Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-10-05

'SS.
THE TUNNEL FRAUDS.
Why the Invessigasion Of the Work
Docs Nos Expose.
ONLY The BEST WORK ExAxnEp-Nor oNR-rwKN.
TIHTH OF THE nPERFEcT WORK POUND HY-
DRAULIc JACK NEEDED-wHAr THE CONTRACTORS
KNEw-How TIE FRAUDS WERE EFFEcTKD-oooD
WORK ON THE BOUNDARY SEWER
In conversation to-day with VIM. Kendall, OF
Kendall Brothers, who have been instrumental In
exposing the tunnel frauds, about the tunnel In
vestigation he said:
"It seems strange that even q member OF the
meIts. would have the auIacity to defend the per.
sons responsible for the construction OF the tun-
mel II Is amusing TO hear that this matter has
assumed TOO much Importance when the interests
OF the city are so closely Identified with these
works. II TO tell the truth as TO the condition OF
direct violation OF contract conditions and the
requirements OF specifications, is TO create great
scandal it VIII be Wen for the most prominent
member OF the Engineer Corps to be reminded
that this scandal is now in its incipient stages
THE BEST WORK BEING ExAxINKD
1.-THE Investigation being carried on under the
supervision OF the engineers In charge OF this
work cannot, from any position, be considered 70
liable or satisfactory, for the reason where the bad
work exists In It's worst phases he has not ex.
amined, nor has he endeavored TO gain such infor-
nation from the proper sources which would place
him In the position to expose it. The parts OF
WORK examined embrace large portion OF bad and
worthless work, but they are In fact, the best
portion OF the tunnel Whether this Is known TO
Lieut.. Townsend or not II would not be dif1cult to
guess. Yet the fact does exist that this invests
eating process now being worked has had happy
faculty OF choosing the places for operation which
Rnnf o. In fhA holf wnnla
mel II Lieut.. Townsend and Major Lydecker are
ignorant OF this fact, and have no knowledge OF
informed by communicating with us, who have
made these charges and are prepared to show up
the rottenneSs or the work.
CRUsTs ON TIE ARcBKa
'The manner In which this Investigation is pro-
ceedins. outside OF the interested parties who are
conducting II, Is too absurd and impracticable for
intelligent people TO believe will eject thorough,
searching inquiry or onng to light the defects ex-
1stlng or show the magnitude OF the slight, i'm
the work performed To better illustrate this II is
only Sufhcient to state that two-inch drill is he-
ing used TO expose the frauds practced, when itfs
awell-known fact that In many places over the
key OF the arch packing OF solid durable charac-
ter Will be found TO the depth OF to feet, while
to np sUd 10 be 1oa M % from
nrst feet OF work Is struck 1t Is declared solid,
substantial work, when in fact, It is only crust
prove to the citizens or the District that It Is his
desire TO have thorough, impartial inveSt1g alton,
wny does he not place hydraulic Jack and where
easily raised to the OF excavation and In this
way every foot OF faulty work would be exposed
ana the existing status OF Affairs made public.
This may not be the usual procedure for Army en-
gineers TO expose their own careessness or to
more surely settle their responsibility, but civll
engineers will indorse fully the thoroughness OF
an investigation under such circumstances.
NOT oNE-TwENTIErH EXPOSED.
statements to the contrary do not relieve this
tunnel OF the slight or imperfect work which has
been heaped upon It from its commencement TO
the present time. Not one-twentieth part OF the
bad and worthless work has been exposed, neither
Will II be nor can 1t be by the process or invesiga
tion now In operation. 1t cannot be expected that
sSe tSs tSr entT
lining will be found In the same condition as that
which has been exposed. To say that any In
tractor did not Know OF the character OF the work
being performed Is trfing with human intelli-
gence and for one OF the contractors to say 1T Is
been greatly to blame In this natter is TO blame
them when he is personally responsible.
WHAT THE CONTRACTORS KNOW.
'No one knows better tnan Mr.. Quackenbush the
influences brought to bear which caused the in
spectors to pass this faulty and improper work.
The lever which moves the world, IL Is said, was
not absent The mechanics were afraid 70 say
their souls were their own; they did prot against
the manner in which the work was being done,
and they were threatened with instant aismissai
II IL was repeated. II just occurs 70 me that Mr..
Quackenbush may have known something about
tnlS work; contractor he could not be ignorant
OF the fact that one cubic yard OF masonry con-
Sumes one barrel or cement. Palmer & Bremen
were putting this In Dy the cubic yard; now, when
Palmer Bremen reported ,2O0 yards OF masonry
finished, and the report of cement used during
that time was only 400 barrels, did he think the
work under the contract and specification Was be-
Ing properly done? Again, MI. QuacKenbush
dlQ not know OF the existence OF bad work. but be-
neved, as he says, IL was done properly and In
eX-inspecUOr and suggest the proprety OF his
going with the committee and pointing out the
good worA. as he knew where it was. IL will not
mechanics when your knowledge of the condition
OF affairs was as great as theirs.
HOW THE FRAUDS WERE EFFECTED.
"The manner in which this work was being done
was known to every person in the tunnel from the
mule-drver up; TO deny 1t Is TO misstate the case
A better drilled, or a more thorough organized
gang OF men was seldom found than those VINO
have been engaged in this work. SuO-conJractor
Palmer would go through the tunnel and tell the
employees when Col Kerlan, the chief Inspector,
was coming; Col ksrlan would inform the sub
Inspectors when Lieut. Townsend might be ex-
pecLed, and Lieut. Townsend told CHIEF kerlan the
day previous OF his expected arrival In this way
q direct line OF communication WAS kept between
Sns inspeSeofS , ana q empIoysx Goorea men per-
approach OF strangers or those not Intimately
acquainted with the character OF the work being
performed. IL Is child's reasoning 70 furnish
cuse for these men. The work OF the tunnel
structed bellies their statements oil any knowledge
OF this fraud, cheat and deception. The sligut |
fraud detocJed Is but \ starter. Give the people
disinterested persons TO make an in |
vest,g alton under the direction OF Con- ress when
the present protestations will be looked at In the
light which they deserve. BY all means bring
Lydecker and TOWNSEND out OF the tunnel"
TIE BOUNDARY SEWER
In answer to the questions about the published \
statement In which Vim. II. Prince, OF this city, /
Is credited with saying that he has been informed
by reliable man that the work on the great /
Boundary lntercepttnG sewer was detective, that /
Incompetent help Was employed at low wages 70 |
lay rock when expert WORK WAS needed, that the 1
spaces for concrete nlling up the sides was flled
In with DIRT instead OF concrete, M. Kendall who
with his brother old The brick work, said that he
believed that an inspection OF the sewer would /
show that IL was as good q piece OF work OF the /
kind as was ever constructed. ''The inspector
was Mr.. Curtis" he added, land the closest scru-
tiny was exercised In the work. II was true that
some Incompetent men were employed, but they
were not allowed TO do bad work. the trap rock
was laid as q basis for the brick work done By Us
and n any OF Il had been bad think that we
would have been likely 70 notice IL As TO dirt nj.
ling instead OF concrete, never saw any OF It In
the sewer. Neither did hear OF its being done.
1t Is safe TO say that the sewer Is good piece OF
work."
Massachusetts Avenue ExeomsROm.
ASKING TH. conAIsaI0NRRs ZOE Em IMPROVEMENT
The property holders along the line OF Nassa-