The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, February 15, 1898, Page 14

14 THE SAN FRANCISCO CALL, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 1898. DEFECTIVE PILES IN THE CITY WHARVES Result of a Careful Inspection of the Docks Along the Front and of the Work Done and the Time and Money Spent in Their Construction. One Kind of Material Called For by the Specifications and Another Kind Used in the Job, and Supposedly Creo- soted Timber Already Attacked by Limnoria. Contractor Healy, P. F. Dundon and Darby Laydon on the Witness-Stand. Since the judicial investigation into the jobbery of the Harbor Commission began a number of new points have arisen, showing that there are others besides the Paraffine Paint Company who can point the finger of suspicion toward the State officials who are sup- posed to look after the people’s inter- ests on the city front. One of the latest irregularities that has come to light in- volves the expenditure of thousands of dollars of the State’s money in the building and repairing of the wharves. For a long time past rumors have been current th there was something worth looking into under the wharves; that there was sonmfe kind of “funny business” down where the treacherous swish of the changing tides and the foul sewers conspire with u rupulous offi- clals to discourage investigation. There were plenty of reports that the plles of the wharves and bulkheads were not up to the standard and that the creosoting of these timbers was not half done. If such should be found to be the case it was good evidence that one was making money at the expense. igation of the wharves by porter of The Call, accompanied by &n expert in wharf building, shows that the stories are true and that the State i8 being systematically bled. In the st place a great number of are not up to the standard or re- d sizes. It must be remembered in different lengths of piles the ster varies. A pile of thirty feet near the butt . fifty to fifty-five een inches in diame- hould be the diam e to enty fee *hes for piles betwee t in length. As to im- chemical to at least an inch and the creo- soaked in so that one »f the pile should absorb at sote should cubic least ds. If anyone believes requirements have been by the Darby Laydon any and the San Fran- isco Timber Preserving Company let an examination of the piles teuart-street wharf and bulk- =3 reet wharf, the Fre- vharf and the new Hatha- he first place visited by ve and his a bulkhead and wharf at " According to the figures of those who Once Harb had the piling contracts of the Commissioners, the water at f required at least piles of enty feet, and the stand- hould be sixteen inches. But as found? A forest of pipe- and not a single pile over twelve > butt, while dozens run n as low as 11%, 11, 1015, 10, 9% and some 9 inches. is in the This work vas performed not ix weeks ago. = timbers is covered 3 S hough the word “cov- ered” hardly expresses it. Like beauty, the creosote hardly skin-deep. The scratch of a common penknife reveals the white wood all its virgin purity. And yet the State is paying from nine to fourteen cents per lineal foot for piles, and from twenty to thirty cents per lineal foot for creosoting the same, and to what purpose if not for teredos and limnoria, the contractors and cor- ruptionists to grow fat upon? Some of the piles encountered under this wharf were put in by the Perfection Pile Com- pany, known along the front as the Rood pile, after the name of the man- ager of the company. Many of these timbers are of scant measurement, not- withstanding their covering of burlap and tar, or asphalt. A rough estimate shows that at least one-half of these piles are undersize. The Hath v wharf, which is close to the place last mentioned, is a piece of brand-new work, the newness not vet having had ti to wear off. It is itu: y long piles are not required, twelve-inch being sufficient. While many are of the proper size, still there are not a few which are smaller than twelve inches in diameter. F some reason the Harbor Commissione have alternated some of the piles pre- pared by the creosote process and that | used by the Paraffine company. Here a startling discovery was made. As stated, the work is all new, yet many of the creosoted piles have al- ready been attacked by the limnoria. This destructive little pest, it will be remembered, does not bore into the d, but attacks it by cutting away lling the outside or surface. In a dozen of the creosoted piles little wood-workers have got nd when they get a hold the doomed. In clearing away the surface they make possible the pas- sage for the teredo into the interior of the timber. It will be remembered that change was made from the “built-up” piles, that proved such a success, Commissioner Colnon’s expla- nation was that the creosoted article ADVERTISEMENTS. BEAUTIFUL SKIN Soft, White Hands with Shapely Nails, Luxu. riant Hair with Clean, Wholesome Scalp, pro- duced by CUTICURA SOAP, the most effective skin purifying and beautifying soap in the world, as well as purest and sweetest, for toilet, bath, and pursery. Theonly preventive of inflammation and clogging of the PORES. (tGticura the world. Porres Dave & Crru. Boston. U. S. A. ‘urify and Beausify the Skin, Soalp snd BABY HUMORS iyl £ e Proj ““How to P mmalied free. was the only one that was teredo and limnoria procf, yet here is a sample of the doped piles will not stand the test for as much as a month. At the Spear-street wharf, or Oregon dock, where the big steamers lie, past experience shows that the piles should be at least fifty-five feet in length, the standard of which is fourteen inches di- L ameter. At the north or shore end the State has recently been putting in some piles and while a few of the timbers were found to be less than twelve inches, this figure was the average of the new work put in. Here, too, the the great saving comes in the creosot- ing, as it is cheaper to dress small tim- bers than large, when this job is done by the foot and none too well done at that. SR INJUDGE BELCHER’SCOURT Prcceedings in the Case Against the Commission. The proceedings yesterday in Judge Belcher's court were not of a startling nature. The investigation for the day closed with P. F. Dundon still on the FREMONT-STR EET WHARF. Rood and creosote piles were mixed. « A few minutes’ pull at the oars brought the investigating party in the boat into a veritable grove of small saplings, by courtesy called the Fre- mont-street wharf and bulkhead. Be- tween the bents, up one side and down { the other, went the boat and a pile that reached the width of twelve inches | across the butt was the exception and not the rule. Those under this size were too numerous to count, there be- | ing more from nine and one-half to eleven inches than over that diameter. | Here, too, the deadly little limnoria had | got in its work through the thin dra- pery of creosote. On the west side the bridge that connects with the Mail dock | seems to be “'set up on pipe-stems,” as the expert.of the party put it. There | were nearly sixty piles and none ap- peared to be any where twelve inches | in diameter. | At the Fremont-street wharf it was | expected that the piles would be at | least fourteen inches, for there the depth of water requires a fifty-five-foot | pile. The hopes were in vain, for none was over twelve inches and nearly | three dozen of the Rood and creosote- | covered timbers were found to be be- tween ten and eleven inches. These re- pairs have been in about three months, | from what can be learned. The experi- ence at the Main-street wharf was | about the same as at the other places, although the average there is twelve | inches. | In making the examination of the | piles in the several wharves it was found that among the many kinds of | teredo and limnoria-proof piles there | was one kind that has stood the test of years. It is the ‘“built-up” pile. Many were examined and although they have been in for years they are | to all appearances as good as new. The manner in which this company was | “unloaded” from Harbor Commission favors is a story of itself. Many years ago the manager of the | company asked Marsden Manson, 1he‘} | engineer of the board, to place some | of these piles in the most exposed place jon the water front, which he did on the seawall, making a record of the act in the books of the Commission. Nine years later the manager requested H. | C. Holmes, the present engineer, to pull up those piles for examinationand comparison with some placed in only | two years. The built-up pile was found to be in perfect condition and good enough to be driven down again. The other piles were so badly honey- combed that they broke in two of their | own weight. That test was sufficient | for the (former) board, and this is how | so many of the built-up piles are now in use on the front. As soon as Commissioner Colnon be- | came the ruling spirit of the present lsboard he “turned down” the built-up | pile people and gave the job of fur- | nishing this class of timber to the Dun- don-Slade-Laydon combine. His rea- son, that is, the reason he gave to the public was that the creosote piles were cheaper. The ‘“cheapness” may be | readily understood when it.is taken | into consideration that the piles fur- | nished during the past nineteen months | have already begun to disintegrate and | many are now honey-combed to that extent that they will have to be re- placed before long. " It was suggested by the expert that W) i MM \ \\&!)ll_ il AW == an inner coat pocket a document which Attorneys Cope and Sullivan examined. AS the instrument was unsigned they Insisted on the production of the genu- ine contract, which, it was argued, would be brought into court later. Judge Belcher glanced through the document and passed it back to Dun- don with the remark that he could not see that it contained anything of mone- tary moment not covered by the testi- mony of S. E. Slade. Dundon then brought forth a book purporting to be his private record of receipts and disbursements for the firm of Darby Laydon & Co. The only entry of seeming pertinence to the legal in- quiry was checked “H. C. C_C.” This indicated a deposit made with the Har- bor Commission in the form of a certi- fled check In the case of a bid, which is required by law. M. W. H. Healy, who has been a member of Healy, Tibbets & Co., water-front contractors, for nearly ten years, testified that his firm drove 685 piles on sections 1, 2 and 3 of theseawall during July and August, 1897. He saw possibly 100 of these piles himself. The Harbor Commissioners supplied him with piles through Darby Laydon & Co. Some of them were second hand. He saw two that were rotten. He re- membered stating to the Harbor Com- mission, after his firm’s contract had been completed, that some of the piles supplied him by Darby Laydon & Co. were rotten. These were among the fender piles. They were not required to be creosoted. They were the larger. outside wharf piles. The standard piles, creosoted, numberi ; 425 under the specifications, supported the wharf superstructure. He made the state- ment quoted to the board, because Dundon has sarcastically reflected on his firm in the presence of the board. Witness said he did not know of any money having been put in an envelope and placed where a certain member of the board could get it. He was asked if he had not told Darby Laydon this fact, but an objection to this question was sustained by the court. The rot- ten part of the piles referred to had been cut off. Further examination of the witness brought out the fact that he enjoined the board, for the purpose of gaining time in which to secure piles necessary for the fuuillment of a contract ke had secured as the lowest bidder. He had been buying piles from the Pacific Pine Lumber Company for years, but just before he bid on this contract they had notified him he must agree to pay them a higher price. He had declined to do so, and arranged to secure,piles else- where, though it would require more time to get them. The suit never came to a trial. He had prepared himself to deliver the piles at any point the board might indicate for treatment. Witness admitted a combination had been formed against him, and_ this was the means he took to save himself on his contract. Mr. H. C. Ho'mes, engineer of the board, testified that certain provisions in the specifications for the treatment of piles were inserted by himself and that Mr. Stratton had advised the board not to compromise the Pacific Pine Lumber suits. He corrected the latter statement, saying that Mr. Strat- ton's advice was not given in open meeting, but when several perscns were present, including the secretary of the board and himself. His instructions as to the insertion of patent numbers in the specifications «-nvorlm{lreatment of | piles came from Mr. Stratton and | Chairman Colnon. Mr. Stratton had | advised the board that they were not prohibited by law from using a patented article or process when the result to be accomplished could not be | attained by other materials or means. It was only since this trial had begun that Mr. Stratton mentioned anything about a law passed by the last Legis- lature respecting the use by State boards or institutions of patented ar- ticles, and then he said he had forgot- | ten about the existence of such a stat- STEUART-STREET BULKHEAD. witness stand. After he had been sworn he was asked to produce the contract between the San Francisco | Timber Preserving Company and the patentees of the creosoting process used by the company, Messrs. Curtis and Isaacs. Witness objected to doing so, on the ground that he did not want to expose his business secrets. Judge Cope appealed to the court to require witness to produce the contract. Garret McEnerney, representing Dun- don, asked to be heard on the sub- ject, but the court sustained the ob- jection of counsel for the Paraffine Paint Company. Witness further ex- plained that the contract contained things that might be used against him in a business way by competitors. Judge Belcher ruled that the contract should be produced, with the under- | | standing under which the Slade books had been examined, that counsel for the plaintiff should make no exposure of business matters foreign to the subject of the inquiry. Witness then drew fxoml | ute. While Mr. Stratton was a member of the State Senate in 1897 witness had consulted him with reference to Har- bor Commission matters Darby Laydon testified he did not know “Batterson,” ‘Matterson” or “Ratterson.” He did not keep the books of the firm. Mr. Dundon kept them. Dundon ran the books and finances. ‘Witness did not believe he had spoken more than half a dozen or a dozen times to Colnon. He knew nothing about the missing pile book. He had been acquainted with Mr. Stratton fif- teen or sixteen years. Witness at first denied that he knew anything about a compromise with the Pacific Pine Lum- | ber Company, but finally admitted that | there was an understanding in effect | that he should get his piles from that | company so long as their figures were | reasonable, his firm to remain out of | thg importing business. The hearing will be continued to- | morrow morning. CAME BACK T0 FINISH THEIR WORK Burglars Twice Ran-| sack the Same Residence. Part of the Plunder Was Cached to Await Their Return. Two Detectives Stand on Fruit- less Guard for Several Nights. THE SLEUTHS OUTWITTED When They Were Called Off the House Was Again Entered and More Loot Taken. It has been the boast of the “upper office” that no burglary of any conse- quence has taken place in the city for | some time, those reported being, as they claimed, the work of sneak thieves and “dope fiends.” The allegation did not seem in accordance with facts and now they are convinced that burglars who know their business are operating in the city. For several days detectives have been working on one of the most suc- c.essful burglaries, in point of the quan- tity of the articles taken, that has occurred in the city for a long time. While Mrs. Hancock of 1836 Turk street was visiting friends in the coun- try about two weeks ago, burglars broke into the house and raised havoc. All the trunks, containing a large quantity of valuable silverware, were broken open and rifled of their con- tents. Several articles were of crystal with silver handles. dining-room floor, so as to get posses- sion of the handles. Not content with carrying off all the silver articles they could find they smashed into pieces a lot of valuable bric-a-brac, china or- naments and china dishes. Bureau- drawers in the bedroom had been forced open and anything of value in the way of silver or gold was stolen. There was a quantity of wine and other liquors in the cellar and the bur- glars had apparently helped them- selves liberally to them. They had been unable to carry off all the stuff they ! had stolen and cached a’ quantity in the yard in the rear. Mrs. Hancock’s son lives on the op- posite side of the street and he discov- ered the burglary the next morning. He notified police headquarters, and Detectives Silvey and Byram were de- | tailed on the case. In making their in- vestigation they came across the buried treasure in the yard, and on re- porting that fact to Captain Bohen the happy idea occurred to him that the burglars would return for the plunder and by having a detective constantly on the premises he would be able to | capture them. Silvey and Byram were, detailed for this purpose, one to take day and the other night. They re- mained there till last Thursday, and as it was suspected that the burglars had given up the idea of reurning for the stuff it was decided to call them off. That very night the burglars re- turned, entered the house again, drank considerable more liquor and stole a number of other articles. They also se- cured the buried plunder in the yard, and now the detectives are trying to discover who they are. From the fact that they returned the very night the detectives were called off, it is pre- sumed that they had been watching the detectives and knew exactly their movements. ‘When Mrs. Hancock returned from the country a day or two later she was able to give a complete description of the articles stolen, and it covered sev- eral pages of foolscap. The value will amount to several thousand dollars. Mrs. Hancock is the widow of Samuel Hancock, late proprietor of the Han- cock House on Mission street. Go to O'Brien & Sons for modern style, high-grade surreys, phaetons and buggies at low prices. Corner Golden Gate ave- nue and Polk street. . il S T BOOKSELLERS PROFESSIONALS. | Rev. L. H. Geary Says That They | Should Be Ranked as Such. Rev. L. H. Geary read a paper yester- day at the Presbyterian ministers’ meet ing entitled “The Books of the Ministry,” and during the time of his discourse he declared that a bookseller in his own way did as much good as a minister or a teacher, and said that they ought to be | ranked as professionals. “It will be conceded, I think,” said Mr. Geary, ‘“‘that the bookseller is an educa- tor and a blessing to every community; that a store of well selected books is an educational institution of little less im- portance than a school. Nor should the influence of the bookseller in matters re- lating to intellectual and religious mat- ters be underestimated. The work of the bookseller is the same as that of the teacher. The religious bookseller's aims are the same as those of the minister, whose verbal instruction must be sup- plemented by good books.” At the Methodist ministers’ meeting a paper was read by Dr. Harris on Budd. hism, and was extremely interesting, and after which there was quite a spirited discussion. The Congregationalists were entertain- ed by a paper from Rev. William Rader on 'Teaching of Eschatology.” The meeting yesterday was called at 11 a. m. and closed at 12 m. The gentleman that was to read a pa- per before the clergy of the Christian church was not present and instead a discussion on “The Holy Spirit” occupied the morning. _— e Low's Horehound Cough Syrup cures bronchitis; price 10c. 417 Sansome st. ¢ —_——— Boone’s Rehearing. United States Circuit Judges Gilbert, Morrow and Ross sat in bank yesterday to hear the argument on the motion to grant John L. Boone a rehearing on the charges on account of which he was dis- barred by Judge Morrow. W. H. H. Hart spoke for Boone and Crittenden Thorn- ton appeared in opposition. Tne matter was taken under advisement. — e Bitzo’s Body Found. The body of Nicholas Bitzo,night watch- man of Lane’'s Hospital, who disappeared last Thursday, was found yesterday morning on the ocean beach near Land's End station. It was Bitzo's habit to take a walk on the beach every afternoon, and his friends think that he missed his foot- ing on the rocks and was swept away. The fac-simile signature of is on every wrapper of CASTORIA. The crystal had | been broken into pieces and left on the | the ADVERTISEMENTS. R e | B o = o REDUCTION SALE BARGAINS RIBBONS = MACKINTOSHES The tremendous rush that yesterday attended the opening of our SPECIAL TWO WEEKS' REDUCTION SALE cleared out a number of lines of goods, but they are replaced to-day by others equally as great, a few samples of which we append to illustrate SEVERE CUTS IN PR]QESAAADEI marked down to $1 50. navy and black, former price $ 00, At $ LADIES' MACKINTOSHES, in very double capes, in navies and black, LADIES’ MACKINTOSHES, in very (glcusreg double capes, checked and o . : At $ LADIES’ MACKINTOSHES, in black At $ LADIES' MACKINTOSHES, extra fin cheviots in black silk and plaid sil. | | i marked down to $7 50. At 90 down to 90c. At 90 down to %0c. At $ down to $2 00. RIBBONS. At 10 NO. 9 ALL-SILK BLACK MOIRE RI be closed out at 10c yard. At 15 NO. 12 ALL-SILK, BLACK MOIRE R. be closed out at 15¢ yard. At 20 NO. 16 ALL-SILK, BLACK MOIRE R! be closed out at 20c yard. At 25 be closed out at 25c yard. At 25 closed out at 25c yard. LADIES’ MACKINTOSHES. At $1.50. LADIES’ MACKINTOSHES, single capes, in navy and blacks, worth $3 00, At $2.00. LADIES’ MACKINTOSHES, in both single and double capes, heavy quality, At $4.00. also detachable, former price $i0 00, marked down to $5 00. MISSES’ MACKINTOSHES. MISSES' MACKINTOSHES, in navy blue double capes, worth $2 50, marked BOYS’ RUBBER COATS. BOYS' WINE COLORED RUBBER COATS, plaid lined, worth $2 50, marked BOYS' CAPE MACKINTOSHES, in black, plaid lined, worth $ 00, marked NO. 22 ALL-STLK BLACK MOIRE RIBBON, heavy quality, worth 8¢, will NO. 60 4-INCH ALL-SILK BLACK TAFFETA MOIRE, worth 35c, will be EMBROIDERIES. At 5 Cents Yard. 5000 yards WHITE EMBROIDERY, open work patterns, 6 and 7 inches wide, well made goods, extra value at 25c, on special sale to-day at 5¢ per yard. ® EZ Another Lot of Wonderful Bargains in Our Domestic Department. DON’T FAIL TO SEE THEM. marked down to $2 00. 3.00. fine quality serge, in both single and worth $6 00, marked down to $3 00. fine quality of wool serge, in both sin- plaid lining, worth 38 00, marked down 5.00. and nayy_ cheviots, silk lined capes, 7.50. { e quality of silk and wool serge, also k lined capes, former price $15 00, Cents. Cents. 2.00. RIBBONS. Cents. BBON, heavy quality, worth 15¢, will Cents. IBBON, heavy quality, worth 20¢, will Cents. IBBON, heavy quality, worth 25¢, will S-E-8-EE-EE-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-E RN Cents. Cents. = Yt ad Joes Sheets | | Murphy Building, | Market and Jones Streets WO SUITS FOR MRS. LEGLIES iSued for $400 and Sues for Immediate Divorce. an | The Woman in Trouble Is Better Known as Miss Gussie La More. Mrs. Leglles, better known as Gussie La More, whose personal attractions car- | riea “Swiftwater Bill” of the northern | country to his fate—that is, to the mar- | riage of Gracie La More, has been sued by R. Burden, head janitor of the Mills building, for $400 and interest at 1% per cent per month, and a bonus of $60 given on a promissory note signed by M. E. Leglies and his wife, Emilie C. Leglies, on July 11, 1895. It is not generally known that the pur- | ported Gussie La More was a married | woman; but, however, it is a well-known fact that Gussie's charms carried Wil- | llam away from the charms of his num- | erous gold claims, and that after arriv- ing in this city he married the sister of the charmer. The story as related by the party anx- fous to recover the money loaned _was that, while he was janitor of the Mills building, the husband of the defendant, | M. E. Leglies, who was then collector | for ‘the Duilding, borrowed the sum of $400 on a promissory note, and to bind | himself had signed an acknowledgment before Notary H. C. Droger for the amount. When the summons was taken to the the Baldwin Hotel, it was ascertained that she had left her apartments and had presumably gone té her sister's resi- dence, 1125 Taylor street, but last even- ing a male voice denied that elther of the sisters was in evidence and further- more, that the whereabouts of Mrs. Leg- lies was not known to the sister who { had married and quarreled with “Swift- water Bill.” | "Mrs. Leglies left for the Fast last | evening and leaves a petition behind her | praying the court that she be divorced from her husband. former residence of Gussie La More at | TMERICAY BOTS 0 THE YUKOY Canadian Authorities Make an Important Concession to Commerce. Steamboats May Ply Between the Headwaters of the Big River and Alaskan Ports. The following circular, issued by the Treasury Department, will be of inter- est to the mercantile community: The department is advised by the Ca- nadian authorities that small American river steamers may be carried in sections from Dyea or the Stickeen River to the head waters of the Yukon River, to be assembled there, free of Canadian cus- toms duty, and may carry cargo and passengers from customs stations at those head waters to Circle City and other places in Alaska. Such steamers cannot engage in the coasting trade from any place to another in Canadian terri- tory. The stations to be occupied by Canadian customs officers at the head waters of the Yukon are not fully de- termined, and their establishment will, to some extent, be contingent on the busi- ness to be done. Parties sending such steamers across to the Yukon can, how- plying to the Customs Department o Canada at Ottawa, and giving specific information as to the points of depart- ure, etc., on the head waters of the river. In navigating the Yukon River in Can- ada the usual Canadian customs regula- | tions are to be observed. These permit only vessels of British registry to carry passengers and cargo from one placeh n Canada and land the same at another place in Canada. If th‘f rl\;:r Sttxlnl?eerril o the Yukon have - Sy "“they may clear with p';;s. and cargo from a customs sta- ;‘}:‘g Yuks({\n in Canada for ports o on In cases of ‘Alaska, and vice versa. L’;nergency, pending the receipt of reg- {stry, a clearance may, however, bs steamers with- granfed to any of these out certificate of registry on board for he first :’\Iaskfl, but not for voyage down the Yukon to a subsequent voyage. SEEECTRO: SIS AN We! prices less clty. GOLD CROWNS, 22Kk.. NO PAIN in extra the_same day. 809 MARKET ST. Reception Room 7. ADVERTISEMENTS. BRI Z AU SV DOLLARS WILL GO AS FAR WHEN USED HERE :202 }lgévEEAn IN OTHER DENZAL OFFICES. EXTRACTING, FILLING, ETC. NO STUDENTS OR INEXPERIED all work and the most BT an One-half given you by any first-class dentists in the For the next thirty days our prices will be: FULL SET OF TEETH for DR.T.E. STRON NO PAIN IN BTC. NCED MEN to do your work. courteous _treatment, with 434 50 up ~350 up 350 up 2c up T5e up 80c up ing and no-charge when plates are ordered, By leaving your order for Teeth in the morning you can get them Work done as well at night as by daylight by the modern electriog W devices used here. Lady attendant. ance. Don't forget the number— A physician always in attend- Cor. Fourth and Market. CONSULTATION FREE. Office Hours—9 a. m. to 10 p. m., Sundays 910 1 m, SECOND FLOOR, y FLOOD B'LDG., » definitely on ap- ever, be advised more t’