Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-11-20
LUCAS AND O'BRIEN.
Their Testimony Contradicted by Chief
Inspector kerlin.
MORE TUNNEL NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. BE-
FORE THE MILITARY COURT OF INQUIRY
LUCAS WILLING TO 90 "To THE OTHER SIDE
OF HELL TO HAVE KERLrN DISCHARGED"

OF HILL TO HAVE KERLIN DISCHARGED.
The military court of inquiry into the char
acter Of work on the aqueduct tunnel continued
the examination yesterday afternoon of Chief
Inspector Kerlin after THE Stars report closed.
Mr.. Kerlin said that his experience as an in
spector dated back to 1857 and had continued
mp to the present time. He had inspected the
tunnel work on the Chesapeake and Ohio rail-
road previous to the war. Witness said he
blamed the foreman of bricklayers for not re-
porting faulty packing. He also held the
packers responsible and thought the sub-inspec-
tors had been careless. Witness was most posi-
tive that never at any time, had he consented
to allowing a sub-inspector to act as a foreman
for the contractors. He knew of no such con-
dition of affairs until lately.
KERLIS coNTRADIoTs o'BRIEy.
Gen Ruger called witness attention to the
testimony of Sub-inspector O'Brien, where that
person said that he had conversed, in the pres
ence of Mr.. Palmer. with witness, and that
witness had agreed to o Brien's performing the
duties Of sub-inspector for the government and
foreman for the sub-contractors.
Witness said that there was no truth in that
testimony-none whatever. Witness said that
Lieut.. Townsend went down into the tunnel as
often as three or four days week; he never
knew when the lieutenant was going to put i'll
1887 witness saw Major Lydecker in the tunnel
as frequently as once month.
Col. Craighill asked witness If he thought the
men who did the packing were competent. and
witness replied to the effect that they were fair
second-rate masons. fully able to do the work.
The inspectors appointed were usually pretty
good men, and he had but little trouble with
them.
LUCAS AND WITNESS
had some differences. Shortly after Lucas
was discharged he was in Quackenbushs office,
and, referring to witness, said: Il will suffer
imprisonment for life and will go to the other
side of hell to have Kerlin discharged" Wit
ness thought it would be much better to have
such public works as the tunnel constructed by
days work instead of under contract. He knew
of sub-inspectors receiving pay from the con-
tractors when they (the inspectors) worked
overtime; the arrangement was made with the
knowledge and approval of MIR. Coryell, who
was their first assistant engineer III charge of
the tunnel.
On cross-examnation by Capt. Chester wit
ness said there was real necessity for the
extra work done by sub-inspectors Witness
had learned from Sub-contractor Brennan that
Lucas had been given money by the contractors
other than the cash paid him on account Of
overtime.
Witness said that Sub-Inspector Woodward
reported to him that on one occasion one of the
Kendall brothers-George, he thought-had
pulled packer out of the key" s0that the
bricklaying might proceed before the packing
was properly finished Lucas once reported to
witness that the quantity of cement which was
sent into the tunnel one night was insufficient.
Witness
DENIED THE ACCURACY OF LUCAS TESTIMONY
20 far as it implicated witness.
Cross-e1amined by Lieut.. Townsend witness
said that Lucas permitted very careless work
in laying the foundation for side walls. Wit
ness had as much confidence in o. Brien as in
any man on the work until the recent develop
ments Of rottenness in his work. he thought
OBrien was perfectly square man.
At the conclusion q Col Ktrlin's examina-
ton (there being no other witnesses present. the
court adjourned until this morning, the day to
be devoted to an endeavor TO read up the re-
cord, now about 600 typewriter pages in ar
rears. The court will take no testimony until
1880 o'clock tomorrow morning