The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-26
BRoOKLYN'S %NEwSCANDAL.
DIsooTERIEs MADE IN REGARD TO
OITY WORKS CoNTRAOT8,

Comptroller Ceisr's Experts say THAT Rrees-
sive Prices Were Charged asa That Law
was RVAded In the Case Of Three Csntrnc-
tors, whs Got a1o, zoe. . in Tive Nouths.
Comptroller Coler made public yesterday the
fact that the sum of S72.906. Ia was expended
in an irregular manner by the CITY Works De.
partmcnt of Brooklyn during the two closing
months Of Mayor wurster's administration
Tho discovery was made by the expert ao-
countants who have boon examining tho 40.
counts Of tho borough.
The money was paid out in November and
December. for work dono in covering the ex-
posed water mains in East New York avenue
and in Neptune avenue. and Of the entire oxpon-
diture.less than $4,000 was authorized. Tho
contracts were awarded without public bidding
and the work was divided up into sections In
volvinR an expenditure of less than $4,000 each,
for the purpose. IL Is charged, of avoiding the
provisions of the old Brooklyn charter which
required thnt all contracts involving the eIpen-
diture of moro than 81, 900 should DO lot at pub
lilo bidding. There were In all thirty.sevenb bills,
distributed as follows:
John 0'Connor, twenty-one bills, aggregat-
ing Z 1.1oo.7 70 for work in East New York ave-
nue.. between the Eastern Parkway and Nos
trand avenue, the price being rs cents q cubic
yard.
Henry 4. Finkle. eleven bills, nggrogatinG
S21 .712.eo for work on eight blocks Of Neptune
avenue. at S1.30 o cubic yard.
w. u. Hayward, i've bills, aggregatinR &c.
7s2.79. for work on Neptune avenue. at S1.33
a cubic yard.
Tho vouchers were for more than 81, 900 and
and less than $1,000 each. Comptroller Coler
adds In his report:
"In regard to the prices paid, It may be said
that tho Comptroller requested his engineer to
.A-A- - ---.ta - - LII Il
which could reasonably be charged for this
work, and was told that for the East New York
avenue filling. for which rs cents was charged.
80 cents would be q very high figure, and that
for the Neptune avenue filling, for which $1.30
and $I.33 was charged. 90 cents would have
been high.
ut furthermore appears that many Of the
CITY warrants received by the successful con.
tractors in payment for their work, have been
Endorsed to the order OF Thomas Frazier. who
was himself one Of tho contractors bidding In
what was supposed to be competition with
other contractors. 1hese Endorsements appear
in the cases of warrants made payable to the
William H;:iIeywerd.:socfore referred to ais:the
The bills were ali certified as correct by Water
Pnrveycr Oscar Knapp, aprE9yed by Deputy
20: K."b by Assistant Engineer Frederick Milne
and audited by, City Audi,or John II: sutton.
Inc tnrCe DaJCnCS OF DIS were reCelpted Tor
D sspfy'"'T and %. b 5eed!s' DT Thssr,o is p a Dood l.;
who Is q contractor. and O'Connor, Finkle end
Haywood arc In his employment in various
capacities.
Comptroller Colcr said. in speaking of the
matter: Il found only three memoranda in the
records Of the department giving any basis for
the expenditure of this large sum OF money and
a psalpable :ayoidance Of the charter provision
regarding public contracts which those in au.
thoritS had got over b. making each bill less
than o. 600 thpfiyl A. rho hills anil yNnphapa
show. tile contractor In East New York avenue
worked continuously for nearly two months. or
two or three days during that time. There are
other claims wiich are yet to be 1et,lcd in other
all possible care in d1nling with Them,
Former City Works Commissioner Theodore
3; Willis, who was Al tho head Of tho City
Works department when these expenditures
were made, said that he had known nothing of
r reS Rsi's s6c b MF; from Etniai%RF st si' r sSRs,y; t fnap ap
SAID: ., r,,
Engineer Milne. to supervise the work. As:his
accounts corresgonded with the bills OF tho con:
s sisned Them : eonft snrpe. tesy that %er the e wa ftsni mans ahs
be covered. l understood that l had power to
usc an unlimited amount o. money. provided.
OF course, the amount did not reach too high n
figure. H!d t oyer occurred to mo that l was
not acting in strtc'' conformity, with the charter
my foo: in It. 1t was a mistake in Judgment. I
didn't think so much had been paid ont for the
work. Now i wish l never had suggested the
advisabillty OF covering the mains. But I am
a wiser man to-day than l was when l did the
work.
Former Mayor Wurster was considerably
worked up over the matter and is inclined to
blame former City Auditor Sutton for not dis
covering that the work was not authorized and
thus stopping the payment. of the bills.
1t !? said that the work Itself was done In an
residents along the two avenues In which the
filling in was done complain that the thorough
fares have been injured instead of improved by
the work and that even the dirt used was of Il
most inferior quality.
1t is understood that 1t Is Comptroller Coler's
intention to submit a report on the matter to
the Corporation Counsel with a view to taking
legal proceedings.