New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-02-03
ENGLNEERS TALK BACK.
THE FAssErr COMMITTEES FINAL WORK
ExPIAININe how coNrnAcrons MADE MoxrY

EAFLAINING HOW CONTRACTORS MADE MONEY
MR.. CHURCH WANTS A HEARING.
supplementary session of the Senate Investigating
Oomittee, under the Craftsmanship Of Senator Fasset
was held Yesterday in the Of the Aqueduct Com
missloners Stewart Building. At 10 o'clock tho
chairman appeared, In company with his associates
senators McNaughton, Van Colt and Pierce Senator
hendricks being absent The committee occupied
seats az table on the das in the large room separ
a'ed IRON the audience by brass railing De Lancey
Nicoil was there to conduct tho examination, and as
soon as the Senators had made themselves comfortable
Division Engineer J. NJ Walbrecht, of the Second
Division, called. The special session held it
was announced, for the purpose Of giving the division
engineers the opportunity which they asked for, to
refute the testimony Of Deputy Chief Engineer Rice
as far as It reflected upon them.
Mr. Walbrecht had been division engineer Of the
second Division, the repairs on which, made necessary
by bad work, involved an expense, according TO Mr..
Rice, Of 100000. Mr.. Rice had also charged him
with never making any independent discoveries Of bad
work on his division The witness armed with
big bundle of documents, which he said were dupl
Gates Of reports he had made Of defective work The
bad work he attributed TO tho lack Of proper assist
aDce required by division engineers Finally the wit
ness thought $4,000 would be much nearer the
actual cost OF repairs on his division than 100000
There were other witnesses present. and the hear
Ing adjourned until 9 p. m. Senator Pierce did
not return
Fisher Norris, division engineer OF the Fourth Di-
vision, began his testimony by denying the insinuaton
that he connved with the contractors TO save them
expense by passing bad work. AS TO the loss by bad
work. no declared he was in better position to know
about that than Mr.. Rice, and did know that the
lattsrs figures were In excess
Are your relations with Mr. Rice amicablep asked
Mr.. NicoIl.
"wen, they we're until last fall. but We have had
some personal difficulties about the Aqueduct since
then. Rice was too critical with me. couldn't
help bad work. because the most Of that was done AZ
night, when not on duty
LITTLE JEALOUSY
awhere are you from ~ asked Senator Fassett'
al came on tho work from Pennsylvania, whore
had experience in coal and iron Mines
where did Rice come fromf'
HProm Boston,"
apid you ever hear that Boston engineers ara
VIGOROUSLY 1ealous Of Pennsylvania engineers
Q.aughterl
That's not a new idea 10 me. I've heard Oh suC1
things. The principal reason Rice was down on me
was because was a friend OF Church's'
sohi And Rice was not a friend Of tho Chief En-
gneor, eh7' N
81 don't know anything about that That's all
ancient history Naughterl
Mr. Morris explained that the repairs were maze VI
loose masonry With grout, hDd OK cement Oh INC
consistency oil milk Tic ueeitfeu Ahee A"' NNN''
were groutlng7 great deal Of good work unneceS-
saEily.
Charles s Covan, division engineer OF the First
division did not have great Hiking for the contrac-
tors He thought that so25,ooo 70 s26o'OOo wouiu
pay for the repairs on his division THOSE IN Tue
second Division, he believed, would Nst between
$3.50 600 10 s3sp,0O0 He then proceeded to give
reason for the bad work, which was nei@er isck OF
asrisfance nor night work The contractors Brown
Howard a Co.. he said, ain their work repeatedly
betrayed signs OF unseupuloukness. They associated
with themselves meu more INSCRIPTIONS sun The
consequence was that their suborinaes did bad Work
without tho knowledge of the superiors Tho con
tractors always opposed the proper supervision OF the
work by the engineers
BRIcKING UP THE HOLES IN HASTE.
sweii, could one Of those holes In the masonry De
disguised so that 40 Inspector could not detect it
asked the chairman
aYeS ar. They could brick up hole forty feet
hong and fyo feet high in half hour, put facing
ON a. ana no one could tell by looking at the work
whether "A was not solid stone wall with rlbble
backing They might IN up a hole Ike that while
tho inspector was out taking cigar with the con
traotorS
General Superintendent P. f. Brendhnger, for
Brown Howard & Co., was next placed on the
stand aud declared that although he had been super
intendent only since October, he had been studying
the situation since May, 1883
aWhat do you mean by thati' asked Mr.. Nieoll
aoh, Just stayed about kept my eyes open, and
SAW whether the work was done properly dis
covered bad work on the part Of The on division SSm
engineers hight along got up rtes 1h"h were
never reported by the engineers. Instead Of costing
more than the repairs on Division y those on DiHsUn
IL VII cost from ten 10 twenty PCT ceHl io>s' Ah0i'
Is sample OF accuracy" s A.. - ,,h,.,
De Lancey Nlcon here announced t1 nssepa blml
Engineer church wanted chanee 70 1elenu mn
LII bofore the committee on Monday, but advised
the Senators to hear Mr.. Church IN Ap,sny, me
here To- night He win BIO asked by senator Fasseu
10 forward afidavlts Of his dsienSo 20 tho senate