The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-05-05
M'KENNA IS GOOD WITNESS
Continued From Page Four,

/
For the same reason as was re-
1ected by the American society. L
would like to State?'' continued Mr..
McKenna, that the local engineer to
whom I refer, was not Mr.. Scofield
who was formerly city engineer. a
gentleman whom I admire very much
for his ability as an engineer and a
man."
Judson brought up the Congress
street bridge construction. THAT
| bridge you said you supervised was
under the supervision of Mr.. Stoddard
Of New Haven, wasn't it?" asked Jud-
son.
"I stated that I had charge of de-
aning the lines and elevations Of that
| work"
Don't you know that the Arctic
| street bridge is going to pieces right
of disintegration right now?" inquired
| Judson. THAT is not so,'' was the
| answer.
Haven't you had to brace it since
| it was first built?''
| 1.-THE bridge was braced for the rea-
| son that the western foundation due to
| the soil condition there which nobody
| could forsee began to let the bridge
settle and for the purpose of securing
the pier it was anchored there by two
I, inch rods. This was good engineering
| practice"
when you first aspired to. be city
engineer, did you decide that you
| could not qualify and did you there
| upon. cooperate with Major Starr to
secure the office and form a partner
| ship that would last so long as he
| should hold office
| Eyes SIR
| McKenna identified a copy OF the
| partnership agreement.
! Did it contemplate running not
| only so long as he could hold the Job
| a
| the job?"
Eyes Sir"
THAT is what the contract contem-
plated?" Apparently
'fYou did not expect to secure the
! office on your merits?"
1.-THE question Of ability was not
| considered by me at the time. I did
| not aspire to secure 1t SO long as
| Major Starr held the position or wish
ed it,
scrutinizing the copy of the agree
ment carefully.
That's all right! That's all rightr'
! Klein said complacently handing it
| back to Judson. 81 thought you had
| something"
| McKenna reiterated what he had
| told on direct examination that there
| was no work manufactured in his Of
| flee for the purpose OF giving employ
| ment to men not needed in his office,
| referring to the card system he main
| tains for evidence of the work accom-
! plished by these gangs.
Judson was hurrying through the
| cross examination, scarcely waiting
! for McKenna's answers before put
! ting new questions to him, and the
| impression gained ground that he ex-
pected to finish last night with his
cross examination.
| Judson asked If it wasn't true that
| Scofield &. Ford did the work of To-
eating the boundaries between Bridge
port and Stratford at Steeplechase.
| McKenna repeated that he himself did
| the work. Bring us the record of
| that work for the next hearing" ask
ed Judson. There may be no next
hearing" suggested Klein
He defined that Col. Rogers of the
paving commission had disparaged his
work as engineer relative to the paw
| ing Of Stratford avenue and that Rog-
ers had ordered pay for work done by
| the Connecticut Co., in this connec-
| ton to come out Of the city because
| of an error of McKenna.
Judson asked him further about the
| 15 inch discrepancy in Livingstone
| place sewer specifications which per-
mitted the originally planned sewer to
| be extended over 100 feet further
| through Livingstone place. McKenna
| said this error was made during the
| regime of Major Starr as city engi-
stone place sewer was good prac-
| teal piece of work, good engineering
| and that there was no change of plans
! to allow the contractors to recoup be-
| cause of the error in specification. The
! additional length of sewer, was built
to convenience the property owners
of the street, he said. The sewer was
| ordered to be constructed for a GER
| tain specified distance, cor as far the
| grade of the street will permit" He
reiterated the story he told at the pre-
| vious hearing of his convincing c. L.
Bill of his being in error as to the
| sidewalk grade
McKenna said that despite the tes-
timony of Homer c. Godfrey, who ap
| peared at the last hearing, he had
| Godfrey for the reAying of curb at
| the Beach place in Spring street
''You heard Mr.. Godfrey testify that
| the bill was charged to you and you
had not paid it, didn't your
mo. no, Mr.. Judson. Mr.. Godfrey
| said that your partner had asked him
| if that wasn't the case" interpolated
| Klein
Judson asked McKenna about the SIS
check payable to w. NJ. Mckenzie
formerly an assistant, which Bernard
| Heating, Jr., said was altered after it
left the auditors office, BY the addi-
| ton of the words IN. F. McKenna"
| to the name of the payee. Mckenzie.
st had the assistant city clerk, who
| drew the check add these Words
| testified McKenna and cashed the
check the same day, and on McKen-
| zie's regular pay day I gave him the
money along with the money due him
| for his regular engineering work. This
| SIS was for special city work, apart
| from the engineering department.
He was asked if he hadn't often
| done the same thing. McKenna said
| it was true that he often cashed the
checks of the employees of his office
| This was done as an accommodation
| to them, for he frequently advanced
] them money before it was due
Judson asked him about a check
payable to Miss Edwards which she
| said she hadn't received, dated Dec
| 1909, three months after she left the
| office. He said this was a payment
| for work that had been overlooked.
! He personally had paid Miss Edwards
when she did the work, and in going
over the accounts he discovered the
| item and sent it in on the pay roll
| in order to be reimbursed He was
further questioned about Hawthorne
street sewer. This was ordered to be
constructed for a certain length op6