New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1899-09-16
HOLAHAN ADMITS ERROR.
SAYS PROPOSED RAMAPO CONTRACT
OUGHT 70 BE AMENDED.
THROWS PART OF THE BLAME FOR LOOSE
LY DRAWN "PRESsURE" CLAUSE
Upon wHALEN AND BIRDsALL
~FIREMEN TESTIFY.

flREMtN TESTIFY.
Tho Nazet Committee has been listening
,earlv all week 10 steady stream Of evidence
uron the proposed Ramapo water steal Frank
Moss varied the programme yesterday by intro
arcirc some interesting testimony regarding de-
,,oralization in the Fire Department. due to
,ortical favoritism. He did not abandon the
por,sro inquiry however. and put several wit
,essos on the stand To tell what they knew
ehoi, that remarkable plot. Chief Of these was
proslaent Holahan OF the Board Of Public I'm
movements.
Mr. Holahan proved no exception to what has
becor'e the rule recently. which is 10 repudiate
,he proposed contract between the city and the
water company. at least in part. # not alto
,sther Dalton has avowed his Willingness to
drop II tust ss soon az any one could show him
something better Lauterbach has declared 1t
would break the company that tried to carry 1t
,u, and Holahan yesterday asserted that he in
ended 20 have II amended before he voted for it.
REMARKABLE "MISTAKE."
Further questioning elected the statement
from Mr. Holahan that the amendment he de-
sired 10 make would bind the company 10 have
rs water delivered under 2O0-foot pressure
within the city instead Of under a 3OO-foot
nressuro at the watershed. as the original con-
,rsct permitted When Mr Moss urged him to
explain how he and Chief Engineer Birdsal and
corporation Counsel Whalen had, as Holahan
admitted when examining the contract 3efore
submitting il 10 the Board allowed To pass their
scrutiny this clause which defeated the chief
alleged purpose Of signing the contract at ALL
NJ Hoahan lost his temper. az he did several
times during his examination. and was unable
,o give any satisfactory explanation. 1t VIII he
Interesting to hear what the learned Whalen
has ~ say on that point.
FOLLOWS LAUTERBACHS CUE.
Nr Holahan took the ground that the con-
,rac, barring this admitted mistake was so
good a one for the city that he did not think II
ri. dufv IN INQUIRE into the companys ability
n carry n out. II the company could not carry
out rs contract II would not get one cent from
The civ. hut the city would get 100000 from 1t
by the forfeiture Of the companys bond, and he
said he was positive that there was nothing IN
the contract which could act to prevent the city
from entering upon a similar contract with any
other water company at any time il desired TO
d. so. or from getting water in any other way
Il liked on this point Mr.. Holahan differs from
men who know great deal more about the law
than he does.
WOFUL WASTE OF CROTON.
lanes w PRYOR. Of the City Club said that
Of least one-half Of the city's water ran to waste
through leaks IN the mains and he gave num-
Der Of specific instances August Hoeoernah'
& builder. told of a big leak which he had dis
covered in the Central Park reservoir ho"d'u
n Doster formerly employed on the Croton
Aqueduct. described the dnapdated condition
Of the aoueduct when the Strong admnistra-
tion took the care Of il out of Tammany con-
troll the manner IN which things had oeeh
ronovated under his direction, and no" quickly
The old policy war installed with the res'oId'''
of Mr.. Croker 20 power.
Ex-Judge John r Dillon Of the Charter CON-
mission testified that Seth Low had cnarge Oh
drafting that now famous section No. al MT.
Low will probably be put the stand next
Tuesday. when the hearing resumes its sessions.
Fx-Mayor Wurster Of Brooklyn told how the
municipal water service of that borough cou'u
he cheapened and expediuously augmented:
r0,,is = Uaffen President Of the PorouSh or
The Bronx. said enough Croton water for the
rex few years could he secured ny puiolhs
storage reservoirs.
CROKERISM AMONG THE FIRFMEN.
This completed the tale of Ramapo witnesses,
and Mr. Moss turned to the seventy-fve hremen
,,ho With eubpoenas IN their pockets had been
enire TWO long rows Of chairs. looking greatly
bored hv the proceedings. but keeping one eye
al Tho time upon their chief Edward + croker
Richard Croker's nephew. and Fire Comn's-
s,o,er Scannen. who had come to hear what
the, might tell the committee. Augustus T.
Docharty Secretary OF the Fire Department.
produced list showing that since January l.
lSqS 1OD drefnen had heen tried on charges ot
!niox.ca,ion 2O5 for absence without leave ~
tor neglect Of duty and Al for offences asaihS /,
discipline In that time only elsht "'e" '''
been dismissed from the force.
Albert ! Steward swore that he had peen r.
duced from The rank Of engineer after ne % haI
refused 70 contribute l per cent OF MS Eeal
salarv for an election fund He had been askeu
N Subscribe nv one Of his superior othcefS'
whose name he did not remember. Several other
frenaen were called. hut as attempts 10 Get tes
timory from them which "ouid snow l"NI.S us 80
dsc,rii~e nroved Of little avail, all the others
were r. dismissed.