The San Francisco call., 1898-02-18
More Light Com es Out or the Harbor CommiS-
 sion Suit.
The Board Was Told All About the Creosoting Busi-
 ness.
EXAMINING PAINT BOOKS.
No Ensures Were Found in the ParaffIne COnapany's Ac-
 counts.

The case of the Paraffine Paint Com pany against the State Board Of liar Dor Commissioners, now being hearc before Superior Judge Belcher, was not productive of any great sensations yes terday During the forenoon expert bookkeepers went to the office Of the company, at 116 Battery street, anc made an examination of the books This was done on the invitation o1 Samuel C. Irving, the manager of the concern, who stated in court the day before that no eraSureS, such as were in those of the San Francisco Timber Preserving Company, could be found in his books. In making the offer ht said his firm had no underhandec transactions to conceal. The expert ac- countants took off memoranda from the commission account and made up 8 balance sheet and went away.
 The courtroom, where the case was being tried, was filled with the odors of creOsote and tar. In fact, it had all the bad smells of a petroleum town during a boom. This was caused by the number of blocks of creosoted tim- bers taken to court for exhibition pur- poses. During the two sessions of the court there was but one witness on the stand, MT. Irving, manager of the plaintiff company. For time he re- spOnded to questions on his direct eX- animation and then was given over to Attorney Stratton for cross -examina- tion In response to a question by At torney Cope he said:
 Before Commissioner ColnOn came into the board it was customary for the chief engineer of the board to prepare the plans and specifications for the preparation of piles. Since his advent MT. Colnon has assumed the right to direct what covering should be used, and how. He assumed the office that had been previously vested in a scien- tific and learned engineer"
 MT Irving told of an investigation made of the condition of the piles by a previous board, of which MT. Bassett was chairman. They found the Paraf- fine Company's piles on Pacific-street wharf to be intact, but all of the creo- soted piles were decayed and destroyed by marine pests. When questioned as to recent investigations made for the purpose of examining the size of creo- soted piles he said:
 T found a great many creOSoted piles, fender and standard to be un- dersized: that is, under fourteen inches for fender and under twelve inches for the other piles. I also have made ex- aminations of the creosoting and found
 
 A shaving taken from the timber would reveal the wood below to be free or devoid of creosote."
 In response to questions he said the paints of the Paraffine Paint Company are for sale in the open market and the company's process of covering piles can be used by any who choose. In his direct examination MT. Irving testified that his company was deterred by the terms in the last specifications from bidding for one reason, because the patent number and process were called for. He maintained that to have put in the patent number would have the effect of soaring people out of bidding on these lines, but that the use of the company's trademark P. & B. would not, as the article can be purchased in open market. Without the patent num- Der joker in the specifications other contractors might bid with a view of using the same materials as the Par aff1ne Company. Mir. Irving said that the creosoting method of treating piles has been tried all over the world, but had not proved very much of a success, even when properly done.
 : There was a long argument between