The New York Herald Newspaper, January 17, 1873, Page 5

DISCREDIT §=MOBILIER. —__+_—_—_. Judge Poland’s Committee Diving Be- neath the Surface. INDIGNANT LEGISLATORS ON THE STAND. Statements by Senators Patterson and Wil- son and Congressmen Scofield, Kelley and Bingham. THE WILSON INVESTIGATION Durant’s $10,000 to Harlan for Political Purposes Generally. WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 1873, Judge Poland’s special committee to investigate the Crédit Mobilier charges resumed its sesston this morning, and Glenni W. Scofield, of Pennsyl- vania, whose name has been mentoned in counec- tion with the charges, appeared before the com- mittee voluntarily and made the following state- ment under oath :— MR. SCOFIELD'S STATEMENT, For mi years I have been in the habit of in- ‘Vesting in bonds or stocks whatever surplus, how- Mess I yugne have from year to year. In ber, 1866, 1 bought of Mr. Ames some bonds £ the Cedar Rapids and Missouri Railroad. In De- ber, 1867, 1 spoke te him about getting more. ted that I should take this Crédit Mo- stock. He explained that it was a contract- ms ala on incorporated by the Legis- of my _ State, and he_ would ike to have some Pennsylvanians in it. In a brief = he explained its objects. He said he would “peli me some stock at par and interest from some former period at my own risk, as he would guarantee that it would pay eight per cent if I would give him half it earned upon thatsum. I told him | thought I would take $1,000 of it. I told him I would get the money and see hin again. Be- fore anything was done, however, I was called home by severe illness in my family, and did not return until some days alter New Year’s. Some time after, when I met Mr. Ames and spoke about potting him the money, he sid he thought was too late. As I did not give him the money he supposed I had abandoned it, and he thought it was all sold, but I could give him the money and then he would ascertain and get it if he could. [gave him the money and took his receipt. This was the last of January. He subsequently informed me that he could get tue stock, but it was in a iarger block and he would have to get it divided. Either at this time, or soon after, I told Inm1t had concluded not to take the stock. We talked the matter over, and I finally agreed to take some of his railroad securities in- stead. Some balance was setiied in moneys and I gave him his receipt. This was during that same session of Congress, nearly four years ajo. I don’t recollect any legislation pending or in prospect at that time that Mr, Ames was interested in. I WAS NEXT IN CONGRESS when the subsidies te the Pacific roads were granted, and I voted against the act of Congress of ee giving the companies’ mortgages priority. ‘he legislation that came up two or three years after was based upon facts subsequently developed, pnd could not, therefore, have been anticipated by me. Nothing was said about legislation, and cer- tainly it was not thought of by ine, In answer to questions of Judge Poland he testi- fled that he thought the matter was settled carly ry webinar 1868; thought no dividends were ‘de- tlared by the company during the time; did not re- veive any dividends; if there were any they were allowed in the final settlement; witness had no idea that the stock then was worth two or three times its par value; the conversation beeween wit- ness and Mr. Ames was accidental ; it began on the street, while walking down from the Capitol, and was continued in the hotel where they both boarded. By Ju Merrick—Mr. Ames explained how the Crédit Mobilier was managed and Its object. By Mr. McCrary—Did not remember any legisia- tion in Congress in reference to the road while he held the stock; if there had been it would not have influenced his vote. By Mr. Niblack—Mr. Ames said in the course of conversation that he would like to have some Pennsylvania men in the enterprise, as it was in- borporated by that State. SENATOR PATTERSON'S TESTIMONY, Senator Patterson, of New Hampshire, was then sworn, and made the following statement :— Gentlemen of the committee, I have had no trans- actions with the Union Pacitic Railroad or with Mr. Ames which, in my judgment, call for investiga- tion, or which any respectable business man would thing of criticizing; sll I am glad to respond to your invitation to be present this morning, and, with your permission, wili give you wu brief but complete statement of all there is of the matter, so iar as I am concerned; | entered Congress after all the land nts and subsidies to the Union Pacific Railroad been made; the ouly legislation wiich has arisen since in respect to it, the wisdom and policy of which any one questions, so far us I know, is the act of 1864, which passed during my first session in Congress; I was not as weil informed in respect to the inerits of this great work as Lam now; but I have never regretted the vote I gave at that time; I then had but a slight acquaintance with Mr. Ames, having never seen him before [ entered Congress; at o later period we were tlrown together and brought into the relations of a somewhat intimate fricndsiip; near the close of 1867, when no man could have anticipated any further legisiauon upon this sub- | ject, aud since when, if we except the transfer of the oilice of the company to Boston, there has been Bone, unless giving a censtruction to @ previous act on a question raised unexpectedly by the Sec- retary of the Treasury muy be so considered; MR. AMES CAME OVER TO THE SENATE, ‘and proposed to sell me thirty shares of stock in the. Crédit Mobilier; he represented at the time that he did this as a friend looking to my interest; T asked him to explain to me what the Crédii Mo- bilier was, and he did so; 1 then asked mm if It was proper stock for a member of Con- gress to hold; he said he thought it was, as they did not expect to ask for any further fegislation; and to give strength to his view, he mentioned several distinguished gentlemen, of acknowledged integrity, who had either taken or eens to take stock in the company; | then quired if he thought it would be a profitable investment; he replied that he did, or that he should not have offered it to a friend; I said I should be glad to take some of the stock, but could not, as I had no money; “When you get some money which you wish to invest," said Mr. Ames, “come to me and you shall have the stock; at that time I proposed take the stock, and doubtless Mr. Ames ex- pected I should, but I never found it convenient to take it before { conciuded it was not best to take, and so the purchase was not consummated, and if never received, directly or indirectly, nor did an one ever liold for mein trust, one penny’s wortl Of stock of the Crédit Mobilier; [ have been thus explicit because I have been misrepresented in re- spect to this thing, and not because I see uny BREACH OF PROPRIKTY OR PERSONAL INTEGRITY in a Congressman’s purchasing or holding this more than paper, wool, iegai tenders, bonds, bank notes, bank stock, or any other species of propert Mable to be affected by legislation, but upon whic! legislation was not anticipated at the time of the purchase; on two occasions subsequently 1 purchased of Mr.’ Ames stock, and bonds im the Union Pacific Railroad, which were placed in the hands of a friend in New York for sale; My friend solid them at a fair profit; for this stock and bonds I paid the full market price, in money earned by myseil; these transactions were bona Ade purchases, and vot exchanges of stock or dis- tribution of dividends; it was a small in- vestment, but reasonably profitable, and i ret it) =owas =not_iarger, as it was th honest and honorable, ana I donbt if there is any member of Congress who would deny the right or prey of such @ pated to-day; this is the whole of my connee- ion with Mr. Ames or with the Union Pucific Ratl- road; 1 have never purchased or received any te Mate a otk am ovat 4 connection, ‘ect, wi vote or political in- fluence. sai Be In answer to questions of Jndge Poland, Mr. Pat- terson testified that his first purchase was in 1869 and the other in 1871. SENATOR WILSON’S STATEMENT. Hon. Henry Wilson was then sworn and testified that his wife tad been presented with $3,800 on the anniversary of their “sliver wedding” a portion of which was invested in Crédit Mobilier bonds, which were purchased for her benefit at the suggestion of Mr. Oakes Ames; witness knew nothing of the or- ganization; Ames said he would guarantee it to pay ten per cent and advised witness to take it; witness ask Mr. Ames at the time if it was mot likely that the road would be coming to Congress for legislation, as he had made it a rule never to have a doliar’s worth of Btock in any road wanting legislation; Mr. Ames replie: that the roud wanted no legislation and expected none ; witness told Mr. Ames that if the road ever should apply for legislation he would want his money back and give the bonds up; sub- sequently witness learned that there were some a@iMculues about the concern, and he spoke to Messrs, Alley, Ames and others about it, saying that he wanted to yet out of it; ME. AMES LAUGHED at the anxiety of the witness to get out, but sald he would retarn him the money and cance) the ieee witness never received a doliar dividend, but bucked out of the bargain, and if $10,000 from it were due him he would not touch a cent or it; hie wife got her money back and wit- mess never received any benefits from it; the only lation he ever entered into since coming to Congress was in a little lot of land in hie native town, and he would seil all he had to-lay, exclusive of his house, for $3,500; he had done Re did not feel he had a right to do, and he to NEW YORK HERALD, FRIDAY, JANUARY 17, 1873.—TR felt outraged at this attack made upon him; he thought a great wrong had been perpetrated, WHAT MR. KBLLEY DID IN THE MATTER, Hon. William D. Kelly testified that he agreed with Mr. Ames to take some Crédit Mobilier stock as an investment only, but the matter was dropped, and he never received any dividends or profits from the Crédit Mobilier; had never seen any Créait Mobilier stock; had borrowed money from Mr. Ames on one or two occasions, but had not had an. offer from Mr. Ames of Crédit Mobilier stock to influence legislation; if witness had been able to purchase the stock he would have done 80; lie saw no more impropriety in a member of Congress ign Fy ged stock than in buying @ flock of sheep and then voting upon the tariff on wool or woollen goods; he borrowed $1,000 from Mr. Ames at one time, but there was nothing in connection with that which referred to the Crédit Mobilier. CONGRESSMAN BINGHAM’S TRANSACTIONS, Hon. John A, Bingham, of Ohio, was then sworn, and stated that he placed great confidence in the Mnancial judgment of Mr. Ames, and upon his ad- vice invested $2,000 in the Hubbard Silver Mining Company, a corporation organized under the laws of Massachusetts, but which had no connec- tion with the Crédit Mobilier or Union Pacific Raulroad. In December, 1867, he was advised by Mr. Ames to invest iu the Crédit Mobilier, and did tn- vest $2,000, giving Mr. Ames the money in Febra- ary, 1868, for which Mr. Ames then gave him @ written Aproamant to account to him ior the divi- dends and proceeds of twenty shares in the Crédit Mobilier stock; subsequently witness agreed to take $1,000 of stock in the lowa Falls and Sioux City Construction Company, paying Mr. Ames $650, for which Mr. Ames gave an agreement similar to the one mentioned; witness never received nor held any stock in the Crédit Mobilier, lowa Con- struction Company or Union Pacific Railroad from Mr, Ames nor any One else; Mr. Ames was the only pres he Knew 1n the contracts, and he had per- ect faith in him, and witness believes he had a lawful right to make these investments; 1868 ~witness received from Mr. Ames Pacific Railroad bonds, each for $1,000, mm pursuance of the agreement; all subse- quent dividends were in money or Union Pa- cific stock; the Crédit Mobilier contract was closed in December 1870, as the witness then wanted the money, and he received from Mr. Ames $1,650, since which time he has had no interest, direct or indi- rect in the Crédit Mobilier or the Union Pacific Railroad; the bonds which he received from Mr. Ames as dividends he sold in 1869 at 88% cents on the dollar; THE IOWA COSTRUCTION CONTRACT was settled in the Spring of 1872, and witness re- ceived $900 thereon, since which time he has had no further transactions with Mr. Ames; the acgre- gate amount received by him on the two contracts Was about s1x thousand five hundred dollars, from the beginning to the end of his dealings with in Mr. Ames; he had no intimation that any other member of Congress any con- tracts or dealings with him in relation to Crédit Mobilier or Union Pacific Railroad stocks, except Mr. Hooper, of Massachusetts; never heard ol any controversy between Ames and McComb, or any other person, in regara to the distribution of Crédit Mobilier stocks, and the first he heard of Mr. Ames dealing in that stock corruptly was in September and October last; never had any idea that Mr. Ames contracted with him for corrupt purposes, and he never gave a vote for or against ANY MEASURE IN CONGRESS but what he believed to be just and right, and in accordance with his sworn duty; he had done nothing which he believed required an apology or explanation; he was net a member of Congress when the act of 1864, peace to the Union Pacific Railroad passed, and he left Congress now after sixteen years’ service with no more property than when he entered it, save what he had legitimately earned during the Thirty-eighth Congress, when he was not a member. At one o’clock the committee adjourned until ten o’clock Saturday morning. a ad WILSON’S COM- Dr. Durant Continues His Tale of “Credit”—Two $5,000 Checks Forwarded to Harlan for General Political Pur- poses Only, Not to Influence the Scma- tor’s Election. * WASHINGTON, Jan. 16, 1873, The Wilson Crédit Mobilier Investigating Com- mittee met this morning at eleven o'clock, The examination of T,C. Durant was resumed. He said the Boomer contract was $27,500 per mile of railroad. The Union Pacific board of directors passed a resolution extending the Hoxie contract over these fifty-eight miles at $50,000 a mile. This resolution was not carried into effect, the witness having protested and Judge Barnard having granted an injunction. The Board afterwards expunged his protest from the books and rescinded the resolution. If the resolu- tion had been carried into effect the difference be- tween $27,500 and $50,000 would have gone into the Crédit Mobilier. ‘These fifty-eight miles had been gompigted, were in running order and had been accepted by the government. Witness was examined as to the Williams pro- posed contract, which was accepted by the Board of Directors of the Union Pacific Company March, 1867, for building 267 miles of railroad. Witness also sued out an injunction in this case, as the con- tract covered a part of the road already costructed under previeus contract. A GENERAL REVIEW. After the witness had been examined specifically he was examined generaily. He was asked by the chairman what percentage of the Union Pacific Railroad stock did the Crédit Mobilier stockholders own at the time the Oakes Ames contract was en- tered into, Witness auswered seventy-five, perhaps eighty-five, per cent. Having been asked why the Crédit |Mobilier itself could not build the road, instead of assigning the contract to trustees for that purpose, witness replied that the trustees were acting in the interest of all the holders of the Union Pacific Railroad stock, some of whom had no stock tn the Crédit Mobilier. The object . of ussigning the contract to trustees was also to secure individual liability, in case of _ failure. Whenever the trustees of the Crédit Mobilier wanted to buy the made offers to the railroad company for a cer- tain amount of railroad bonds, pening the price for them. Witness said that early in January, 1868, the trustees of the Ames contract had en- tire control of the Union Pacific Railroad. It ‘Was shown by the books that the aggregate amount amount spent on the Ames’ and Davis’ contracts was about fi five million dollars, and the divi- dends $11,690,000, or twenty per cent on the $55,000,000, or 311 per cent on the stock of the Cré- dit Mobilier; and if the estimates are made on the securities as being at par, 545 per cent. A TOUCHING QUESTION. Witness was asked whether he knew ofany ofthe money of the Union Pacific Railroad or Crédit Mo- bilier having been used, directly or indirectly, for the parpose of influencing or procuring the election of any person to the Senate oi the United States. Witness said he did not, nor did he know of any person connected with either of these corporations who used money for such qneponess he had, how- ever, furnished money himself in a good many cases for political purposes gene! , but not Specially to influence the election of any Senator. le gave two checks of $5,000 each to Mr. Harlan, payable to that gentleman’s order. Mr. Harlany had said to him, ‘Are you not going to help us?’ when witness said, “When you are very hard up I wilido what I can. The money was sent to Harlan, the witness supposing Harlan knew how to appropriate it. He did not know whether Harlan was atthat time Secretary of the Interior or not, and did not know whether he was at that time a candidate for the United States Sen- ate or got. The CuHarrMan—Did you not understand that the money was to aia in the election of Mr. Harlan? Witvess—I had no such understanding, but was in hopes that Harlan would be elected. Without concluding the examination the com- mittee adjourned until to-morrow morning at ten o'clock. = MYSTERIOUS SHOOTING. A Tragedy in a Bowery Concert Saloon— Ante-Mortem Statement of the Vic- tim. Yesterday afternoon Coroner Keenan reccived mformation that Charles Chrystie, the concert saloon keeper at 11 Bowery, who was shot in the | breast by a pistol in the hands of a stranger early last Monday morning, was lying in Bellevue Hos pital tn an extremely critical condition from the effects of the woun The stranger, who was annoying one’ of the waiter girls, being requested by Chrystie to desist, became en and instantl: drawing @ pistol shot him, immediately after whic! the assassin fled und has not since been seen. The mysterious mdividual Was unknown to Chrystie, and he had not the remotest idea that he inten t to shoot him. The police authorities are in active pursuit of the assassin, but they have little or no clew upon which to work. Coroner Keenan will take Chrystie’s statement if he is able to give it intelligently. CONFIRMATION OF ASSESSMENT LISTS, ‘At a meeting of the Board of Revision and Cor- rection of Assessments held at the Comptroller's office on Wednesday, January 15, inst., the follow- ing assessment lists were confirmed, viz. :— Thirtieth street, paving, stone blocks, First avenue to East Kiver. Sixtieth and Sixty-sixth streets, sewers between ave- nue A and Third avenue, avineteenth ‘street, Belgian paving, Sixth to Tenth venue, One Hundred and Nineteenth street, Belgian paving, Third avenue to avenue A. sa Lityrth street, Belgian paving, Eighth to Tenth nue. Ninth avenue, Beigt T y- inyrd ster as paving, Fourteenth to Twenty: andat reet ad fits by igian paving, Macdongal to Green: One Hundred and Fourth street, sewer between Third and Fourth avenues and in 105th street, between Second ine Hundred and Fourth at driving pil between Thirdand Fourth avenuer wet ne Pies ne Hundred and Twenty-fourth street, sewer between "ipswiow pireet,_ paving’ between Canal and Stanton 1. wi m1 ny streets, caren” Biteecn Ginae ‘and Brovine Rreets. xiifiyitourth street, Belgian paving from Eighth to Elcridge streot, Belgian paving from Division to Hous- top street, an HUSICAL AND THEATRICAL NOTES. Both Mme. Lucca and Miss Kellogg were very successful during their Boston engagement. Mr. Booth desires it to be understood that the story about his theatre passing into the hands of Jarrett & Palmer, of Niblo’s Garden, is utterly with- out foundation. Franz Liszt has refused to help the project of raising in Vienna a monument to Beethoven. He had been solicited to contribute a cantata and to appear in public, Mr. S. Lasar announces a concert to take place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on the 30th inst., im which Miss Vlementine Lasar, Mr. 8. B. Mills ana Thomas’ full orchestra will appear, Miss Neilson began an engagement in Philadel- phia on Monday evening, playing Jultet to a large and enthusiastic audience. Her success in that city has been very great, and the prospects are ex- cellent for a most brilliant week, * Mr. Gus Phillips (Oofty Gooft) and George W. Thompson refused to play in the middle of a per- formance at the Grand Opera House, in St. Louis, last Sunday night, becatise they had not been paid by the management, and the curtain fell without the piece being finished. It is not clear who is most to blame, put there seems to be fault on both sides. M. Alexandre Dumas received from M. Steinitz, theatrical agent at Berlin, a letter asking for the right of having his next piece, ‘La Femme de Claude,” represented in the russian capital, He replied as follows:— SIR—I have just received your letter of December 12, 1872, in which you offer me 8,000 francs to allow my new play to be performed in Berlin, These terms are not suflicient for me, as I want Alsace, Accept, &¢., A. DUMAS (Son). Why don’t Mr. Offenbach take a hint from the Sandwich Islands? So many sensuous themes have employed his tropic-tempered pen that his fleshly cornucopia must betray signs of giving out. The kingdom of Hawaii is almost as big as the Grand Duchy of Gerolstein; and _halfnaked Ratives spangled with shells, as many beach- combers as might be desirable, and landscapes teeming with finé fruitage and brilliart-plumagea birds, would be just the locality for an Offen- bachian Hbretto brimming with piquant prurien- cies and accompanied with erotic music, ‘The Italian emigrants who have lately swarmed in our streets have excited a good deal of fatuous comment. We hope we are betraying no secret when we mention our suspicion that these swarthy waifs from the land of dole sar niente are surrep- titious importations of the nonplussed Maretzek, brought hither with a direct reference to Italian Opera chorus. Whether it be Mr. Maretzek’s in- tention to bring out “Fra Diavolo” in astyle of splendor exceeding (to use the language of the conventional advertisement) “anything that has hitherto been seen upon the American stage,” or whether he contemplates raising a new breed of chorus singers, which shal! hold te the tobac- conists’ wives of avenue A the same relation which the Woman of the Future shall hold to the Girl of the Period, we are not prepared to say. Even the hands of the Briarean Boucicault are affected with the Darwin epidemic. We under- stand that next season, at the Olympic Theatre, in this city, a play is to be produced founded upon Edgar Allan Poe’s grotesque horrer, ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue,”’ and having its principal char- acter, therefore, interpreted by an educated ape. There is @ quadrumanous propriety in this. Hu- manity yearns after its original elements, and we listen reverently to the echoes of apehood in our consciousness. If we are only a little lower than the angels, on the other hand we are only a little higher than the apes; and Mr. Boucicault, having sucked all the meat out of the egg of French drama, hav- ing, in “Kerry” and “Shaun the Post,” created Irish characters that Erin will not willingly let die, and having, in ‘Formosa,’ given us speaking like- nesses of the Cora Pearls and Mabel Greys of Paris and London, does wisely in turning his industry into a new channel, and endeavoring to elevate us by placing betore us our despised ancestor in the light of a new dramatic sensation. GRAND REQUIEM AT THE DOMINICAN CHURCH PRA ish Commemorating the Death of the Most Rev. Father Jandel, Master General of the Order of Preachers—A Solemn High Mass for the Souk of the Veteran Monk—Touching Ceremonies and Trem- bling Music. Toone seeing for the first time ceremonies for the dead performed according to the liturgy of the Roman Cathelic Church the sight seems exceed- ingly tender, solemn and impressive, but never so much so as when performed in the convent chapel of the cowled monk. There the olden chains of bygone days are renewed. There our sympathies are awakened to thought and pensiveness and our memories refreshed with real visions of the past. The Dominican Fathers ef the Church of St, Francis Ferriar, Sixty-filth street and Lexington avenue, afforded to a large congregation yester- day morning the gratification of witnessing one of \those affecting spectacles, the event being & grand requiem mass for the departed soul of the Master General of their Order, + THE MOST REV. ALEXANDER VINCENT JANDEL, who died on the 11th ultimo, in the Convent of the Minerva, in Rome, and whose obituary was pub- lished in the HERALD a few days ago. Deceased was elected Vicar and Master General ef the Order successively during the past twenty-two years, He was first a secular priest im France, and sab- sequently the intimate brother and contemporary of the great Pere Lacerdaire. Oficial intelligence of hts death was not received -until Monday last. Yesterday low requiem masses were said by each of nine priests of the order, successively, during the entire morning up to half-past nine o’clock, when THE GRAND REQUIEM HIGH MASS enced, at which all the clergymen and eccle- stics Of the Convent assisted and very many Oficiated. The high Ritar and side altars were buried in deep rich folds of drapery, and festoens of biack silk embroidery covered the pictures and statues and girdled the miniature spires of the tabernacle, the whole forming quite a contrast with the richly ornamented aspect of the other portions of the loveiy church. At half-past nine o'clock tke organ sent ont the first trembling, tender notes of the solemn “Kyrie”? | which wandered away along the aisies and fell softly on the ear “‘as the sighs of angels,” ‘The Rey. J. A. Rotchford officiated as celebrant, the Rev. M. D. Lilley as deacon and Rev. R. Fallon as sub-deacon. Prior to the “Kyrie” was recited the office tor the dead. ‘There was no “Gloria” nor “Credo,” according to the liturgy for such occa- sions, Immediately betore the Epistle the “Dies Ire” was solemnly and finely rendered by the choir, and at the Offertory that beautiful and athetic psalm, “#enedictus Dominus Deus Israel.” The other appropriate hymns were given during the remaining portion of the mass, After the conclusion of the celebration of the holy sacrifice a procession was formed by all omi- ciating and assisting in the sanctuary, which formed a circle around the catafalque, placed on a temporary bier at the upper end of thé middle aisle, appropriately draped in mourning. The cross-hearer stood at the head with an acolyte at either side. The censors accompanied the cele- brant around the catafalque as he blessed and sprinkled the bier, while long lines of delicate in- cense could be seen emitted from the swinging thuribles, Meantime the pious monks sang with noticeable fervor and effect, im the eld Gregorian tone, the psalm, ‘Libra me Domine, morte seterna, in illa die tremenda,” and concluded with tne words, ‘“RKequiescat in pi ” THE CHEMICAL DISCOVERIES OF THE SPEC- TROSCOPE, Lecture by Professor Barker, of Yale Col- lege, Before the American Institute. The large hail of the Cooper Union was comfort- ably filled last evening by a very intelligent au- dienee, drawn together by the announcement that Professor G. F. Barker, of Yale College, would de- liver the first of a course of scientific lectures, under the auspices of the American Institute, The eminent lecturer was introduced by Professor Tyndall. The discovery of the spectroscope and the improved method it offered for chemical analysis were first treated of. The simplicity of its construction was ext! ed and hew the spectrum was obtained. Light, its different colors and char- acter, were then referred to, and able and in- structive allusions made to the cause of continuous and interrupted spectra, the nature of the spectruin it can be easily told when a solid, liquid or gaseous substance is under examination. Then, with the aid of @n assistant, Professor Barkertshowed on a canvas screen the construc- tion of a specstrocope, which was viewed with great satisfaction, enabling those present unac- quainted with it to better understand the subject under consideration. The Professor subsequently made several interesting and striking experiments, ali the while clearly ex laining the cause of re- sults obtained, the audience nally departing in ap exceedingly pleasant mood 1 | their conversation was chiefly devoted during the THE CITY BEFOGGED. Danger to Human bife on the Rivers and in the Bay--A Great Number of Reckless Collisions. The Ferryboat Northfield, with 700 Passengers, Plays Billiards with the Stone Pier on the Battery and Smashes Three Granite Pillars—Collisions on the Other Fer- ries and Among the Shipping. Belated pedestrians traversing the streets of this city and Brookiyn at as early an hour as two o'clock yesterday morning were struck with be- wildered astonishment to find themselves sud- denly enveloped in a Sense fog that came down upon them, rendering everything obscure at a dis- tance of a few feet from the line of vision, It wasa “thundering,” intense London fog—a blinding, heavy fog; a fog almost as thick as pea soup. and as impenetrable as the ar- mor of a wizard. It filled every niche and open and holiow space and clothed the silent sleeping city with an enormous opaque funeral pall, In the streets policemen ran against each other and grappled and tussied with each other, | and where a window was left open in a dwelfing the blinding mist marched into the spaces of sleeping chambers in filmy but concentrated vol- umes, “OFF SANDY HOOK.’ . At sea in the vicinity of Sandy Hook and inside of the bar and in the Lower and Upper bays the terrible fog rendered the passage of ves- sels very dangerous, and collisions were numerous, but, so far as yet known, no lives have been lost, Old and experienced sea men, who have navigated for twenty-five and thirty years in and out of the harbor of New York, were puzzled to find their bearings, and, to make | matters worse, many of the most important can and spar buoys have been washed from their moorings or floated off by the dense masses of movable ice during the late violent and stormy weather, Between seven and eight o'clock yesterday morn- ing the rivers and Upper Bay was almost impassable to vessels, The different steamtugs and ferryboats, | as wellas the larger steamers, were creeping this way and that way on the surface of the North and East rivers or in the Upper Bay like a number of intoxicated individuals returning home from a late dinner, Fog and alarm whistles were shric! ing and singing in the most demoniacal manner’ and filling the air with their sound, The amount of profanity and Yad language ex- pended by steamboat captains and their subordi- | nate officers in gettng matters to rights was some- | thing to frighten one. ‘The signal lights burnea dimly, and iooked hollow-eyed and wan. | | TUGS AND STEAMBOATS COLLIDED in the Cimmerian darkness and the grating of dis- located timbers seemed to involve an utterance of | thousands of marine and steamtng oaths. The | yawing of vessels was accompanied by the eternal yawp of the deckhands and the screams of passen- gers*awoke on the steamers—which were bound to New York—from their restiess sleep. In fact all things were in dire contusion on the water, and where so much life and limb were at | stake and in the charge of pilots there was sure to | be a great deal of dissatisiaction. Yesterday, until noon, none of the Jersey boats on any of the lines connecting the city with the suburbs pretended to make their regular trips. It was ‘ound impossible to make regular trips with any safety to the pas- sengers or the boats themselves, Some of the pilots yesterday morning on the ferry boats, while impeiling: their craft, behaved in what seemed to be a very insane manner, AN AQUEOUS BILLIARD MATCH, A serious accident befell the Staten Island ferry boat Northtield, which left Edgewater for this city at eight o’ciock yesterday moruing. She was very crowded, having on board seven or eight hundred persons of both sexes, who were about to attend their business in New York, The vessel was nearly two hours in getting up to the city, the pilot laboring under a dense fog and groping his way ina most perplexed manner. Finally, when near the Staten Istana ferry house, on this side, the pilot having lost all patience, made a frantic dash and ran his old Nortuficld on the Whiteliall pier | amid wild screams from the women and the yelis of | dismay trom the bewildered male passengers. There | was a terrible scene for a few moments for all on board were very much frighte: | cepting the pilot, who seemed to think bi gaged in a game of drunken billiards. gers had hardly recovered from tl first shock | when the pilot reversed hjs engines and, us every- | thing was obscured, he made his way blindly, hugging the Battery until he came north of the Governor's Island barge house, where he made ANOTHER DASH AT THE SHORE, and this time he succeeded in producing an im- mense impression; for as he dashed against the stone pler of the Battery every beam in the old | Northfield shrieked and cried for mercy, while the passengers began to say their prayers or made ready to leap from the boat, thinking that they had collided with another vessel, and that a second Westfield disaster was about to happen. A few persons, whose visual organs were sharper than the majority, looked through the fog as well as they could and saw that they were at the Battery, and a number en. The passen- | JUMPED ASHORE and saw that a part of the boat had been carried away and stove in, and that three of the upright granite pillars on the Battery pier had been dashed down by the force of the collision. A nuinber of the passengers suffered from slight brutses, but none were seriously injured. Tuo who escaped uninjured were very wrath{ul tn th exclamations against the ferry company, which is so careless of its passengers’ hives, The Fulton ferry had but one collision yesterday, but none of the trips, usuaily made in five minutes from slip to slip, were made in less than from twenty minutes to three-quarters of an hour, Bey) caused the most serious inconvenience and elay. ON THE BROOKLYN SIDE of the river there were lines of market wagons ex- tending from the ferry house up to Concord street, and at ten o’clock in the morning the last of these wagons had not got through th@wide gates of the ferry. Some of the owners of these wagous lost as much a8 $100 each by this long delay, as they found no market fnr their prodace, which was ne- cessarily of a perishable nature, when their wagons | arrived at their destination, Every one of these | marketmen felt an ardent desire to see the Brook- | n bridge finished, and it was to this subject that ) waiting hours. At the Hamilton and South ferries there were a number of coilisions, one of which was of adanger- ous nature. Teams blocked up the streets leading to the Brooklyn entrances to both ferries, and the boats bound to New York were crowded to the water's edge with passengers. At nine o'clock ere Gt Columbia, of the Hamilton ferry line, A SEVERE COLLISION with the ferryboat Monticello, of the South ferry line, near the New York side of the river. ‘The pilot of the Monticello, feeling a desire to play a carrom game of billiards with his boat against the Colum- bia, and against the rules of the company, pro- pelled it into the river belore the departure of the Columbia. The prow of the Columbia came in con- tact with the bow of the Monticello with tre:men- dous foree. ‘The whole front of the Co- lumbia was torn and rent away, as if the elamped wood and ironwork had been made of so much brown paper. An aw/ul scene occurred on board of the Columbia, something more intense and concentrated than that which had occurred on board of the Northfield, Some few passengers were bruised and @ number were very near being precipitated into the seething The Superintendent of the Hamilton ferr; had been displaced and she had to be taken imme- diately to the shipyard for repairs. Another boat belonging to the Hamilton terry DRUFTED ON THE GOVERNOR'S ISLAND SHORE with a large number of passengers, and it was some moments before she could got of and “to rights. . A ferryboat belonging to the Roosevelt street and South Seventh street ferry started from Williams- burg, and, after coasting up and down and around the river with @ large cargo of alarmed passengers, and the pilot having got tired of looking for a game of billiards, he at last made up his mind to land the assengers at Grand street, Kast River, instead of vosevelt, the right destination of the AT THE JERSEY CITY FERKIES there was observable the same carelessness as at the other ferries. The two large powerful boats belonging to the Cortlandt street line, known asthe New York and John S. Darcy, had also & game of billiards, and after a smashing collision they hauled off and the frightened passengers took breath. Later in the day, just as the | fog was beginning to lift, the Darcy ran into the Union freight pier with great violenee, smashing ner guards to pieces and suap- ping ber rudder chain. None of the passengers were seriously injured, and the head of the pier was crushed to powder. It would have been a very bad place jor the body of Barnuin’s giant between the pier-head and the bow of the Darcy, ‘On the Hoboken ferry there Was also a good deal ofrough fun among the pilots. The Hackensack and Hoboken, two boats o1 this line, had A LIVELY SPARRING EXHIBITION wines ft, each other like the Monitor and lerrimac in Hampton Roads, to the intense horror IPLE SHEEY. | ground railway. . ahe was sinking, but he was providently prevented irom embarking on his ocean wave, without a life Rreserver by his friends on board. ‘The Harlem boats did not make any ‘trips to the lower downtown landing places until the after- ee when the fog was greatly dispelled, but dur- roa Saring ears landed their passengers at a a Eleventh ots, E e their reine, streets, East River, much to THE SOUND STEAMER NARRAGANSETT had some biiltards also at an early hour in the morn- ing. At @ «quarter before seven o'clock she ran with frightful force into pier 12 East River, and in an instant ten or twelve feet of the woodwork on the end of the pier were carried away by the con- cussion. At one time it looked as if the Narragun- sett would make her way into the second story windows of some of the houses ip South street, from the manner in which she was proceeding. ‘The damage to the dock was about five hundred dollars, and the damage tothe Narragansett was about the same, but when a HeRaLp reporter called on the captain on his disabled boat lying at pier 28 North River last evening for informa- tion he was told gruffly that it was a mere fleabite, and that there was no damage done whatever, And these were the kind of answers given to the HERALD reporter yesterday in his muddy and sloppery tour ol investigation. ‘There was no damage done and no danger mani- fest whatever, and yet in twenty years there has not probably been a day during which so. MANY) LIVES WERE RECKLESSLY AND WANTONLY ENDANGERED . as there was yesterday irom seven o’clock in the morning until noonday. On the Bridge street (erry the first boat did not reach the New York side until noon, There was great delay and trouble on the Catharine street ferry owing to the wretched char- acter of the boats, but on the Wall street ferry mat- Ne went very smoothly, and there were no col- sions, THE MAILS DELAYED. The fog and the sit y character of the rails did somewhat interfere with the transmission of the mails. The Erie mail, which was due at seven o’clock yesterday morning, had not arrived at eleven o'clock A.M, The streets throughout the city—as ail our citizens are aware—were in a most horrible condition, and lakes of liquid slush were the rule, and not the exception, on nearly every block, and at every crossing and intersection of Streets—particularly down town, where the trafic Was dense. It was a dismal day; and, though it might suit Londoners, It would never do for New orl The Fog in Brooklyn. ‘The dense fog yesterday morning had the effect, as usual, of interrupting the travel at the ferries, and the streets leading to them were blocked with vebicles, These were farmers, grocers, butchers, milkmen and pedlers, all waiting for their turn to cross the river; but the trips of the boats were so siow that the patience of the men was worn out, and the wish that the bridge was completed was made by many. A COLLISION ON THE RIVER, Yesterday morntifg the ferryboats Columbia and Monticello, running from the Soutn and Hamilton avenue ferries, collided with considerable force near the slip. Some of the passengers were thrown down, but no one was injured. It was found that the Columbia was badly damaged, her engine beiny displaced and her bow stove in. She Was (taken to the shipyard for repairs, A Humorous View of the Fog. To THE EDITOR OF THE HERALD:— On Thursday morning the steamboat Northfield left Edgewater, Staten Island, in the fog at eight o'clock, with six or eight hundred passengers for New York,and, after carefully ‘following her nose’? about two hours, struck against her own pier at foot of Whitehall street, New York, The fog was s0 dense that those on deck could not recognize friends four yards distant. So it being uncertain whether it were New York or an iceberg that the boat struck, she sheered off, and 1n @ second attempt struck ou the Battery wall, knocking down two or three of the solid stone pillars, This was not “Birnam wood coming to Dunsinane,”’ but it may be said by some it Was a dunce-inane by whom the boat was brought to where she was “brought to.” The Battery, we learn, telt more injured than the boat by the collision ; being the Batter-ee, of course, the most battered, No passe ; though mauy jumped overboard—upon the Battery, A PASSENGER. The Work from the City Hall to Forty- second Street To Be Finished in Two and a Half Years at the Latest—Views of Mr. W. H. Vanderbilt—What He Thinks of the Attempt of the City or State to Build a Road. A reporter of the HERALD called yesterday on Mr. Isaac C. Buckhout, Superintending Engineer of the Fourth avenue improvement, to ascertain ad- ditional details in regard to the proposed unde) the following facts in regard to the work from the City Hall to Forty-second street (the condition of | the work from the depot to the river was described in the HERALD of last Tuesday) :— RePorTER—Is there any foundation for the rumor that Commodore Vanderbilt has no intention of pushing the work from the City Hall to Forty- second strect? Mr. BucknoutT—If that is his intention I do not know it. Of course lamnot authorized to speak for him, but he has given to me no intimation of any such intention. Rerorrer—tis the work going on now? Mr. Bucknout—Well, I am receiving proposals; @ great deal of work has already been done. The surveys of all lands, profiles, suriace lines of avenues and streets, levels for new sewers—in fact, all surveys have been completed. Then, we have already the printed specifications jor the whole work and the plans for all the depots: RerorTER—How soon will you put your men to work on the road? Mr. BuckHouT—This work is just as likely to be commenced in two weeks as tle other work from the depot to the river. ‘The public have had doubts about the whole enterprise, and now, you see, the doubts about the latter part of the work have al- ready been dispelled. REPORTER—In Case you should accept any one of the proposals how many men would you put to work ? Mr. Bucknout—Probably between two and three thousand would be put to work as soon as any one of the proposals has been accepted—that is, as soon as the disappearance of the trost would per- mit and as soon as the tracks of the city lines could be changed, ‘These tracks are in the way, of course. REPORTER—What are your plans in regard to the construction of the cars ¥ Mr. BeeknouT—They will probably be cars with sliding doors at the sides—not at the ends—and seats crosswise, somewhat like those on the Eng- lish roads, There will be doors for each compart- ment. It is impossible to say how many trains will be run, but it will be safe to say every five minutes at any rate. The work will probably be finished in two years—in two years and a half at the latest. Ishould be happy to give you more detailed information, but it is aimost impossible as yet to say anything definite. The reporter next called on Mr. W. H. Vander- bilt, who received him with much politeness. Mr. VaNvERsILt—Nothing that has been said in the Board of Directors or by Commodore Vander- bilt would justify the belief that this work from the City Hall to Forty-sécond street is to be given up. If that is his intention, 1 don’t know it. You see there are a great many diMiculties in the way—the rock, the water pipes, the gas pipes, People don’t appreciate all these difficulties, RevorteR—How soon will men be put to work? Mr. VANDERGILT—Oh, it’s impogsible to say that. There are the contractors, the engincers—thkere are too many people to be consulted. We intend to have the other work finished in two years, but the contractors don’t know how many drificulties they may encounter, There 1s the rock cutting and iling, and where are you going to take the earth? The best plan will be to carry it out of the city by rail—there’s no filling up to be done in the city. As for the cars they will probably be made to accom- modate thirty or forty persons, RePoRTER—WIIl the road be managed on the plan of the underground railway in London? Mr. VANDEKBILT—No; we expect to improve on that. The London Railway is as dark as pitch, This road will be a8 light as this tunnel. There will be way stations half a mile apart—say every eight blocks. You could not make mach headway if you had them closer, It rather dampens the spirits of private individuals to see that the whole power of the city or State is to be leagued against them to build another underground road. There is a bill now before the Legislature appro- priating $20,000,000 for building one froin the river to the Battery, Ofcourse w= shall do nothing to stop legislation; bnt it is nv encouragement for private individuals who expect to realize the inter- est on their money. The work from the City Hall to the depot will alone cost eight or ten millions of ‘ doilars. REPORTER—Can you te:| me if the work will be ven up in case the bill should pass the Legis- ature? Mr. VANDERDILT—I am sure I don’t know what the directors would do. It would all depend on circumstances; the Board would probably meet to take the matter into consideration. It will be impossible for you to get at anything definite in re- gard to this point. You understand, of course, that I do not Seireey to speak for the Board, ais Thave said Ihave said individually, and not In any official capacity. ‘The reporter thanked Mr, Vanderbilt and took his leave. ANOTHER ELOPEMENT. Bosrow, Jan, 16, 1873, A. W. Train, merchant tailor, doing business in ‘Newton, eloped a few days since with Miss Hmma of the passengers, Three delicate ladies fainted on the Hackensack and one man attempted to jum} overboard from the Hoboken, as he ved Norris, a girl im his employ, leaving a wife and child and several creditors. He lest ior New York, and is supposed to be in that city. 5 THE STOKES “STRYCHNINE STORY.” ——_—+—____ A Bottle of Nux Vomica Spoils a Great Sensae tion—Interviews with Warden Finley, Com- missioner Bell and E. 8. Stokes—The Keepers Know Nothing About the Strychnine or the Revolver— The Story Pronounced a Pure Fabrication. Since the conviction and sentence of Edward 8, Stokes various rumors have been current about bts intentions in regard to committing suicide rather than s:ffer the penalty of the gallows. In one of the morning papers it was stated that there had been found in the cell in Murderers’ Row lately vacated by the prisoner a revolver and & small bottle of some colorless liquid, which, on being analyzed by a consulting chemist, was found to contain strychnine. WARDEN FINLEY’S COURTESY. A reporter of the HERALD called yesterday on Warden Finley, of the City Prison, in regard to thus ramor, and endeavored to gican some infor- mation from him, After stating hia businessas suc- cinctly and priefly as possible The Warden said :—‘I would like to oblige you, sir, with any information I have; but in this case I must make the same answer to you tnat I have to three other gentlemen irom the newspapers, and Mr. Buckhout gave the reporter | | of France to travel in the same shi that is, that I decline tv say anything about this matter.” ReEPorTeR—But, Mr. Finley, either the bottle of strychnine was found or it was not found. Do you know nothing of it, even as warden of the prison ? Mr. FInLeY—I decline to say anything about it. You see Mr.* Stokes is now in the hands of Sheritt Brennan, and he is responsible for him. ReErorTER—Mr. Finley, Sheniff Brennan would not be liable to find anything tn his cell, Mr. FINLEY—I cannot say. Ido not know how the report got out, I am sure I said nothing to anybody about such a thing. STOKES TELLS THE STORY, The reporter then asked permission to see Mr. Stokes, The Warden answered, “You can send in a nore to him, and if he wishes to see you I will let you in. A note was sent and an answer returraed from Mr. Stokes asking to see the reporter ef the HERALD. Mr. Stokes was found in his cell on the lower tier walking nervously up and down, but otherwise in seemingly good spirits. He greeted the reporter in a Kindly and genial manner, and was the first to begin the conversation. Mr. STokes—You wanted to see me, sir, about this thing in the paper to-day as to poison being found in my cell ? RerorTeR—Yes, Mr. Stokes, I would like to hear what you have to say about it. Mr. StoOKEs—Well, sir, the whole thing is simply ridiculous, It’s ten days since I was removed from that place and | never even heard the slightest mention ofit until I saw it ina paper. [know there have been all sorts of ramors circulated about me; but I am satisfied to wait my time and stand it'ike a man. I know I am innocent of any criminal offence, and in that conviction | feel per- fectly confident that everything will be all right yet. ReporteR—Is there anything that could have given rise to this rumor that you know of ? WHAT THRY DID FIND, Mr. Stokes—They did find a couple of bottles in my room. One ol them was a bottle of cologne and the other a bottle of nux vomica, which was prescribed by Dr. James R. Wood or Dr. H. D. Sands, [ forget which, as a tonic tor the stomach. Perhaps it is the nux vomica they are raising all the row about, IL tell you, my friend, just ask the keeper if he heara anything about this before. Stokes here called out, “Mr. Philips! Mr, Philips !’? A KEEPER'S STORY. Mr. Willett Phillips, one of the keepers, then came forward. Mr. Srokes—Mr. Phillips, this is a gentleman from the HERALD. He has been asking me about a report that appeared to-day saying there was a re- volver and a }ottle of strychnine found in my cell up stairs, Mr. PutLiips—I have not heard anything about it before, and if it was so | would be likely to know it. I think it is a pure fabrication, RevORTER—Mr. Philips, who has charge of that tier? THE VIER-MAN, Mr. PutLips—Mr. Long has charge of it. Mr. Philips then called to the tier-man Long:— “Long, did you ever tind a revolver or a bottle of poison of any kind in Mr. Stokes’ cell, up stairs?? Mr. LONG—NO, sir; nor nobody else, I guess, The reporter then wended his way out of the gloomy precinct of the prison and saw Mr. Warden Finley again, He was told that if he wished any further inforination he had better call on Commis- sioner Isaac Bell. Commissioner Bell was visited at nis house, 26 West Twenty-second street, at hall-past seven in the evening. MR. BELL, THE COMMISSIONER. The reporter rung the bell, and the door was opened by a small boy in a blue cloth suit, pro- fusely ornamented with brags buttons. The boy informed the reporter that he did not wish to dis- turb Mr. Bell, as he was at dinner, but consented to take ina card. In a few moments the genial Commissioner appeared, his face radiant with smiles, and seemingly at peace with all the world and himself, too, RePorrER—Mr, Bell, I am_ sorry for intrud- ing on you at this time, but 1 wish to ask you about @ bottie of poison that was said to have been found in Stokes’ cell. Commizsioner BEL1—Oh, there was a small bottle of some medicine found which might produce death if taken in sufficiently large quantities, | suppose ; but it’s perfectly farcical making such a fuss about it. . Rerorrer—What kind of stuif was this, Commis. sioner ? Commissioner Bai—Oh, I don’t knew, exactly. It was handed over to Sherif Brennan, as he responsible for the prisoner now. RePorTen—Was it nux vomica that was in the bottle, Commissioner ? Commissioner BELL—That’s just It, It ain’t worth talking about. I can’ how the rumor got out. REPORTEh—Do you know of any chemical analy- sis being made? Commissioner BEtt—No, sir; Ido not. I believe Idon’t see any- , Ux vomica. 't understand it was used merely as medicine. thing else in it. RKerorrer—Commissioner, who found these arti- jes? Commissioner BeLtt—Why, Warden Finley, of course, Rerorrer—But Warden Finley says he won't say anything about it. Commissioner BELL—Well, 1 suppose not. The whole thing is perfectly farcical, us 1 said before, and the less said about it the better. ‘The reporter, after thanking the Commissioner, bade him good nigit, MORE COMMUNISTS COMING, Their Expected Arrival To-Day—Their Brethren in Council—Contributions for Their Reception and Aid. A great number of French International refugees are expected to arrive in this city to-day, and their reputed brethren here are actively engaged col- lecting funds to relieve the exiled Communists on their arrival. A curious litigation has arisen owing to the fact that certain irreproaghable travellers discovered that among their compagnons 44 voyage were a number of expatriated Internation- alists. This being ound out, the presumably more worthy travellers entered a protest in @ sociable manner against the company, which being of ne avail, ey, proceeded legally agamst the company for violat! ng a law of France, which decrees that no owners or agents of ships shall Permit a those wio have Violated the rights of ‘citizenshin. The result of these legal proceedings was that the company were fined 6,000 [rancs. In view of these facts aud the expected arrival of the acl refugees in this city to-day, a goodly number o| former French refugees met in council last night with the members of Section 9 at 234 y gtreet. Alter the usual routine business of the section had been transacted Citizen Hubert, wha claims to be the founder of Internationalism in this city, delivered a long address relative to the French Trefagecs. In his concluding remarks he said:—"Shall we arrive at any inte! le conclu sion of our status among the people of the earth % Amid the glory of imperial France we rained aloft the unequivocal banner of republi- canism, call our recent course what else you may. Then France found herself inevitab!, republican, nokso much in fact as in name, an with a terrible “inconsistency which all honest mem will denounce, France drew upon us the sword of ersecution, We, who first promulgated the prac- ticability of republicanism in France, became the firat victims of the new despotism in disguise. ‘The outrage committed those Communists savors little of republicaniem, while France calls it law, They are compelied to abandon all that om earth was most clear to them. We propose to ren~ der less hard the feelings of our brethren upon their arrival here by a friendly secon on, and by cons tributing as far as we can to make more light their niary etubarrassments.’’ A right matter-ol- round of applause, with not a single smile, udly responded to Citizen Spe ee speech. the “| y of the French the form of republicanism." that several reunions of Fre: . taken place recently, and that li Cy vi were received. It was the a to other matters secret. Each member then proved contributed me the refugees’ lund WwW! amounted to