Johnstown weekly Democrat. (Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa.) 1889-1916, 1889-11-29
m,ks1ear GIVES THANKS.

The state Satisfies His Johnstown Claim
His Attorney Says just Enough Was
sbaved ont Remove the Contractors
Profts-some of the Discrepancies Es-
piained.
rLrrsBuRaH, Pa, November 28-Con-
tractor james Mcknight was yesterday
noIlded by his Attorney, Charles II. Nc
k,e that he had been awarded $14, 900
o. his claim against the State for work
done at Johnstown, in addition to S5,-
lot 40 paid him since the proceedings be-
sss. This is practically the full amount
Of McKnighrs claim and he Is entirely
satisfied. homas Carlin's Sons were at
the same time awarded $4,000 on their
claim of S4700 and William Anschutz 81
400 on n claim of $500 The three claims
had originally been made in one by Nc
Knight, who was really responsible for
the work of the Carlins and Anschutz.
But the arbitrators, who held their final
meeting al Greensburg last Wednesday
evening, decided to seperSte the claims.
Attorney Mckee, who represented
Mcknight, went to Harrisburg
at once and presented the claim
Of his client to Governor Beaver.
rhe latter very rapidly wrote cut
his cneck for the amount, and the
money was yesterday paid over to Mr..
McKnig t. Mr.. Mckee said yesterday
that Mcknight would be worth more to.
day if he had not done days work at
Johnstown. The loss of time and tools
aud the expenses incident to the recent
litigation had, aited by the amount de-
Auc!ed from his claim, contributed to his
financial detrment The money now
received from the State goes to William
Finn, who had indorsed paper Of Mr. Nc
Knight for $40, 900 about two weeks after
the work began at Johnstown.
After all the attacks made upon Mr..
Meningitis accounts" said Attorney Nc
Kee yesterday, "about the only shaving
the arbitrators did was in the way Of
percentages not allowed on lumber
ordered, coal and gas used and freight
and express bills. But this was enough
to eat up all McKuighrs profits. Some
of the items charged to the State were
decided to belong to the Flood Commits
sion, and some workmen were paid more
than the written contracts with the State
allowed. The accounts were necessarily
! in very bad shape. The chief time-keeper
for the State nowledged IN his
testimoney that there was really no
roll kept for the first two weeks. About
that time Col. Douglass took hold and
made some rather arbitrary orders. Nc
Knight was ordered to reduce his force of
men from / $50 TO $50. The State could
give him no money to pay them of, he
was afraid to discharge them without
their pay, for they were already making
| threatening movements, and so Mr. Nc
Knight borrowed $4,000 and William
Flynn indorsed his notes. Then Col
Douglass ordered that Mcknight reduce
his force below the bridge to twenty men.
Col. Phillips, the engineer, saw that it
was impossible to keep the channel clear
with so small force, and in the fbsence
of Douglass he took the liberty to enlarge
the force instead OF decrease it. But the
State time-keepers would not allow for
more than twenty men, according to their
instructions. This is one of the many
things which caused such discrepancies
in the accounts of Mcknight and the
State.
Complaint was also found IN the fact
that Meningitis accounts showed no
classification of the work. Colonel Doug
lass demanded that they show how much
work was done for the commissary, the
quartermaSttr and the hospital depart
ments, and what part Of the work was
done in certain districts. Mcknight had
made no attempt at such distinctions dur
ing the first two weeks, had not been in
structed to do so, in fact. Whenever he
would leave the drift and attempt to
straighten cut matters at camp, Adjutant
General Hastings would request him to
GO back to the drift. So the matter was
allowed to remain in that shape until sud
denly Mcknight was told to furnish an
itemized, classified account, something
no living man could have done under the
circumstances