Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-06-19
STILL INVESTIGATING.
AIdermanic Committee Ask Many Cues
lions of street Department Employees.

Another lengthy session Of the inNcs-
tigation of the street department by the
aldcrmanic committee was held last night
in the city clerks office. Although three
meetings. have been held no definite idea
Of just what the investigators are trying
TO arrive at has leaked out. The ques-
lions asked of witnesses range anywhere
from road building to the number Of
hours they worked some day last month.
Superintendent Gravel wa on h%audagain
last night with his attorney. Sherman K.
Moulton, to explain any alleged irregu-
~larities in his method of doing business
that the committee might find.
The first witness was Louis Nassar,
who had the appearance of being very
III ana who was unable to speak above a
whisper. Alderman Crane asked Nassar
if Street Commissioner +. y. F'rechette
had told him that If he would keep away
from the meetings he would get him "A
good job. Vassar said that Mr.. Frechette
had made sue u statement but later
Vassar admitted that he could not re-
member what Mr.. Frechette had said
to MIN. Mr.. Frechette said he told
Nassar ne had better come to the meet
mgs.
<NIhtllllan IliIldilltl iShfh HaSS'4 q 1 ''
die not remember telling him hat ne was
bcinE used as a eats paw" ana made 20
do all the talking while the men VINO
were stirring up the trouble in the depart
mcnt were keeping in the background to
see how things would develop. Vassar ad-
mitted thai he might nave made such a
statement to Mr.. Duhamel but could not
remember. He said that Il he haG made
t Alderman
Duhamel stated that Va ssarhad made this
statement to him and had told h!m who
the men We're who were trying to create
trouble for Mr.. Gravel but the alderman
could not recall their names.
James Francis was the next witness
and he proved to be n better witness for
Mr.. Gravel than for himself. He admit
ted that he had never been short in his
pay and had received pay for all the time
h. had worked. His envelope was opened
he said, by Mr.. Gravel. and s. taken out
which had been added by mistake. He
got all that was coming to him. he said.
and received Sc and 81 cents for three days
and three hours.
Mr.. Gravel's explanation of why tho s.
was deducted was that he had loaned
Francis s. the week before. This Francis
denied. There was a great searching of
the time sheet by Chairman crane to dis
cover why francis had been creditcd with
four days work one week when he worked
only three days. This mistake Mr.. Gravel
attributed to the fact that Francis might
nave been given credit for Sunday and
tho mistake discovered later. Francis
himself admitted that he had signed for
his pay and had never made any COM
plant that he had not received all that
was coming to him
Frank Dague, who has been employed
in building the macadam road on Pine
street. told the committee how the WORK
was done. 1t had been claimed among
other things that entirely too much stone
was used in building this road. Daguc
did not qualify as an expert road builder
and admitted that he had never seen
the specifications for the road made by the
city engineer and did not know how much
stone these specifications called for He
further admitted that II Mr.. Gravel