The New York herald., 1921-10-04

Dock Commissioner did not procure a
lessee for the pier before December l..
1919. then the appropriation for the re-
construction and redecking OF the pier
would lapse.
Young Mr.. Corcoran proceeded to exert
himself nightly. With the foreknowl-
edge that he came from the office or
Craig and OF Foley. with Craig Comp
troller and Foley Surrogate, with MUIR
ray Hubert down in the old offices at
room 1909, St Broadway, the difficulties
do not seem to have been insurmount-
able. At any rate he conquered them
and by August 14-marx the lapse or
time since July 17--Hulbert had been
persuaded to write TO the Sinking Fund
Comnission recommending that the pier
at - foot OF East Twentieth street be
leased 10 the Brooks Steamship Com
pany for ten years from March !, 1920,
\ at the apparently handsome rental OF
s23,512.07 a year plus ~ per cent. on
[. the cost of all improvements made by
rhe city in the way OF reconsrucuon'
, shedding. dredging, SC.
That came up before the Sinking Fund
Commission on October l6, 1919, ana
was considered important enough TO be
referred to that classic depository OF
. parliamentary secrets. the committee OF
the whole. This committee consisted or
\ mayor tlyldfl, 1OIlplIbiltl SAoAS, NiAo4't
berlain Philip Berolzhelmer, President
Robert l.. Moran OF the Board of Alder
r,eH and Alderman Francis p. Kenney,
tn his capacity as chairman OF the
sina ace committee Of the board.
A sanwhile young Mr.. Corcoran had
ample time for the exercise of the wits
sllich the war had taught him. 1t needs
rriy to be remembered that he was a
E prctegee of Jim Foley and that he cam
K not understand to-day why he was
picked out by the Brooks Steamship
Conn pany as their lawyer.
Change OF Name.
rough some curious accident it be-
ee known that Commissioner Hubert
4m1 Mayor Hylan were intensely in
led in seeing that only American
.-nship lines got PIERS IL possible
all foreigners being barred. So Mr.. Cor
coran's friends invented the gentle de-
ceit Of new company-Brooks sounded
too English, they thought-and they de-
vised the Nacirema Steamship Company.
Knowing the feeling which even the
mama Brooks seemed to have aroused
IN the Mayoralty chamber, Dock Com
missioner Hubert came forward on De-
cember 1s. 1919. to ask the Sinking
Fund Commission to approve the lease
of the pier--to be constructed at city
expense-to the Nacirema Company,
which, he said, had bought out all the
stock of the Brooks Steamship Company.
And SO, as in few days a new Sink
ing Fund Commission would take charge
on January /, 1920. the Sinking Fund
Commission of 1919 approved the lease
OF the pier at East Twentieth street to
(. the Nacirema Company. or to the
Brooks and the Nacirema companies
a. 4. aH~l t<<> ~or 20
to point out to the patriotic Sinking
Fund Commission that Nacirema spelled
American backward.
The city has undertaken to recon-
struct the pier at the foot Of East
Twentieth street at a cost OF something
less than 100000. Commissioner Hull
bert in his last report stated that the
work was about three-quarters done.
= The Brooks Steamship Company is in
liquidation and the pier rs OF no use to IT.
The Nacirema Company has vanished
from these waters and there remains
only the original actuating force behind
all Of the involved corporations. That,
strange as it may seem. LIS none other
than the terrible bug-a-boo Of Mayor
Iylan, interests affiliated with the Ma
tionaf City Bank and the Standard Oh
Company.
Yesterday a reporter for THE NEW
York Herald saw e. T. Corcoran and
asked him several questions concerning
the success OF the Brooks Steamship
Company In procuring lease OF city
pier when other companies couldn't.
Mr.. Corcoran was asked IL he had not
been paid $12.50O for his legal services
in connection with procuring this lease
He declined to discuss the matter.
Mr.. Corcoran was asked what, IL any,
influence he had been able to use in con-
nection with procuring a city pier lease
for company which had retained him
as its counsel. He again declined to dis
cuss the matter
Mr.. Corcoran was asked IL any or the
money paid to him for his Services"
had gone in any other direction, and re-
piled that he had explained everything
connected with the transaction to the
Meyer committee, and did not think he
should be asked to answer categorical
newspaper inquiries.
Corcoran's Admission.
But Mr.. Corcoran admitted. without
question. that he was law clerk in
Suite 1909. at 66 Broadway, when
Charles L. Craig and James a. Foley
were there. and apparently understood
that Murray Hubert had also made his
legal headquarters there In the last two
years.
"who were the people back of the
Brooks Steamship Company or the Ma
:rema?" Mr.. Corcoran was asked, and
he insisted that he did not know, even
though he had been the counsel for the
two corporations.
The Meyer Committee Is still trying
to find out just what the thing was that
persuaded Dock Commissioner Hubert,
the Sinking Fund Commission and Mayor
Hylan In particular to grant a pier
lease to a corporation which had no af-
filiations except with the interests which
Mayor Hylan has been at such pains to
bedevil both before he was elected and
since. The Brooks Steamship Corpora
tion Is In liquidation in the hands OF the
Cllnchhefd Navigation Company at "a
Broad street, the home of Blair & Co..
private banking house closely concerned
with the Standard OIL interests.
One G. Steindorff is in present control
OF the Brooks Steamship Corporation in
O. room of the Clinchfield Navigation
Company at rs Broad street, the home
OF Blair & Co.
Mr.. Steindorff resented vigorously the
idea that any newspaper should inquire
into tho affairs OF the Brooks Steamship