The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1891-06-11

prOQuceQ papers signed Dy various urInS
in Duluth corroborating his statement.
State Inspector Gausen was recalled
and examined for an hour or more on
the rules of the inspection department,
and if they were strictly enforced. He
be made under the law.
A. d. Thompson, grain commission
man of Duluth, was put upon the stand
rest of the afternoon. The attorney
wanted to find out the true inwardness
of the pit, but Mr.. Thompson did not
give him much satisfaction.
AT o'clock adjournment was taken.
Screenings Shipped at Midnight.
ST. PAUL, June edwin McManus,
chief weigher at Duluth, was put on the
stand, and an hour spent in listening to
his methods of weighing. In the cross
examination by Mr.. Erwin the witness
said that when he first went into Office,
two years ago he heard of some vessels
that were loaded at Duluth being short
at Buffalo. He had some correspon-
hence from the officials at Buffalo show
ing that about 100 vessels had been
short at that place during the two years
he has been in Office. The shortage on
an average was about 40 pounds in 1000
bushels. One vessel was short 600 BUSH
els. Mr.. Severance asked that Julius
Smith be brought up from Buffalo to
answer few questions, as he was the
man who had been making the charges
of shortages. The matter was laid over
until the contents of MIR. McManus' cor
respondence can be ascertained.
The witness further said that the loss
by shortage while the grain was being
transported by the lakes did not fall
upon the people of this state, but upon
the vessel owners.
j. I. Thomas, agent of the Northern
Pacific and the South Shore and Allan
tic at Duluth, and T. A. Kemp, agent of
the Omaha, produced their books. The
latter testified that on one occasion he
was asked to get two cars to elevator E
when it was late. He set the cars in
after 1850, and they were pulled in be-
screenings. He could not remember
records. Nothing was said about great
haste.
Charles Canning Duluth grain
dealer testified in favor of the elevators.
Eric Had His Ears Open.
ST. PAUL. June Eric Olson was
placed on the stand to tell what he knew
about buying and selling wheat at the
country warehouses and elsewhere. He
told what he could about ten different
firms and then about the manner of
weighing at the country stations.
Have you ever had occasion to COM
plain of these local buyers?"
"No, have generally been treated
well enough.
DO you know Of any time when they
gave you short weight"
sNo. / remember one time I took
lot of wheat to an elevator. 1t had a lot
of pigeon seed in it. We gave it test
saw another man come in and / think
perhaps they took out little more out
of him. ="
Thus it went all along. Eric knew of
nothing out of the way from his own
personal knowledge, it was all hearsay.
Buffalo Scales Incorrect.
Mr.. Berry gave an account of his trip
to Buffalo year ago last fall, He said
the trip was made at the solicitation of
the elevator people and the state weigh
master at Duluth. He first went to
Duluth and watched the loading of the
ship Italia from elevator D. Then he
took the train to Buffalo, where he
watched the unloading of the ship at
the Niagara B elevator. The cargo
weighed seventy-seven bushels short,
and Mr.. Berry called for a test of the
scale. 1t was found to be slow five
pounds to every 100 bushels, and this,
together with about five bushels which
was refused and left on board, just
about made the discrepancy. Mr.. Berry
tnen went to five or six other elevators
and found most of the scales out more
or less, in favor of the Buffalo compa-
MES.
averages Not Reported.
G. M. Rees testified that during his
two years term of Office as weighmaster
in Minneapolis he had received between
300 and 400 complaints of shortage.
averages were not reported, but his
men had examined the tickets of weight
and found nearly as many averages as
shortages.
As to wheat being stolen, continued
the witness, ito my certain knowledge
there is in Minneapolis great deal of
grain stolen from the cars while stand
ing on the track.
He had not been able to fix the amount
of wheat stolen in the course of year,
but it was many thousands of bushels.
He explained that the elevators, mills
and commission firms had sample men
who took samples from the cars they
were interested in, and it was difficult
to tell the thieves from the authorized
samplers. He suggested that the cars
be resealed after the samples were
taken.