to twelve
months. were ordered to be removed IN from Que To
iour months the major portion of the contracts the
shortest time apparently being taken. TO add TO tho
confusion attending tins state OF things II appears
that the government directed the sne OF large quanti
ties OF Old material and its removal to be effected at
the limo. and stl as If TO make CONFUSION worse
conounded, private sale OF iron, &C., belonging to
the NebrasKa vessel broken up at SAID yard, well
as such IRON as was no! required for mme-
made to certain parties, who were "a
this at the time Now when II is under.
that such was tho necessity for immediate
in The removal oil all OF this property that all parties
the contractors Tor the removal o. government prop
ery and the parties OF purchasers had to work rc'
queny at night. employing aDorers by the hundred,
the House will at once realize that great opportunities
for thet and swindng were offered That such oppor.
tuntes were taken advantage OF IS clearly evident
from the proof.
The committee say the attempt Of the Secretary OF
the Navy TO justify his action In giving more than
500, 900 TO Mr. Ward ordnance experiments Is
failure HIS action in this matter cannot be defended
or justified Mr. Wizard was an adventurer and pre-.
tender, and II the secretary did not know II he could
easily have found 1t out
SECRETARY robson BEFORE Mr. GLovER's
CoMMIrrEE--HIs EXPLANATION OF THE AP-
poINTMENr OF JAY COOKE, MCULLocH /
Co.-rHEIR CONFIRMATION by THE SENATE
NOT REQUIRED.
Secretary Robson was before Mr.. Glovcts commit.
tee this afternoon in response 10 invitation sent him
yesterday Ho explained that Section OF the act Of
1874 requiring special agents OF the Navy Department.
be confirmed had been abrogaed by succeeding acts
and had passed out oil the statutes, and longer
in force when tho appointments OF Jay Cooke
McCulloch Co. made but had been superseded by
another provision the act OF 1854, which provided foi
the appointment OF these special agents upon theii
giving security lie said that the OF 1si4 had bees
left out of Brghtiey Digest, and not IN force until
revived by the Revised Statues OF 1875, and that 10
therefore not applicable to tho OF
Jay Cooke, McCulloch Co. /; that tho law having
revised by the Revised Statutes of 1875 the
agents, Messrs. Sell Brothers, had been sont to
the Senate for confirmation. He also explained that
the deposits, made in October and November OF 1879
with the house OF Jay Cooke Mccullough 4 Co.,
merely in continuance Of the foreign
~ tla for
ample security, only giving them at tho reg.
uar timc with security, what under ordinary circum
stances would have been given them without security.
showed also that the Treasury draft issued tho I'd
of July paid at the New York Sub-rreasury the
9th and placed the credit Of tho Navy Department
with Jay Cooke, McCulloch & Co IN London on the
7th and that the bill which due the 22d OF
September merely tho bill OF exchange by mcans
OF which the money was transmitted to London.