The San Francisco call., 1898-02-15

Since the judicial investigation into the tobbery of the Harbor Commission began a number of new points have arisen, showing that there are others besides the Paraffine Paint Company who can point the finger of suspicion toward the State officials who are sup posed to look after the peoples inter ests on the city front. One of the latest irregularities that has come to light in wolves the expenditure of thousands ot dollars of the States money in the building and repairing of the wharves. For a long time past rumors have been current that there was something worth looking into under the wharves; that there was some kind of funny business" down where the treacherous swish of the changing tides and the foul sewers conspire with interruptions otf1- cials to discourage investigation.
 There were plenty of reports that the piles of the wharves and bulkheads were not up to the standard and that the creosoting of these timberS was not half done. If such should be found to be the case it was good evidence that some one was making money at the States expense.
 An investigation of the wharves by a reporter of The Call, accompanied by an expert in wharf building, shows that the stories are true and that the State is being systematically bled.
 In the first place a great number of piles are not up to the standard or re- uuired sizes. It must be remembered that in different lengths of piles the diameter varies. A pile of thirty feet should have a diameter near the butt of twelve inches; one fifty to f1fty-f1ve feet should be sixteen inches in diame ter; sixteen inches should be the diane ter of one siXty-five to seventy feet, and eighteen inches for piles between eighty and ninety feet in length. AS to the creosoting, the wood should be inn pregnated by the chemical to at least three-eighths of an inch and the creo- sote should be soaked in so that one cubic foot of the pile should absorb at least ten pounds. If anyone believes that these requirements have been compiled with by the Darby Laydon Lumber Company and the San Fran cisco Timber Preserving Company let him make an examination of the piles of the SteUart-Street wharf and bulk head. the Spear-street wharf, the Ere mont-street wharf and the new Hatha- way wharf The first place visited by The Call representative and his assist
 
 Steuart street.
 According to the figures of those who once had the piling contracts of the Harbor Commissioners, the water at this wharf required at least piles of sixty to seventy feet, and the stand ard here should be sixteen inches. But what was found? A forest of pipe stems, and not a single pile over twelve inches at the butt, while dozens run down as low as 111k, Il, 101a, 10 91A and some g inches. This work is in the line of repairs and was performed not over month or six weeks ago.
 A part Of these timbers is covered by creosote, although the word "cov- ered'' hardly expresses it. Like beauty, the creosote is hardly skin-deep. The scratch of a common penknife reveals the white wood in all its virgin purity. And yet the State is paying from nine to fourteen cents per lineal foot for piles, and from twenty to thirty cents per lineal foot for creosoting the same, and to what purpose if not for teredoS and limnoria, the contractors and cor ruptionists to grow fat upon? Some of the piles encountered under this wharf were put in by the Perfection Pile Com pany, known along the front as the Rood pile. after the name of the man. ager of the company. Many of these timbers are of scant measurement, not WtthStandlng their covering Of burlap and tar, or asphalt. A rough estimate shows that at least one-half of these piles are undersize.
 The Hathaway wharf, which is close to the place last mentioned, is a piece of brand-new work, the newness not yet having had time to wear off It is so situated that very long piles are not required, twelve-inch being sufficient While many are of the proper size, still there are not a few which are smaller than twelve inches in diameter. For some reason the Harbor Commissioners have alternated some of the piles pre- pared by the creosote process and that used by the Paraffine company.
 Here a startling discovery was made As stated, the work is all new, yet many of the creosoted piles have al- ready been attacked by the limnoria.
 This destructive little pest, 1t will be remembered, does not bore into the wood, but attacks it by cutting away or girdling the outside or surface In at least a dozen of the creosoted piles these little Wood-workers have got a hold, and when they get a hold the timber is doomed. In clearing away the surface they make possible the pas sage for the teredo into the interior of the timber. It will be remembered that when the change was made from the 'built-up" piles, that proved such a success, Commissioner Colnon's expla- nation was that the creosoted article