New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-11-14
RARE PICKINGS HERE.
QUEER METHODS OF THE DoCKNIASTERS
ONE WITH TWO BANK ACCOUNTS AND NO MEMORY

Commissioners Hoahan and Barker OF tne
Bureau of Accounts, assisted by Corporation Couh-
Sci Clark, took up yesterday the tangled 'hie'"
Of the Dock Department investigation where ',oS
left II on Monday The examination revealed
more fine opportunities for rob5ing the clN' anu
exhibited cumulative evidence OF omciai s'upioiS
and ignorance and loose business metnous'
David W. BOgart. dockmaster Oh Di''rio0 w.
2. in answer 20 Mr.. Clarks questions, saiu 'i"' hc
had held this place for two years anu 'naV nc gov
4, ,bropgb the influence of the late ex-senator
D. 90 his appointment Mr.. Bogart had
-, ioni,or of Pier A. His pay was the same
a. Thor eleven dockmasters, 81 800 a wear
II. u,rrns to the Dock Department showed that
he had collected but s637 during the past fiscal
vear Mr. Clark observed that the city would
10 iust Al 63 better off by dispensing with this
dooLmss,er altogether Mr. Bogart was another
witness with a bad memory. and Mr.. Clark had
great difficulty in prevailing upon him to recall
either facts or figures relating to dock matters.
After much questioning he admitted that he had
collected about $500 year from the Baltimore
and Ohio Railroad Company for the use of por-
tions OF old piers No. 90 and 2l yet his return.
which Mr. Clark produced, showed that he had
,nrned in 10 the Dock Board S73 90 from this
source.
The witness swore that he kept no bank ac-
count but after sllful handling on the part OF
the Corporation Counsel, he said that there were
two bank accounts kept in Port Jervis in his
wife's name His memory. however. was SO de-
Gcient that he was unable TO say even approx
mately how much money he put IN
or drew out. With extreme reluctance he
admitted that he might have deposited money
collected by him as wharfage charges. Mr..
Bogart admitted that he had Observation-Disclosures
with him. but declined to produce it. Mr.. Clark
tbo pnmDplllnT
ness 10 produce the hoax for examination. lie
finally took it out of his pocket under strong
protest but refused to let it 60 out of his hands
Under the Corporation Counsels urgent demands
the Commissioners got possession of the book, ana
after taking a memorandum of Its descrpuOh'
number of pages etc, seaed 1t up IN DIG envelope
and locked il up in one of the Bureau safes. MI
Rooart WIS directed TO bring both his bank books
today. when the deposits will be compared with
the contents of the memOrandum-book. Inc
witness was loud In his protests, declaring that
the Commissioners had no right to inquire lnto
his private business, but MIR. Clark referred 10 'he
number of mutilated accOunt-bool<s which had peen
produced at this examination and defended his
action as lawful and proper.
Charles H. AIurtagh, dealer in building ma
terials at Rvngton-st said that he was the lessee
of the north half of Pier 81, at Stanton-St'' ana
Of parts of Piers SO and 81 at Broome-st, East
River He had secured leases of this property
from the Dock Board for three years from May l.
John A. Mccarthy, son of the man who had acteo
us Doclmaster Pendergrast's assistant had man
aged the bidding in of the leases. Altogether the
rentals amounted to about Sl,s0O year. ana
the piers netted him. he thought about as much
more but his testimony was vague on TINS polno
Mccarthy collected the wharf charges, but no ar
ranoement had been made as TO how the pronts
10. iyfd cd He
% Der cent when they came to settle up at the end
Of the year but that was yet in allegiance. NJ.
MurtaCh was questioned about some Jersey Clty
property which he and Mccarthy had bought,
which was said to be worth $4,000 lhe wltlesS
said that in purchasing 1t money received lor
wharfage might have been used. lie also sald
that he and other persons had frequently collected
wharfage for Docl<master Pendergrast when the
dockmaster could not attend to his duties III per
ton Such methods were common on the river
front
John A. Mccarthy, age twenty-three, referred
IN by the last witness, was next called. He said
that he and Mr. Murtagh were interested in real
estate deal in which he had invested about $4,000
of money collected for wharfages. As TO the
division OF the profits from The Broome ana ana
Stanton street piers no positive agreement had
been made lie and Murtagh would settle up
their joint affairs in the spring
Nicholas Martin and W. Carraher, Murtaghs
and each testified that he had no personal knoWl-
edge of Alr. Murtagh. Both had gone upon the
TO John A. They regarded the signing OF the bona
only as q matter of form.
Charles H. Pendergrast doclmaster Of District
No 8, in which the piers Nos 55. SO and 8 East
River. are situated was next examined. lie is
white-haired man of over sixty years, arc nVeS
at No 67 East Seventy -third-st. He was vlgor-
ously interrogated by the Corporation Counsel,
and made some damaging ADMISSIONS ASKED II
he had not allowed John \. Mccarthy to collect
wharfage rents he answered ailrmanVcly out
pleaded ignorance of the Department rules on the
subject The rules are printed and furnished to
all employees of the Dock Board. Mccarthy also
kept the doclmaster's accounts MADE the entries i
in his official books, and acted as his assistant
generally. The witness confessed also that he
knew that Mccarthy was interested In the Broome
and Stanton st. piers sroB Bu$ T ace6nn
by his own memoranda, and knew that they were
correct; ret o,. ,s 49,. ,o.. aoro, on ror district
grast.
temptuousy " How do you know that McCar-
thy has turned over all the wharfage that he co.,
lected?"
when relieved from the witness-stand he made
great haste TO depart
Gouverneur Kemble, the gray-haired secretary
Of the Deck Board. recalled. He said that
he had never written up the minutes Of the
Board since his appointment. He had drawn
10 some of the resolutions occasionally. but rarely
fe had drawn Il fchpiuiIH tunb one lnOmaS
GBricn lessee Of Pier So. East River, had ap-
pared before the Board, hut he had personal
knwledge Of the fact. His recollection was in
distinct Mr.: Clark showed NJ; Mr. Kemble a
leas Of the Dier at Ihirty-siXths ST.,
Fast River. 10 Popham & Co. made
Aprileo 1887. which. although il bore the Com
MIissaSers signatures. had never been signed by
he le.eeS Secretary Kembe gazed upon the
paper silence for a few moments and then said
ual f thee were a few more Of the same kind
oI Ieasespn file i'm the Dock Department. but he
suPPOsSea o S hey were all right because there must
is some previous agreement between the
he oif, rs Holders