Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-10
GREENH-GAYNOR TRIAL
GILLETTE ON SAVANNAH CoNDI-
TIoNs WHEN CARTER QUIT.

SAVANNAH, Ga, February 1G.-Maj.
Gillette resumed the stand in the federal
court today and gave further evidence
against Greene and Gaynor, who are
charged with having defrauded the govern
ment out OF some $2.Oo0, 600. Maj. Gillette
described conditions as he had found them
when he came to Savannah to succeed o.
NJ. Carter In charge Of the district He
made inspections OF the work under con-
struction Of Greene and Gaynor. and 1t was
what he then discovered that induced him
to make the reports that resulted In the
abrogation Of the contracts. for the prefer
ring OF charges against Carter, his court
martial and conviction, and the present
trial of the contractors.
In telling Of the inspection he made OF
the mattresses Maj. Gillette said:
1T was more like climbing over brush
heap; branches sticking our In every direc-
ton. l could have gone on through It.
Resemblance to facings was SO slight that
I could not tell what 1t was meant to be.
One-twentieth Of the area was air. There
were some cases where butts OF two or
three big logs came In and made the area
larger. There was no evidence of choking
or anything like the rim facings.
The Mattress Incident.
Taking the eight courses of mattresses
they might have made one good course.
told the assistant engineer he could accept
1t as a mattress. I then found that that
was supposed to be eight mattresses
do you mean to say, major, that the
government paid for eight mattresses
where there was only one?" asked the
court.
THAT was the system of payment. The
government never paid Greene and Gaynor
for those mattresses at ALL
A photograph OF one of the mattresses
that was being put in when Maj. Gillette
arrived to succeed Carter was exhibited.
How Uncle Sam Paid.
Maj. Gillette said that the government
had been paying at the rate of $500 for
something 1t could have secured in the
open market for $500. That, he said, was
what the work done by Greene and Gaynor
under Carter amounted to. All the adyer-
tisements, specifications, contracts, ETC.,
antedated the actual construction and
eventual payment by Carter, he said. of the
governments money to the contractors
was but part of the scheme.
They were intended to confuse the main
issue, to veil the real purpose, which was
to make the government pay nine prices by
shutting out competition and leaving no
alternative to the acceptance OF Greene and
Gaynor, the contractors. Without any
authority Carter purchased a brush heap
and paid for a properly constructed mat
tress of eight courses" said Maj Gillette
E. R. Conant, Brunswick, Ga. who was
an inspector OnQer carter, lQeHtlHeu GER
tain tri-monthly reports upon the river
and harbor work.
Contracts Were Disregarded.
Mr.. Conant said that in contracts or
1892 and 1894 for Cumberland sound log
mattresses were not put in but brush mat
tresses, much cheaper than the logs, were
used.
A letter from Carter to Col. Craighill.
Corps of Engineers, of May %, 1888, was
read. In this Carter stated that he dlsap-
proved the use of log and brush near Fer
nandina, Fla. He stated that he would ad-
wise against the use of log and brush. and
thought 1t should not be used save when 1t
could not be helped.
Maj Gillette explained that the teredo
is extremely plentiful in Fernandina waters
and exceedingly destructive to wood. The
governments contention Is that despite
this knowledge and view Of Carter, the lat
ter recommended logs and brush for use
in the jetty work.
With Maj. Gillette still on the stand adj
journment was taken until Monday.