New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1905-10-05
MUTE ON MUD QUESTION.
Dock Commissioner Declines to Er-
main Dredging Contract 11card.

Dock Commiesiouer Maurice Festherson yes
teriav refused to furnish any information
abou, the mud dredging contract he awarded
without competition 10 g. Is. Spearn the con-
tractor fer the ST George terminal ferry slip.
Controller Grout Yesterday. becoming inn
pressed with the seriousness of tho disclosures
made In The Tribune's article. requested Major
smith engineer Of the Finance Department in
charge of the technical features Of the contract,
to make A report immediately on 1t
I shall look into the matter At once said
the Controller These contracts for additional
work did not come before the Sinking Fund
Commission. In fact. few departmental con-
tracts come before the commission expect to
have report on the contract by THURSDAY
George E Spearin obtained the contract for
the st. George terminal Improvements On May
13 last his bid being S510.294 This included
practically everything needed for the new ter
nuaL One of the requirements Of the contract
was The dredging Of 1000 tons of mud 1t is
the custom Of the Dock Department. or it used
70 be- whenever dredging contract is TO he let.
for the engineers to make the necessary sound
tngs TO determine the quantity and character Of
the work
Mr. Spearln's bid for excavating 1000 cubic
Yards Of mud was IS a yard. or May 10, three
days before the contract with Spearin was for
malIv executed. Charles !. Collins secretary Of
the Dock Department. wrote Controller Circuit
saying that he had authorized Speariu to exca-
vate 5000 additional cubic yards of mud and the
next da Mr. Collins sent another letter inform
ing the Controller that he had authorized
Spearin to do an additional $4,000 cubic yards
Of mud dredging at 80 a yard. Mr.. circuit said
Yesterday that he did not know of these author
izsuons- When a Tribune reporter called on
Commissioner Feathersou yesterday the inter-
view was substantially follows:
commissioner The Tribune wapts to know if
YOU authorized Mr. Spearin to excavate 10000
additional yards Of mud for the St George ter
mnaI Slip"
Yes" said Mr.. Featherson, Il authorized it,
"On what authority"
"On what authority repeated Mr.. Feather
SON hating in his walk down the long corri-
dor at the offices of the Dock Department Now,
what want to say is this-I won't give out any
information about that dredging contract. You
wouldn't print il if I did. You may go UP to
District Attorney Jerome and get me indicted
for that contract If you can, and you can tell
your paper what / say
At that Nj Featherson pulled his hat low
over his forehead and walked away. No sugges-
ton either directly or indirectly. had been Of
fered with reference TO laying the matter before
Mr.. Jerome until Mr. Featherson hlrnSef SuS-
gested il
commissioner Featherson's refusal to make
any exclamation of the transaction will not pre-
vent a ventilation of the subject From pres
ent appeara noes, there has been a fragrant VIOLA.
tiOu Of the law in not readNert1sihg q COM 4Ct ~
II was discovered that additional dredging 10
the extent of 10000 yards was necessary. The
letting Of contract like this is reVerslon 10
the old treasury order system. under which IA
vored contractors grew suddenly rich.