Omaha daily bee., 1897-10-07
DION GERALDINE ON TRIAL
Examination of the Charges Against Him is
Continued Refore Committee.
MANY EXCUSES FOR HIS SHORTCOMINGS
Evidence IL All Submitted and the
Committee Takes the subject
Under Consideration Be-
fore Deciding.

against Dion Geraldine, superintendent OF
construction of the Department OF Buildings
and Grounds Of the exposition, was con-
cluded last evening about o'clock after
session commencing shortly after 3 o'clock
yesterday afternoon The special committee
will hold a conference this afternoon TO
consider the evidence introduced and may
defer its findings until after the return of
President Wattles from Nashville as his
name has been mentioned IN connection with
several of the events connected with the
matters referred to in the Investigation.
The session yesterday was similar to that
of the night before, the special committee,
Messrs. Kountze, Bidwell and Wells, being
present and the executive committee being
represented by Managers Rosewater. Bruce
and Reed, with Manager Babcock present
portion of the time.
When the session commenced Mr.. Rose
water said he wanted to ask Geraldine few
questions in order to get the data all to-
gether. He asked how many feet of lumber
were purchased and turned over to Creedon
& Mahoney.
Geraldine said he did not remember but
thought about 10000 feet
Mr.. Kcuntze brought out the statement
from Geraldine that the exposition had never
purchased the lumber, but had simply
ordered the material, and it was turned over
to Creedon & Mahony and paid for by them.
Mr.. Rosewater asked If there was any
written memorandum of the price, to which
GeralGine answered in the negative.
In reply to question whether the price
paid was $14.5O per thousand he answered in
the Affirmative.
In reply to further questions Geraldine
said the contractor bought about 20,O 600 feet,
making about 100000 feet in all. He also
stated that there was quantity of No. s
cal mi za1 lirp ga
and white lead. The latter, he said, was
| used on the west end OF the lagoon, but he
could not tell the quantity. He estimated
| the value of the white lead, anchorage, nails,
| ETC.. at SiOO.
WANTED A SPECIAL DESIGN.
| Recurring to the statement made to the
| executive committee by Manager Kirkendall
| that the exposition could save $1.5O per thou
| sand by buying the lumber direct from the
| mill, Mr. Geraldine said there was mis-
understanding about The matter. He said
| he explained to Mr.. Kirkendal that he Ger
| aldine) wanted lumber sawed one-quarter OF
| an inch thicker than the regular stock and
! tongued and grooved to a special design.
| He did not explain just why ordinary three
| inch lumber, tcngued and grooved in the or
| dnary way would not answer. He said If
| the contractors had been asked to bid on
! this material they would have bid 81 or So
| higher per thousand. He explained how he
| called in representative of the Cady Lum-
| ber company and gave him the order for the
| lumber.
In reply to questions, Mr.. Geraldine stated
that the lumber delivered on the grounds
| was dressed on one side and measured
| slightly less than three inches in thickness.
| At this point, William Mulhall, an expert
| in lumber, who has been employed in local
| lumber yards for the past seventeen years,
| was called by Mr.. Rosewater. He produced
| short piece of panking, which he said he
thn
which he had compared with the material
| in the lagoon. He said he had examined the
| lumber now in place and found that the
| planks measured two and three-quarter
| inches in thickness. He had measured a
| large number of planks and found them all
| of the same thickness and found the lumber
| to be a very poor quality of yellow pine,
| full of knots and cracks, and lumber that
| would not grade No in any market. He
| said the stuff was entirely too dry TO use
| in water and the knots were loose and
would soon fall out. The lumber is of a
| kind that is not used for anything but in
| side of buildings and places where it is COW
| cred He said it would not last more than
| two and one-half years in water.
| When Mulhall had retired, Mr.. Geraldine
said the lumber used was the best lot he
| had ever seen. He said that yellow pine
| would shrink in the drying kilns and TINS
! lumber, when received on the ground, had
| measured two and seven-eighths inches. He
accounted for the fact that the lumber Is
| now only two and three-quarters inches by
| saying the shrinkage was caused by the sun
| Regarding the lire of the lumber in water
| he said IL would last ten years or longer
| Secretary Wakefield, who was in the lum-
| Der business for several years was called ana
| testified that three-inch lumber dressed on
| one side would measure two and hVe-elghths
| inches in thickness, whether steam dried OF
| air dried. If special order was given tc
| he furnished at a special time there Would
| not be time enough, under the conditions
| governing in the case under consideration
| to dry the lumber very much In the proper
| manner. He estimated the life of yello"
| nine in water at from twelve to htteer
| years. .,a
Mr.. Geraldine then mentioned numpe
| of details regarding the doing OF the worl
and spoke of the white lead used In TN
work He said he had caused white ie9'
| IN he nut in the specifications so 1t coul'
be used all around If found necessary, II
said he found that 1t would not be necessary
to use the lead all around, but 1t had beer
used only about half way around
| MADE NO REDUCTION.
In reply to a question from Mr.. Rosewate
Mr.. Ge.aldine said no reduction had peei
! made by the contractor on this account, pu
it has been applied as an offset agalnS
claims made by the contractor Tor allese'
extra work, and the contractor had been paiC
In full
Mr. Wells one OF the investigating com
mittee. asked If these facts had ever beel
reoorted to the executive committee. MI
Geraldine replied that the matter had pee
talked over with Mr. Wattles, but had neVe
been brought before the executive commit
tee. nj.
j. p Connolly, the bidder on the plln
mentioned by Thomas Shaw, was called II
substantiated all that Shaw had said an'
emphasized he fact that his second bid ma
been made on exactly the same specialization
as the first bid, except that he offered a re
duction of $500 If allowed to scr the piles
a trench instead OF driving them. lie state
very positively that he was not told ana di
not know anything about the change In tn
use OF wire for bracing instead OF timber
He said his bid for doing all the work o
the Job, including driving piles and all othe
work the exposition to furnish the materla
wa, So 500 with an allowance OF $500 II al
lowed to set the sheet piing In trench In
stead of driving IT, (The latter method wa
the one adopted and used by Creeion
MahOney)
Mr.. Connolly said II he had been allowe
to bid on the plans on which the work wa
actually done by CreedCa Mahoney h
would have offered to complete the work TO
about 81 200 using clear white pine OF tn
first quality, making a reduction OF 500 fron
J his first bid on account of the saving in tn
, amount OF material used. He said If he ha
been offered the lumber at Sl4.5O, the pric