The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-02-27

The report OF the special council COM
mitttee appointed to investigate the at
fairs OF the gas board. which was print
ed In the papers yesterday morning,
was naturally the leading topic Of con-
versation about town all day. 1t was
the general idea that the city would
have great difficulty in collecting any
money from FloersheIm on the contract
to deliver coal at the city gas works,
for the reason that the members OF the
board which made the contract agree
in saying that the contract was Intend
ed to be for coal delivered In the Hemp
field yard. Ex-Clerk Fee. OF the gas
board. said to an Intelligencer reporter
last night that the contract was written
by a, ]. Schultze. a member Of the
board preceding the one OF which he
was clerk. Under It that board had paid
for hauling coal from the Hcmpheld
yards TO the works, and when he came
in he continued to do so. MIR Schultze
and Mr. Dunievy both say the contract
was intended to be for the coal in the
railroad yard, and the fact that the
advertisement reads that way bears
them out Ex-Superintendent Darrah
also suys that this was the intention of
the contract.
Mr.. Fee said also that when he went
into office there was an apparent short
age, and he was directed to draw
check against this and enter 1t up. This
he claims accounts for a part OF the al
legged discrepancy. Other Items were
due to mistakes By the collectors and
had been made good, As TO the others
he declined to talk until he had a chance
10 look at the books.
Mr.. Fee was very warm over the re-
port, but ne said there was absolutely
no foundation for any suspicion that
anybody had obtained money crook
eddy. because nobody could Il they
would.
An Intelllgencer reporter saw Mr. z.
buchanan, who was the one Republican
member of the last board. and asked
him what he thought OF the report Mr..
Buchanan said he was amazed at II, and
added: "The very report itself says the
errors It processes to show were made
by the secretary. Now. the secretary
was under bond to the city, not to the
board OF trustees. He is responsible to
the council which confirms him and
accepts his bond, and not to the board.
The alleged overpayments TO c. w.
RIxey were clearly clerical errors
there was nothing criminal about
them. Mr. Allen Brock was the boards
auditor at that time, and when he re-
ported to US that he had examined the
books and found them correct. we
naturally supposed that they were. es-
peclally when We considered the stand
ing and reputation of MIR. Brock, as
~ 10 a q
reliable accountants. II is pretty much
the same as In the case OF q bank eS-
amlner who reports the bank all right.
II his report proves to be wrong no.
body can reasonably hold his superior
officers responsible for his error. do
not for one moment impugn Mr.. Fees
Integrity. / am satisfied that these
mistakes are merely clerical errors. ]
do not suppose there is a business
house in the city in which the book
keeper has not ut some time or another
overpaId an account.
Now, as to the work done at the
plant By the Harvey people: The build
ing nut up, which amounted to $3.50.
knew nothing about. So. also, with
the valves and connections which were
ordered by the superintendent. Mr..
Darrah. and amounted to 500 Whether
the city should have put them In, or
the Harvey people, Is still an open
question. II the process should prove a
success. as we supposed 1t would when
those things were purchased. 1t would
be money well spent. In any event.
the city got full value for Its money.
As TO Mr.. FloerShelm's having been
overpaid. he can defend his own inter-
ests, and have no doubt that at the
proper time he will do SO. l hope that
the public understands that no board
can take the time-no board Is expected
TO take the time-to do the clerical work
10 run such an Institution. They are
merely supposed TO hire reliable and
competent people TO do that work. and
that Is what we supposed We did when
Mr.. Fee and Mr.. Brock were employed
though neither OF them would have
been my selection. l naturally would
have preferred Republicans"