New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-06-18
A DREDGER'S COMPLAINT.
THOMAS PoTTER'S DEALINGS WITH THE
ENGINEER CORPS.
HE ALLEGES HARAssING METHODS
COLONEL BARLOw'S REPLY THAT ONLY
PROPER CAUTION WAS SHOWN.

The following letter sent 20 The Tribuns
recently by Thomas Potter. Jersey City con-
tractor:
To the Editor Of The Tribune:
neers Il 8 AZ are infail.bIa in Judgment and
Immaculate virtue received a rude shock in the
o. II Carter. and more recently the just strict
ent Chief Of Engineers There are others" and
81 you will send your representative to me VII.
give him facts showing conduct on the part OF
officers Of this much vauned corps which am among
''ie reverse q ''0''''''''e % THOMAS POTTER.
A Tribune reporter was sent TO MI Pottcr's ONCE
and the latter then made and signed the following
statement:
u1ent. United states Army. loaded with specih-
cations Of such character mat ne englTeT NV an
arbitrary Interpretation OF one or more clauses to
make work Improbable TO any contractor who hap
pens to be persona non grata that office. The
same work at the same price may be made hand.
son1ely TeIquneraive to A contractor VINO happens
made a cdrtTaot last September with United
states Engineer Oficer colonel J. W. Barlow. to
DO certain work dredg3g south Am6oy Gn9nRe mel
subjected TO serious delays N the forwardng, ana
menJs When The contract mad been apPr0 gItq py
the Chief Of Eneineers ITigadier-CfeneraI wilson,
sJi6 io5 a "a d al 4 he Inc Of the Year when
sanb dav VAS beoorine q les suitable and less
valuable for work than the preceding day.
classes OF material one-fourth ,of which being of
shaGactgr recurring snscaI plant f9a its pert 6
ness intention. WIS TO pursue the work for the
OF December with such plant as suitable TO
Of the work harRs PeT 6sH p aT
the work in the beginning of spring suitable and
time fixed hy the co1tract which plant IS now
al W9rk and pTosrSSs.ns 81 sncA T2Ie as VIII
oh Ngys6e 20 when but about Three weeks Of
Barlow, made a formal demand Of me that I put
at said special plant on the work. At the
having that class Of plant unemployed OF the
demand made upon me. thereby placing me at the
An appeal made by to the Secretary Of War
protesting against this trea tment. and asking that
might have the opportunity Of refutng by con- m
test was referred by the Secretary Of War through
10 the accused officer. Upon the latter's answer.
which in several in fact all material particulars
sustained and he was authorized to withhold pay
been earned and whieh had become due
This action on the part Of the Secretary Of War,
Elihu Root, practically relieved the American
Surety Company Of the responsibilty il had been
paid 10 ASSUME by suRSqng money sc D Zion
Secretary Of War. Elihu Root is stockhoder and
huenced him TO refuse me a hearing. and decide
I am prepared fully to substantiate any and all
Of the statements made above. The documents
are In my possession
Colonel J. W. Barlow of the United States En-
gineer Corps. in explaining the contract which Mr.
Potter claims has worked him much injustice.
said TO a Tribune reporter yesterday:
There has been a controversy between this
man and the Government officials ever since No
vember 10 last, when he was notified that he was
not working fast enough. The trouble has been
simply this that Mr.. Potter did not have an ade-
quate plant work with.
He contracted with the Government Sep
TENDER to dredge S2OeOe cubic yards of ma
terial from the South Amboy channel at the rate
of y 40 cents a yard The work as specified in
the contract to begin fifteen days after it was
approved by General Wilson, head Of the United
States Engineer Corps at Washington. It
approved on September .. Nevertheless, Mr.. Pot
ter did begin work until October ls. And yet
he says that delay has been caused him in begin
ming the work.
According to this contract the work is to be
completed by May 81
Within a month after Mr.. Potter began. We saw
that he would accomplish the job at the rate
he was working. He only using one scoop
shovel in removing the softer material. Accord
ingly, We notified him November 10 that it
would be necessary for him TO increase his plant.
This We had perfect right to do since there is a
provision IN the contract which permits such over
s!ght on the part OF the Government engineer
0ilaclaIs or this provision Mr.. Potter was aware
when he signed the contract. Nevertheless, he has
compliance Of such interference.
Instead Of increasing mis- plant and working faster
ever since He sent petition to the Secretary OF
eEing 10 contract for other dredgers he did not
section in the contract which he had signed u 'le
Secretary Root consulted with General Wilson
ana lhe Judge-AdVocate. and thereupOn dismissed
The complaint
Mr.. Potter received no payment for his work
N October and November at that time bees he
persisted IN removing only the soft without
soft mud Is about nine cents a cubic yard Ac7
coroingiy we could not pay him y $40 cents ward
when Is the average price for both soft and hard
material " ~ -'''u
BY this time winter had set IN. and we did not
S5SrRrn Mr.. Potter by putting other dredges to
explained 70 him that he increase his plant
an me spring, and gave him month to do il in
SaccoiulnsIy- ne began work April / instead of
Siafen J. AS he did not have sufficient machinery
!nmselI, ne contracted with r. G. Packard Co
70 40 the work for him. This concern Immediately
put scoop and a clam shell shovel at work and
SIlig me oiheT day began operating a third shovel
since lne Sub-cO.tractOr has he work II hos
advanced rapidly. He has done more in one monTb
1na1 ar Potter did IN the two months he was
There still remain 10000 cubic wards to he "a
moved, and at the present rate Of six thousan nd
yards gay, Mr. Potter will just about complete his
work before May g. nc ms
i 40 not see why he complains Only last Mon
cay ne received $1,000 or more. which paws him
&c april He IS nothing out Of pocket EXCEPT the
sum OF $500 Tor material which he himself acknowI-
EDGES was Improperly dumped
Inc south Amb1y channel which Mr. Pot
Ter is dredging Is 10 have depth of twenty-ona
!eet. II is favorite waterway in winter time be-
OF being sheltered from ocean gales. For this rea
son ii IS sometimes called the inside route to New
York" e ~ view
DISABLED STEAMER BEING TOWED
London, June 1.-THE French steamer Burgundi.
Captain Buhe. which sailed from New-Orleans