New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-01
gHAT WATER SUPPLY JOB.
MAYOR oHAprN nrel 10 STOW ANXIETY.
WHO REALLY ,wSEr PIE ocK ~ EDWARD
rREr1s ST Nc M,ND.
UYho nxu,s ,Ao st.c. tlu T. A., Jsl.ua 1vo.nv

Who owns the stock tie Ii lg Island Water
Supply Company, that - dty OF Brooklyn was
Ibout 10 pay 81, ,25o,uot " when Justice Cullen
stepped in with aa injur aioHe Cyrus f. Staples
says he owns 2,4oo sha iout of the 250o AS
the owner of this contx ,irg interest in the con-
pany and the master ut tits AFFAIRS he passed
through strange expes cule in his Office in Mon
tague-st. about thirty iays sgo. Edward Freel.
prominent membcE o. ti{e Brooklyn ring and
lsrge contractor on hel costly county farm
at ST Johnlsnd. ked into the office
of Staples, the own r, and into the rcar
Office where Staples at at his desk Sew
eral people sat in the oater once In few
minutes they were startlea al hearing Frecl in
loud voice. beratng Staples in language Of the
most abusive sort, Above the dist lrbance Freel
could be heard saying that II Staples did not get
pack contract and deed right of he would fix
him." Freel was standing over Staples, the
owner who sat at his desk with bowed head and
said III give YOU twenty-four hours to get
hack that contract and deed. or Ill make it hot
for YOU You had no business to sell that property
whatever"
One of those outSido was curious TO know why
Staples, the owner. sIhrnitted with such meek
ness 10 abuse and threats, and on making in
ouiry he found that Staples and his young SON.
in-law, Trccartin. who figures the president of
the Water Company had sold about seven acres
OF the land OF the company, ana the dcnuncattOnS
of Frcel were called forth by finding this out The
result of the abuse that Staples the broker,
went 10 the lawyer who purchased it and told him
his dilemma and asked that the land be given
back
The appeals of Staples and his friends so worked
upon the feelings of the lawyer that he consented
20 cancel the contract and give up his rights. To
those who have known Of this it is ludicrous to
hear that he claims absolute ownership.
The fact is that Edward Frcel IS the central
pivot Of the combinaton that really stands he
| hind Staples 1t is he who examines the books
Of the concern and sees hat Staples faithfully per-
form his part Of fgurelead-owncr The rest keep
hidden.
The fricdity that sluounds the Mayors office
was slightly mitigated Yesterday, and the Mayor,
who has so long been ongeaiing the blood OF In
auirers with his own adaptation OF Nothln to say,
my darter nothin at al u say became excited
and spoke out in meeting. The meeting was a
council between Mayo: Chaplin, Controller Jack
son. Auditor Rutan and Corporation Counsel jerks
They had long and earnest conversation in the
. Mayors Office in the anrrnoon. The Mayor was
heard 10 call for Philips. his private secretary.
and. as Phillips entcre. Mr.. Chaplin cried out
, I'VE must have this -an NoycS Palmer and
the Others said the sac.
The Mayor then told?hillipS 10 20 Immediately
N the house of Mr. P.ler and bring him at all
events hack to the Ctce. 1t is not known
whether Phillips succeeded or not. Noycs G
Palmer is the man VIII makes affidavit that prior
20 May /, 1890, andf ortly after the stock OF
the company was pur sed by Staples, he heard
Trecartin say to a ma Eho objected 10 making a
connection between the city water mains
and those of the company, Go ahead
= and do it. l responsible for this
nr Pelr.cr sa.s l, man aftei"ald said
That +hc councctior IS rot made at point
whcre the mains We closer tcscther because
il WAS too public "a ia
No authority for tho MESSED connection made
| osteusiby for addition pressure in case of fire,
could he found IN the lice Of the Commissioner
y Of City Works yc>tcrd. No street can be TORI
up in Brooklyn withoa written permit. which
is afterward filed. II - been the boast of that
office for twenty-five 'ars that any paper filed
there for twice that lep- of time could he found
al once. Vet no perm or the opening nor the
letters said 10 have be- written by the officers
/, Of the Fire Department Dud be found, and Mr.
Adams Lad 10 confess could not lay hand on
them. Mr. ADAMS coulc,)t he seen hy Tribune
I reporter yesterday. Tie vas engaged with one
Of TIE engineers of the g. rimcnt. Perhaps they
are going go lo6; Ia tbA atcr stealing
The records Of the A,ssor's Office were also
somewhat disturbed AIrbune reporter asked
Thomas 4 Wilson. the resident of the Board
of Assessors. for the sWn statement OF +. ii
Trecartin made in July st. as to the property
Of the. Long Island Wate>upply Company. The
request Was refused, and ar some hesitation Nj
Wilson said it was in u lands OF persons con
nected with the case, b. ne was not nj liberty
TO tell the circumstances He wa, asked about
The assessment and Iustis. il by saying that
w.e set down as farm-la s. and that by th'|
New-Lot> Annexation Acti 1856 they were pro
IA hibited from assessing lans in the Twenty-sNjn
N Ward on any other basis lrss they were divided
into lots and a map was lei.
N This Valuation is proba, correct. for later N
the dftGynoon the sworn sIcment, made in july
| by Trccartln, wos obtain 1t says that he
real estate Of the company, worth 81 400, and
the machinery and all the pes. mains, conduts
| and hydlants above ground ID under ground aIe
| worth So1.540. making a tel value of Ss3,l2o
\ lie also Says that divideI has never been de-
clared on The stock, and IL it IS not worth 10
| exceed So: a share or in over $4,000 All
| this under oath in July. lncrobcr he wrote 10 !
/ the Mayor saying thai the II estate wo1h !
S21l $50 -, and that the s. which he s"lrc |
Il Was worth SG2,i00, was wol 81 100000 .a, |
Il was based on an income of Der cent from stock !
/ that in July lie said never p. dividend.
There is another discicpar between the two
Il statements lie tells the Ayor that lie las !
II tscn,y-eight acres of ald toll The ;aX4ols |
III show only nineteen and q b. acres. The tX
| rolls show the company TO h. twenry-nine and !
III thrcc-quartcr miles Of pipes, lille Mr.. Ire0nin
told the Mayor il had over fftIniles. There was !
q great zeal Of pipe-aying donoetween Jull and |
October.
In 4 competent civil engineer 80 had eXauUed |
III the plant said Yesterday thai could be elpi !
cate1 for less than S2OU,OOO. ne company has |
started It's engines pumping Slh the eNpoee OF |
the water steal
IN cyrus T. staples left BrooMs last night lie |
/ a said he was going hunting ana Sually rensIked |
4 1lotr Uf