New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-01-05
THE BROOKLYN SCANDAL.
1T WILL COME UP IN. COURT TO-DAY
THE SORRY PLIGHT OF THE MEN WHO TRIED
TO ROB THE CITY BY MAKING IT PAY FOR
A FRAUDULENT WATER COMPANY.

was made, VIII Dear closer inspection than III Mas
yet received.
The Tribune published yesterday the facts about
the water mains which were laid by private prop
erty-owners and are being turned over to
the city as part of the plant of the company, but
the story Of the real condition of those mains is
yet to be told Trecartin, in his letter of Deem
Der p, says to the Mayor: Whatever the popu-
lation may be, the expense will not have 70 be
done over, although the population and the bust
ness of the company are sure to increase very
greatly Is this statement true? Fully thirty
miles OF the PIPE now claimed by the Long Island
Water Supply Company not laid by it, The
greater part Of these private mains are two-inch
pipe, while some is one and one-half inches in
diameter, md little or none greater than two and
one-half inches. Such mains are utterly value
less for the distribution Of water in any large
quantities, either for domestic or fire PURPOSES
The present requirement of underwriters for the
connections TO tnd common automatic sprinkers
put in single houses is two-and one half-inch pipe
while the builders of large drygoods house in
New-York were recently required to use three
inch pipe for the purpose to insure sufficient
supply of water 10 make the sDriIklers of any use
The maps of the real estate owners show
street after street marked with red lines to indi-
cate their private twO-nch mains
~ ih'nV oihoIi PiPs, WHICH Cdu haTOlN C4rrA
sufficient water for household uses In the more
thickly populated districts Of the ward have beeu
fastened the fire hydrants, for which the city Of
Brooklyn pays S3j each, after having put them
down at IFS oHn expense. The kydrants are
bigger than the mains that supply them. 1t would
not he long after the city had possession of this
plant before there would be considerable expense
in putting down larger pipe. Il was to furnish
additional pressure to these two-inch mains that the
chief engineer of the Fire Department, Thomas +.
Neyins, one of the owners of the stock Of the
Long Island Water Supply Company. is said TO
have requested that connection be made between
the mains OF the company and nj the city of
Brooklyn. With those two-inch mains il did not
make much difference /: the reserve reservoir OF
the city which To be used only in case OF fire
was on the same hill and had tho static press
ure.
4 critical examination into the condition of the
plant of the Long Island Water Supply Company
Will reveal the fact tina. thc mains owned by that
company do not supply wafer 10 Ons-tenth Of the
territory OF the Twenty.SiXth Ward. Yet on De
oember I2, L. H. Trccartin said Whatever the
population may be- the expense w not have 10
be done over The Mayor believed the state
ment it seems. and decided to pay 81 ,2jo,0oo for
the plant. Trecarin also says The lie" buSl-
ness which comes from the growth OF the ward
will be 30 pei cent profit II ought 70 he, VIVA
an unused plant. stolen water. borrowed mains
and hydmnts put down by the city and afterwarl
paid for by it. We shall not have TO build our
plant again. and "-c can now double our gross re-
cepts by a small expenditure. which we mean 70
make very soon. # the city does not buy us out
writes Trecartin. The company truly had q pc
cnliar way Of doubling It's gross receipts, and for
.t,., a rLtbl n 10 =
ing expenditures for that end II was valuable
plant in July, when he swore that the real
estate was worth SD 400 and the total value oil
the plant was $50, l20.
ing 10 have refused 70 show the list OF the stock
holders Of the company. That Is not surprising
He could hardly be expected TO reveal me socic'
business connections Of one Of the best OF hi
clients II will be- remembered that as soon as
staples. The broker. bought the stock
d the COMPANY, NJ re c1H h..r p sroiTT
a, tine intimate adviser and counsel 81 Johu
Dcmar II IS not difficult 70 discern the hahd
OF John Dcmar behind many OF the things saiu
and done IN connection with the wdt"r-slppl!
purchase, rs well behind many OF the things
left uns1ld.
Gail the roll Of the owners Of the stock OF the
Long Island Water supply Company Edward
FFccl. Thomas !. Nevlns. I. L Ad'uih' Ilu.h
Mclaughlin. John Demar-nor are thcse all
This morning the cusc will for tlr first time
come into court on the argument on the order 10
by Justice cullen on December - should not
be- made permanent. There Is some mlNaPprehru-
sion ~ 10 the exact hearing of To-day proceed
m4~ ON the final issue Of the ease. The opinion
has prevailed that # the temporary injunction Is
dissolved tie Mayor and his associates VIII he
cua lied t. carry out their contract, pay for tie
wuicrworlls uud that II Will be next - impossible
10 carry tie case any further This IS MT true
Ih, present emergency T. exactly covered by the
statute under which Mr. /lcclcrS suit Is brought
mil 1873 the officers could steal AT Will, ana
If they held the rcluS of power there seemed H.
hc no remedy When William NJ Tweed vos
pldudcrIn. Ncw-Aork City. II was utterly i'm
possible to get the officials 10 bring action 10 L.
cover the money stolen from the city Then
Charlcs O'Conor tool, the broad ground that tine
State could bhnT 'n action 10 compel rcS'iin-
as the greater includes the less, ami
it wa, Hs province 10 look after the welfare Of
the city If the city did not look after II itself
Mr.. O(OnOT and Governor Illdcn induced tie
Attorney General 10 bring action in the name of
the state II tired before Justice Noah
Davis, who upheld the theory Of the prosecution
but the Court of Appeals oNcrrulrd the decision
and said that any action 10 recover must he
brought by the cItg. Then Governor Illdcn
framed and secured the passage Of an act pro
vIdIn- that any taxpayer coud bring action either
- prevent The waste of public money or 10 Ic-
strain officers from doing any Illegal Act. and If
the money had already been paid out the act
prov III that Ihould the taxpayer finally win his
sui - dgmcnt must b" entered against tho officers
who are responsible for the waste and they must
refund The money int t'c cliE treasury. The act
wac made even broader in It's scope by amend
mcntS ~ lhS' The injunction may he dissolved.
INT the taxpayers ucrd have no fear, for two of
tie officials who signed the contract are abun-
dainty wealthy. and even II the m'n who are he
hind Staples. the broker. succeed in carrying on
their 81 5000 Of plumber. the officials will he
able 10 make restitution 10 the treasury. II is Ia
be- questioned. however even il restraint were r.
u.tcd, whether the MAYOR and his associates
would carry ont the contract hcfonr the cnsr wa,
tried. for they have personally tpo much 81 stake
Nevertheless they mean 10 have the IL junction
dissolved The ring has been running two ali
Gayit mills for week, and they will probably
food the cour; to-day with a mass of documents
showing that the plant which IN July was worth
81 .j?O is how worth $l.:j0OO0. ON question
Of law they are in an unpleasant situation. II
iicv base His remarkable valuation n monopoly
Iieht. their case will he utterly ruined If il l.
shown that the provision Of the Act Of AhncNa-
ton creating the monopoly is uncons'itut iOnal.
II WIS said 10 be ut the time Of LIS passage ard
the public INDIGNATION over il ~as 50 great TINT
Auliinr Euinm Nnn now Nnlcs for The nnIclnsc.