The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-23
CHARGES PROVED.
Report of the Committee ia
Investigate the Carnegie
ArmOr Plates.
INSPECTION CRITICISED.
They We're Not Corrupt But Theil
Work Was Negligent and
Defective.


special committee of the House which
has been investigating the charges af<
fecting the reliability of the material
for the new ships furnished by the Cars
negie Company of Pittsburg laid theiE
report before the House today.
The report shows that the contract
with the company covered a period Of
two years and three months. from Mo-
vember, 1890 to February, 1893 Ths
amount of armor plate contracted foH
was S,97S tons. costing $5,44,92O
In opening the report, Mr.. Cummings
the chairman of the committee. gives
the ten charges made against the eom-
pany, and follows it with the adnlis-
sions made under each charge.
Mr. Schwab admits under the first
charge that the plates did not receive
uniform treatment, explaining this by
saying that uniform results alone wera
required.
The committee construes the specifi-
cations to mean uniform quality before
treatment, and practically uniform treat
ment, when practically uniform results
will necessarily follow. If uniform re-
suits alone were meant there would have
been no necessity for requirements as to
process.
SECOND CHARGE PROVED.
The second charge. that false reports OF
treatment of plates were systematically
made, the committee holds. is proven by
the rough records of the company itself,
of over seven hundred plates and lots of
bolts, which came into the hands of the
Navy Department. In this connections
the records examined show that the fig
ures in the reports were almost invari-
ably changed and in some cases entire-
ly new reports were returned. There
We're fake reports of treatment of
plates that received no treatment what
ever, says the report, and over 95 per
cent. of the records show similar changes
which were evidently made for the pur-
pose of deceiving Government inspections.
The reports were made to make it ap-
pear that the plates had received the
uniform and efficient treatment required
by the contract.
It is evident to the committee, the re-
port continues, that there were not
enough furnaces to turn out the work
reported, if plates were treated accord
At first there were but three furnaces
which did all work up to August l. 1898,
when a fourth was added After the
charges of fraud were made, and PEN
land other furnaces were added, until
today they have ten.
The charge that specimens taken
from the plates both before and after
treatment to ascertain the tensiie
strength of each plate, were stretched
without the knowledge of the govern
ment inspectors, so as to increase their
apparent tensile strength is admitted
by Supt. Corey, as is practically the al
legation that false specimens taken
from other plates We're substituted for
the specimens selected by the govern
ment inspectors" He also practically
admits the charge that the testing ma
chine was 'jockeyed'' kith, to deceive
PLATES REITERATED.
Supt- Corey admits that plates Sc
lected for ballistic test by government
inspectors were re-treated without the
knowledge of the inspectors. but con-
fines his admission to three plates.
"A 466, A 531 and A 619.'
The report severely criticized both this
United States inspectors and the con-
tractors. The inspectors, il says, were
not corrupt, but the work of inspection
was negligent and defective. The in
spectors assumed that the company was
waching its superintendeuts and em-
ployes. The company, on the other hama.
relied upon the inspectors, asking in
this connection, what We're they there
for?'
Both company and inspectors. the re4
port states, were culpable. The manu-
faeture of armor was going on nigh1
and day, Sundays included. The inspec-
tors were ON duty eight hours day.
Their inspection covered only IS out of
168 hours a week. The frauds are char
/. acteriZed by the committee as crimes
for which no fine or money eompensa-
tion can adequately atone. The COM
mittee do not feel the necessity of
drafting a criminal statute, but the in
terests of the treasury, the lives of our
seamen, and to satisfy the nation de-
mands that such acts shall be severely
punishable in all persons connected with
them.
FALSE REPORTS.
1.-THE efforts of the company and of its
SchWab," the report concludes, 'shave
been to satisfy the committee that the
armor is up to the requirements of the
contract, Notwithstanding the false re-
ports to inspectors, doctoring of specf-
mems, plugging of plates, etc. The un-
blushing character of the frauds to
which these men have been parties, and
they have shown before the committee.
render them unworthy of credenee.' .
The only way to determine the actual
condition and strength of the armor is
by subjecting certain plates of the groups
passed by fraud to ballistic tests. The
committee can go no further into this
investigation without knowing the actual
passed by test of plates that did not
really represent these groups. These
tests should be made by the Govern
ment if the company will not pay for
the expense. The committee have se-
lected the plates which, in their opinion,
ought to be tested. They recommend
that the money necessary for such tests
priated fer the incre2se &C the navy un-
der the head of ''armor and arma fnent "a