The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-30
ORANGE COUNTY ROADS GAME.
PUILANTHROPIST HARRIMA UN-
DERDID FOR ONE CONTRACT.
Odells Supervisors Actually Break Away.
GOOdscll cbJecting. and Give Con.
tractor with No Philanthropy One Of
| tie Jobs to do. 10 Per Cent. Under
the Very Plump Van Alst,ne Estimate.

Covernor-Chairmal Odell and the incu-
bator OF Odelism, Is company known
as the Orange County Road Construction
Conn any
The president Of the company is Edward
II. Hartman, Governor-Chairman Odell's
neiehbor friend and business adviser and
a director of record In the Furnaoeville
Iron Company the company whose claim
Tor $4,000 for excavating dirt at rock ex-
cavntng rates was allowed by odell's Canal
Board, Of which Odell's candidate, Frank
w. Higgins, was a member, 1t has been
said that Mr.. Hartman Is too big man
to have been interested in the Furnaoeville
job.
The superintendent Of the road con-
struction company is Charles T. Ford, the
same Charles T. Ford who, as superintend-
ent of the Furnaceville concern, testified
before the Canal Board in 1902 in reference
to the Hartman company's claim that the
company shovelled rock where, according
to biologists who examined the soil forma-
ton. no rock existed
The Orange County Road Construction
Company was incorporated In Albany III
May. 1901. II was early in that year that
Henry A Van Alstyne, as told In the type
written autobiography handed out by him
to newspaper men few months ago, be-
came engineer for the eastern division OF
the Stata under State Engineer and Sur
veyor Edward i. Bond. Mr.. Van Alstyne was
appointed by tiov. Odell last May TO sue
coed Bond as Stats Engineer and Is now the
candldate on the Republican ticket to sue
coed himsAl Van Alstyna like Ford, was
superiI ndent OF the Furnaceville Iron
Compe1I, having, according to his auto
DioFlAphy, left the State scrvics to enter
th'. comrany's employ Attorney General
SInnetn has said that it was after Van
Alstyna b cam an employee Of the Fur
nac"vilo conn any that u at concern secured
modification Of its contract by which the
Stat agreed to pay 81 a yard for rock
previously excavated under It's old contract
to ezcavata earth, although the Stat
engineers had made an investigation and
failed to discover rock.
Mr. Van Alstyue, as engineer for the
eastern diiision Of the State, had c,nplete
chars' fer tn. State Of all the road con-
SIT, c'ion in Nlange county. AS userin-
tnnden" r.! he Orange Coz nty Read Cen
sirdcti"n onpany, Charles L. Ford. Van
AlsivAe'. former associate in the Furnace
Vile, canal contract, anaged the practical
vJrS OF the c npanyin the full fmen. of it's
contracts. In the last three years the
Tarriran Road Construction Company has
] ad contracts for the inproSel ent of reads
in Orange county am ornting to more than
$500" 200. CT these contracts, two calling
for an expenditure of sos, 900 were awe r led
directly by the State Engineer, and over
S-00,H00 worth by q e Orange county Beard
of Super scrs, do rinated and controlled
by Benja in u. Cdel. Jr For building
the reads, the state rays half and the county
half
The directors and stockholders Ct TIE
Orar re Co, ny Eoad Cons.ruc tion Co,u-
pany, as nn.c ed in the certificate Of incor-
Wra,ion, are Ldward H. Earrin an, Lo, is
Beiel Of Goshen, Assemblynan for the
Ieccn Orange comfy district and chair
J. an Of odeiis railroad conn ittee In the
IhsssLtb.ly. 'es a; Z; Ranssall Of New
LIN on W. sisner Of Warwick. william
!. Lawrence Of Chester and Charles c.
'cethoff Of Flatbush. Mr.. Tegethol' is Sec
' and treasurer Of the corrany. The
any the tine of its In corporation
:. % shares Of stock. Mr. EarriLen owned
100 shares.
The COMPANY, 1t was announced, when
It's raners Of incorporation were fled. WIS
organized not to take money. but to build
49,
mans place, Arden Fc rms, is il tic unit,
ne"r Newburih ard he wns. il was Sid,
willing to spend considerable money III
the imrrovement OF the county roads. A
authorizing the Board Of SUI crvisors of
Orange cynrtv to become bidder Ger con-
trf cts " Re let by the State for the improve
r ent Of the county rcs DIS, il the board 30
in leol Assembly man Bedell, stocliholder
In the road construction company, with
philanthropic proposition.
lie said that one Of the purposes Of the
rcrd CONSTRUCT ion company WIS to tale
from the Beard Of Supervisors tie CON
trH cts awarded bv the Sta to to the b ard
for the construction Of the county roads
The con,,Cnv would, he 81 i'd perform the
VS. in q 7tise3 ctory M nner end ccord-
mr. to the rims ard 81 ecifcations sub
= ed by the State Engineer and surveyor
] uIthermore, the company would take the
contra cts fr the I'd at the boz I'd g fig
ures--that 1t the figures at which tire
bosrdh; d IN Il c contrn ct from the State,
which ere ~ avs, in the II st ana l'sis 4 e
state Engineers fig, sand wou yre'
10 returrl ia the cIurty 10 per cent, o. tie
contract price on each contra ct. to be us d
Us Striking fund, This rebate, witt. the
preri, m from the sale of bonds, he "ug-
ges ell, Nd take c're Of the Dor d II
their m; ur.. withc ut any expense to the |
count" otner than the interest.
That is, tie orange County Road Con- |
struction Company would build d e roads |
at cost las estimated by tie State Engineer,
Van Alstyne being tie division engineer |
in o. arge Of Orange county, and would pay
to Il q county 10 per cent premium for |
TIE job. Later the company further agreed |
toIsy Per cent. of tie contract price for |
engineering fees, making total rebate
of is per cent Which tie company proposed |
to give Il e county.
some of tie members of the board OBJ
jelted to It's proposition as being unbus-
nesslike, even though tie company an |
nounoe3 O. at it was not in the field for profit, |
end suggested t at { e company, II only "a
n matter of form, submit bids for tie con-
tracts TO tie board, Which would then |
sublet tom in tie regular way. That is
W at las been done. although in reality |
tie read construction company as in
Narably named t price estimated by the
State Engineer-tl!e supposed cost price
at Which tie contract was let by tie State
to the Ecard of Supervisors. Tie com-
! any us I'd practically 10 bidders to COM
pete against. Scarcely anybody las dared
to enter { @ field against company which |
announced publicly /, at 1t would do the
work at cost and pay 10 per cent. premium
for to opportunity OF doing it,
In Juns, 1907 thoIyh, a competitive
bidder did turn up. Hr turned up at the
regular wealSly NEE inn of the Hoard NJ