The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-12-16
FORGING THE CHAIN,
Judge Douglass Makess the
Street and Water Board
Squirm at Today's
Hearing.
MALFEASANCE CLEARLY SHOWN
There We're No Contracts for Work
for Which Patrick Condor
Was Paid s3,SS4.5O.
THE PEARL STREET lNFAMY.

charges against Commissioners John Madden
Edward Dugan, Charles Somers, William R
Cook and Stephen Yoe of the Street anG
Water Board which were preferred by Hugh
Leslie, Thomas Hill and Ulamor Allen. The
lobby of the Aldermanic chamber in which
the proceedings We're held was crowded
yesterday with representative citizens who
took deep interest in the proceedings The
first of the active participants in the hear
ing to arrive was ex-Judge William P Doug
lass who appeared for the prosecutors. The
Judge came in smiling as though he antici
pated making out strong case against the
accused, and subsequent proceedings showed
that his smile was somewhat prophetic
Charles Thompson, who alone represented
the defense, today came in soon after. He
was closely followed by Otto Grouse. and the
defendants. Mr.. Dugan and Commissioner
Cook We're considerably more clipper than
they were yesterday and added to their
regulations as men of wit and humor They
cracked good many excellent jokes which
led substantial looking citizen in the lobby
to remark that they were whistling pretty
loud to keep their courage up while going
through the dark woods OF Investigations.
THE HEARING BEGUN
The Mayor was on hand promptly at ten
O'Clock but it was twenty minutes later be-
before he told Judge Douglass that he was
ready to go on. The delay was caused wait
ing for the books from the Street and Water
Board office
Mr.. Thompson said he waived the reading
of the charges as he wanted to facilitate the
proceedings casa
All the defendants answered to their
names and the same plea was entered as yes
terday by them as to the charges and that
was an objection to their sufficiency ard that
they were not good charges.
The Judge, then, without any further
delay. called Clerk Bouton to the stand Mr.
Bouton told the names of the contractors on
School No. p building Mason work, P. j.
Condor; carpenter work, Kelly Bros and
plumbing, ETC., Philip Martin. The Judge
then offered in evidence the con
tracts with P. j. Condor, Kelly Bros, and
?. E. Martin, which were identified
by Mr.. Bonton. He understood that the
building had been accepted by the city dur
ing the past two weeks. T. J. Mcdonald
was appointed inspector at S. per day
There had been paid to Mr.. Mcdonald from
August, 1892, So for every working day lrp
to and including October, 1898, amounting
to 81, ,955.
THE SECOND CHARGE.
Mr.. Douglass then took up the second
charge in THE JERSEY CITY NEWS, and
proved the ten payments of sums less than
$500, amounting in all to So. 334. so, to Pat
rick j. Condor for grading and excavating
the plot at Columbian avenue and Zabriskie
street, the site for School No. 25 without ad-
vertising and awarding contract.
Mr.. Corbln, for the accused, admitted that
these payments were made for grading and
excavating rock
Judge Douglass then offered in evidence
the warrants to Condor on which these var
ious sums were paid.
As this case proceeded it was seen that il
had been much better prepared by the
prosecution than was the case yesterday, and
1t looked far more serious for the accused
than did the former hearing. Even the de
PENDANTS seem to realize this as they grew
more serious as the case proceeded and paid
closer attention to the proceedings than they
have before.
1t was admitted that all the warrants had
been paid by the city.
Continuing, Mr.. Bouton said that no adj
vertisement for that work was ever issued,
nor was any contract ever awarded
GREENvILLE POLICE STATION II sf4f
Charge No. 3, the Greenville Police sta
ton, was then taken up. Mr. Bouton said
that only one contract for the entire work
Of erecting the station house was awarded,
and that was to Patrick j. Condor Since
November 15 1892, the police station occu-
pied building on Danforth avenue He
believed, the Police Commissioners
paid the rent William Zimmerman
was appointed inspector on the
the building. Since December 1, 1892, the
time at which the building was to have been
done, according to contract, Zimmerman
has bill for $3.50 before the board which
has not been audited.
THE PEARL STREET CASE
Mr.. Bouton was asked if he knew of any
ordinance passed by the Street and w Water
Board allowing any railroad to encroach
made to the board against the encroaehments
of the Pennsylvania Railroad on Pearl
street. The witness produced a paper,
which was such protest. received
by the board on September 25, 1898,
and referred to the Committee on Streets
and Sewers. No action as board was
taken upon the protest. But the committee
usually acted on such matters without it ap-
pearing upon the minutes All the members
of the board were on that committee Mr.
Dugan being Chairman. The committee re-
ported no action on the protest to the board,
as such action was not customary. q
THE SIDEWALK FUND.
Passing to charge No. q, wasting and di-
verting from its proper use the fund for
sidewalks appropriated July /, 1891, Mr.
Bouton said $4,000 was appropriated then
for repairing and resetting hagstones
spent. Philip Muldoon was appointed
Inspector of Sidewalks shortly after the
fund was set aside. AT first his salary was
81 900, and then it was made $1,000. No
ticeS were served upon property owners to
repair their sidewalks. He knew this from
the records.
THE WATER DEPARTMENT.
Charge No. &. Extravaganza and waste in
the Water Department was then taken up
and Mr. Bouton said that Louis Hellar was
Waiter Assessor.
Al this point Mr.. Cook went mp TO the wit
ness and was whispering to him when Judge
Douglass objected
MIR. Cook took his seat with his high pro-
tecticp smile higher than ever.
Continuing Mr.. Bouton said there were
four men known as re-assessers: w, Il.
Wheelan, NJ. J. O'Rourke, G. h Donaldson.
III. T. Quigley. The assessor fixes rate on
new buildings and if any changes are made
IN tie buildings he sends cut the re7assessor.
He could not average how many new build
ngs We're put upor changes made in s month.
The assessor generally got his Information
from insurance people and plumbers whh
get permits TO make the changes. Before
;he present Board was organized, about the
ame number of meu did the work of the
assessors and reassessors
Judge Douglass asked the witness fo, ascer-
ain just how many men the board of 1859 to
1891 employed to do this work
Mayor Wanser asked if The staten house
vas delayed by the widening of tue street and
he said that was one reason fcr delay. That