New-York tribune., 1903-05-08
ERIE 0UTWITTED EGAN.
GOT ANOTHER BULKHE4D.
Lessee a Hard Man to Find
Naughton & Co. Used Right.

7z,ertv-nirth SITS. and North River, an
-ounced IN The Tribune yesterday, caused a
Great deal Of discussion.
II vas learned yesterday that Mr.. Rives will
-,-sb the case 10 trial at the earliest possible
opportunity
The way in which Egan and his conrederates
we're outwitted by the Erie Railroad officials
-oT5 70 E Tribune reporter by prominent official
NJ that road yesterday. The story reveals the
Interesting detail that Egan has not made the
mint of money out Of the bulkhead that he ex-
pec-sd 70 make
AS explained in The Tribune yesterday, the
Erie bought the block between Twenty-eighth
and Tp-erty-niath sts Cor a freight yard. The
Erie people very much wanted the bulkhead
Immediately in front OF this block in order to
ruz their cars from floats straight across the
street into their yard. Egans application for
lease Of the bulkhead. which at that time
was living idle was made in December The
application asked for the bulkhead between
Tvenrv-seventh and Twenty-eighth sts. This
was granted for three year term. Then some
one discovered that a mistake had been made,
and surreptitiously changed the specified loca-
ton 50 as 70 make i between Twenty-eighth
and Tventy-ninth SITS. This was the buIkhead
that the Erie wanted and the company was
willing 10 pay round price for it, as it had
spent about 81 oe0'oeo on improvements in that
immediate locality Egan's lease shut it out
''wher We found that We were shut out said
an Erie official yesterday, we hunted around
for Egan- We couldn't find him. We could get
no information at the Office of the Dock Board.
They told US that Egan never came 10 the office;
that he sent the rent for the bulkhead that he
had just rented the office by special mes
senger and that it was in bills. and not check
Finally we put detectives on the trail OF Egan
and after long chase we found him 10 be
Ez-a of
in z Broa dway office. But he would not come to
terms. We willing 10 pay good round
price for the bulkhead, but Egan would not be
pinned down. We saw at once that he was try
ing 10 work us for big price and made up
our minds that could do without that par
ticular bulkhead. That is what we have done
We got the bulkhead below. and have laid our
tracks through the street from our freight yard
go as TO connect with il Since then business has
not been very brisk AT Egan's bulkhead I
don't believe he has much more than paid his
rent out Of his receipts Naughton Co, Of
which Daniel T. Mcmahon is prominent men,
Der used the bulkhead for sand and brick IN
loading and we have agreement with Egan
10 pay him s. q cay for It We have been pay
ing that right along. pending the building OF our
new facilities on the old Panama dock, which
acquired at cost TO US of S120eoO don't
know what Naughton & Co have been able to
turn in TO Egan in the way Of business. So far
as know. II has not been a very extensive
trade. II strikes me that the Corporation Coun-
sci has put q steep estimate on the value Of the
bulkhead. even with a dumping board privilege
included. understand that the Pennsylvania
Railroad Company has just rented pier and
dumping board al Thirtieth-st-. just above
Egan's. for something like S1S,5eO a year. This
is a very high price. Unless there is lot OF
dumping to be done there the company will no.
daal ile he
building. all the dumping privileges UP and
down the waterfront are enormously valuable.
I think il will turn out that Mr.. Cram. ex-
president Of the board. is q square man He al
ways impressed the Erie officials that way"
The service Of the summons in the action
brought by the Corporation Counsel was MADE
on Egan al No. 504 West observation-disclosures
fcrty-seventh-st He could not be found yester-
day 1t is understood that he has been lying
lov" since the lease was signed in December
1891 waiting for the return to power Of Tam
many Hall when he and his confederates would
or-enlv assume proprietorship of the bulkhead
and profit bv it as the New-York Contracting
and Trucking Company is proiting from It's
lease Of the pier and dumping board at west
Ninety-sixth-st which. il is alleged yields a
ret revenue Of about 500 a day
The work Of falsifying the lease OF the bulk
head 10 Egan was not done in sk1lful manner.
The original resolution gave Egan lease Ior
three years at 1850 year In copying the
contents Of the resolution into the lease the
words twelve hundred and fifty dollars" were
both spelled out and put in figures. occupying
ccr siderable space across the lines. When the
forgery was made the words twelve hundred
were erased and the word seven" put midway
in the vacant space. The figure ] of the sl'Zoo
was blocked out with dollar mark, the hsure
= resting on the figure 2 OF the S1,250. The two
ten wear term renewals were on a basis OF a
: per cent increase on 8. 1.2J0. making S1.3l- %
for the second term and S1,31S u for the third
term When the lease was changed TO make
the first ten-year term only 800 year lii7
second and third term renewals apparently were
entirely forgotten as they remain in the lease
IS Il first written by the typewriter IhlS
makes the lease terms inconsistent. inasn1uch as
Il is explicitly stated that the renewals snah
be al 3 per cent increases on the rate for the
frst ten years
4 mistake Of this kind might be explained away
but for the fact that the minutes Of the DOCK
BOARD were ~doctored" so as TO increase the
iife Of the lease from three 10 thirty years, ana
reduce the rental from Sl,250 TO 500
At the Corporation Counsels office yesterday
Il was said that it would depend on what was
brought ont al the trial whether the charge OF
forgery could be sustained against the one VINO
rn.ss the changes in the resolution ana the
lease This is a matter which now rests win
District Attorney jerome, who. it is SAID mas
all the data hunted UP by the Commissioners OF
Accounts
When Corporation Counsel RiTes was asked
about the Egan case yesterday. he SAID;
-. x q, This action vas served Egan
- sn-1i - lasf and the complaint fled in the
County Clerks once gs,,ey gsssg1sy end vseif have