New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-08-07
CIRCUIT MEN TO TRY AGAIN
DEEG4N 4 SHOCK TO THEM
Boarding House WOman Seeks This
Precious Investigator.


aere5 another investigation of the Murphy and
Cafney pier leases which James J. Deegan, an
examiner in the Finance Department, white
washed in a report that created something akin
% 2 scandal in administration circles as soon
as the newspapers told who Deegan was
..Deegan's Brooklyn record is something that
know nothing about" said Mr.. Stevenson last
night to a Tribune reporter. Perhaps his re-
mort is an honest one, and perhaps it isn't
personally 1 am not disposed to allow any re-
mort to go from this office that will not stand
an honest inspection. For that reason 1 have
ordered another investigation OF the leases, and
detailed Robert B. Mcintyre to the work.
Earlier in the day Mr.. Stevenson issued the
following statement:
In view Of the discussion that has arisen rea ,
tive 10 the report by the law and adjustment dv1-
s ~ M the leases made to the New-York Con
,r5cting ard Trucking Company were at proper
ss, 81 into the same QUESTION This is not
unusual. inasmuch as the Controller frequently I
ing an important question and ii will be necessary
to7 him 10 have full information before deciding
The result of the new Investigation viii be made
public when completed. This is in accordance with
he Controllers Instructions to give publicity to all
current matters N the o. nance
Of the city requires no defence.
AS already told in The Tribune. the Sinking
Fund Commission received from responsible
bidder S3.000 for a bulkhead dumping board
privilege between Seventy-eighth and Seventy
ninth SIS, but on account Of objections from the
West Side Association decided not TO allow any
dumping hoard there. The New-York Contract
ing and Trucking Company. of which John ].
Murphy and James Z. Gaffney are the owners.
now holds the West Seventy-ninth-st pier
under a thirty-year lease. Commissioner
Hawkes. has ordered them Off because he wants
10 build a new pier They have restrained the
city from interfering with them by getting out
an Injunction All that the company pays for
the pier is $1,000 a year, and it operates a
dumping board it without authority. The
receipts from this dumping board in one day
last fall, when the Commissioners of Accounts
kept tally on il, amounted to S26S, gross or
shout 500 net. Commenting this the Com
rnissioners Of Accounts said that the receipts
from the dumping board for a single week would
pay the rental for an entire year, without taking
into account the receipts from wharfage. The
pier is not a large one, but II is great money
maker, because all the subway excavation
dumping for two or three miles goes to it. Com
missioner Hawkes. is determined to break up
this monopoly if possible. He has advertised
for bids for the construction of a pier within
q block or two of the Seventy nintn-st. pier,
and viii advertise for bids for a dumping board
privilege
according 10 the tally kept by inspector of
the Accounts Department, must have amounted
10 clean $4,000 for the year 1902. and this
does not take into account the profit obtained
by the pier lessees from selling the earth from
the scows for filling in purposes. This must have
brought in $1,000 or $4,000 more, as the sub
way earth was clean and desirable for filling in.
L will be remembered that District Attorney
Jerome was unable to obtain the books of the
New-York Contracting and Trucking Company.
John P. Faure, foreman of the July grand jury,
ordered Frederick r. Killeen, bookkeeper for the
cor7panv. to bring the books to the grand jury
room. Kuleen did not obey the request. In the
new investigation ordered yesterday by Mr..
Stevenson the explicit findings of the Commits
sfoners Of Accounts will have to be taken under
consideration in the absence Of the books Of the
company Il was Deegan's absurd indifference
10 the facts as they existed in July, 1901, that
made every intelligent reader smile when
Deegan said that the rental prices for the Muir
phv-Gafney piers were ''rea sonable"
Yesterday it was rumored that Deegan had
been seen Of late hanging around Tammany
Hall and the Anawanda Club, talking with close
friends of Charles F. Murphy No confirmation
Of this story could be obtained yesterday. It
was learned. however, that the woman with
whom Deegan had boarded in Marcy-aVe.,
BROOKLYN. said she had an unsettled account
against Deegan. and had been to the Controller
Office several times to see If she could get her
money. She was there on Monday. but was tod
that Deegan had gone away on his vacation.
In view Of the fact that the Finance Depart
ment has in IT many Brooklyn Democratic poll
tcans who knew of Deegan's record in the cor
oner's Office when he assisted Coroner Coombs
in getting up fake inquests. it was considered
somewhat remarkable yesterday that ANYBODY
should have been stupid enough to assume that
Deegans work important subject like the
Murphy-Gaffney leases would go unchallenged
As the case stands the impression is general
that Charles +. Murphy worked some under
ground Wire to get Z favorable report on the
pier leases and the absolute failure of the plan
Is regarded as one more evidence that Murphy
IS an incompetent leader, and that he viii not
last much longer as the head Of Tammany Hail.
he has bUngled everything he has attempted IN
the way of sharp practices that Tammany loves
so well. His attack on the Sinking Fund Com
mission for awarding the so-called Odell pier
leases fell fat after il was investigated. The
scheme 10 involve the Republican leaders IN
strife over the Eureka cement deal left the Low
administration in better shape than ever. II he
had anything TO do With Deegans report on the
pier leases, in which the Murphys and Ganneys
are vitality interested he must realize by this
time that he fell down" again. The only thing
that he has succeeded in up TO date is to keep
The books OF the New-York Contracting and
Trucking Company away from the grand jury.
That effort produced an extremely ugly impress
sion in the Criminal Courts Building.
PLOTTED TRAIN THROUGH FLOOD.