The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-04-19
THE NAVY Yard REMOVAL
Mckay Explains His Contracts and
Their Ful6lment.
sPECIoUs DEFENCE.
The Charge OF Theft Directly
COntradicted.
PHILADELPHIA, April IS, 1870.

PHILADELPHIA, April IS, 1874
There two sides every story, and the nvesti.
CATION being conducted here by CONCESSIONS
committee into the management OF affairs at The Phla-
dephia Navy Yard Is exception. The HERALD has
given at length the story Of the prosecution and no
more than fair that OF the accused, against whom
charges OF wholesale theft Of government property have
been made, should be heard IN his own defence.
Dir. Mckay had four for removing the goods
and stores Of three OF the Navy Department bureaus
Construction aud Repair, Steam Engineering and Ord
nancc-from the old Navy Yard IN this city TO League
Island, the mud bank down the bay which Congress
sional wisdom has made naval station. Whatever
may be said against these contracts 1t certainly up.
pears be the general opinion OF Navy Yard author
tiles that the $780, $50. which tho total amount
Mckay received for his work, would $3.50 900 had
II been done by government aborers OF the kind who
loaf about navy yards II would be certain bank
ruptcy TO any thorough gong business who should
employ such loafers Mcssrs Randall o. Nc the
Congressmen from this district allowed to put upon
government payrolls, especially about election time,
when their numbers have been known reach 500.
Concerning his work Mr.. Mckay says that he chal-
lengcs Investigation He has given the committee
list OF his former employees, demanding that they be
summoned Witnesses, offered to show his books and
papers, and is TO be placed upon the witness
stand himself
WHAT x'KAY's TESTIMONY
The statement gwen below embraces the principal
points OF the testimony which Mr. Mckay will give
when he is called before Sr. whtthornc's committee
On the 27th OF July 1870 Mr. Mckay says he offered,
for $50, 000 TO two shiphouscs from the old
Navy Yard League Island 80 furnish all the
sary material of good quality and replace all broken,
split rotten timber lumber The contract waa
made and the work performed, tho shp-houses being
rebuilt and examined and accepted by board Of exc
l.x r.1usRe ~ pA
Inquiry OF Civil Engineer stratton and Naval Com
sructor Hitchburn, League Island, failed to reveal
any dissatisfaction their part with the work, au
examination OF which showed app
pcarance OF failure To perform 1t properly.
On the 22d Of September Mckay offered for IS QUO, to
remove ordnance League Island, consisting 81
shot, she'll guns, gun carriages, lumber, timber aud
stores belonging the Ordnance Bureau, weighing
about 200 tons My offer. Mr.. Mckay, .swaa
ut once accepted by telegram from Washington. Be-
lore the contract was awarded the officers Of tho yard
had made an estimate OF the cost 10 remove these
least So 900 than my oior This contract was
faithfully completed at saving OF much money 10 the
government I am satisfied no one else could d. the
To remove the Steam Engineering De-
par;mcnt consisting, n,n, o. a.nss planners.
and all material belonging 10 that department fot
$la25O being the lowest bidder, the contract waf
fifteen days; all Of which complied with On Novein
Der "a 1876 offered 70 the construction Stores
\
shop iron plating shop joincrs' shop iron in
houses, engine and boiler machinery in sawmii
vanizng furnaces punches and shears all TO be put in
the places provided Tor them at League Island Tor the
sum Of so 900 THIS oisT was made 70 Cn,c, Con
crred to Commodore Prebc, commandant OF the Phiaa
dephia Navy Yard. After due consideration by Com.
modore Prcbe that officer, with Naval CONSTRUCTED
HART, added 70 the list Of articles to b
removed reverberatory furnace. steam hammcr4
pump boring machines, and all tools belonging
10 constr uction and repair They then accepted mJ
offer the 18th OF November 1875. This CONTRACT
completed according to agreement TO the sasfacs
ton of Ill the officers OF the yard On December Y
/ 1875, offer TO remove the following buancd
of construction material consisting OF all 1.-Two IN
yard all white pne all white plank all the yellow
pine timber on new purchase, all the knees, all the
white oak timber On new purchase ~ ,renals, AZ
4 ing In yard and used on the Antetain, lnunchwaye
and all The S y the coS
sttution was launched aud transport the same q
League Island and that blocking The sectional dry
dock for launching the Constitution All this Oncrce
TO do for $2l 800 This oiier made to Chief Con
structor Hanscoln at Washington and by him referred
Commodore Probe 10 make the best terms with int
| he could obtain After Commodore prcbe had
suited with Mr. HART, Naval Constructor and added
several provisions my oner To Mr. Hanscom to cover
all The material tho yard he accepted my offer and
ordered begin work. subject TO the approval vt
the Bureau OF Construction and Repair.
on the 10th, after had been ut work two days. with
between 500 ana 600 ncn. forty teams and twenty
scows, and over onehalf Of The material named IN my
! contract had been removed, Commodore Prebc sent
| me note containing the following extraordinary
statcment:-"Your contract Is annulcd. not being ap.
proved by tho bureau. You will stop work nt once"
! Mr.. Hanscom had sent him telegram that he could
confirm reject, without action by the bureau and
the ground that Commodore Prebe had once con-
nrmed my contract, and that lie had no right under
the law 70 interfere with in the MIDST Of It's COM
pleton and sent Naval Constructor Hart comnu-
nication declining stop work in the midst OF con-
tract made and accepted TIN the day Commodore
PEBBLE 10 carry out his orders TO annu my contract
alter refused TO stop work. placed guard OF
all the articles removing and compelled me to
ston He npnoinfod a board OF officers consisting Of
"a "A HaR nd m
and Captain c. H. Wells 10 ascertain what material
had moved on my contract and what should receive
therefor. majority OF tho Board awarded me aDow
5000 this not being yet settled at WASHING
ton As about half the material had been removed
this amount was nearly much my contract caie<
for ON the nth Commodore Prcble made anctbci
contract with remove tho balance of material y
specified
THE CHARGES or THEFT.
No complaint was made against me for dcstrucs
ton OF property landing ut any other place except
al League island. All the material named IN The con-
tracts had % be removed at gwen time on account &c
| employed than would have been u more time Was
allowed. All tho ports Of landing scow loads 2,
wlarves IL without tho slightest foundnton OF truth.
material being taken from the yard and stored
al Queen wharf belonging to the government IL
is utterly false. All the material that won't there was
bought paid for aud passed out Of the yard by the
AZ 10 the mock auction am prepared to show that
all the material sought through samuel g. Cook, the
auctonecr Tor the goycrnmcnt justly and honestly
done the highest bidder and have my bills and
receipts ~ prove IT, The bronze bought of Cotnm0-
lore Jefers paid threc-cghths OF cent per pound
Tor than offered by another party. anu this
same price II was previously sold at by auction two
months before all beng paid for before being delivered
some Of this material sent 10 New York and sold
As To my influence and power used removing ofccrs
and sending them 70 sea- u is UNANIMOUSLY false a. all
the rest Of the charges trumpcd against and the
officers have testified before the investigating
COLLISION with officers the navy to Oh.
tam contracts IL Is false So h the alleged con-
spiracy with the Honorable Secretary Of the Navy.
VIII state that never had any connection with hm
~ regard 70 my contracts they were made with the
| bureau