New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-02-18
Supplied by Firm Close to
Murphy, Osborne
Is Told.
ONLY KIND HIGHWAY
OFFICIALS ACCEPTED
Contractor Says Reel Told Him
Preference Was Given
TO Democrats.
lrr relerrarh 70 Nc TrIbune


Albany. Feb 1.-Two hundred ahc
sixty thousand dollars would nave peen
loo, Nv. ,he state had certain highway CON
tracts IN Nassau, Westchester ana Sui-
folk counties been carried out acco' ui"7
20 testimony taken before James W. Us
borne. VINO resumed graft hearings nei'
to-day. John Martin. formerly e'hC'enoS
engineer I'm the Highways Department
md once an Investigator for John a
uennessy. said the roads were ruifed ~
The use Of Concentrations Peekskii' grave
which was required by the Highways ne
partment specifications
"Cementatious gravel il was broueh'
M, was provided by Henry Steers Inc
.r,is &c the same steers. interested VII"
lanes T.. Gaffney in the Bradiey-uailhc!
steers Company. OF New YORK. 'csep"
Russov. who was also Hennessy ihNeS''-
Gator. testified. Gaffney is the Close
friend and business associate OF Cnaries
!, Mummy. who. II is said, the Tammany
boss insisted on being appointed high"a!
Suncrintendent Mr.. Osborne SAID lie hdu
information that Gaffney was at one time
,,a~,ror NJ John 4. Bensel. state Ensl-
nccr. s, q,
II intend TO leave no stone uh'ui.'u'
osborne asserted, in the effort TO III" o''
how the Highways Department was per
cuaded to specify this concentrations
gravel. " ., ,,,,or
Martin testified that this gravel "hei'
comDrcssed into cubes and testeu III '"e
HIGHWAYS Department went 10 p'e'e'
,,rder nressure of from thrty-three 10
,o,,,..o;obt mounds. and that some oil IN"
Cnhos went 10 pioces without any pressuio
II all. Concrete. he said, when shouiu
have been used in place of the grave, io'
the sub-base of the roads, withs'ahuS d"
,rces,,re of from 900 20 1000 POUNDS "
the square inch. .,
Tho contracts in which the "ccineh'd
tious gravel" was specified were a"aIoc'
az follows: suffolk County-SulIoih Non,
tracing Company, Sl06.5S2 Twomply ~
tIdor, s34.7oO: Henry J. Newman s5e'-
g. clancy & Van Alstyne $1,000 >
Standard Bitulithic Company 80 o.
.nd Charles Y. Plat, s240.566. west
chester County-Wiliam T. McCape Ion
tracing Company. S56,l1O; James %
Cpozzo sl2.297: Samuel Beskin, N'eo-
Henry p. Sproul s4914o, and Wiliiam J.
Mcdonald Construction Company N''ooI
%assau County-R. s. ". smith, so-'-ao'
The first direct testimony that :. "oi
don Reel Superintendent OF the heei-
Rensel-Peck Highway Commission iaV
vored Democratic road contractors III
awarding maintenance and repair con-
tracts was brought out to-day by the tes-
,,monv OF William Miller. of the con-
tracing firm of Miller Brothers, OF Sche-
nectady County. y. y.
"In 1911 / went TO Mr. Reel 10 see IL
nv company couldn't obtain some STATE
work" Miller testified. Mr.. Reel salo'
! .You know we are giving Democrats the
nreforence' and then inquired concerning
my notifies. 4 am a Democrat, was my
reply , .
The witness said he later obtained
letter certifying TO his Democracy from
his county committeeman, gave TINS 10
Reel and on the suggestion of his state
committeeman. Gerardus Smith, or Sche-
nectadv. contributed 800 TO the Democrat
ic campaign fund. subsequently MI NIL
Ter obtained repair contracts valued al
between s. 800 and $500. he said.