The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1894-08-29
1T WAS A FRAUD
Carnegie Company or Its En-
pIoyes Guilty.
ARMOR PLATE MATTER AIRED
IT Has Keen ConclusiveIy Shown That the
inspectors Have Been Satishe" ny
Most Notorious Frauds.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 23.-Represer
tative Cummings, chairman OF the
house com rait,ee on naval affairs, pre-
sented today preliminary report upor
the iuvestiga' ion of the armor plate
billets furnished by the Carnegie stee
Company. The committee finds TIT
charges of fraud sustained, scores thu
company severely, and recommends
that the SO suspected plates in use be
tested as the only method of proving
their fitness or unfitness. 1t finds thai
the government inspection was negll
gent. but no charge of dishonesty rests
upon the inspectors.
The charges against the company
were that The plates and bolts did moi
receive the Treatment required by the
contract; that false reports were made
to the government inspectors; speci
mems for testing were re.treated before
being submitted: that the testing
machine was traudu!ently manipu-
lated; that substitution was made III
the case of plate designed Tor bal
lastic test. and that tho government
stamp was either duplicated or stolen
and used without the know iedge OF the
government inspectors.
The report states that the number ol
furnaces used was totally Inadequate
to fulfil! the specifications of the con
tract on the amount of armor plate
turned out. After the first investiga'
sioa of the frauds the Lumber Of fur
fr, f. n
"Jockeyine'' of Test Machines.
In regard to tho ''jocheyina" of test
machines, it is asserted that the compa'
nv made private tests of the material,
and if it was below standard manipu.
lated the machine at the official test SO
1t would show the required testlle
strength. The charges of re.treating
and substituting plates designed for
ballistic tests, committee Is satisfied
Is true.
Not Frauds, but Crimes.
OF the feature of c,iminality In
volved, Chairman Cummings says:
1.-THE frauds which the committee
found are worthy 10 he called crimes.
The servants Of the Carnegie company
whether with or withou: the knowl-
edge of the company, to Increase the
pair. deliberately continued for many
months to commit acts whose natural
probable con sequences would be ter
rife loss of men In times of war and
perhaps the dearest to nation.
In recommending test of the plate
the committee says: Notwithstanding
all the admissions by superintenCents
of the company, they claim that all the
plates paid for by the government are
up to the specifications of the contracts.
The contract OF February %. 1898. states
that an obligation is imposed upon the
contractors to satisfy the Inspector that
everything has been done in strict &C
cordance with the terms OF the con-
tract. 1t has been conclusively shown
that the inspectors had been satisfied
and the armor plates passed bv most
notorious frauds. The efforts of the
company and all its superin!eudsnts,
Cline, CORY and Schwah, have been to
satisfy our committee that the armor is
up the requirements of the contract,
notwithstanding false reports to the
inspectors. doctoring OF specimens,
plugging OF plates, fraudulent retreat
lag of test plates and joc&eying' of the
testing machine. The unblushing
character of the frauds to which these
men have been parties, aud the disre-
GARD of truth and honesty which they
haze: own IN teetifying before your
committee, render them unworthy OF
credence, and everything bears against
their contention.
Done Purely for Gain.
ut Is not to be supposed that such
manifold frauds continued for SO long
a time without All important object to
lie gained. AS individual plates and
groups of plates were passed in many
cases by fraud, q fair conclusion is that
without frauds they would not have
passed. Two questions remain, how
ever. First, whether Notwithstanding
the frauds and failure to attain the
high standard required by the con-
tracts, the armor Is not good steel and
fair armor; second. the extent to which
the government has been damaged by
the frauds and Irregularities practiced
on 1t.
1.-THE terms OF the resolution under
which your committee Is acting re.
uuires them to ascertain the amount of
damages. 1t Is impossible for them to
do this with their present powers. The
only way to ascertain the actual
strength and condition of the armor is
to subject certain plates of the groups
passed by ballastic tests. Your com.
mittee has DO more work to do. For
the information of the house, in rela-
ton to further continuing this inves-
tigation by making such ballastic tests,
your committee have ascertaincd the
whereabouts Of the SO representative
mates, alleged to have been falsely
treated, The plates recommended fo:
testing are four on the Monterey, eight
on the Mouadnock, four on the New
York, four On the Amphrite, three on
the Terror, three on the Oregon, three
on the Olympia and seven OH the H.
diana. four on the Massach usetts and
.o,ne on the Oregon. OF the five inch
sponsous. there are three on the New
York. two OF the Columbia, three OIL
the Minneap. liz, three on the Olyni-
MA. two Oh tie Cincinnati and two or
the Raleigh"
Must Test These Plates.
The report concludes: "The com
nnittee can 90 no further into this in
vestipRtion without knowing the actua
baIlastic resistance Of the groups o
plates passed by the test of plates 'hs
did not really represent these groups
The committee has admitted thi
charge. If the government Is pre-
cluded from making these tests ut thei
expense by the settlement on May IL