The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1894-05-31
AnMOR PLATE FRAUD.
Sensational Testimony before the
House Naval Committee.

Wf shington, May 25.-'rhe congressioa-
oil Investigation into frauds ard irr4glI-
lFrities in naval armcr plate began to-day
with open doors. Rel ICsentatiYe Dunphy
stated thar his information came from
docun ents sent to the departments from
official papers and frCm the newspapers.
Mr.. Dunphy's statement detailed the
ct rly discovery of the irregularities and
tie investigation made by the navy de-"
partment which led to the fning of the
Carnegie company. Mr.. Dunphy said
GrmOr plates had been tested at the In
dian Head proving grounds, and had been
found defective. 1t had then been treat
ed SO rs to overcome the defects.
WAS this treatment in secretV asked
Chairman Cummings.
Mr.. Dunphy ansW cred in the affrma
tive. He said that one plate was picked
out as u sample of Il large number of
plates, amounting to 34S tons When
this secret retreatmcnt had been made it
served to pass the sample plate, and that
in turn passed the entire 34S tons of
armor.
Mr.. Dunphy then spoke of blow holes
in the armOr of the monitor Terror. EX-
pCrts had gone to the navy yard and ac-
tU0lly had located two blow holes which
had been filed up to deceive the govern
ment. Similar blow holes existed in the
armOr of many other ships, but it was i'm
possible for the experts to locate the de-
fects, rs the ships Wer" abroad at their
stations. Recent charges covered not
only armOr plates but the bolts and
screws securing the plates. In conclu-
sion Mr.. Dunphy said
MY information is that the defective
plates will be found on the Oregon, the
Machias, the Castine, the Monadnock, the
Cincinnati, the Terror, the New York and
the Monterey, and that the exact position
of the plates on each of these vessels
can be located" He added that the de.
fCctive plates located by the government
experts had been estimated to be worth
100000 to $1,OOOOOO.
Capt. Sampson, chief of the ordnance
bureau, navy department, to-day resumed
his statement before the house committee
investigating the amor plate frauds. He
took up the second charges made against
the Carnegie cOmpany which have been
in part investigated by the navy depart
nent. Capt Sampson detailed the
charges made by Mr.. Wallace, Pitts
burg lawyer, representing Il half-dozen
employees of the Carnegie works. Sec
rotary Herbert Capt. Sampson said, had
designated a board with witness at the
head. They had gone to Homestead and
had found the charges and the evidence
substantially similar to that at the first
investigation. The final report of the
board was not yet completed, but in sub
stance it would disclose little that was
new.
Mr.. Sill, one of the informers in the
first investigation, had the most compre-
hensive knowledge of the defects. None
of the witnesses at the second hearing
had material information to add to that
alreadyS given by Mr.. Sill. The only
thing in the bill of additional information
was given by Mr.. KountZ and Mr.. Buck.
The latter testified to practice in the
works of so fixing specimens as to give
the false records of the tests. He testi-
fed that the Justification continued until
Jan. L last. Another emplOye testified
that the practice had always existed.
|. Other workmen swore that the practice
had continued until orders We're given to
| discontinue it.