The San Francisco call., 1898-04-26
WHAT HAS BECOME OF
 THE LUMBER Grand Jurors Hot on the School Boards
 Trail. Fresh Instances Shown of the Loot of City
 Finances. Richest Prices Paid for Plank ing Fit Only for Fire
 wood.
WHAT THE EXPERTS SAY.
Inspector O'Brien's Private Contract Again Forcibly Brought to
 Mind.

More of the fine work of the School De- partment and Ragans brother-in-law, John O'Bren, was disclosed yesterday by the committee of the Grand Jury ap- pointed to investigate the furnishing of supplies for the public schools, and the investigators are merely on the threshold of their task Lumber and shingles dwin- dled under the unerring measurements of Experts Holt, Campbell and Rickard to such an extent that in several in- stances less than a third of the quantity the city has paid for was disclosed. A few items of lumber had disappeared as completely and mysteriously as a coin in a prestidigitateur' hands.
 A notable case was unearthed at the Pacific Heights school, where the city had paid for 5000 feet of by and 4275 feet of 2 by redwood piankng, but the most diligent search failed to reveal where a single foot of eithe- had been used. This kind of lumber costs the city $7 74 per thousand, a. total of ST 52 which
 In this connection 1t may be stated that ? by redwood makes excellent ceiling joists, and by the best kind of floor ing joists, just the kind of lumber that could be used most advantageously by Ragan's brother-in-law, O'Bnen, in one of his private contracts-such a job, for street, that The Call found occasion to mention few weeks ago. This may be only coincidence-probably it is-but still the thought ,cemes rorcibly to one that John began his Mission street con tract along in September last, and 1t was just prior to that time that this lumber was charged up against the city.
 Since last Friday, when the committee of the Grand Jury started in on its in- vestigation, some strange rumors have reached the members to the .ffect that was to be stocked with lumber in suffi- cient quantities to correspond with that which has disappeared, and the claim made that the surplus from repairs at inc various schools had been stored for fu- ture use. Easements of school houses according to these whispers, were also to pc stocked, those responsible for the deficiency hoping by this means to out wit the Grand Jury.
 To guard against such a move the first step Of the committee yesterday was to Messrs. Truman, Hedger, Bauer and Bryan, together with the three experts, descenced upon the store house at the corner of Pine and Larkin streets short ly after o'clock yesterday morning, and | thorough search of every nook and crevlee on the place brought to light six teen bundles ot the cheapest grade of shingles, less than 2500. and one small pile Of new lumber containing not more than 300 feet. Care will be taken that none of the schoolhouses or other places will be stocked.
 After finishing the search at the store house the party proceeded to the Win field Scott Primary School on Lombard street, between. Broderick and Baker The exterior of the building and plank ed yard were found in wretched condi- tion. The rear of the yard is built up on stilts twenty feet above the ground, which slopes away to the bay from the street. The blanks were rotten and had been patched here and there with inch boards until child could hardly run the length of the yard without tripping half dozen times. It seemed almost mrac- ulous that the entire flooring has not collapsed long before this.
 And yet during the past six months the city has paid for enough lumber that it has never received to replank the entire yard half a dozen times over.
 The roof of this school was reshingled during vacation last year, the city being charged for 62,000 fancy shingles at $1 90 per thousand. The experts found that 55 GOO of No. 2, common, the poorest qual- tty in the market, and much inferior to the grade the contractor had agreed to furnish at 99 cents. had. really been used. Two hundred feet of boards used to patch the fence and front steps was va all that charged for in the bill paid by the city
 Attention was called to a wonderful piece of work in the way of patching up the drainage pipes, but the committee had determined to cUnfine itself to the lumber end of the frauds, so after a cur sorry glance at the work, which was fully exposed to view the members hurried on to the Sherman Primary, on Union street, near Cough.
 The yard at this school was entirely re- planked last July and partition fence built from the rear of the building to the outhouse. All the material used was SUD- posed to be of the best quality and the city paid the highest price for it, but only the cheapest lumber to be found had been used.
 As Expert Holt put it, some of the planking was a poor grade of No. ?, and some a good grade of firewood.
 These are the charges made against the tI,n hnan fnn of by s, Mo- l, planking; 240 feet of 2 by 12 clear; 10000 feet of 4 by redwood; 360O feet of by F redW6od all at the uniform
 This is what the experts found: 24,750 feet of by planking, poorest quality; no 2 by '12, clear; 5650 feet cf by red total shortage of 25,660 feet, for which the city paid $19S GO.
 The Spring Valley Grammar, on Union near Polk, next received the attention of the inspectors. Here, in addition to the replanking of the yard, shed had been built along the, westerly side of the yard stairways The bill for lumber called for .the following; Oregon pine-51 22O feet of Pinch planking; 40 feet of by 1; S66 feet finch surfaced lumber of varying width Redwood 800 feet of 4 by 4 920 feet of by 4, clear; SIP feet. of 1 by inch, sur faced; 36S0 feet of 1A by inch tongue and groove; PTS feet of stepping; 14000 shin gles.
 This is what was found: Oregon pine 900 feet of 2-inch planking; 250 feet of by 4; 60 feet of tongue and groove; 500 feet of surfaced lumber Redwood-elOO feet of 4 by 4; 690 feet of by clear; 62 feet of i by 8, surfaced; 272l feet of 1A tongue and groovei some old lumber used for the stepping; 5000 shingles The oual- ity of each sort was the same as that found at all the other schools while No. quality had invariably been paid for.
 At the Pacific Heights Grammar, on Jackson street near Fillmore, the last school visited. the stealing was even greater than at the other places: For re- planking the yard the city had paid for this lumber. SO,S 300 feet of No. i, Pinch planking; Is ,260 feet of by 4 5000 feet of by 6, Surfaced, 4275 feet of 2 by 8, sur faced. This is what was found: 10 900 feet of No. 3 planking; $500 feet of by 4 Not an inch of either the by 6 or by could be found. The by 4 cost the City $s e5 a thousand: the other cost $7 "A, all be- ing charged as best quality.
 The total cost of lumber not delivered was s252 50. When the difference in the price of No. and the grade used is con- sidered, the loss to the city Is much greater.