New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-09-01
Swami Charges
Plots to Block
Land Investigation
City Clubs Accusation Used
by Men Interested in
Park Deals, He Says y

District Attorney Swami declared
last night that certain sinister in
fuences" are at work TO block the
grand jury investigation Of the city's
purchase of Seaside and Dreamlsnd
Park and the Marginal Railway prop
erty sites in Brooklyn. He refused even
to suggest the identity Of the men who,
he believes, are exerting this pressure.
"I've been at work night and day
and I've got them blocked. The in
vestigation will go right on" he said.
Are any of these men who, you say,
are blocking you city officials" he
was asked.
81 shall make no charges and men
ton no names until have legal
proof" he replied.
"The men exerting these sinister in
fuences are in every conceivable way
using the City Club charges against me
as a lever to make me drop this in
vestigation," said Mr.. Swami. They
are trying in every conceivable way to
spell into the report of Commissioner
Ingrsham meanings which he evidently
never intended to convey. They are
the gentlemen who got away with sew
eral millions of the city's money with
out giving even an adequate considera- !
tion in return"
City Club Charges Used
When asked to explain how these
men have been working TO block the
investigation, Mr.. Swami said
"Since the investigation began the |
City Club has renewed its activities
against me. They now are going to
reopen the charges against me before
the Governor. | never heard of such a
procedure before. | have evidence
that these men who protited most by
the land deals are endeavoring TO use
the City Club, and they are very potent .
very. We are giving all our time to .
looking into the activities of these .
gentlemen and none TO defending our
selves against City Club charges"
Mr. Swami said he was making sat
isfactory progress" in the inyestiga-
ton, and he added that he had
splendid grand jury" that was taking .
lively interest in the disclosures.
Asked whether he was meeting with .
success in running down the $4,000 .
fund that was set aside from the city's .
payment for Seaside Park by William .
H. Reynolds, Frank Bailey, William NJ. /
Greve and other owners, Mr.. Swami .
said he was making satisfactory prog
ress.' He detained TO intimate where .
the fund might have been applied. +
Assistant District Attorney Black .
said he had discovered that thirty-four .
of the 24S acres of Seaside Park, which .
cost the city S5,032 an acre, have been .
washed away, and that many more will .
disappear in few years II the city does .
not erect an expensive bulkhead on the .
been erected to protect Seaside Hos /
pital. Nr. Black says this bulkhead
has caused the surf 70 eat into the /
sand dunes at either end of it.
Assistant District Attorney McGrath /
returned from Albany yesterday, where T.
he has been examining the records of
the land commission which made an
exception for the Neponsit Realty Com
pany by enabling il TO get forty-seven
acres of underwater land on the
Jamaica Bay side from the state with
out the clause which enables the city TO
take it over at $3.50 an acre, plus the
improvement charges on the upland.
Joker in the Bill
I'VE found" said Ir. McGrath, that .
William VI. Greve appeared before the I
land commission twice and urged that
unless this reverting clause was omit F.
ted the city would never be able to &C \
quire a seaside park because of litiga- |
ton with the owners of adjoining up !
lands.
by means of the joker in the bill /
empowering the city 70 take all ghe (
Jamaica Bay underwater land. Greve |
and his associates cleverly prevented I
the city from getting their forty-seven I.
acres of underwater land, and then. .
by getting this reyerting clause
stricken out by the land commission, I
the Neponsit Company, literally by a .
slick piece of manipulation, snatched
these forty-seyen acres forever from
the city and then sold them to the city
at a profit of 2,400 per cent These
two pieces of work were put throagh
simultaneously in two rooms of the
Capitol which are only few feet apart. ]
And all this time the Board of Estl
mate and Apportionment was consider
ing a definite proposition TO purchase
a seaside park at Rockaway!
Corporation Counsel Pendleton's Of |
flee filed a remonstrance against strIk-
ing out the revertlng clause, but when
time came for hearing the Office was
not represented, and, according TO Rule
3 of the land commission, the land was
sold at s2OC an acre to the Neponsit