Danville intelligencer. [volume] (Danville, Pa.) 1859-1907, 1906-11-02
TO INSURANCE IF
CAPITOL BURNED
Graftcrs Strcve t. Hide Underwriters
Demand For Costly Tearing Out
Of Extras" Before Adjust
inn Rofa

inn Rate.
Every time the hysterical Advisory
Committee" which is backing Penrose
and Andrews challenges" State Treas.
urer Berry to take somebody into
court, Berry just goes ahead and
makes some new exposure of the capi.
tol graft. While Berry has been thus
employed, other probers have dug up
things of which he did not seem to be
aware. For instance, 1t now appears
that the board of fire underwriters of
tie middle department have declined
to name premium rate on the new
$13,000,O00 palace until many costly
changes shall be made In the electri.
cal installation, which has been de
clared faulty by the insurance inspec,
tors. 1t is startling enough to hear that
the luxurious capitol cannot be insured
at present, and that pending settle
ment of the existing trouble with the
underwriters, II the building burned
down the state would be at dead loss
Of not only all the millions that may
have been honestly put into the gor
geous pile, but also, probably. of most
Of the tangible evidence upon which Il
Is hoped to have the grafters convict.
ed and compelled to disgorge by
genuine investigating committee ap
pointed by an honest legislature.
Isn't It a comforting thought to the
voters that the 100000 chandeliers
the s1,500,000 filing cabinets, the mil
lien dollars worth of chairs, tables,
sofas and carpets, ETC., are without any
protection In case OF flre2 Instead OF
taking immediate steps to rectify the
conditions which have been condemn.
ed by the fire underwriters, the build.
ing and grounds commissioners, who
include Governor Pennypacker and
Auditor General Snyder, are evidently
waiting until after the election. 1t is
now an open secret that the gang
grafters hoped that at least this fea'
ture of the vast Scheme Of plunder
would not be uncovered before No.
vember 6. Overwhelmed by the storm
of protests which has been raging
throughout the state since the dis.
closures of Derry were first made pub.
lie, caution has been counseled lest
any steps that might be taken toward
adjusting the defects should add to the
fury of the tempest. 1t Is strongly in.
timated in insurance circles that the
requisite changes in the electrical sys.
tenn will be very costly-the estimate
varying from a quarter of a million to
a half million dollars.
Fear Wires Would Melt.
At the general offices of the under.
writers, on Walnut street, Philadel.
phia, It is admitted that their inspec.
tors declined to pass favorably upon
the completed work, and that no rate
on the building has been adjusted. An.
swers to queries made to men famil.
lar with the electrical work in the cap.
itol indicate that several thousand
more lights than were originally pro.
vided for IN the specifications, have
been put in the building, on account of
the unnecessarily huge size and
weight, not to speak of the amazing
number. of the $4-a-pound chandeliers.
are not sufficient to carry the needed
current without danger # r,elting and
setting fire to the building. In other
words, the cause Of the hold-up ap-
pears to be the installation of wires
that are too small and must be torn
out
Mon aware of the real facts are very
cautious in talking. and say that what
ever they have to disclose will be re-
served for the anticipated legislative
investigating committee. But they
hint at the great loss that this tearing
out may mean. AS the wires run IN
conduits through the ceilings, the Job
Of putting in larger wire, If that is
what is required, will be enormous. In
many places the walls, decorated at
great expense, and the ceilings, cov-
cred with expensive gold leaf. will
have 70 be opened. The heavy chande-
liers. many Of them weighing tons.
may have to be taken down, and the
cost of the entire labor involved may
therefore be estimated at staggering
figure. Not only would the electrical
contractors be called upon to do extra
work, but plasterers, decorators, paint
ers, gflders. ETC., will also have finger
d the pie which is stfll to be cut
While Berry is going on with the
analysis of the "overcharges," which
he estimates as amounting to half OF
the $s,O00,000 for extras" ex-State
Treasurer Mathues, as IL panic-strick.
en- like the rest OF the Penrose outfit,
makes an extremely lame effort TO ex.
plain away the fact that between the
time Of Berry's election and his taking
charge of the treasury, there was such
an awful rush Of payments of bills to
the capitol grafters that settlements
aggregating nearly three and hall
millions were made with them during
that period. Mathues, as treasurer,
paid out all that money. The hustlins
indicated that the gang were afraid
that after Berry got in, 1t would not
take him long to find out the graft and
call a halt on the payments. 1t has
been shown by recent events that the
foresight Of the gang was excellent,
and yet 1t is hard to reconcile 1t with
the evident belief prevailing last sum.
mer and into September that the cat
would not get out of the bag before the
election. Perhaps that false sense OF
security wss due in some measure TO
the fact that Berry, as he admits, was
fooled by the Smooth fellows" on the
first bill that reached him-the one for