The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-02-08
Charges Of The Call Sustained by the
Senate Committee.
SCATHING COMMENT IN THE REPORT
Gross Frauds Perperated Upon the State in the Con-
StruCtOn Of the Ferry Depot Extravaganza
and MaIadminStratiOn

The Board Of State Harbor Commits
sioners has been made the object of
most scathing official condemnation for
its conduct of water front affairs in this
city, and particularly for the frauds
and gross impositions permitted in the
construction of the Union ferry depot.
The committee appointed by the State
Senate in 1897 to investigate ali State
institutions has finished and submitted
its report, which is now at the disposal
Of the Senate for whatever action it
cares to take. Among the institutions
that were investigated was the Board
of State Harbor Commissioners.
The inquiry was impartial and eX-
haustive. The committee, which was
composed of State Senators John H.
Dickinson, John J. Boyce, E. w. Chap
man, w. F. Prisk and c. NJ. Simpson,
went thoroughly into an examination of
the charges made against the Harbor
Commission by The Call, and in every
particular justified this paper in its &C
cusations. The committee of investiga-
ton declares that the Harbor Commits
sion has entirely ignored the law
whenever it pleased to do so, violating
the confidence placed in it by the peo-
pie, employing useless officers, giving
double salaries to favored employees,
maintaining worthless departments at
great extravaganza, blocking necessary
improvements on the water front, and
submitting the State to a criminal loss
of many thousands of dollars in the
construction of the ferry depot.
.. These serious allegations were made
by The Call before the committee of
investigation was appointed. The Of
fetal inquiry more than justified the
original charges. The Senate commit
tee expresses chagrin that the money
lost to the State cannot be recovered
nor can the men that violated their
public obligations be punished In
connection with this official denuncia-
ton of the Harbor Commission it
should not be forgotten that Commits
siOner Colnon, eX-COmmissioners Cole
and Chadbourne are the officers against
whom the Senate committee renders its
report. Commissioners Harvey and
.Herold are held blameless for the
abuses that are exposed and con-
demned.
!. a great part of the official inquiry
was devoted to the Union Ferry Depot,
in which the masonry, carpentering,
mastering, roofing, glazing and sky
lights were thoroughly investigated.
The committee found that the COM
nlissionerS made changes in the plans
and specifications of the ferry depot
when and how they pleased. These
changes, the report declares, represent
an actual loss to the State of a sum
: between 1000 and $4,000. The law
was entirely ignored for two years
when the convenience of the Commits
sioners dictated a violation of their
duties.
The original cost of the ferry depot
was increased by the enormous sum of
IL t1,,, 4
was absolutely necessary on the sea-
wall was blocked. The committee
found that the Commissioners drew
upon the harbor Improvement fund to
build the foundation for the depot and
thus absorbed money that should
otherwise have been expended. These
in outline are the conclusions of the in
vestigating committee in reference to
the frauds perpetrated in the construc-
ton of the ferry depot.
These conclusions are practically the
results Of the expose made by The Call
last March. 1t was then demonstrated
in this paper that the grossest frauds
had been committed in the construction
of the depot The State had been
cheated by the Commissioners, who
submitted the original plans of the
depot TO constant revision and in each
revision substituted inferior work and
material for better, and with each sub
stitution increased the cost.
The floors, walls, doors, masonry
steam heating and plumbing of the
building were interfered with to the
detriment of the depot and the profit OF
the contractors and their allies. job
berry was evident on all sides and SO
clear was the demonstration of the fact
by the expose of The Call that the local
Grand Jury took up the matter. Per-
ssnal influences prevented an honest
nv,1
result followed the inquisition. Moth
ing practical was done until the COM
mittee, whose report is now on file, be-
gan its Investigations.
This committee found much more TO
criticize and condemn in the admins
% tration OF Colnon and his associates
than the ferry depot frauds. The COM
nlittee of the Senate also finds that the
Harbor Commission is maintaining at
ain expense to the State between fifty
and seventy useless employees who have
nothing to do, and do it remarkably
: wei. Three Of these employees, the re-
port declares, receive double salaries.
a deputy superintendent of repairs is
employed for no other purpose than dill
igently to draw his salary. purchas-
ing department is maintained at an an
nual expense Of $4,000. and the total
purchases is only 500 900. Useless po-
lice officers are on the pay roll, and the
scheme Of reform.
The report which makes so many
scathing comments on Colnon and his
associates is in full as follows:
Your committee made as exhaustive an
examination Of the affairs of the Board of
State Harbor Commissioners in San Fran
cisco as time and means would permit.
. The labor of making such an examina-
fion. and Of gathering together any data
that could be relied upon and would
throw light upon the subject under in
vestigation. is very great. 1t involved
the examination by experts of the original
plans specifications, working drawings
and everything in connection with the
building or superstructure of the new fer
r.. depot at San Francisco. For this pur-
nose Mr.. Reid of Reid Bros. and Mr..
Favile of the firm of Bliss & Faville. all
of San Francisco, two expert architects
of repute. were employed, and 1t took them
something over three months to examine
the above matters referring to the four
principal contracts in connection with the
building of said superstructure viz: ma
sonry carpentering, plastering, roofing,
.skvliChts and glazing.
II was the original estimate that the
total cost of the Union Ferry Depot at
San Francisco would be not to. exceed
$500 600 BY an act of the Legislature the
question was submitted to the people as
to whether bonds should be issued for