The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-30
GOOD FOR ANOTHER MONTH.
CAPT. MCCLURE SAYS THE PROSE-
CUTION HAS JUST BEGUN.

Il. II. COnant on the stand All Day
Yesterday Testifying as TO the
Contract of A. j. TwiGgs-SOme
Comparison of That Work With
the Work i'm Cumberland Sound.
Maj. Stanton Asks Some More
Questions.
The man who does not know all about
mattresses their price per square yard
fascines, approved forms of chokers, rip
rap stone and the like, when the Carter
court martial has been concluded, will
nave lost a golden opportunity.
Yesterday furnished another solid day
of fascines mattresses and stone. The
last Savannah river contract near Angus
ia was under discussion, the contract that
was awarded to Mr.. Albert ]. Twiggs, but
which was finally completed by the gov
eminent. The fascines and stone used
there were compared with the same ma
terials used in Cumberland sound and in
Jekyl creek under Mr.. E. R. Conant who
was assistant engineer in charge of these
works at one time and another.
The prosecution is endeavoring to show
that Capt. Carter pressed Mr.. Twiggs
held him down closely to the specifica-
| tons. and finally took the contract from
MIN, in part, the desire being to establish
contrast between his method of treat
ment of the Atlantic Contracting Com
pany and Mr.. Twiggs, the charge, of
course, being that he was favorable to
the former
The officers of the court seem to realize
that they have a long siege before them
capt. Mcclure, who is assisting the Judge
Advocate, said yesterday that the prose-
cution had only begun to get in its evil
dence There will be two or three more
witnesses he said, with regard to the
conduct of the Savannah river contract
near Augusta. There will also be more
! witnesses on other matters
1t was evident that the testimony of
Engineer Conant was not at all satisfac-
| tory TO the prosecution. He seems TO be
regarded as an unwilling witness, the
theory being that he was sent to take
| charge of the work and take it away from
| Mr.. Twiggs II was shown, however
that Mr. Twiggs had occupied considcN
bly, more time with the work than the
| contract allowed.
If the prosecution is going to take up all
| the time indicated there is little debt
that the trial will run through another
month, perhaps longer. The court has
been here already eighteen days. and it
appears that slow progress is being made
| Col. Thomas F.. Barr, the Judge Advo-
cate, is still preparing the case from day
| to day.
MIR. Conant, the only witness on the
stand yesterday is a civil engineer from
the Massachusetts Institute of Techno,ogk
and went into the employ of the govern
ment in October, 1892 as a surveyor at
/ "a a nj l.,
inspector. seeing to the proper sinking of
the mattresses and the loading of them
with stone. He had been in the mattress
camps and described the construction of
| the mattresses. The mattresses, he said.
| were poorly constructed
He was next inspector at Jekyl Creek
then on one of the dredge boats and then
in Augusta under Instructions from Capt.
! Garter. The instructions were read and in
| troduced in evidence Besides these instruc-
| tons, Capt. Carter went over the specifica-
tons with him carefully.
what did Capt. Carter say to your" Col.
| Barr asked.
He told me that the former work had
been badly damaged, and that I must car
| ry out the specifications in detail" was the
reply.
AT first he demanded the Instructions TO
De carried out, but soon found it impossi-
pie 70 90 so in respect to stakes, since the
| thew
| orlNeh down, on account of the hardness
OF the ground. Capt. Carter inspected the
works frequently. He suggested that the
stakes should be driven down. and that a
pile driver he secure, and this was done
thoush with not much better success. He
tod OF capt. Carriers having rejected a lot
| OF IaSclnes made for the river work nea p
Augusta, and then showing the contractors
ana the workmen how to make a fascine
as ne wanted it. Mr.. Conant said his in
structlons as to choking were explicit
capt Carter requiring the fascines TO he
bound tight and with wire
Mr. Cohants examination was largely
technieal and principally with reference
10 the work in the Savannah river inst
below Augusta He identified portions of
| the work by photographs which were in
trodueed in evidence. They were portions
OF the work which had been done bv Mr.
q. J. Twiggs under his supervision. The
opJect was evidently to show, or make IL
appear that capt Carter had pressed the
contractor in this instance which was
paced in contrast to his alleged leniencv
| 10 the Atlantic Contracting Company. The
contractor was delayed by the freshets
| ana ne also had an insufficient force. Al
terward on account of the delay, Mr. Co
hant said, he got Instructions from Cant
carter to take the work up himself and
| DO 1t by day labor, which he did i'm con-
junction with the contractor
As TO the stone he used when he took
hold of the work, Mr. Conant said the gov
eminent paid $3.50 per cubic yard for il
delivered on board a barge at the quarry
1t was hauled by the government.
on the cross examination, Mr. Conant
| said Capt. Carter told him the unriver
work required a different class of fascine
from that used down the river because
they We're designed for shore protection
and other purposes requiring more wood
and less light material than those used
as silt gatherers. The fascines at Augusta
were fastened with wire instead of tarred
rope, because in fresh water the wire lasts
longer In salt water the reverse is the
case.
The fascines put into the work at Cum
berland sound when he was there in 1894
Mr.. Conant said. We're better and heavier
than those on exhibition on the Jury plat
form They We're of green brush. there
was generally more of 1t and 1t required
two men to lift one of them.
Mr.. Twiggs was not a very cornpetent
man, was he?" asked Mr.. Blair. going
back to the Savannah river contract
I 81 don't know that / can answer that
question. l couldn't say whether he was
or not was the reply.
| Didn't you make the statement that he
| did not take hold of the work vyitb tba