The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-02
FIVE WITNESSES HEARD FROM.
vR. RILEY AND TIRE DYNAMITE
THEORY DISCUSSED.

Ford Says Capt. Carter Did Not OPP
press Contractor Twiggs MIR.
rutherford Says He Was Given
Full Information with Regard to
the Cumberland sound Work.
Lieut.. Rees Again on the stand.
The Carter court martial did not hold an
afternoon session yesterday, but 1t con-
tpued sitting for five hours, which has not
generally been the case.
Al the conclusion of the proceedings yes
terday Judge Advocate Col. Barr read
another telegram from Adjutant General
a C. Corbin to Gen. Otis stating that by
authority of the President the court would
sit without regard to hours, and conclud-
ing with the expression, "the case being
one requiring immediate example"
The receipt of a second telegram on the
same line naturally excited some curiosity,
especially on account of its conclusion.
# was learned, however, that the first
telegram was not legal order, since 1t
did not contain the concluding clause mem
toned. The statute gives the President
authority to permit courts martial to sit
immediate example and, since this is the
language of the statute, the order had TO
he issued in conformity with it. Without
such change in the order any sessions of
the court after O'Clock in the afternoon
would have been illegal.
The cross examination of Mr.. H. c.
Rinley by Col. Barr was concluded within
short time after the court met, and Mr..
blair entered into a redirect examination
upon many points taken UP by the prose-
cution. Finally Mr.. Blair said:
Now, Mr. Ripley, take these small mats,
and let us settle once for all the question
Of the hight of a multiple mattress"
by one witness?" asked Col. Barr,
seemingly somewhat astonished
81 trust so' Mr.. Blair replied, ito the
entire satisfaction of the court"
Mr.. Ripley went into an explanation to
show that an eight-course mattress with
TOD and bottom grillages at right angles
10 the fasclnes would be in accord with
the specifications if feet and inch in
hight With those grillages parallel to
the fascines the hight of an eight-course
mattress would be feet inches. From
o
figured that the average hight of all the
eight-course mats sunk at Cumberland
sound was feet and inches. The re-
port was putin evidence
Thee Goodyear plan for the deepening of
the harber a Brunswick was brought into
the examination 1t appears that Mr.
Ripley was member of the board which
recommended the payment to Mr.. Good
year of certain sums because OF
of hiG
securing deeper water across the
bar by the use of dynamite. Col.
Barr read a letter from Capt. Carter to
Gen. Cralghill, in which the writer disap-
proved the plan, and spoke of it as fall
ure. Mr. Ripley said he considered that
under certain circumstances dynamite
could be used with success on an ocean
bar The Judge Advocates idea was to
show that Mr.. Ripley had been criticized
in the matter by Capt. Carter.
w w. Hegeman, civil engineer and con-
tractor of New York, was introduced by
the defense. Mr.. Hegeman stated, in an
, swer to questions by Mr.. Rose, that he was
one of the contractors who built the Chi
cago, Milwaukee and st. Paul Railroad for
So, 900. He had at one time been asso-
cated with Capt. b. d. Greene in building
a railroad. He stated of his own personal
knowledge that Capt. Carter never had
any interest in the Empire Construction
Company. With regard to the telegram
introduced by the prosecution and on
which much stress was laid, signed by
Hegeman, the witness said Capt. Greene
came into his Office on one occasion and
asked If he was writing to Capt. Garter.
He said he was, and Capt. Greene told
him to ask Capt. Carter to send the Fer
nandina check. 1t amounted to nothing
more than that. The prosecution did not
cross question him.
Lieut.. Thomas H. Rees was then called
to the stand. A letter was introduced
from the office records by Mr.. Blair, writ
ten by Gen. @. A. Gilmore in 1879, show
ing that d. V. Howell was a failing con
tractor, a point about which there has
been some contention between counsel.
When the letter was read Col Barr called
attention to the fact that the letter was
not written on official paper. He claimed
on that account that it was no notice to
any clerk in the office that Howell was
failing bidder. Mr.. Blair held to the
contrary, the letter being headed in writ
ing, United States Engineer Office, New
York, N. Y" Col Barr insisted that it be
shown in the record that the letter was
not an official one. The letter was intro
duced in evidence, it having been pre-
Vlously asserted that Howell was refused
contract, he being the lowest bidder,
which was given to the Atlantic Contract
ing Company
Lieut.. Rees was examined at length on
the condition of the work on the Savan-
nah river near Augusta. He assisted Mr..
Ripley in his inspection of that work.
Lieut. Rees was located in Savannah at
the time the Greene & Gayhor work was
done near Augusta and saw some of that
work when it was put in. He said the
Gaynor work was fully as good as that
done by Twiggs.
Col Barr introduced in evidence letter
written by Capt. Gillette to D. V. Howell
IN New York asking him If he had ever
been failing contractor on the work in
this district, to which Mr. Howell replied
That such was not the case, and that he
mad not failed on government contract
mere. This letter was also introduced In
evidence
Campbell Ford, civil engineer, now con-
nected with the Hudson River Canal Com
pany was next sworn. Mr. Ford was an
engineer under Capt. Carter in 1898. He
inspected a good deal of Twiggs' work
near Augusta. He never rejected any OF
IWiggs' fascnes, never required him 70
re-choke any or cut them off. He consid-
4 4