New-York tribune., 1876-02-17

CANAL COMMISSION TESTIMONY.


CASES REVEALING IEAUD WHICH wEEE NOT FOL-
LOWED Ui-TIOMAs GALES ALBANY BASIN CON
TRACT - CONTROLLER nOrKINss REMAEKABLE
TESTIMONY.
ALBANY, Feb. 15.-Tbo testimony OF the
Canal eating Commission. jGst submitted To the
legislature makes three timex volumes Of 2OVo
pages in all. A part OF tho delay IN submitting
has occasionod by the work OF preparing
indexes. The Of tho volumes prcoludes all
possibility OF reading them through ana for tho
better guidance OF Those drsrous of seeing the testimony
ON any especial su cct the Clerk of te Commission as
prepared only index OF the witnesses but an index
Of subjects The latter index u which an abstract Is
vcn below. VII indicate 10 some extent the great range
which tine Commission took IN their Investigation From
this it appear, that Investigations either searching or
cursory were made Of the loow ing jobs. beside tho1o
already trea cd of various reports given during
the and Fall Ia tho public: The dredging oil Al
bany basi awards to see owncs ut Eochcser bridges
at COhocs, Menauds. and at FOit Miller; the sub
j,ct Of alleged lainlciug with bids. Clinton locks
ON Chenan.o Canal. coal sales 10 the Stale AT
InfIao; the alleged IT hfucncirg Of engineers and
others by contractors; contracts Tor CtNcft oNcs
Nal Creek Uuca; tho state ditch at Liver ool' Fer
ciIsor CIecR Frankfort; Tor work at Fort Edward.
and On the Gcrese, Valley Cana; TIE payment 0 "'t"i
rents by the II drauic Company of Troy ont ~ winch
considerable capital was made against senator Hammond
dining the campaign; tie contracts Of Gcre Keller.
1audce and Beden the Jordan aud Syracuse levels
of Nichols tDe Nlncml" levcl OF Gale AT Locks ~
and AZ syiacu-o: OF Williams at West Na.,Iioid; oi
John ID. Hamilton Tor npainng 10 locSs; of Williams
for vertical all Mt Rochester; Van DHsen for vertical
wall IL onaYandl. and of Nash AMI Osborn At "Ho-
hall. b ,iie inauiries into the Oneida LaAo Canal I'M
provcrneu the Affairs OF tupcrintend nt-' tine cHpnd
lures Of vision engineers aud tie system of ordinary
repairs Of sections.
Upon these ru cts II impossible for various foa
ou, 10 mako reports To the Goycnor. Tie c.iei being
"A At ,.lI
de-. eloved 20 many qualifications It would b" impossible
to ipycstrate II thoroughly and tn pressure Of other
and more important matters would finally compel It's
abandon Incut. the publication "f the tc,,imoHy.
uoSeycr il il believed many Of these cess can leo prob"d
Thoroughly Several of them involve amounts ~ large -
.t,t iLat nave been already Investigated The Albany
~ i'' - It a, ,i .1,., utrrf.,ing fact. Ihona
Gar was the contractor Tor dr,drug Albany ba>iu ~
IsG- nut .b'ct hc cont act J. thr ilh l. L. seward
! !, q, Of AIb.ny OF when the Boi-ns aud D,nsou
! wcrr members. It shown IN This inquiry tlat
FALSE rruns were made 10 the inspector paced 10y Ia"
iate n count tie loads vf the amounts drodr and The
t..itnony 80 iar a. Il went, pointed toward du-
pitat. counting Of tie Same bod0ads ono Lew pnas"
OF ofcal Insconduc,. To designate II very mildly. WA"
uncovered 'hc inqulrY-tnc INSPECTOR bcmoefdIc
1-Asscmblynm. receiving from seward q 90. durn
hs Official tenure ~ nsp, ciof tor ~. statr bonus "i
10 cen yard Tor all sand d diScr,d under contract
which seward Co. also Hcld 90 supply sini at ne new
sa.c Capitol. The mp c,Ur oamci ilat iis I'D cents
wa. ciTfntrcd hin 6ocluse he ,d been Art promised
the sand contract. and seward Co.. getting IT, agree Ia
! ullp 1 "a 4 "A
The thoonah prosecution ot the inquiry this
/
refusal. under tho hist necial" V' 'nto l|a.uu y.
Seward 10 produce hs b ohh and oven to reply To tho
| questions Of the Commission.
Another suni,ct Of inquiry refers to tie transactions
of Suprrnirndrnts Wecn AMI he y ol Buffalo" win Ger
tam cred Of te state kcy the successor of Neich
Was reno, recent meeting Of the Cnai BOaid for
the same practices Ellis Webster coal dealer Of ui-
boos mat ho had charged the State for delivered 10
Welch and Lis clerk. and when orercd by the tomrLs-
sion restored them chock for FJs2 Us o tho plumber
Another subject OF inquiry as shown ~ the tcSsn"y,
| LAKE, on
1859 90 d. with the WORK unfinished Henry d. Deni-
son holds u contract for ts cOmpleiO nj sent The
orr pju work was IN five ectObs Ia three tors,
George d. Lord and Jacob schauD TAX ng two sections
each and Henry }. MOwry tie dfth. UfOD these con
tracts the Payments swollen TO IN aggregate uf
$4,000 the original propositions, under acin OF The
Legislatures Of 500 aud 1870 empowering tho Canal
1,Innissonors to make supplemental contracts. Inc
testimony o Charles a. sweet, Division Engineer showed
that tho expenditure WAS III c1coss ol hChht prices
about 100000. Ia the matter OF contract OF Thomas
Gale, let in October, lofl ior Morh uioh nrcii"n oi
OswegO Canal the Division Engineer testified mat tie
contract was let $1,000 at he considered the prico
excessive, refused to approve IT, also refused To ceIt
tne work under IL, aud Instructed tDo resident
engineer not 10 certify IT, and Jet tho contractor received
you know payments have been made upon contract.
upon the canal woat to certificate Of AN ongnor
fafs aS Oh the SSs, wo,ai SI'nS % is. sr
| :. Ihis inquiry was pursued further, although 1t
would eyienly nave been O1 Interest 10 know DJ whom
| the contracts were order cd PAID -
The of tho Auditor Thayer matter has al
ready made familiar TO tno pubic, but lcrc arc GER
tain portions Of the testimony whch have not seen The
lg IL ascnially necessary, IN the pre-
sentation of the against Thayer any meeting
o tr the Canal Ili tnat the Oor
AhUuld be prebent tna being lcSa requisite aud
desirable that the should he presented strongly
| To him that he would favor recommendation Ol
| inoyal. How the Controller open 10
the matter OF condeunng Mr. Thay is shown In the io
| lowing extract from his tfstiInuny
| Mr. Magone-A ssumng that the Auditor Of this
gagged In the pur,a claims IN tho
accln of his law subject % his audit
tbnE proper person to hold The ohcc o AndOri a.
Tnat an Spnioa DO not care to % syo II calling for an
0Tn What %Is We wish % approve Of
| trancA ing ia these thingsi A. NO.
Ana whether person tramckng is ht 10 Do Audtorf
\ A.. That IN indorsing CBarse
q be his habit and practice. whether
| n " hO traiickcd IN claims
a Auultorf
/ an opinion that feel should give.
| u. As o Canal fund Commission
night Ia give opnioni ask you oincsly. A. Well
the
| then DO Inclined " and decide.
When the cabe came before the Commissioners OF the
| Canal Fund, Controller Hopkins voted against
mepding the removal Of Ihayer. On Oct William II.
Bowman who had acted counsel for Lord and Kley