The morning call., 1894-06-15
i KLINE. DIRECTED THE WORK.
Carnegie's Superintendent in a
i; Bad Light.
KNOWLEDGE SOLD TO UNCLE SAM
Workmen Give More Sensational
T.: !! Evidence in the Armor Plate
=: Investigation.

WASHINGTON, June 14-Charles Edgar
Sill, for the men-Carnegie workmen-
who made the chief disclosures concerning
the defective armOr plate, was before the
:. Congressional Investigating Committee to-
day. He said he made written reports on
the results of certain processes of manu-
). facture After Superintendent Kline had
changed the reports so as to make them
show that the process conformed to the
requirements and specifications of the
Government contract, they were returned
to Sill, VINO made a complete report, in
eluding Kline's alterations, to be sub
United to the Government officials.
-. Kline had directed this to be done. Kline
said he had not made any alterations in
the original report. Sill said he had kept
tab on. these alterations and be had his
notes with him. Kline changed dates so
that the Government inspectors could not
detect that the work as reported was not
within the capacity of the mill. The
books as kept By Superintendent Kline
showed the actual work in black ink and
the alterations as submitted to the Govern
meut officers were in red ink. At the sug-
gestiOn of Chairman Cummings the word
flake" was used by the committee and
witness: to designate these alterations.
'@"What was the percentage of this fake
work. asked Cummings.
T. "From 70 to 90 per cent was fake work.
SIthink that would be fair average"
..::Sill related how Superintendent Klins
had given orders for re-treatiDg ends of
plates to cover up defects. The order was
written and verbal and by diagram. He
showed a rough diagram which consti-
ruted one of the orders. The diagram,
which was closely scrutiniZed by the
committee, Sill said, was made by Kline
and the wording on it was in Kline's
handwriting. Witness had a bundle OF
these diagrams.
:s'tDo you mean to say" asked Repre-
sentative Dolliver. "that these diagrams
were for the purpose of deluding the Gov
ernment-by false returns?"
II do"
g And. he left the evidence of this bogus
yFoi5l in your hands?'
:4Aedid."
How much did you get from the Gov
eminent as an informerP" asked Dolliver.
" ''Six, thousand dollars" answered sill,
who. said be was led to make the dis
closures through the i'll treatment received
from Kline. The latter, Sill said, was a
"human brute"
Witness said he submitted his story to
Pitt5burg attorneys and then to ex-Solic-
itor jerks. 1t was then given to the Sec
retary of the Navy.
lp response TO close questioning Sill said
he:a and the attorneys had talked over the
amount TO be derived from the Govern
ment. He and other informers had first
hoped that they would get Government
position. Sill said on further cross-ex-
animation that the workmen had no mo-
tive or interest in the Irregularities. They
were LED on and were not benefited by a
larger output. The company and the su
perintendents were the ones that got the
benefit. If the Government officers had
known the actual condition of the work
they would have rejected 70 per cent of
such work as was accepted.
Sill read from his notes the specific
plates with plugs and blowholes. They
included two plates of the coming tower
of the Oregon. Each plate had hole as
large as a mans handF whch was
plugged up.
Cummings asked what had become of
the books which showed the real work
done. Sill said ne had seen Superintend-
ent Kline burn two of the books, The
ether three had disappeared after the in
formation was given to the department.
He had seen Frick about the plant occa-
-sionally. He did not know that Frick
knew about the books which had been
burned:
-.. The committee was told by Charles
Craig, one of the informeIs, that the work
'men.were giving information to the Navy
department. Craig had first informed the
department and had gone to the company
and offered to sell out cheap. Craig was
infn ediately paid by the Government for
hls:information. The committee then took
up SINS books and notes, and he ex-
plafned in detail the irregularities and the |
alterations of the reports made by Super |