New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-07-06
GRAFT CRY HITS FOURTH
Fosdick Says City Fireworks
Were Not Worth the Money.
SEARCHLIGHT ON CONTRACTS
Maintained That 60 Out of 100
Bombs Purchased Failed
to Go OFF.

10 GO VII.
RAYMOND B. Fosdick. Commissioner OF
Accounts, has his searchlight playing on
the contracts by which the city was sup
posed 70 pay from $3.50 TO $500 for displays
of fireworks that experts said could be
duplicated for one-ouarter or one-htth OF
those amounts. Controller Prendergast
will hold up the bills and his inspectors
are also working on the case.
Alderman Marx was chairman OF the
subcommittee on fireworks Of the Fourth
OF July celebration committee. 1t was ar
ranged that the fireworks purchased Tor
the $4,000 that was appropriated for that
purpose should be divided among the Var1-
Gus aldermanic districts. In almost every
case the aldermen We're disguised with the
amount and quality Of fireworks sent TO
them.
A member of the committee said yester-
day that various companies had been asked
10 say how great a quantity OF fireworks
they would give for the amounts allotted
10 the various districts. and the cornmittee
made what Il considered the best bargains
possible.
Alderman Morrison, Of the Flatbush dis
trict, on seeing the box that was delivered
20 him about O'Clock on Tuesday night
decided that something was wrong and
sealed the box without opening 1t. He had
II taken 10 Controller Prendergasts ONCE
yesterday The Controller had the box
turned over 10 Commissioner Fosdick.
II was then learned that the latter had
been working on the subject Of fireworks
for several days and had had inspectors
witnessing several Of the displays The In
speotfon of the box from Alderman Nor
rison's district which was supposed 10
contain $40 worth Of fireworks. disclosed
that IL held about $50 worth. The contents
of the box did not correspond with the IN
voice on the outside Of the box.
Commissioner Fosdick said he had
learned that other boxes contained not
more than 800 worth of fireworks.
The contract for the fireworks for Brook
hn and The Bronx was made with the
United Fireworks Company. which seems
70 be a brand new concern. Commissioner
Fosdiok hopes 20 examine some Of us OIL
fcers in regard 10 an affidavit in his pos
session. which was turned over TO him by
Alderman Morrison. This affidavit reads
as follows
7 am the manufacturer and sold to Au-
hrey Love all the fireworks used BY the
iaii IN the twenty-four districts in the
Borough Of Brooklyn, ana l nave luII1lS'leu
10 the same Aubrey Love. the men 10 Set
of the fireworks. and the SAD Auo ooL
ews 500 for each district amounting 10
. 80 100 in all, for all the twenty-iouI us
tricts and the said Love mas pala 10 Us "a
account $3.50 and the said Love mas aeretu
feI1 MICHELE MAMMA.
New Durham. y. J.
Commissioner Fosdick would like TO get
the testimony Of Aubrey Love before he
gets through with his investigation.
In. some Of the displays sixty out OF one
hundred bombs refused to go off. Most OF
the persons sent by the contractor to set
off the fireworks had had no experience
whatever. one of them. after being ar
rested for shooting the bombs into a
crowd said he was a RivingtOn street
pants maker" and had absolutely no eX-
perience in shooting off fireworks.
Alderman Bent. vice-chairman of the
Board Of Aldermen. sent letter yesterday
10 his fellow members of the board from
BROOKLYN asking them 10 meet 10 discuss
tine fireworks matter in the Brooklyn Bor-
ouah Hall at IL o'clock tomorrow morn
ing. II am convinced he wrote, that
gigantic fraud has been attempted by some
one in contracting for the poor quahty OF
fireworks delivered TO each aldermanc dis
trict at extremely high prices.
The exhibition at Borough Han, BrooH
lyn. was cited as illustrating the conditions
thar held throughout the greater city.
\ crowd Of ten thousand fiocked around
the Borough Hall. many spectators beng
from the fashionable Brooklyn Heights
section A few pieces were exploded, none
of which assembled any higher than the
roof of the han. and then after the crowd
had waited patiently for nearly an hour,
IL was learned that no more would be set
off
At the Fiske Terrace exhibition in Brook
Ign. where there was a private display, the
residents had purchased for 500 fireworks
which nlled eighteen cases, making two
horse truckload Alderman Downing, IN
commenting on this, said that the entire
lot delivered for the municipal display in
Brooklyn was contained in three one
horse light wagons.
Few of the Brooklyn displays which
were scheduled 70 last from O'Clock 10
70 O'clock lasted more than fifteen min
utes. and in some Of the districts there
were no displays at all. though they had
been announced