The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-16

to pay the contractors for them" Mr..
| Blair asked.
II would ask to be relieved from duty
/ rather than pay the Atlantic Contract
| ing Company for those"
I must ask that you answer my ques-
! ton" Mr.. Blair said.
at present I do not intend paying for
them" Capt Gillette replied.
Was that intention formed because
the mattresses do not comply with the
specifcations?" Mr.. Blair asked.
No" was the reply.
WAS it because they were ordered
sunk four at time and not singly?"
No said Capt. Gillette again.
Capt. Gillette was then questioned as
to mattress on a barge across the river,
which he said he had seen but not exam
med closely. He presumed it was built
at the camp under the direction of the
inspector, but did not know.
You spoke yesterday of spun yarn or
rather lath yarn used in tying the brush,
as not quite as strong as good grocer's
Irvine. win either of these answer the
definition OF good grocer's twine?" Mr..
Blair said, exhibiting two balls of small
Irvine. .
mo, sir" replied Capt Gillette. An
other ball was exhibited and that did not
seem to answer.
Il find" Capt. Gillette said, that the
twihe in question is stronger than indi-
Gated by my answer yesterday Since my
testimony yesterday 1 have tested it and
! find it was much stronger than 1 thought
it was. It is quite strong material"
Capt Gillette said in answer to ques-
tons that the second class of mattress
described in the specifications would serve
| the purposes intended for use in the
| breakWater off Tybee, but he did not
| think the third style would unless its
| construction was rigidly interpreted. 1t
| should be construed by trimming the
| brush as closely as possible and choking
| 1t with an approved form of chOker. 1t
| should consist of bundle of rods denud-
| ed of leaves and tWigs. The effect of such
| fascine in gathering and holding the silt
| would be much better, he said, than would
log mattress
|. Capt Gillette was asked if the fascine
! he had described as a bundle of rods was
! the only kind of fascine he knew any,
| thing about. The word might he used,
| he said, to cover other things described
under it. A fascine he said, is a bundle
of rods bound at short intervals.
That is military fascine. is 1t not?"
| was asked
Webster doesn't say So" Capt. Gillette
replied.
| But have you not heard of their use.
at West Point. inside fortifcaton for
! the purpose of stopping a bullet?" Mr..
Blair asked.
Yes, they are used inside of fortifica-
tons, but for the purpose of holding up
| the banks; not for stopping bullets" was
| the reply.
Have you ever heard of an engineering
! fascine in contradistinction to a military
fascine?' was asked.
l have never heard 1t described as
! SUCH" was the reply
Then a brush fascine would not mean
a tasclne as you describe it?" was asked
Any fascine of that character might
be brush fascine," was the reply.
do you consider rods and brush the
same?' was the next question.
| 1 do not" was the reply.
When asked whether he would nut in
bundles of sticks for rods for brush fas-
| clnes, Capt Gillette said it depended en-
! tlfeIy on what specifications were At
! the request of Mr.. Blair he read over
! section thirty-nine of the specifications
| Whlch say that all the fascines shall be
! lhaoe OF IVe brush of certain woods nam
cd, and shall be approved by the officer in
! charge. -
Does that mean small rods?" was ask
! ed. 9'4A
1T means the material should come from
such wood" Capt Gillette said.
Does it mean rods or small sticks?" Mr.
Blair asked somewhat impatientlv.
Rods and small sticks can be made
from live brush" was the reply
You are not answering my question
fairly" Mr.. Blair said. Would fas-
cines of rods or small sticks answer that
description
"Under some circumstances thew
would" Capt. Gillette said.
In speaking of that portion of the speci-
hcatons Capt. Gillette remarked that the
sentence in which it was stated that fas-
cines should be well trimmed was NOT con
structed grammatically
Never mind the grammar" Mr.. Blair
N
med that the leaves and twigs must all be
Topped of?'
Il can't conceive of any other mean
! ing" was the reply
Capt. Gillette said he understood the
| specifications to mean such fascines &c
are used in military construction. this he
! ing a point of difference as to tbe inte,
probation Of the contract. Mattresses of
the third design, he said would gather
more silt than log mattresses, if the spe-
citcations were interpreted as he inter
preted them. Mattresses built of fascine.
ne said, were more flexible, and flatteped
out, causing the angle between two adia
cent mattresses to disappear.
Mr.. Blair then examined Cant. Gulette
! on the subject of fourth-class stone as
| stated in the Specifications as we'll as the
other stone mentioned In determining
the specific gravity of stone, Capt Gillette
| said large holes in the stone would have
/
| on the engineering effect of the mat
| tresses, he said, was due to his own re-
| Election. No one, he said, could predict
| what such mattresses would do on a sandy
! bottom, but the mattresses constructed
had the great advantage of being enor-
! mousy cheaper.
Before you came to Savannah did YOU
not meet Capt. Carter in Washington ana
talk to him about the work?" Mr.. Blair
| asked.
81 did, very briefly" was the reply.
did he describe the work in general
| terms?"
| YES" Capt. Gillette said.
Did you receive from him letters OF
! introduction TO friends here?" was asked.
| Yes"
Were you invited to occupy his house?"
! Mr.. Blair asked
He told me-" Capt Gillette said. that
| his house was rented to Oct. /, and that
if l wanted to occupy room there
could do so.''
| did he say it in that way?"