The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-05-07
TESTIMONY GIVEN BY f. j.
COTTON.
The Firm Lost $11 900 Through Obstruc-
tions That Prevented Work on the
Naval Wharves.

United States Attorney BreckOns has
been taking the dispositions of witnesses
i'm the case of Cotton Bros. against the
United States, a suit filed in the court
of claims, for damages for losses al
legged to have been suffered by reason Of
the failure of the government to COM
plete dredging and delivering material
for the navy wharves here in time so
that the company could keep it's men
employed. William r. Davis, eX-mayOr
of Oakland and a well known California
attorney, who came here to prosecute
the case, appears for the contractors.
f.. j. Cotton, who has had charge of
most of Cotton Bros work here, was
the principal witness for the firm. He
testified that the company had lost
about $1,000 by the delays. The
wharves might have been finished with
ing six months after the signing of the
contract, he said, if the government had
not obstru"ted work by using the dred-
ger and by failing to get material AS
it was the men arrived here with ma
chinery on September q, 1899, and the
work was not finished until December
of the following year. The workmrn
did not have free access to the wharves
until October, 1900, owing to the OBJ
structions.
Cotton said that he imported men
from San Francisco, to work under con-
tract. A foreman was brought for Sc a
day, an engineer for S5 and other men
for "a per day. Fare was paid from
San Francisco and back again, and t.
men got half pay while they travelled.
They were under full pay all the time
they were in Honolulu, whether they
worked or not.
The witness stated that it was at the
request or order of Admiral Merry, Port
Commandant, that he brought the men
here when he did. Merry wanted the
work done as soon as possible. When
the men did get here they could not go
ahead with the work for which they
were brought. Some of them were put
at work for which laborers could have
been hired in Honolulu at the rate of
81 a day.
About fifty exhibits letters that pass
ed between Cotton Bros. and Admiral
Merry and between the authorities at
Washington, many of them being COM
plants from the firm because they
could not go ahead as they had expect
ed. were introduced during the hear
ing. 1t appears that while they were
working on the wharves, Cotton Bros.
made many kicks about the dredger In
terfering with their work.
Under crosse examination by BreCkOns
| Cotton said he estimated his losses at
! $40 per day, for 2S6 days, making the
| total of $11 900 he had given as his es-
innate during direct examination. The
| loss of wages paid to men was put at
$21 per day. and the loss by reason of
the idleness of machinery brought here
at $19 a day. This was what could have
been made by the machine during that
| time.
The record is filled with objections
from both sides and motions to strike
out testimony. Breckons asked a num-
/ Der of questions designed to show that
the claimants are figuring, not on loss
| es actually sustained, but on profits
that might have been realized, and the
attorney made a motion to strike out
much of the testimony on this grounu.