Sacramento daily record-union., 1881-06-15
CALIFORNIA.
The State Harbor COmmissiOners-EepO
of the Expert.

The State HarbOr Commissi0ners-Eep0r
of the Expert.
SAN Francisco, June 14th.-Lauren E.
Crane, the expert appointed to examine the
affairs of the State Harbor Commissioners,
more particularly with reference to the al
legged frauds in the construction of the sea
wall, has filed his report. He finds the books
of the Commission in excellent order, and
the whole business system with regard to
wharves and outside employees one of effective
checks and balances, except as relates to the
collection OF tolls. There is no adequate
check on collectors of tolls, but the Board
has guarded this point as far as the
present legislation will permit, and clearly
understand the necessity for legislative
amendment The Board derives the greater
portion of its revenue from dockage, and a
careful investigation shows 10 semblance Of
fraud in that department.
Concerning the wharves built by contract,
the money expended for dredging, fire tugs,
urgent repairs, sheds, ferry slips and other
structures and trusts under the control Of the
Board, involving large expenditure, the ex-
pert finds in cursory examination nothing
to warrant him in recommending an analytical
investigation.
With regard to the sea wall the report
says: The law in relation to advertising for
bids is strictly observed, and the contracts
awarded to the lowest bidder. The contract
for the first section was per linear foo. The
subsequent sections were contracted for by
cubic yard, owing to the uncertain character
Of the bottom. It has been found that in
every contract the amount Of earth and stone
used in the embankment considerable ex-
ceeded the previous estimates of the engineer,
owing TO the sinking Of the embanktnent III
the soft mud of the bottom. AS to the ca
pacity of the cars used in transporting ma
terial, the expert finds that while the amount
with which they have been credited as
carrying can without doubt be contained by
them, the real question is whether they have
actually been made to receive and deliver
such amounts. The duty Of watching the
amount of work done by the cars has been in
trusted by the Board to supervisors of con-
struction and tally clerks Il would be easy
for them. by passing light loads and report
ing foI imaginary trains, to enable the con-
tractor to receive more money than he was
entitled to. Early in March last, owing to
the watch placed upon them and o check
kept against their returns, there was a sig
ni6cant discrepancy in the accounting of two
tally clerks. No formal investigation of the
matter appears on the records. The amount
OF material fraudulently reported was de-
ductel from the contractors account and
the clerks were discharged.
between engineers estimates and the contrac-
tors results were owing less to the uncertain
character of the bottom than to the uncer-
tain nature Of the cubic yards on top OF the
embankmeut.
On the 18th Of last month the expert, ac-
companied by the Commissioners. engineer
and assistant, and William 2. Humphreys
civil engineer, measured the carloads on ar
irving at the works, and subsequently meas
ureo the loads as put ON at the sand pits,
and found discrepancies between the figures
at the two points, which, If carried through
the work as far as done, would show that the
contractor had been overpaid SIT. 356 81. On
that day, however, the cars were on dress
parade, loaded for the occasion before
the arrival of the party on the ground. It
was matter of notoriety and comment that
at the sand pit where the cars were loaded
three men were engaged in the novel work Of
fashioning the loads into solid proportions by
means Of shovels In view of that fact, the
expert rejects that test and reveIts to the in-
ferential conclusions in relation to the cubic
yard question Comparing the estimates
with che results. he arrives at the belief that
on sections ], 2 and 5 of the sea wall the
contractor has been overpaid SIC. 43i 81.
Section hes been constructed since the in.
vestiga!ion was ordered, and the fact that
the results fall within the engineers esti-
mates is attributed, in part at least, to the
investigation having been ordered.
The expert concludes by absolvine the
Commissioners from any suspicion of fraud
and collision, but holde that tie facts and
figures of record in relation to the sea wall,
and the obvious inferencss to be drawn from
them, 50 far as they involve charges against
anybody. either of lack of ability or for ex
cess OF it, sustain themselves.