The daily morning journal and courier., 1897-09-10
MIR. GEARY WAS NOT THERE
DID NOT APPEAR BEFORE BRIDGE
 INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE.

DID NOT APPEAR BEFORE BRIDGE
 INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE. Cause of Delay In Grand Avenue Bridge
 to be Looked Into-Investigation Post
 poned Until Wednesday Evening Next
 at 7:3O-Interesting Developments Are
 Looked For.
 The conference committee composed of members of the court of common council and members of the board of selectmen, to investigate the delay in the construction of the structure of the Grand avenue bridge, met las. evening in the ante-room of the coun- cllmanic chamber, with Alderman Chil- hngworth and Bromley and Council men Dove and Burgess and Selectmen Ludington, Hugo and Kelly present, the only absent member of the committee being Councilman Isbell.
 Chairman Chillingworth called the meeting to order at o'clock. Corpora tion Counsel Ely, representing the city; Town Counsel Goodhart, representing the town, and Attorney Harry w. Ash CT, representing MT. Geary, were pres- ent
 Contractor James J. Geary was not present, and as soon as the meeting had been called to order Town Counsel Goodhart stated that as Mr. Geary was out of town Wednesday evening it had been impossible to give him twenty four hours notice of his subpoena as required in the resolution calling for the Investigation
 MT. Geary and City Engineer Kelly had been subpoenaed as witnesses and as MT. Kelly was present Corporation Counsel Ely proposed that the investi- gation should proceed.
 Attorney Asher presented a protest and said that neither he nor his client Mr. Geary, had learned that meeting was to be held last evening until they read 1t in the morning papers yester- day morning. He therefore asked for a reasonable postponement of the inves- tigation until MT. Geary could be pres ent. He desired a postponement of about one week.
 The meeting was not an executive session and Chairman Chillingworth held a whispered consultation with each member of the Investigating com- mittee and then announced that the committee was willing to continue the case until Wednesday evening next at 7:30 o'clock.
 
 The resolution which passed the con- mon council, providing for the appoint ment of a committee to investigate for the city into the bridge matter stated that the members of this committee were to ascertain whether the city en- gineer or other of the city employees had neglected to perform their duty or had exacted from the contractor more than his contract called for; if the la Dor and materials used in building the sub-structure had been of proper quan- tity and quality and if any of 1t had been rejected or condemned; whether or not the contractor performed his work within the period of time speci- fled In the contract, that is before De- tober 12, 1896, and not later than Jan- uary 1, 1897, at most; and whether any claim against the city is liable to arise in consequence of delay in the work.
 The committee of the se1ectmen was appointed to ascertain if any delays in the work on the sub-structure are lia- ble to lead to claims against the town of New Haven and "to investigate any matter relating to the Grand avenue bridge"
 It will thus be seen by this last clause that the selectmen's committee has great power in its investigation, and equal authority is held by the common council committee in the matter as this committee was selected to cooperate with the committee appointed by the board of selectmen.''
 It is probable that some interesting facts will be brought out during the in- vestigation, although the committee has no desire to call a larger number of witnesses, nor more than is really suffi- cient to get at the facts in the matter.