The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, March 27, 1898, Page 16

16 THE SAN FRANCISCO LL, DAY, MARCH 27, 1898 “AFTER THE HOLD-UP!” | L5, e CHANGES BRING THE PAINTER PROFIT ferry Depot Frauds Are as Numerous as, Flowers in the Merry Month of May. PAINT HAS BEEN SUBSTITUTED FOR POLISH. Harbor Commissioners Lend Favor of Inflated Estimates fo Contractors Upon the Approval by Their Architect, Edward R. Swain. There seems to be no good reason to| doubt the truth of the assertion that the members of the Board of State Har- bor Commissioners, or such of them as have had to do with the letting of ferry building contracts, are as impartial a body of men as is to be found in this or any other country. A careful perusal of the revelations that have been made by The Call in connection with the manner in which | these contracts have been let and en- | torced will be aeemed by any fair-mind- ed person to be sufficient justif for this belief. v contractor has been permitted to share in the good things that have been dispensed with such frequency that the end already ‘In sight. For all of this generosity the State has to show the imposing front of | a big stone building, within the walls of which there may be found as large and costly a collection of shoddy in- | terior finishings as a dishonest man | would care to see. Almost every day for the past two| weeks The Call has devoted a portion of its columns to the duty of exposing | the shameless methods by which the | State has been systematically robbed | by the men who have been intrusted | with the expenditure of the funds pro- | vided for the erection of a union de-} pot and ferryhouse that was Intended | to be, and should have been, an orna- | ment to the water front, and a credit | to a great and wealthy State. There are other chapters to the shameful story. What there is left to tell is not one whit less shameful than what has gone before. The firm that holds the contract for doing the painting and polishing in the new ferry building has, like other con- tractors, profited largely by the acts of Architect Swain and the Board of Har- bor Commissioners in substituting poor materials and cheap workmanship for good materials and costly workman- ship in the interior construction of the buflding. The contract for all of the painting and polishing work in- the | building was let to the firm of George J. Smith & Sons, for the stipulated sum of $12,900. This sum has since been added to from time to time by the pay- ment of considerable amounts for ex- tras made necessary by continual changes in the original plans and spec- ifications in the interest of other con- tractors. It appears that the loss sustained by the State on account of the manner in which this painting contract has been carried out is not to be measured by Ev | | ADVERTISEMENTS. BEAUTIFUL SKIN Soft, White Hands with Shapely Nails, Luxg 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 toflet, bath, and nursery. The only preventive of inflammation and clogging of the PORES. (uticiira s 8014 throughoot the world. Porrea Dxue & COm. ‘Sole Props... Boston, U. S. A Boar R Mm@ P urlty and Beantify the Skis, Sealp and mailed free. o7 Baih,” BABY HUMORS [oaty trmalimia | finish. the profit that has accrued to the painting contractors or to those who aided and abetted them in avoiding the provisions of their contract. Since the painting work was commenced it has been prosecuted with such a lack of care and so little attention to the terms of the contract that much of the struc- tural work in the building has suffered past all repair. Iron and steel work has been allowed to rust and become cor- roded and the woodwork has suffered in like proportion. Workmen in other branches of trade have been hampered and delay after delay has resulted all along the line. The loss consequent to this action on the part of the paint- ing contractor cannot be computed. ‘What can be computed, however, is the profit that has accrued to the con- tractor on account of the numerous changes that have been made in the terms of his contract. As originally planned the entire interior construction | of .the bullding, where wood was to be used, was to be of quartered oak. Ah | of this oak was to be polished by the painting contractor, a proceeding that involved a great amount of time and labor. When the plans were changed, substituting Oregon pine for oak, as the material for interior finish, it be- came necessary to bring about a change in the specifications covering the painter’s contract. This was done by substituting three coats of paint, to be put on the Oregon pine finish, for the polish that was to be used on the oak How well this was done and how the contractor turned the incident to his own profit may be seen by a careful perusal of the following propo- sition submitted by the contractor: December 16, 1897. Gentlemen: Referring to changes made in our contract for painting and polisu.ng for the union depot’ and ferry house, San Francisco, Cal., we hereby agree to fin- ish work on the bullding in accordance with the following schedule of additions and deductions: ADDITIONS: To paint the under sides of all the I-beams and box girders in first story. To polish the plers of weatherly sides of walting-rooms, second story: To paint and san- the galvanized iron- work above the line of 12 feet 3 inches from- floor and extending to under side of roof of westerly side of waliting-rooms. To paint and sand the partition in southerly end of rear gallery section en- closing baggage-room. To repaint in bronze-green ecolor the ten northerly trusses in grand nave. To paint all the other trusses in grand nave, and all of ithe trusses in waiting- room and *rear gallery section, bronze green. Amount charged for above, $835 %0. REDUCTIONS. To omit the painting of the difference in area of first story partitions from that shown on original plans as against re- vised plans. To omit the painting of the original gates shown on westerly sides of waiting rooms, first story. To omit for not painting the gates and frame of shutters, except those enclosing lavatories, walting room section, second story. To omit the polishing of the wooden partition originally shown between piers on easterly side of grand nave, and also omit the painting of the original steel shutters shown on the same side. To omit the polishing of all work in chief engineer’s private office, draughting room and laboratory, second story. To omit all painting and polishing work in mezzanine story. To allow the difference in all of the first story partitions, originally -of oak, pol- ished, now changed to Oregon pine, paint- ed three coats. To allow for the omission of the sand- ing on the ceilings of the second story throughout, on the grand nave, waiting room and rear gallery sections, and to al- low torrghe sanding of all trusses but ten | ] | 1a the northerly end of the grand nave. | Amount deducted for above.........$114 75 RECAPITULATION. Amount of deductions ..$1149 75 | Amount of additions ......... ik 835 90 $313 85 | A person not familiar with the meth- | ods used by the Board of Harbor Com- | missioners in promoting the interests of favored contractors as against the | interests of the State would naturally suppose that this proposition would have been rejected without so much as | a moment’s hesitation. A person who | had never seen a paint brush or priced a pot of paint would know, after read- | ing the proposition, that $313 could not | represent more than one-fourth of the difference in value between the work | omitted and the new work to be done. | Not so the Commissioners. They promptly turned the proposition over to Architect Swain and he as promptly returned it with the following commu- nication: December 17, 1897. | Gentlemen: Referring to a communi- | ion made to your board by George J. | Smith & Sons, contractors for painting | Union Depot and Ferry House, affering | to complete the building in accordance | | with the schedules contained in their let- | ter, making all additions and reductions therein noted, for the sum of $313 85, to be deducted from their contract, I beg to say that I have carefully gone over the | quantities and prices, and in my opinion | the figures are reasonable. Yours very truly, EDWARD R. SWAIN, | Architect Union Depot and Ferry House. All that remained to be done was ac- complished by Commissioner Colnon, who, as president of the board, affixed | his signature to the proposition sub- mitted by Smith & Sons. Other but smaller plums have, from time to time, fallen to the share of the painting contractor, but the foregoing will serve to show how the thing is | done. —_————— CARING FOR THE HELPLESS. State Commission in Lunacy Discuss the Wants of the Asylums. The members of the State Commission on Lunacy held a conference yesterday relative to the best methods of conduct- ing the hospitals and asylums under their charge. Governor Budd presided. The others present were: Attorney-Gengral William F. Fitzgerald, Secretary of the State Board of Health; W. T. Mathew superintendent of the State hospitals; Dr. F. W. Hatch, Dr. M. B. Campbell and Dr. James Gibson of Southern Cali- fornla, Dr. Asa Clars and James Mec- Dougal of Stockton, Dr. E. W. King and Senator J. H. Sewell of Mendocino, Dr. F. M. Sponogle and Isaac Upham of Ag- news, Dr. A. M. Gardner and A. J. Hull of Napa. There was an interesting dis- cussion regarding the benefits to be de- rived from a similar dietary system of the staple foods and the clothing of the patients of the several institutions. The idea prevailed that iIf the State could purchase large supplies of the necessaries of life for the asylums there could be a great saving, besides insuring the pa- tients a uniform treatment wherever they might be. Another discussion was upon the sys- tem under which civil service examina- tions may be held. The Attorney-General suggested that the superintendents of the hospitals assemble and formulate the questions to be asked. Some time was consumed in a discussion as to whether the estimates for the necessaries for the | hospitals should be made monthly or quarterly, and the opinion was that the present system of making the estimates monthly is the best. In this connection the commission decided that it would be a good plan for the several Institutions to make an exchange of their surplus goods and products. For example, there is a large amount of dried fruits at the Home for the Care of the Feeble-Minded at St. Helena which can be made use of in the other hospitals. —_—————— LINCOLN RELIEF CORPS. Celebrating Its Anniversary—Pres- entation of Corps Badges to Old Veterans. The fourteenth anniversary of the in- stitution of Lincoln Relief Corps, aux- tliary to the' Grand Army of the Repub- lic, was celebrated last Thursday night in Lincoln Hall by an entertainment and social. The members of Lincoln Post, G. A. R., were specially invited guests. Department, Commander N. P. Chipman and staff were present, as were also Mrs. D. A. Kinne, Mrs. Cora A. Merritt, Mrs. Geraldine E. Frisbie and many depart- ment officers of the Women's Relief Corps and visitors from other local corps and from those across the bay. During the evening the ladies of Lin- coln Rellef Corps presented to the mem- bers of Lincoln Corps a set of corps | badges such as were used during the Civil War to indicate the corps to which a soldler belonged. These badges, forty- three in number, presented a very fine appearance when displayed in the hall, | The presentation was by Edith M. «Com- stock, the president, and they were re- ceived by Past Commander C. J. Handly. Then followed a short literary and musi- cal programme and a congratulatory ad- dress by General Chipman. Colonel C Mason Kinne presented, on behalf of the donor, “a beautiful-framed picture of “Sheridan’s Ride,” executed by H. Mortimer, past post commander, and by him donated to Lincoln Post. During in. termission refreshments were served, —— e Women’s Press Associations. The regular open meeting of the Pacific Coast Women'’s Press Association will be held in Shasta Hall, Native Sons’ build- ing, to-morrow at 2:30 p. m. Mrs. Woodward Trucsdsis will give a -fix”'n’ii;‘, Old California Missions,” illustrated by over fifty stereopticon views. Miss Kath- ryn Kucks will sing s “Ave Sanc- Hssima.” XPERTS SEE FOR BLIND AND DUMB State Board of Exam- iners Look Into Accounts. Superintendent Hayes Is Under the Cathode Ray. The Broom Factory Runs Thousands of Dollars Behind. THE SECRETARY INQUIRES Trying te Find Why Faetory Is Losing So Much the Broom Money. Secretary of State L. H. Brown and | the State Board of Examiners have | been busy for several days investigat- ing alleged shortages in the accounts of the Home for the Deaf and Dumb | ‘| the belt, as he did not want to carry so | vestigating a burglary which occurred FOUND THE MONEY -IN HIS BELT Peculiar Complaint of Oscar Minton, a Miner. Reported to the Police That He Had Been Robbed. A Mysterious Burglary in a Market Street Lodging- House. VALUABLE ARTICLES LOST. The Room of Mrs. Hansen Entered Three Times During the Past Week. “I have been robbed of $650 and want you to send a detective to make a thorough investigation.” So spoke a middle-aged man named Oscar Minton as he rushed breathless- ly into police headquarters last night. “I knew I would be robbed,” he ex- citedly remarked. “My God, what will become of me?” In answer to the questions of the clerk Winton said he had arrived here from the East yesterday morning, in- tending to go to the Klondike. He had the money in his inside -vest pocket and meeting a friend the latter induced him to accompany him to his room in a lodging house at Eddy and Taylor streets. A short time afterward he missed his wallet, and, convinced he had been robbed, he at once commun- icated with the police. Detectives Gibson and Wren were de- tailed to make an investigation and ac- companied by Minton they visited the room where he claimed to have been robbed. Failing to find the money in the room after a thorough search, the detectives proceeded to question Min- ton. While they were asking him to de- scribe the places he had visited during the day he suddenly jumped out of the chair in which he was sitting, and with an exultant cry produced a belt con- taining the money. “I did not think of ¢he belt,” he joy- fully remarked, as he eagerly counted the money. ‘““How could I have made such a mistake?” Minton then explained that shortly after his advent in this city he went to a store on Kearny street and bought much gold in his pockets. After placing it around his waist he put the money in it, and, meeting his friend, he went to his rooms. After a short conversation he forgot that he had placed the money in the belt and as he could not find it in his pocket he concluded he had been robbed, and at once reported the matter to the po- lice. Detectives Bee and Harper are in- vesterday afternoon in a lodging house at 783 Mission street. During the temporary absence of Mrs. Hansen, who lives in the house, somebody en- tered her room and stole a sealskin cape, several silk dresses and a small and Blind. Secretary Brown speat all day yes- terday with Superintendent Hayes of | the Home. He made a thorough inves- tigation of all accounts and discovered that the income from the broom manu- facturing department is from three to | four thousand dollars short. It was | rumored that the shortage affected the | veracity of the superintendent, but this statement was denied last night by all in authority connected with the Home. Superintendent Hayes said: “There has been no investigation of my per- sonal accounts. The Secretary of State and the State Board of Examiners have been going over the books and they have found that there is a short- age. This is owing to the fact that the broom market has been very bad, wages have been such that it has been impossible for us to compete with the low prices of the outside wordd. An examination of the records will show that the broom dealers of the city have done badly also.” Directors Glascock and Smith denied that the investigations affected the standing of the superintendent, amd ex- Director T. C. Coogan said he did not see how it would be possible for the superintendent to do any grave wrong without the knowledge of the directors. Superintendent Hayes admitted that the affairs of the institution are being thoroughly investigated by the State Board of Examiners, but he expressed himself as perfectly satisfied that no harm could come to him from the in- vestigation. ADOLPH SUTRO RAPIDLY SINKING It Is Not Expected That He Will Live Over a Few Hours. A Corps of Physicians Working Zeal- ousiy to Prolong His Days. Adolph Sutro, the man who so energet- ically fought his way up from the ranks of the unknown and by his owne efforts has commanded the respect and admira- tion of the Pacific Coast, is at last near- ing his end, and it is feared that a few hours will suffice for the sands of his life to run out. The lifetime of vigorous, active work told on his system, and for some time his mind has been gradually weakening. This crisis was reached a few weeks ago, when the court decided that he was no longer capable of looking after his financial in- terests, and a guardian was appointed. This trouble, however, was only the warning signal—the coming dissolution first showed itself in the overworked brain, but since that has given out, the whole system has been gradually weak- ening. Yesterday several physicians were in at- most constant attendance, but their skill seemed to be of little avail, as the old financier is sinking rapidly. It is ex- m:ed that a few short hours will see the | amount | found unlocked and it is thought that in money. The door was the thief gained an entrance with the aid of a skeleton key. This is the third time that the same room has veen en- tered during the past few weeks. Last night Mrs. Hansen.visited police head- quarters and reported the matter to Chief Lees. OUR NATIONAL GUARD. Its Approximate Strength March 1st as It Appeared From Incom- plete Monthly Returns. H From general order No. 2 out of the adjutant-general’s office at Sacramento, the approximate organized strength of the National Guard of State of California on the 1st of March, as appears from the monthly returns, was as follow: Commander-in-Chief and staff. Division and staff Three brigades and Three signal corps reported) . Four !rrmp? (Third ~Brigade not | ‘cavairy 9 | (E and I not reporte (C and G not reported) th Infantry (A, E and G not reportes venth Infantry (D and I not reported: Sanitary Corps Total . Cadet Corps, First Infantry . Grand total .... 255 Owing to the neglect of some officers, as appears from the number of com- panies that have not been reported, it is Impossible to state with official accuracy what the strength of the guard is. e ——— TIRED OF WAITING ON OTHERS. Early Activity in Alaska Trade Mat- ters is Necessary. Since the State Board of Trade was in- duced to take charge of the management of the affairs of tne Alaska Trade Com- mittee the board has not met with the success and support it was believed were due or that it would receive. The original committee was formed from the Chamber of Commerce, Manufacturers’ and Pro- ducers’ Association, Merchants' Associa- tion, Produce Exchange and other com- mercial bodies. The aim and object were to so advertise this city through the East, and all over the world for that mat- ter, that those who intend going to the | gold fields would come this way and se- | SPECIAL SALE OF' FINE GERMAN LINENS! We have just received direct from the manufacturers in GERMANY a very large shipment of extra quality Housekeeping Linens, and commencing MONDAY, March 28, will offer the same at lower prices than similar goods have ever been sold at in San Francisco. The assortment consists of HEMSTITCHED and FRINGED TABLE SETS, FRINGED LUNCH SETS, HEMSTITCHED and FRINGED DOYLIES, HEMSTITCHED and PLAIN NAPKINS, HEM- , STITCHED TRAY CLOTHS and STAND COVERS, HEMSTITCHED é and FRINGED TOWELS, HEMSTITCHED TEA CLOTHS, HEM- STITCHED TABLE SCARFS and a great variety of FINE TABLE DAMASKS, with NAPKINS to match. SPECIAL.--- 250 dozen GERMAN DAMASK NAPKINS, 26 inches square, handsome patterns— $3.00 Dozen. SPECIAL--- 40 pieces EXTRA QUALITY TABLE DAM- ASK, all new designs— $1.00 Yard. b (77277 ¥4 1892, u, 13, 15, N7, 19, 121 POST STREET. their outfits of the local merchants. Whiie e original commitiee's represenc tatives did some good, there were a few who placed the body under a cloud by eir conduct. [thr all this, the Board of Trade took up the work, and hoped that with the help of the original commercial bodies it would recover some of the lost ground. To this end, Manager J. A. rilcher sent out invitations to all the organizations named, ing them to send representa- tives to a meeting to be held for the pur- pose of devising ways and means to carry on the work and finally establish the fact that San Francisco is the best port on the Western coast . to outfit. Some of the bodies have responded and named repre- sentatives, but there are some Which seem to be suffering from ‘“cold feet,” so to speak. At least, they have not named any one to be at the meeting, and unless a move is made in this direction very soon the Board of Trade is likely to take up the burden and carry the roject on its own shoulders. Mmaybe that {‘s what some desire, as such a move would give them the benefit of success and they would not be responsible for failure should that be the fate of the venture. Manager Filcher savs that every day the number of inquiries from prospective Klondikers continues to increase, and large numbers of the writers state tonat they are intending to zet their outfits in thi ity. He and his assistants continue | to send out hundreds of letters and an- swers to inquiries. The exhimc at the bureau of information at the foot of Mar- ket street is still a source of interest to | hundreds who are going to the north. As soon as the committee or the board decides upon some concerted action the | field of usefulness of the bureau will be | increased 100 per cent —_—e————— THE CONTRACT BROKEN. Inter-Collegiate Games Will Here- after Be Held at Central Park. Football Managers Prichard of Stanford and Brown of Berkeley met to-day in this city and gave formal notice to Colonel Robinson, proprietor of Recreation Park, that their colleges considered the con- tract entered into last August for use of the grounds for coliege games at an end. The contract has still one year to Tun, but as the clause whiche prohibits the sale of intoxicating liquors on the premises was violated during the foot- Dall matches of last season the manage- ment of both colleges thought it best to take advantage of the annulment and terminate their obligation. Favorable terms have been secured from the owners of Central Park, the scene of former fooiball matches, and a contract was drawn up to-day which will probably be ratified in due time by the student bodies of the interested colleges. In the new agreement the university man- agement reserves the right to put in their own seats. This provision is made to greven( the recurrence of such an acci- ent as happened during last year's intercollegiate idiron contest at” Rec- reation Park, when the roof of thg grand stand fell in, resulting in the injiry of many people. ADVERTISEMENTS. quoted below, incl DR.SOPER’S Special Offer To those who begin treatment before April 2, after which date his prices must be increased. He GUAR- ANTEES to cure every case he accepts for the price uding all medicines. Catarrh 520 00 | Plles 520 00 | Kidney Discases Rheumat 20 00 | Paralys €0 00 ] Nervous Debility mh g Neuralgia . 20 60 | Skin DI 20 00 | Syphilis 30 00 Sciatica ©20 00 | Diabetes 25 00 | Varicocel 20 00 Fistula .. 130 00 | Ulcers (chronicy 30 00| Stricture . 30 00 Asthma. 2 00| Bladder Diseas 20 00 | Rupture . 00 Gravel ©20 00| Bronchitis .... 20 00 [ Loss of M; 20 00 Consumption, 1st stage... 30 00 | Epilepsy or Fits . 30 00 | Gonorrhoea 10 00 Tape Worm 20 0 | Diseases of Liver 20 00 | Gleet ... 15 00 -3000 [ Goltre or Thick Neck.... 30 00| Prostatic Diseases 20 00 11500 Salt Rheum .... 25 00 | Tumors . 1350 to 3200 230 00| Bright's Disease . 4000 | Cancer .. 375 to §230 be told so, thus saving you time and money. Dirins the past five months 3812 were examined and 1304 were rejected as incurable. ‘N who are Nervous. Despondent, Diseased and Weak from early in life readily restored by the Neutralizing entirely new and painiess method. Thy CONSULTATION Hours 101012 A. M.. 210 5and 7 t0 8 P. M.; DR. A. SOPER'S SANITARIU 056 tanbis. 15 can Ime) unable to call inclose hist a AND ADVICE Fike. P M, 524 TAYLOR ST, indiscretio d WOMEN treated by e for reply. DISEASES OF Fine Tailoring At Cut Rate Prices S ALL WOOL SUITS MADE TO ORDER FOR $12, $15.50, $17.50 and 820 i THEY BEAT THE WORLD FOR QUALITY AND STYLE —AT— THE Joe Poheim-1ii5x 1110-1112 Market St. 844-846 Market St. 201-203 Montgomery St. SAN FRANCISCO, CAL: O000000Q000000000 h or Little-at-a-Time Payments. © 00000 Y with A Mahogany-Roman Chair, tufted silk-fimished seat, at Noonan's next week.. B --.-8LT5 A carload of Chairs just unpacked— dozens of styles—and you're welcome to credit. — J. NOONAN, 1017 to 1023 MISSION STREET, 516 to 522 MINNA STREET, ABOVE SIXTH. n Evenings. 000000000000 0000000000000000000 000000000000000000000000 Phone ° South 14, ° 0000000000000 C0000 UNITED STATES LAUNDRY, { 1004 Market st, Near Powell, - 'l‘Oldphofxe. South a=0, DR.MCNULTY, YH S WELL-KNOWN AND R NOW BL Lv l Spevialist cures Private, WOIVB“.B{#E&%‘\H l-n\;v Power restored. Over for Book, free. Patients Sundaye 0 fo 3 Consulce | ' 2. Consulta- 5 20d sacredly confidential. Culi or address - ROSCOE McNULTY, o1. D., 26 Kearny Ntreet. San Franeisco. €5l