New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-03-30
TAMMANY PARK METHODS
A REPORT BY THE COMMISSIONERS OF
ACCOUNTS.
EXTRAvAGANcE IN THE PAYRolLs AND IN IRE
LETTING OF CcNTRACTs-DAMAGE DONE
TO PUBLIC pRoPERTY-MoNEY PAID

Seth Sprecae Terry and Rodney 5. Dennis the
Commissioners OF Accounts yesterday sent 10
Mayor Strong a report on tho Department OF run
lie Parks which gives some new ILLUSTRATIONS VI
the old Tamu.anv methods. Ii begins with the
statement that prior 10 the appointment OF ne"
Board OF Park Commissioners by the Mayor - ia"
been the custom 10 carry on the paSIo" Vi "
Department the names OF a number OF men ""o
performed Ht;le or services for the city, the men
being kept nominaly in the employ oil the Guy ~
the request OF variouS politicians me 'eP'''
states that tho average amount or wages pHiu ~
the regular laborers during each week endHs Il,
the month Of January. 1895. was %'lo' "a many ~
such force were discharged by the new Board "''u
tho average amount Of wages paid TO the regular
laborers during each week ending IN the moi'" y.
March 1895 reduced to S'S- ~ "i'" VIM, 49,
decrease in tho amount OF work actu"H! P''
formed.
MORE SAVING BY THE PRESENT BOARD
Rv the removal of skilled Laborers' ana o'he'
,ahorors dc,,icd TO do clerical work Inc present
BOARD Of Park Commissioners saved So4' Eo"''
and bv the suspension of men not heeo'u !" ' VI
cheering department there was an aooi''o'ai "a"
ing of 50 600 "A year Another cause lor c'i''0
the former methods OF the PARK COMMISSIONER "
mentioned in the report. a. foio"S' 49,,
practice prevalent for long tiine i. M 'I 10
Department has been TO tase iHel detaN Them 10
work under a certain foreman anu I thaea eases
work under another foreman III an Soror h,s
the foreman from whose Sha ~ -be time of the
laborer detailed. such forehlA' IN 10, iabornr has
worked In some the same man mas p %s reg
tailed 20 work under foreman one nan s,r' month
Vile The regular foreman. having no t er ng "a
Of The work performed nen WAS engaged in
work In our opinion in such cases me S 'e ivnn b
~ - foreman 10 whose charge such aboref IS Ge
tailed and VINO mas per
time Of employment
uOLE-DRILL1NG INDUSTRY
,,,-.ra,tor ~ The extrlvagance under the
-. r.nic, authorized the spending or sl,"o'"" III
r,bnc improvements in 1894. the report speaN' "
-ba rock drilling upon the Cathedral faIK""'' P
<or,nsd under treasurcr's orders by james Don'p
.ecb order providing for the drilling OF ho'es "' 90
cents linear foot high price ana airoun''"s ~
nearly $1,000 in violation Of the spirit u '''
The report adds: .,o a,stance
These orders contained limit as G r ine So ths
I Wa for the Of Mr. Pem Ts2v Of Ihese
them near each oiheT A. pos M rock are now
Visible and average distance e Tb rerts OF
our engineers Who have investigate ule apsTt they
that If these holes had been three leeI or The
,,rnose Of blasting the rock properly Eacn sausbe
Iard OF surface therefore. contained many NV Was
forced 10 pay many times as mucn as was rpIicd
sar The 0ny mei mo la WG and whch would have
been busnesske would have been 10 rave IN eiinS
c9niTac' ae[ opantitv Of rock measured by the
cubic yard. In this way no nnntfaSt Would not
1ee been awarded necessarily 10 MT dempsey iGi
1y b Yo Gne a@oTn, paid 10 Mr. Dempsey for this
drjlling was ssOiS 20 the greater part OF Wllrr
would have been saved 10 the CIT! i 'i9 P'f
method had been adopted
WHAT FLYNN WAS ALLOWED TO DO.
Nv WAY OF further comparison the Commissioners
OF Accounts show that excavation or rock by ,ne
method just described cost $3ls9 for JAW" '"olc
wards while the excavation OF harder rocK pF Gun
tract cost the city 1921 for 100 cubic yards As
en- Illustration of the way in which Favored con
tractors were allowed dishgure public parks the
report says: ,s.
on october g. iSe Ge9ge Cla1sSn pdIes 81 one
! Josenh Tivnn A permit. under which the latter
Sing nx@nse EXCAVATIONS Of earth; the earth
u "a cSvaied was used in regulating and grading
fe9r was ~" Tersonally Interested In This
he was enabled TO use for his private purposes
Tlace Of that when oherwise ne would have been
which this excavation vas mace was S,Cpe in
character. covered win 500 ana sac ahout
@ feet wide and 400 feet long ana no% pIeS sem r an
moved and large stones and powders covering ne
soriac@ ,ba Is nsrk m sighty condition
The report shows that the present Park Commits
s,oners have bought tools for nearly half the price
paid for tools OF the same grade by the Tammany
Commissioners, and that great saving has been ac-
couplishei in other ways Reference is made 10
the following case. which was mentioned in pre-
vious report
F H. d. Mason the former purchasing clerk
bought for the PARK 6n b fGh d iEr er the
deliver of the Foods the moneys actually received
by him from such policemen ne obtained a cash
discount Of per Gen! aI sS or Sb NC amount he
March lsl 10 June ~ Is'o tGr W VIII, ny i,o
The Commissioners found discrepancy In the
forage account ne Department for 1891 amounting
20 difference Of 1905 pounds of hay 1885 pounds
OF straw. 1875 bags OF oats, 80 bags or bran ana go
bags OF corn. This discrepancy could not have eX-
listed II there had been proper system OF checking.
the Commissioners OF Accounts say and there Is cyl;
dence also that the horses of the Department coGid
not have consumed the amount OF forage aeiuaiiN
i,ndrr The former leases of the restaurants in the
parks and the loss by faulty work in the Aquarium
under the Tammany Commissioners
JAMES D. LEARY'S CONTRACTS.
Tho end OF the report deals with OF the con-
tracts awarded to James d. Leary follows:
Early in 1924 James D. Leary entered into con-
tract 10. the building Of the souhery section OF me
Leary furnish garden mould for use as TOP SOIL.
upon which The 2d Is 10 be place. 1eTe5 aeady
amounting 70 about three thousand cubic yards; o4t
rich soil, an inferior grade OF earth has been sup
As par, Of the work under the same conrac; It
was necessary 10 dredge considerable mud from the
Harlem River and j. was provided that for the
cents cubic yard Al the mud dredged is taken 70
sea FOR a distance OF several miles 10 a point OF
Far Rockaway, and dumped under permits obtained
from the United States Supervisor OF the Harbor, It
Ssrbor' such permit is issued for each scow and
10 scow Is allowed 10 90 to sea without a permit;
day purpose OF detecting the dumping OF any
either without permits or IN improper places
che patrol boats collect the permits and complete
record In detail! Is kept in the office OF the Super
visor Of Harbor importing show all the loads
OF scows dumped. The records OF such Supervisor
far show that many scow loads of mud claimed
20 have been dledged by such contractor and for
which payment has been made taken sea
and dumped. and the contractor has testified be-
fore Us that whatever mud was dredged taken
20 sea. It would appear from such records that the
mud i'm question dredged and that the city
has been Improperly charged for the same
In our cxamination Of The Department, Of Public
Docks similar state of facts found to exist:
IN that the dredging contract having been made
with the Morris and Cummings Dredging Company.
nearly al the stock Of which is owned by this same
James ID. Lcary. The same person who en-
poyed by the Park Department to inspect the drcdg-