The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-05-01
NO LIMIT TO GRAFT
More Exposures in Pennsyl-
yania Capitol Case.
PAYS FOR BRONZE, GETS IRON
state Loses s2,5OO,OOO on Electric
ChandeIiers-Ffxtur Found short
In Weight-Vast Overcharges Al
legged To Have Resulted from FaIsi-
flying Measurements of Furniture.

Harrisburg, Pa. April $50 woefully
has the State been defrauded in its Sl3,-
10000 capitol building. and so many
have been the revelations OF padding OF
bills and gross overcharges, that it oc-
casiOned but little surprise to-day when
il was discovered that the bronze fix
lures are not up to the weight charged
for them.
Experts in the employ Of the capitol
investigating commission were to-day en-
gagged in weighing the chandeliers, stand
ards, and side brackets furnished the
state by John H Sanderson's PennsyI-
vania Bronze Company at &.S5 a pound.
The fixtures were removed from their
fastenihgs on walls and ceilings and
carted to a room in the attic which had
been ftted up with testing scales. Here
they were taken apart and each piece
weighed separately.
1t was found that all the fixtures are
under the weight charged for them.
Chandeliers paid for at the rate of S4S5
pound. and supposed TO weigh 800 ard
500 pounds. were found to be from fifty
to a hundred pounds short of the sched-
uicd weight. This held good with all The
different sorts of fixtures. II was discov-
cred that despite the fact that cast iron
loadings had been substituted in the in
terror Of the fixtures in place of solid
bronze, as called for by the specifications.
thecast iron did not begin TO make up the
standard weight for which the PennsyI-
yania Bronze Company got from the
State Illegally. it is believed, over $2,50o,0co.
Fertile Field of Graft.
These later discoveries make the cleo
trio fixture contracts the most fertile
fields Of graft so far uncovered by the
probers. The profits on the chandeliers
are now estimated at over 1000 per cent.
All Of the money went to the Pennsylva-
MIA Bronze Company, which was organ
lied by sanderson when the new Capitol
was projected by the legislature.
It is asserted that a special report of
an expert who has been investigating for
three weeks the metallic furniture pur-
chased for the Capitol from the PennsyI-
vania Construction Company viii be made
public by the probers this week. This
report. It Is declared, viii show that graft
amounting to $1.500,00o resulted from the
Justification of the measurements Of the
furniture Congressman Cassell is head of
the Pennsylvania Construction Company.
Civil Suits Contemplated.
It is expected that civil suits will be
Instituted 10 recover the amount over
charged Joseph NJ. Huston collected
500 from the State on the strength Of
/ the measurements Of the metallic cases.
and it is estimated that his total commits
sions for these and like trimmings were
$50 600.
This information is considered by coun-
sci for the commission as the most con-
elusive evidence yet revealed. Taken to-
gether with the manner in which the con-
tract with the Pennsylvania Construction
Company was closed, members of the
commission say it establishes grounds for
civil action and paves the way for crimi-
nal prosecution.