The San Francisco call., 1898-11-30
DELVING INTO FERRY DEPOT
 ;. CONSTRUCTION [ Story of the Tower Bracing Rods. WHERE DID THE IRON. GO? RIsDoN IRON WORKS BLAMEs THE ARCHITECT. Expert Reid Holds That the Depot Roof, Improperly Riveted,
 Is Now Going to
 Pieces.
WHERE DID THE IRON GO?
RIsDoN IRON WORKS BLAMEs
 THE ARCHITECT.

The Senate inquiry to ascertain what amount the State was defrauded in the construction of the ferry building was resumed yesterday morning at the office of the Harbor Commissioners. Sen ators Dickinson, Prisk and Boyce at tended the session. Commissioners Col non and Harvey and Howard Holmes, chief engineer of the board, paid close attention to the inquiry.
 E. B. Young, attorney representing Contractor Cronan. applied to Expert James w. Reid for further information concerning the data on which the report of the expert was based MT. Reid re- piled readily and inteligently to the line of questions, and was not obliged to re- cede in any degree from the calculations or conclusions of his report: After a number of preliminary questions about roofing had been answered MT Young put leading question which enc ited reply to the effect that the root or the ferry building was not a. good Joo- that sufficient number of riyets was not put in to hold the galvanized Iron and the roof was now coming to pieces
 Senator Dickinson called for specified tions in regard to rlVetlng, and when they were produced il was made clear that the rivets were not to be more than MT Mrs Young Young asked % if the expert had ever known of such. close rtVetlng or corru. gated iron. MT. Reid without trace or fmpatience suggested that the inquiry was not pertinent; s. fcations? CT,
 Captain VIII. Taylor of the Risdon Iron Works sat alongside of Architect Swain during the better part of the al ternoon session. MT. Reid, the Senators, Commissioners and spectators were the quiet witnesses of a little controversy or conflict of oDinjOu between the repreSen- tative of the Risdon Works. and the su, peTvising architect, Mr:: Swaln. Seherad 1;d,5d Dickinson did not interfere. to, -abrIdge the right to free speech. Expert Reld said nothing as the little eXchange oL views vividlv verified the: accuracy Of Tn Exclamation of certain changes Cap tain Taylor remarked that there was a misfit ip~the construction of the bulIdlng, and that the superstructure did not ht the ground plan. He said he did not know where the fault rested. ..
 When the subject of tower braces or tie rods was reached Architect Swain in dicated that the fault in this respect, Tor which the State. had to pay $l449i snould be charged to the Risdon Iron Works: Ihen Captain Taylor remarked, ''I had intended not to reopen this controversy, put since you have reopened it., MT. Swain, l am
 Then more light was thrown on the changes. It was brought out that the original plans provided for inside braces or rods. As the work progressed the TtlauS were GEdIlgSO to ptdCS lHe. IOlS Out- side, but the. further progress of con struction made 1t necessary to again change and-put the braces inside.
 Senator Dickinson suggested that some one in charge must have authorized the ''tSeai5Gii Captain Taylor made an extended ex- planatiOn. Ia Subs tance he said:
 .'There must have been fifty shop draw ings of this work. They were sent here, and the supery5ising, l., architect approved hardly looked at;theInl and as matter of form signed them" Turning to the su- pervising architect, Captain Taylor said: MT. Swain,5 you have brought: all of this
 MT. Swain replied that he would have something to say himself Thereupon he read some letters addressed to the Risdon Iron Works calling attention to the re- quirements of the specifications and
 Captain Taylor insisted that the letters were written after the mischief was done Senator Dickinson matntalned that as the amount claimed by the RiSdon people had been paid by the State, that the con- troYersy was settled in so. far as the iron firm was concerned.
 The inquiry then branched off to roof rods of some kind. Captain Taylor. said there was an increase of the cost by req son of putting them in. The architect authorized their omission, but Chief En- gineer Holmes. dissented. The Board of Harbor Commissioners sustained the en- gineer., Chief Engineer Holmes remarked in explanation that he demonstrated to the board by practical test that the rods were necessary.
 Four windows then engaged the atten- ton of the committee. The. Risdou Iron Works insisted that they were not obliged to put them it. It was contended that the drawings did not demand the windows and the specifications afforded no light on the subject.
 MT. Swain said he decided to allow on a compronise basis the sum of $500 for the windows. MT. Reid adhered to the contention of the expert report that the specifications required the Risdon people to furnish the windows.
 Captain Taylor, who was obviously anx- ious to get away to attend to other af- fairs. was somewhat reluctant to leave without a clean bill of health for the question to MT. Reid. He asked If in the judgment of MT. Reid the Risdon Iron Works had not performed its contract in good faith to the State.
 MT Reid was not quite carried away by the blandishments of the captain. so he qualified an affirmative answer with suggestion that some of the iron was pretty rough
 Captain Taylor folded his papers, re-. marking that the iron, though rough, was strong, and that 200 J00 pounds of iron in excess of contract requirement hao been supplied.
 MT. swain. directed to Mir Reid certain inquiries regarding window screens in the Claus Spreckels building and in the new residence of Claus SpreckelS. The pur- pose was 'to' show that MT. Reid Tn ms capacity as architect was mistaken as to the value of, certain metal contr1Vances to shield windows.
 MT swain will go on tfe witness stand to-day to explain why changes were mace in the original plans of the ferry build ing and to indicate by whom the changes were authorized.