New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-12-11
LOCAL MISCELLANY.
DOCK DEPARTMENT MANAGEMENT.
~,,,. sro co,,,,trrpr M, rup cpNATv COMMITTEE
THE SUBCOMMITTEE OF THE SENATE COMMITTEE
kENEWs ITS INVEsIIG ATIONs.

kENEws ITS INvEsTIG ATOMS.
The subj Committee of the Committee on Com.
merce and Navigation of the State Sena'e reaSSen-
b ed yesterday morning at the office of the Dock
Commissioners in this city and proceeded win the
invo stiqafion of the affairs of hat department
Senators Williams ard Browning were present
Across the table from them sat Commissioners Lalm-
beer listening Intenty to the proceedings.
The first person 10 testify was DE Witt L. Cow
dry an accountant, who has examined the DOCKS on
the department as an expert. lie described me
keeping, or rather lack of bookkeeping. There
was discrepancy of $50. 600 he said. between the
figures OF the Commissioners OF Accounts ana th0'e
Of the Dock Department There was nothing IN the
system of oKkeepng and the manner OF managing
the finances of the department 10 prevent emDgzze-
ment The cash accounts left by MI BuIhhlIl;
the defaulting hoOkkeePeT, had been deS roy e9i
Since the embpZZ ement Of Burnham the dates OF
deposits a. given in the books OF the department
do not with the dates gwen ny the Do KS Oh
the City Chamberlain. A. these affairs are con-
Quoted now, there is no guaranty tina All the de-
poSits are made, and nothing 10 prevent any one
from doing a. Burnham did. Mr.Cowdry SAID lie had
found thai various contractors had failed to carry
out their contracts and had become liable TO Ger,
tain penalties Several penalties had been RENTED
BY the Commissioners, aDd one by the late Con
bility. Mr.. Kelly in ormed the Board
subsequently, that he had RENTED the PEN
atty, and the Boud approved his action.
The sum in this amounted TO 1880, and was in
the matter of the contract of John ~ Scully. Inc
reason given for renting these Suns was that me
department had suffered loss, and that 1t might
have been its fault that the contractors were un,
able 10 perform their part. He had examined all
the contracts which could be found: There were
over twenty missing, and he had found that In
many cases they had been awarded where only one
bad was made. In the eleven years OF
the existence OF the u OK Departm mem
penalties attached. hese had all been broken ana
III SIX cases the penatl were renltted ne build
ing of Pier No, %, North River. was let IN NoVeIn-
Der 1880, to Holmes Brother. and III February
1881 II relet to the same persons on the same
specifications at au ADVANCE OF So,OOU. In tue
agreement with the Union Dredgi Company there
was no bond given and no advertisement had been
published. This was 500, $50 job. In the mat
ter of the buikhead wall, the engineer employed 10y
the Dock Department estimated that II was costing
92Sl foot. but il actually cnsi $3.50 "a foot !;
and taking into consideration cOniln GENT expenses
the cost would he $500 loot.
Mr. Cowdry then gave fur her testimony rs 10 the
slOyenly manner IL which the books had oeen kept.
From tue books alone 10 idea could be formed OF
how the affairs of the department stood lnvestlga
ton showed That S2OoII 20 was sui missing.
There were charges against the Union Dredging
Company of $4,000 and III 1000 which have never
been collected.
commissioner Vanderpoel was next called in. He
said he had paid ON account of the Burnh I'm de-
fdlcatIOn since the adjournment OF the committee
$U21 u Oui OF his own pocket
" How often dill your clerk make deposits J d"
asked Senator Williams.
" | directed him 10 deposit he bonds Of the de-
partment when there was any amount on hand,
reasonable sum"
- DO you know of n law, rule, requiring you to
deposit money seInl-wecky I"
/" / DO not"
Snch rule was then read aloud from manual
published by the department, and then he coumls-
Suner dlg recOllecU something about II.
W. VI. whitney, tue present cn!cI boOkkeepcr,
was then examined. lie said he had destroyed the
memoranda Left by Burnh IN, because lac though.
they were Ot no use.
did Won not know that they were the only
evidence on winch Durham could be convicted "
lie asked
"No.n
The committee finally adjourned until tomorrow
at noon.