New-York tribune., 1903-04-27
MUST TELL WHERE THEY GOT IT,
JEROMES INVESTIGATION OF OLD DOCK BOARD TO
BRING OUT T4llI4NYITES' SOURCES OF WEALTH.
City by 4uad of Lease of Cana Pier Under Charles f.
Nurphu-His and Croker's Relations to the Lessee.

When Cram and Murphy were running the
Dock Board I tried to get fair treatment from
them L found it to be impossible Then 1 went
to Croker and made my kick He didn't give
any satisfaction, either The next time
went to the Dock Board for redress Cram jollied
He said: Your friend Croker is in Eng
land. You'll have to go over and sc him At
that they all gave me the laugh and ran away,
from me. That was the way they had. When
ever you tried to get anything they would walk
away from you. They didn't believe in running
the Dock Department business it ought to
have been run The dump that I'm using
at Forty-third-st. and the North River used
to be by A H. Hastorf, who paid
only S1,S00 a year He would have had
it-yet but for the new administration. The
new Commissioner put it up at auction. and
had to pay $500 a year for FIVE years for it.
That's not big thing but it shows how things
were run. This man Low is on the level He
is trying to do right But for all that it looks
as if the old gang would come back next year.
The trouble is that there more men in this
town who believe in grating if they can get
little of IT, than there those who are the
dead level That's the trouble, and that's why
I think the old gang is coming back next year.
There's only about one man in a million that
dare stand out and fight 'em. I'm one of the
few and they know it. They'll try to do
soon as they come back, but that don't make
any difference. It won't be anything to
have them out cunning for They've al
ways done that, and I suppose always will
The Sinking Fund records show that William
J. McGirr is operating the dump at Thirtieth-st.
and the East River under ffve-year permit.
and paying the city S6,7 700 year. The old
Dock Board allowed William Ha1torf the dump
ing board, privilege on this same pier for $3.50
a year!
An investigation Of the old Dock Board is
likely to be sensational in the extreme. Murphy,
Cram and Meyer not the only Tammany
men who will have to answer pointed questions.
John F. Carroll will be one of the witnesses
Several Of the favored contractors were personal
friends Of Mr.. Carroll. The Commissioners Of
Accounts are as fully Of this any one,
for the reason that the Accounts Department
used to be considered Carrolrs particular per-
cuiste Carroll ordered men installed dis
charged from the Accounts Department he
fit. Naturally. the new officials in control
CT that department have accumulated mass of
information about the methods Of the ex-deputy
leader of Tammany Hall. Carroll is now ION
the outs with Charles F. Murphy. He has it
within his power to deal Murphy a blow that
will be effective. Murphy, the stand,
will have to explain the sources Of his sudden
rise to aff1uence. When he went into the Dock
Board on January 1. 1898. he was modest
liquor store proprietor. living in plain circum-
stances at No 322 East Twenty-frst-st. He
had not been in the Dock Board long before he
allowed it to become known that he was not
particularly active any longer in the whiskey
business. Later he told his friends he
through selling rum altogether. Then he moved
into a handsome house at No 300 East Seven
teenth-st., fronting in Stuyvesant Square. His
salary as Dock Commissioner was So 600 a year.
J. Sergeant Cram. former president of the
Dock Board was at his home in East Forty
hfth-st. last night but he refused TO talk to
Tribune reporter.