New-York tribune., 1918-12-21
Everybody Questioned
In Long Examination

The report tells, in detail, of the
vast work involved in the investiga
ton, OF the questioning of everybody
from high officials to taxi drivers and
of the examination Of thousands of
books, accounts, bills, diaries and other
papers. 1t recites at length the charges
made against the contractors and the
answers on which the Investigators
do not attempt to pass judgment.
The report continues:
>"We directed our efforts first to
ascertaining whether there were any
grounds for criminal process, that be-
ing the primary and specific duty with
which we were charged. To that end
we asked the head Of the Shipping
Board and Fleet Corporation for a
specification Of charges. He replied
that he knew Of no specific facts or ir-
reguarities Of a criminal nature Ad-
miral Bowles likewise stated that he
had mot found any irregularities by
the management which would call for
criminal Investigations The absence
of specific charges necessitatcd q
blanket stigation-in the nature of
things laborious and protracted-into
all the Hog Island activities, if the
question of criminality was to be def
nitely determined"
The question Of alleged waste and
mismanagement then is taken up. The
charges are summarized as follows:
''It is charged against the agent that
although it was to be paid very sub
stantial fee for furnishing the know
how yet it so miscalculated the un-
dertaking that it allowed the first six
or seven weeks to pass before making
any rational provision for the hand
ling Of the transportation features of
the enterprise; that at the very in
ception of the job orders were placed
almost simultaneously for some IL 900
carloads of freight under rush priority
orders; that this freight started roll
ing in in the month Of October. when
there were no yard facilities on Hog
Island to receive or handle it; that
this resulted in congestion of the
railroads and of all available railroad
sidings, not only in and about Phila-
delphia, but extending as far south as
Norfolk, Va, and possibly further; and
that in spite of formal warnings from
the Fleet Corporation and the rail
roads early in October that more
freight was being ordered than could
be handled at Hog Island, neverthe-
less the agent disregarded these warn
ings and took the position that it was
responsible for the job and would
handle the situation.
~ 10 CuulS ScO tHeI as g lSoUAI Vi
this congestion the railroads were
forced in November to put an EN-
barge against all shipments to Hog
Island; that when the agent became
alive to the situation and wanted t(
construct storage yards at Hog lslanc
it found that the materials for that
purpose were SO tied up in the gen
eral mass of freight that it was i'm
possible to move them to the islant
and thus relieve conditions; that the
necessary lumber and plling were sim
ilarly tied up; that cars had to be
moved to the island to get rid Of then
whether their contents were needeC
! then or later; that the agent had tt
/ employ numerous trucks of all char
acter to go to distant points to trans
ship the contents of freight cars ant
also had to purchase large amounts o
materials in or about Philadelphia q
| high prices which could be transported
| by truck; that this in turn createt
such congestion upon the road from
Philadelphia and upon the interna
roads on the island that trucks were
tied up for hours trying to move from
one part OF the island to another.