The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-23
BAD FOR RAMAPO JOBBERS.
HlZRT COMMITTEE TO LAYS TIE
PROPOSED WATER DEAL BARE.

htuouRn IHe DouTu Oh fuDllc improvements
voted at its last meeting to postpone consider
alton OF the proposed contract between the city
and tho Ramapo Water Company until Aug. 80.
II Is expected that the matter will be discussed |
at the meeting to-day. A number OF citizens.
including James W. Pryor OF tho City Club.
Secretary Fulton OF the Citizens Union. and |
several residents OF Brooklyn. have ex dressed |
their intention OF appearing before the Board
to-day and asking for public hearing before
any contract Is made Late on Tuesday night |
Justice Bookstaver Of the Supreme Court |
granted temporary injunction on application |
OF newspaper restraining the Board from |
making any contract with the company The |
application for permanent Injunction will be
argued on Friday Comptroller Coler. Bridge |
Commissioner Shea and the other members Of |
tho Board who oppose tho contract are conf |
dent that so much opposition to the project has |
developed that it will be defeated.
Frank Moss. OF counsel to the Mazet Investl- |
eating Committee. which will resume its ses- |
sions on Sept II, said yesterday that no had |
known for two months that some proposition |
made by the Ramapo company was to be pre- |
scented to the city. and that he intended to ex- |
pose the whole scheme when the committee |
sits again. Mr.. Moss said that In late May or
early June he was informed by n Tammany !
man that certain influential men In the organic |
cation had large interests In the Ramapo |
company. and that deal was to be made be- |
tween 1t and the city Mr.. Moss was warned |
to watch the water department. but as nothing |
developed. he decided that the presence OF the
MaZet Committee had frightened the friends
OF Richard Croker. and that they had decided
not to press the contract until its sessions we're
over. As soon as the attempt to rush the con-
tract through was made. Mr.. Moss made out
subpnnaes for every city official concerned in
1t. and for the officers and stockholders In the
company. These witnesses will be put on the
stand one after another until the whole scheme
has been laid bare.
Comptroller Coler sent Robert d. Weems OF
the Finance Department to call on sias D.
butcher. the President OF the Ramapo COM
pany. yesterday to get information in regard to
the company. Mr.. butcher told Mr. Weems
that the merchants and residents OF Brooklyn
were in need Of water. and that the Ramapo
company had simply made a plain business
proposition to the city. He said that the COM
nany had not issued any bonds. had no mort
cages. and that no steps had been taken to-
ward financing the company. 1t having been
the intention Of the directors to attend to these
matters when the contract with the city was
made. Mr. butcher said that the company had
made contracts which placed 1t in position to
supply the water which II said 1t could. Mr.
Weems asked him for list OF the company's
usselb anu llaDulJleb, lncluulnR llbt vi tno
privileges already obtained and the prices paid
for them. Mr.. butcher said that he could not
give this information without authority from
the directors OF the company. Then Mr..
Weems got a letter from Mr.. butcher to the
company's engineers requesting them to give |
to him all the information they had as to the |
water shed and supply.
President Hoahan Of tho Board OF Public |
Improvements. who has shown great zeal In
his advocacy Of the Ramapo contract said |
yesterday that he would mako an explana-
ton Of his position on Aug. 30. Mr.. Holahan
thinks that he has been abused by the press
and the public. but he believes that when he
explains why he stands where he does. there
will be a revulsion OF feeling In his favor.
Mr.. Holahan is convinced that he will be able
to muster votes enough to award the con-
tract. He would not tell yesterday where
these votes were to come from. Comptroller
Coler and Bridge Commissioner Shea are
sure that they can defeat the scheme.
Il am told that President Hoahan says that
I am fighting this contract in order to get my
name in the papers because want to DE Sheriff
OF Kings county" said Mr.. Shea yesterday Il
would like to say that would rather serve tho
people OF Kings county as Sheriff than the
Ramapo Water Company. To be Sheriff Is
certainly as honorable. although 1t may not be
as lucrative. All this say with the highest
personal respect to Mr.. Holahan."
One OF the influential Tammany men who
has stock in the Ramapo company is City Mag
istrate Hogan. who was legislated out OF office
as Police Justice in 1895. and was appointed
q Magistrate by Mayor Van Wyck in June.
Magistrate Hogan recently sold ten shares of
the stock at 115. and he still has block OF it.
He has shown deep interest in the various bills
affecting the company at Albany. but he ex-
f,aD cd yeateriay that he had only a atopk-
holders interest in it. Tho Magistrate does
not believe that politics enter into the question
at all.
Comptroller Coler has compiled some figures
on the water system which show that the city
supplies to its residents in Manhattan and the
Bronx 27O .O0O.O0O gallons Of water every day
and receives from the sale OF 1t 81. 800. 900 a
year. The Ramapo scheme is to sell 200.00O.-
600 gallons a day for S5.000.0O0 a year. or
100000 more than the city receives in both
boroughs. In speaking OF this he said:
THAT lie. we sell 270.O0O. 900 gallons Of water
a day for less than tho Ramapo people offer to
supply 2OO.000.OO0 gallons. The more look
into the scheme the moro am convinced that
1t is tho greatest job that was ever attempted
in any city In this country. Judging from tho
letters which receive, the citizens view II in
the same way
PoUGHKEEPsIE. n. Y. Aug 22.-Thc Ramapo
Water Company mas on HE IN the ONCE OF the
clerk Of Duchess county twenty maps showing
proposed Pipe lines through seven OF the
twenty towns in the county. The maps were
drawn In 1896. 1897 and 1903. and were filed
on Dec. Is Of last year. They boar the name
OF s. B. butcher. President. and p. Eckert Nos
trand. Chief Engineer, The maps show proposed
reservoirs along Crum Elbow and WappinRers
Creeks and along streams In Dover. The
survey extends through the river towns in
Guiding Fishkill. ,Poughkeepslc. Hyde Park.
Rhinebeck and Red Hook and also Wappinger's
and East Fishkill, the inland towns. The Crum
Elbow creek rises in Pine Plains and flows
through +. W. Vanderbit's place at Hyde
Park to the Hudson. and Wappingers Creek
flows tho entire length OF the county
north and south. Tho maps contemplate
ing pipe lines have attracted no attention hero
at all. and nobody can be found here who
knows anything about the purpose OF the COM
pany. 1t ia believed that tho survey was made
by the company by way OF heading of any op-