New-York tribune., 1910-05-07
WROTE 4GRAFT" ON STUB
Queens Check Book Accounts
for S96 Somebody Got.
AFTER SEWER INSPECTION
Fosdick, in Another Report, Tells
of Money for Work Never
Performed.

II would appear from the third pre-
liminary report of the Commissioner
of Accounts. Mr.. Fosdick, on the office
of the Borough President of Queens,
which was given to the Mayor yester
day afternoon, that funds turned into
the Bureau Of Sewers TO pay for inspec
ton work went to fatten the private
accounts of persons who did no inspec-
tion work.
In the check book of Joseph b. Nelson,
who was bookkeeper in the Bureau IF
Sewers. is a stub bearing the following
inscription. according 10 the report:
April "a. 1909, Thomas Brown, graft,
500"
The word graft had been .pencilled
over" says the report, but is still plain
ly visible. Over the entry on the stub
is written the word Void
According to the report, in January,
1909. real estate development company
at Far Rockaway deposited with the
Bureau of Sewers 500 to cover the cost
of inspection of some private sewer work
It wished to do in Channel avenue. In
May S92 more was deposited. AS was
customary this money was deposited to
the private account of Mr.. Nelson, who
paid the salaries of the inspectors as
they became due.
The investigation of Commissioner
Fosdick esta blished the fact that the
work of inspection was done by James
Kelly, who was drawing a regular sal
airy as sewer cleaner. Kelly stated that
at the request of Nelson he turned IN
his weekly reports unsigned. No other
inspector was employed on the work
for the city, he said. An inspection Of
the reports handed in by Kelly shows
that they were signed Thomas Brown"
Cornelius Burke. who was Superinten-
dent Of sewers up 10 recently. testified
that he had appointed a man named
Thomas Brown OF the Channel avenue
sewer
The report goes on to say that Alfred
Denton, now justice of the Municipal
Court, but then Commissioner of Public
Works, testified that President GresSer
told him to appoint Robert Kreuscher.
a salOonkeeper and district captain, of
Far RockawaY, an inspector on the
Channel avenue work. When he found
already been turned over TO some one
else a conference was held in the private
office of the Borough President. at
which, in addition to Mr.. Gresser, there
were present Mr.. Nelson, Mr.. Burke, Mr..
Denton and James NJ. Cragen, private
secretary to the Borough President and
now a Municipal Court justice.
"All these gentlemen testified before
me-" the report goes on to say, that at
this conference the Borough President
decided that Mr.. Kreuscher was to re-
ceive the money for the inspection.
las a result of this decision in the
presidents office Burke handed back to
Nelson the check for 500, and a new
check was issued in the same amount,
payable to Robert Kreuscher. This was
dated May 4, 1909 A second check,
dated June Il, 1909, for So, was paid to
Kreuscher for the work of inspection.
The second check for SG2 was indorsed
by Kreuscher to H. A. Rydill a per-
sonal friend of Mr.. Gresser and a district
leader"
Thomas Brown, whom Burke said he
had appointed as inspector of the Chan
mel avenue sewer. and Mr.. Kreuscher,
who got the money for it, were unable to
locate the sewer even approximately, ac-
cording to the report.
Mayor Gaynor transmitted the report
and the evidence to District Attorney
Dewitt of Queens County with a sug
gestion that he take some immediate ac-
ton