New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-01-08
MORE BADWoRK REVEALED
STARTLING TESTIMONY BEFORE TIE TAS
sETT COMMITTEE.


EETT COMMITTEE.
A BOSTON ENGINEER TELLS SOME ouEE1 TAIno
OUT, on -scHoo1-TrlE NEW -AouKpuW " <,
COMMISSIONERS WANT oNLY'To
BE LET ALONE.
The Fasseft Investigating Committee has peen noso'
Ing lively sessions here for nearly year. yet luosne
by rs meeting yesterday, One would think thai sne
members sought TO continue mako things interest
ling for another twe!vemonth at least. Inc neio
cems ncxhaustIble especially that part OF ie wnlch
Includes the new Aq,icduct. Tho corruption con-
reccd with tho construction Of that groat woK Wa
generally supposed to have been fully told Another
chap!e. however added to the dissraccfui sfvFy
yesterday By George s. Rice, who was appointoa
Deputy Chief Engineer under Mr. Church about year
and hay ago. and still holds that position.
Mr.. Rice was one of tho witnesses examined Lass
June. Then be told the committee that he had only
been able TO find about $4,000 worth OF bad work
up to that dine. He has been continuing bis invest-
cations sinc thcn and yesterday he informed the
committee hat he had discovered no less than :
million dollars worth of defective work in the tunnel
Over 100000 Of this tho part let to Brown
Howard q Co. The rest was in tho sections built
by ClarA & oBrten. Nearly half Of this bad work,
he said. was ON the division in charge OF Engineer
John NJ. Wsbrecht, and over q fifth OF It In tho
division controlled by Engineer Fisher L. Norris Mr.
o'Bricn, oNClark O'BrIen, was not present when
Mr. Rice made these statements, but hearing about
them no canp in and exctedly demanded an oppor-
tinty to rcfhto them. Tho Commissioners had In
tended to hoG no moro public sessions, but they
yielded to Mr.. 6Brens demands and decided to hold
one moro meeting. It will begin At II o'clock on
Saturday morningin the Offices Of tho AQueduct Com
mission, Stewart building.
COMMISSIONER SCOTS TESTIMONY.
Chairman Fassett md all tho other members exosyt
Senator Hendricks were present. Tho committce's
counsel was represented by Dc Lanccy Nicci and Mr.
Boardman. Tho object Of the meeting was to ind
out how the Aqukluct Commission is getting
| along. Amer executive session tho proceedings
opened with Commissioned Scott the stand. He
testified to the organization the various questions
relative to tho work on thA Aqueduct submitted to
tho Corporation Counsel. ami how much bad work
had been done and how mich money was being
withheld from the contractorS on account Of bad
work. He said that the Quaker Bridge Dam Rcscr-
vor would probably not be built WITH several smaller
reservoirs had been constructed We thought It would
take eight years to build the Quaker Bridge Dam.
Regarding the Aqueduct work, M Scott said he
considered that It being bctter\done now than
ever befoge. Tho force Of inspectorA had been ro
duced from 222 to 1853 and expenses OF all kinds cut
down as much as possible. He did MT think any
additional legislation was needed. An the COM
mission desired was to DO Let alone.
"That Is q chronic desire with commissions, 10 10
not ~ said Mr. Fassett, with . SMILE Thu witness
| was not prepared to say who was responsible for
the bad work. He thought Clark o'Brient work
was, as rule, better than that Of Brown, Inward
S Co.
| Commissioner Duane then took the stand. He
said the repairs that had been madc rendered the
Aqueduct tunnel even better than It would have
been had these not been necessary.
| Walter Howe. another commissioner, agreed with
Mr.. Scott that the Aqueduct law needed no further
amendment. This opinion, be added. was based on
careful consideration Of the subject. To Senator
Fassett tho commissioner said that no claims for
extra excavation had been presented since no came
into Office. He explained tho steps that the new
commissioners had taken to reduce expenses, regard
Ing tho cost Of transportation and other matters.
A LIVELY INTERRUPTION
As Mr.. Howe stepped down. John Doyle, dis.
charged Aqueduct Inspector interrupted the pro
ceedngs with lively but somewhat rambling speech
| he was finally sworn and asked 10 tell his story.
The burden Of It was that the inspectors had been
blamed for bad work when the fault was really not
due to them but to tho division engineers. He at
tackled Division Engineer Govan, among others, and
told how the contractors foremen laughed when
be Boyle expostulated win them for doing bad
work When he reported brfcklsyers for doing bad
work. he obtained satis1acton, but" he added
| "a the man complained Of was generally promoted.
| They made him foreman beca. q he proved to Dc
| a good skiu'n He told how. he had pushed brick
down with his hand and yet tile division engineer
would not pay any heed to his complaints.
After listening to him for some time, Mr. Fassets
decided that the witness should be referred to the
new Commission Boyle stated that he was chairman
Of an organization consisting Of discharged inspectors
who were going get with tho division engineers
| " that had slandered them" Cooperation Counsel
| Beekman took the stand after recess He said that
the Board of City Record had under consideration the
v,~fb ~ 81 nj
various municipal departments with stationery but
| he was not prepared TO say yet that the present
system was not the best. The plan of advertising
and letting contracts to the lowest bidder had been
tried here aud found defective. If the business b
honestly done, he declared, tho present system OF
| Mr. Costigan was the best that could DO devised
| Stephen H. Angel an examiner Of claims In tho
Controllers Office, said mat he was IN the citys
| employ when the system Of obtaining stationery
supplies by contract was In operation, fourteen or
fifteen years ago; and 10 not altogether salts
factory as he remembered 1t. Butt he added.
consider that all the leading articles Of stationery
should DO obtained by contract let to tho iowese
bidder, price and quantity left indefnite' Bids,
he thought should also be invited for all regular
work Mr.. Beekman tried to show that this could
not be done under tho terms Of the Consolidation Act
| Mr.. NIcoll dem,irred to the Corporation Counscs
view Mr. AngcIl thought the plan In use BY tho
Board of Education in this meter might DO followed
Mr. Beekman explained tho defects Of the CONTRACTS
system, but the committee did not appear to have
much sympathy with his views.
Mr. RICE DROPS HIS SHE'LL.
Then Mr. Rice, who halls from Boston, was called.
He said that he had not had to tho contractors
books, yet he felt certain 1t would take over Slooo
600 to repair the bad work along the limo Of the now
Aqueduct 1t would take about two months 10 nx
things up In proper manner II the contractors
worked hard. The bad work on Engineer Waibrechts
division amounted to about 100000. About $780,
600 was on Engineer Morriss division and the same
amount on Engineer Gowans part, but Mr. Gowan
had reported bad work and therefore Mr. Rice thoughe
be was not to be blamed. Neither was Engineer
A.perr craven on whose territory there Is about
SIS 900 of bad work. The witness would not say
that either walbrecht or Morris had been dishonest,
but he did not how such an enormous amount OF
bad work could have been done without their
knowledge.
Neither would he. say that Gowan ana Craven
were the only honest division engineers on the work
He said that when he took his position, ex-Chio1
ENGINEER Church told him that Walbrecht and Morris