New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-06-15
SILLS STORY OF FRAUD.
THE ORIGINAL INFORMER BEFORE THE
ARMOR PLATE COMMITTEE.
HE TELLS CT FALSE REPORTS. RECORDS
CHANGED AND BOOKS DESTROYED
ONLY TWO OR THREE WEEKS
tBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBrSE.'

tBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBrSE'
Washington, June 14.-Before the subcommittee
OF the Committee Naval Affairs Of the House OF
Representatives to-day Charles T.. Sill. formerly an
emp,oye OF the Carnegie Steel Company rehearsed
the testimony which he gave to the authorities OF
the Navy Department last year in regard TO the
frauds in the manufacture Of armor plate Mr.. Sill
for time held confidential cerkshp in the office
Of OF the superintendent in the armor-plate de-
partment OF the Carnegie works, which enabled MIN
TO obtain and preserve certain incrminatng records
which he had been ordered TO destroy and these
were spread before the subcommittee to-day. as
they were before the Secretary Of the Navy months
ago.
Two points In Mr.. Sili's testimony to-day were Of
especial interest and II they should be firmly estab-
lished by further investigation the consequences COR
al least the inferences to be drawn therefrom)
might be the reverse Of peasant 70 the A4minstra-
ton. In the first pace K would appear that the
Secretary OF the Navy warned as early as
June or July of last year of the frauds in the man
ufacture Of armor pate AZ the Carnegie works.
Long after that. however. armor plate Manufactured
ihos. works continued to be accepted without
any change IN he methods anl details Of inspec-
tlon and plates MANUFACTURED by the Carnegie
COMPANY all OF which or should have been
under suspicion. were put in position on the new
vessels of the Navy.
In the seconi place. Il appears that there was an
interval OF only TWO three weeks OF honest deal
ing after September l6 1893. before the fraudulent
practices resumed. 50 that they were actually
ir fIN operation when the Sampson Board made
rs report and the Secretary of the Navy advised the
Carnegie Company OF his dccs sion. from which Mr.
Carnegie appealed 20 President Cleveland anl OBJ
;aIneI a remission Of one-thrd of the fine assessed
and a Limitation Of the period OF manufacture 10
which Il should apply. or course. testimony may
he found to overthrow both these propositions. but
,ha. such Will be the case does not now appear
probable.
ORDERED TO MAKE FALSE RECORDS.
Slll was checking clerk I'm the li9nch MILL OF
which Mr. Cory was superintendent FOR about two
months. weighing clerk for Ike period and steel
Inspector for about a year. He then left the com
pany and went 10 work for the Baltimore and Ohio
Railroad. but returned just before the strike In
April lsae and remained until October. 1898. He
lefi the company the second time because he was
unfusilv treated. He kept records and made re-
ports for the superintendent and Government in
srcctor lie made two reports. one. of the actual
work for cline. In black ink: and the other. the
repori for the Government inspector, In red INK
This was doue by direction of Cline
In many cases cline changed the dates of work
done on plates This was necessary to deceive the
inspector II this had not been done the Inspector
would have known that something was wrong. as
E, would hnve been impossible properly 10 trent the
number OF plates treated. He knew that he was
k.erng fall. records. ard doing so 70 deceive the
inspectors.
SIN further said tha, Cllnc was human brute
and rnaltrcatcd both himself and Craig. They dis
,ss.l the matter nnl decided To inform. They did
no. know at first that there was an" money TO b"
made out ~ f., Tho nrst attorneJ they consulted OF
the matter said the were foolr.
Afr Talbot, afieI who nrst suggested that they
would got reward
,or pro,.ction They knew mat they would lose
,h.ir places AMI wanted The Government - protect
them ln some way. Their attorney finally demanded
r. per cent of the fine lie received abou. 500"
after paving sofn" others
Fraudulent work was OF no advantage 10 the mon
,, ,h. arrror shors. They were paid by the hour.
t,, o- month arA received the same money for
working one pound OF stc" as they dd FOR le"
mounds. The benefits OF tho fraud went TO the
supcrintenieuts.
MANY PLATES WERE PLUGGED
Mr. sn had seen one SPONSOR plate plugged ana
knew Of the plugging OF others. Plate \ f' was
,luc,ed AT both ends and plate "A S@' hai half
dozen plugs in H. The coming ''"'' ~ '' Wv S'''
was also plugged
Tho d,r.ronce between the real and fake time
I'm heating and oil tcnpering was from ten minutes
- four or nve hours iu OIL bath. from ten minutes
,o Ave or six hours. and In anneAhng from ten
r,,,,,ca 10 eight or ten hours. This was done In
49,, .,.. ~ ~ or 70 per cent Of the plates. Cory
Won't u record of the fake reports furnished 70 the
,s,,.,ors These reports were to be destroyed, but
instead Of doing be- had preserved the"' ana han
u yr.at many OF them with him
while he was working In tho armor-pla'e shop
NO had heard many orders from cine ns o. now
IL. sh.ull Doe treate.. Sometimes he would send
diagram Of tn" plate ana marx m y6 IL yiS' i nT~ nrrs
10 b, treated. ana some tlh'S NJ "D, "Dn.u 81, ,rat
,crhallv lie presented to the committee, "a srral
NM ~ thcs- orders to the workinrn lney W.T..
I'm Gilnc's handwriting, airi lil'l'rs'I 49,
- a. be done with the plat" lh'sc Vru',S W'Ir
slipped into the workman S'@, S n, morminp he took
he record from the sittr m 1He , yr ,,rs m ostrov
tb, slips or orders. ais ln'tructiois VIZ 10
mem Irstrnrtlons Instead OF doing this he saved
them.
ROCKS BURNED by CLINE.
-. ,,en toll II his visit TO Washington AMI Of
49,, .,,t.rnents be- hai made - Secretary herbert
" r.r ,hat his absence might not excite sus-
picion hc got sick cave WIZ" '
'..,, - work In the furnaces ana man named
~ A., ,h. clerical work. He had helped Perry
, ,,. hooks giving the correct record or work
~, ,s.u, v,,s 10 get them or max" copies oi u'm
g., ,i, ,,r-..ncc OF the Inspector lir ana hot sue
-, ,a cline destroyed two oi tn BOOKS IN MS
,.r....nce by throwing them INTO furnace. I"o'r
-, ,,,ined A correct record OF IN" plates copied
.' ,,..rts Of the heaters. The books were
,,,,l aftcr the Frick letter was published just
,., vr Frick heard Of the irregularities. MI
a., :, IA ,,t visit the works often he was probably
frlch ~" "1zrn times In two years. lie had never
t"'I' t,.t ,nspcct the books. Iunsicker had come
-. the ofIice but h. had never seen nun l'Si'' w Wv
i,ts on one occasion Hunsicker had 'agI 'a,II Iyi "a
b''nS.' rho treatment OF plates. lie ,Silll had
,srtcd ID make IL. but tlln" ha1 ld,'i ,Ty
ftAl - ~, md said that he would make II himself
ne had probably detr?yed ,hr books 5,1 ns soo" as
NJ i.''' - gkei how Cline learned OF tn" lnVrtlgauon
ho renIisa that It was probably through hag,,s r
1'roig craig went 10 liunsi'ker ana to,d MN & Wii
NIl's. ,,', On and offered To sell out cheap craig
d ,bis after coming to Washington as an ihIotmrr
~ " - icing To work both IN" company ahH
lc ~ra,rsrrment craig had received his share OF
,h reward from the Government IN an interNNleW,
M III b1,n Secretary Herbert said that the mans or
W. "cnrernuent officers were being tampered WIN
III SS1n could give information on the subject
H. IL v,re,red the opinion that II the inspectors had
Ia . careful inspection they certainly Wouid nay
1t,,,,cr.d that the amount OF work turned OUT IN
o,y four hours could not have been properly
u After September l6 last the work had been done
n,-,,. for about two wecks-ccrtMnly not more
ihonn three weeks AT the expiration OF thls uIhe
the old practices were resumed. lie h"c" '"''' 10
he worked as a assistant heater