The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-06-16
sold In pretended compliance with the orders
of the board he testified:


recommending certain sales. Rob son seems TO
have gone Oh 10 make a clean sweep of service
utie material IN the different navy ynrds, TO the
amount of sJO0OOO in the Boston Navy Yard.
and to large amounts elsewhere. In report
made by King last April 81 these sales he makes
this criticism OF the sales made at the New York
Navy Yard;
The article. .od At ti. YARD which should have been
rcWucd consisted OF l. new boilers built for ho Java
am her class aud two Tor the Madwa.sa all being suit
que ior any Of the sccondratc vessels needing new
cap'tr ie Snd Is ton. ps5'd ~ cs 0 fh 20 .S
va va Of Ne best quality was delivered to the Chrome
1t is significant fact that all Of these salcs o,
good material, with tho exception Of the tool
boilers alone King puts Mt $500 600 In
addition TO the vessels sold to john Roach!
some I'VE pages in the printed testimony are
him; aggreeating 1901 6ls The original cost
"i THIS great mass Of material Is not given.
hut fpur OF the engines cost 81 .SsS.2l2.
Only the first In this long list III sales was al
veitised The rest transferred to Roach prop
crty., certainly costing the Government $1,000
uuu, for less than ten por cent. of it, first cost
and this when much " II was new Altogether
he private sales Of ships and material to John
Roach alone amount In tho fist cost Il the ar
tic"s sold TO over sl9.0O0.000 and the total sum
received from him does not appear To- have
been over 5000 900. given IN trade. Facts like
these throw considerable light on the methods
hy which $40 100000 were spent on the navy
10y R0bcsOn with absolutely nothing to snow OK
c"ut retired Secretary rich, and q few rich
contractors.
one II the smaller transactions Investigated
~ We 'ommntee Is the purchase 81 the steamer
sons order. Enough was brought To- to llght
during tho Investigation two years ago in re
gard To this steamer. n ferry boat used at phila-
delphia in takinS men and material to and
from the League Island Navy Yard. e. show
that the Government kept on paying for the
services " this vcs-c some time after she had
been purchased outright. hut 1t remained for
this inquiry to show that tn" sworn records "
the dcuurtm mt were distorted and fasiiltd TO
conceal the purchase. for some unaccouitanie
rea-on-unacc1untahle. because transactions
much wors, az" leit in plain sight ul9n
facts .arc that IN tho spring OF 1876
both Hanscom and Robson .sworc to the
GoVerum'nt on which the Burlington does not
upon the vessel months before Han-com
gave vouchers in December for s3O.Quu. swore
the next spring that the Government lid
not own the vessel and threc months after pass
services. Tho wiolc thing is n mystery. in.
creased by the fact that everything relating 10
OF e books Of W6odE b Es y nS9
dnllh Wood shortly before committing suicide.
H. had Just before testified in regard o. ihe
purchase. as the facts now known show, IN
accurately. The most extraordinary circum-
stance remains. Hanscom removed 'hc records
If the sale in December 1875 and II was only
wnste papers overlooked that II WIS discovered.
The testimony privately printed for the use
ine the consfruetio - the Puritan. signed 10y
John +. Lenihal. Naval Constructor. and b. +.
liftfNDNl. I tllrl Engineer. BON are experts
Their conclusion Is that no plan was ever
made for the construction Of tho vessel. AT the
close II the war tho Government had on
its hands the original Puritan. a douhle-
turrrted monitor CARRYING fifteen inch guns.
which had cost sl;914.692. She remained
Incomplete until In December 1873 Thomas
Rowland offered to complete her for 1858 600
ana IN" Old material. II II the opinion OF these
experts that this oner, had II been accepted.
man -ot-war. After spending ha.t q million u
dollars, TIE, d9yerpi@ont mas today on tho
stocks In John R1ach- yard vessel one fourth
lands oifer. UNSOLICITED. without public ad-
yertsement and, So tar rs appears from
the records. Of the department, purely on
hi~ own motion. John Roach wrote TO Hanscom
proposing - Put NJ tie frame Of y new vessel
Government furnishing the iron. Further cor
rc~p9udnnte passing between Hanscom and
Roach. TIE two men bound tho Govrumen' in
ior the iron hun and deck armor. Il t'h.
whole corresp onloncs WAS not hnlt column
l,ng Ihrre were no plans, specll'aNou- or
things. Hanscom bargained for work 70 tie
amount of 1892 1000.
1t Is the payment Of such contracts that the
House voted On Saturday. The repJr, says u
these Transactions:
Tie TeS gr9pG's /, s,lisa Tcr1r; Of e ,9 men.
'., ~' an sn,triy NY y Wi H t't, NJ q, H..
rema.mns intact ior more than yesr Il Will ae 10
llen,cqm .. VI Roach round sum i' At once y r,l
q
agreement. Tor nuilus me new rarltan the usual oim
cont acis Ia, been departed from AMI no provisions
Ws.t re.i, c,r tsn ' ,3ui bt h, ne ern1.n,
was io receive IN return WAS lett almost entirely :. has
discretion.
john Roach wont on with his work. Techni-
caly he was repairing the Puritan. Actually
he was building a new vessel II neither her
her slzc nor the size proposed by the loose
specifications Of his original offer iIapscop
E dwaf It'll Hart E''s Fer@a PdY'T ana join g.
Hoover were on this board Hanscom asked
contract 10 build the new Puritan. whether
the old Puritan could take on two inches moro
arm9r. four fifteen inch guns. two tnnrrets. and
six days coal. The board said no. IL proposed
new vessel. But 10 quote again from the
report
BY SINGULAR e9nsdence hi. board recommends for
breadth .p,h. ant diiae, ment g. seciied dflg.ht
DON hai So fsr prosre,.d Hal ar.e Ii, 1G
which tle board rolo,,s ior TIE new PURITAN !. as n,y
or,h1l oer and I. rc,i,iy tie lsnsi d ,e new vc.
81 tn,n actually 10 con;,rueuon, Aud, more 'nselar
that 70 whicl TIE Low Puritan had been iii.
y ysa 'Gi III, 'Gi f 6S.sSa an. n
been Unfinished to We holIl .r this o-eas.on such CO.
This was in February. 1876. As result Of
the report ot the board the old Puritan was
towcd II John BOarhs yard and broken up.
400 tons Of iron mysteriQusly disappearing IN
the process. This vessel, costing 81 1000 900,
was turned over to John Roach on an order
three lines long, and broken up without any
order whatever Expenditures on the new
Puritan continued; every new board approved
her. As late as Feb. Is. 1910 one declared:
Thsvessel when completed will be the most power.
ful vessel ever owned by the Government
board the same spring. proposed to break
up the Roanoke, and turn her over o. this for
tunate cOntractor-a step condemned without
qualification by Lenthall and Erberwood. Mean
while changes were made IN her without plan;
record. OF Ordcr-ehRnges which Roach claimed
increased the cost. hut which those
experts show did not At last. in
tho close Of Iiobeson's administration.
in the first week in March, 1877, contracts
were made piccemeal TO complete the Puritan
The vessel had then cost siHl ,O3O. Under the
new contracts, since suspended. 1927 ,ti2 was TO
Ice paid for completing her hull. si2OOOD for
her engines. s203 TOO for hor bOller5-all to
John Roach. at private contract and on his own
terms-in al forthis one vessel S2ll2'U2' TINS
was in March.
The next August nm honest board in
spected her The report Is long and techni-
cal. 1t found that the deck of this vessel
when completed. would be- four inches under
watcr The Puritan, launched, loaded. nnd
nrmrd. would not iiOat. Ihe vessel - lsel '15
Half milan has been wasted, say Lonthall
and ErbcrwOod. In closing tn ir review q these
rotten and corrupt contracts. First Neither
pians nor specifications were drawn for
tho cOustru ,iOn 81 the new Pdritau
nor were any measures adopted q az rtuin
whether built she would aink on swim. Second
--frLta yasapl a. far a constructed and if fur