The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1893-12-19

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walked along the pipe they found out the
leaks. 81 couldn't find out how much it
would cost. Mr.. Dugan never asked me to
give an estimate"
didn't you think it was pretty good work
and would cost at least thousands of dollars"
asked Mr.. Erwin.
mo, sir; l didn't
sHow was it Mr.. Dugan selected you to do
this renumerative piece of work! = asked Mr..
Erwin.
~ don't know. When Commissioner Van
Keuren was on the board he had men work
ing all along that pipe"
MORE DAMAGING ADMISSIONS.
Coming back to School No. 25, Mr.. Erwin
paused in a series of searching questions as
To the contract for excavating, and parti-
cularly how every payment came to be $499.
Witness said that he put the number of
yards at forty-five cents a yard, and he did
il to suit his own convenience. He knew
nothing about the law regarding 5000 pay
ments.
"Who posted you about keeping your pay
ments within the $500 limit" asked Mr..
Erwin.
"No one. I did it myself. I don't know
anything about the law. 1t was done that
way rather than lump it up in one big
amount, because | wanted the money"
Witness always, he said, measured up the
work himself and kept over some amount for
the next estimate. He could not account
for the similarity of each item $499 or $495
excepting that the amount of excavatlng
was just the same.
"Do you pretend to say that you took out
exactly the same number of yards each time!"
asked Mr.. Erwin.
Witness-'Couldn't say, perhaps, l can't
explain that
Mr.. Condor, referring to the delay in COM
pleting the building of No. 25 school, said
that the Commissioners never at any time
ha1 nornrYlajnad of 6alou Init Mav0r INanSpr
had written him a letter doing so.
doesn't the contract call for the compile
ton of the work on that school by July 10,
1922" asked Mr.. Erwin.
Eyes, sir" witness replied.
as the building completed yetg
eyes, sir.n
Witness knew of no regulations of the
board by which payment of small sums for
repairing water pipes were authorized.
Mr.. Erwin switched off here to Mr.. Con-
don's items for repairing East Hamilton
street in four consecutive payments of S495.
"How do you explain these four items and
seven continuous items in September, 1881,
for 1896 for repairing Greene street,"
"Mr. Dugan ordered it, n | did the
work"
Butt how is it you struck the same amount
each times Did you 10 exactly the same
amount of paving each timeF" asked Mr..
Erwin.
81 figured up the work done and it
amounted to the same amount each time"
he replied.
Now, as to the repaving of Washington
place, where you come each time to within
81 of $500. Who set you to work on the job
and those jobs of Greene street and Grand
streetf'
Mr.. Dugan,n said witness, and l did the
exact work each time 1 charged. l don't
know how it is the amount is the same. |
did the work"
These answers in reference to the peculiar
items evidently didn't satisfy the citizens
crowded in the lobby. They laughed ironi-
cally, and not a few of them muttered ex-
pressions suspiciously like "Rats," Come
off, etc. Mayor Wanser raped for order,
and Mr.. Erwin resumed his inquiry as to the
extraordinary similarity as to items.
HIS IGNORANCE BLISS.
Witness was asked concerning each item
of 1896 or 1893 or S499, which appeared on
the charges in blocks of five, but the answer
in each case was the same: The work was
ordered by Mr.. Dugan without any estimate
or contract, but simply told to go ahead and
charge so much per yard.
Witness simply said to Mr.. Dugan he
would do the work of repairing at SO much a
yard. The Commissioners, he said, never
told him how much work he had to do.
They could stop him at any moment Wit
ness had sixteen, wagons hauling the stone, but
QlQnU KNOW WQeUQer ne Qdu 10 10 TEL ydruS
OF 1000 yards. His orders were to go on and
these orders might stop at any moment, For
the paving of Greene street witness had paid
to him $4,000: for excavating School No. IS
he was paid 49, 900 to $4,000; for paving of
East Hamilton place he was paid S2,297; and
for repairing cement pipes he received 81, 200
or thereabouts: on Newark venue he paved
and received 81, OOo'to 50, 600: to repairing of
Fifth street he received $5,297.60 and all
these had been lone without estimate or con-
tract. AS to the Fifth street matter witness
was asked how he made up nine separate and
similar amounts of $495 for that lump sum.
"Just to suit my own convenience" Mr..
Condor replied.
Had you any other reasonW queried Mr..
Erwin.
None in the world" he replied.
"Was there any contract between you and
the city for these repairing itemsg' asked MI.
Erwin.
"No, sir; I simply went to work because
Mr.. Dugan ordered me-"
THE MAYORS WAY.
Mr.. Erwin sat down and ex-Judge Doug
lass was about to take a hand when Mr.. Cor
bin objected as not the proper way to be
adopted.
II propose to try my case my own way"
retorted Judge Douglass.
Gentlemen, I'll try this case my way
said the Mayor, and that ended the spat.
Judge Douglass gained his point and elic-
tied from Mr.. Condor that he had lone all
this work for the city without keeping any
books of account.
Then reading to witness a clause upon the
city charter which provides for the work be-
ing done by contract, Judge Douglass sternly
asked
"Do you mean to tell the Mayor, with all
your experience with the city, that you did
not know of this lawg
II don't know the law, and [ never heard
Of that clause" witness replied.
Then Judge Douglass took up the matter of
Public School No. %.
Turning to minutes of the Board of Street
1891, Judge Douglass read the bids and
awarded to witness. Witness didn't know.
and in it was a provision that the work
should be finished by July Is, 1892.
THE AUDITORS APPLAUDED.
Just as counsel was about to ask why the
work wasn't finished by time, Counselor
counsel was trying his case before the gal
lery. .iIts nonsense" said Mr.. Corbin.
"Now, look here" retorted Judge Doug
lass, II am going to try my case in my own
way and before gallery, Mayor and whomever
| please. l know you don't like these mat
tiers coming out, but out they shall come"
[Applause from the lobby, which the Mayor
instantly checked
What do you expect to prove, Judge2"
asked the Mayor.
Il expect, sir, to prove a conspiracy be-
tween the witness and the Commissioners to
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