Although I cannot imagine what connexion can exist between Bargy's claim for remuneration for his exertions to build a dam between Fig and Hutchinson islands and the operations of the dredging machine upon a part of the main channel called the wrecks, I nevertheless feel it my duty to repel the charge contained in the certificate of the pilots, attached to Bargy's petition, that there has been no deepening or improvement of the channel effected by the dredging machine. I have conversed with several of the pilots whose names are attached to that certificate. They declare that it was not their intention to have expressed any opinion on the subject; and that they were told that, by giving a certain statement, some individual named would be benefitted; that they consented to do so, but did not design to go further. I present the letter of Mr. Gaston, addressed to me on the subject of the deepening of the channel. Other testimony corroborative has been offered me, but this gentleman is so well known that I have thought it superfluous. I subjoin such certificates as the brief space of time allowed me has permitted me to obtain, corroborative of the foregoing statements; also, the letters of Mr. Martineau. In conclusion, I would respectfully ask what security an agent of Government can feel or have in the disbursements of public money, or the superintendence of public works, when contractors, their workmen, and creditors, with their whole host of dependents and followers, are allowed to come before a Committee of Congress and arraign him in any and every shape that their cupidity and malice may suggest, and when the committee, without giving him the slightest intimation of the charges preferred, enters into a grave examination of the subject, and reports with as much solemnity as if the whole matter had really been before them-as if the same hearing in which the accusers had been indulged had in truth been extended to the accused? Under such circumstances it cannot be doubted that "the post of honor is a private station." Commissioner for removing obstructions in the The Hon. THOMAS F. FOSTER. RECEIVER TAX RETURN OFFICE. GEORGIA, Chatham County, $S. I do hereby certify, that Peter Bargy, Jr. has made no tax return in this county for the years 1824, 1825, 1826, 1827, 1828, and 1829, as I have carefully examined the returns for the above six years. Given under my hand, at Savannah, this 13th day of May, 1830. ADAM COPE, R. T. R. C. C. posal FRANKFORT, HERKIMER COUNTY, N. Y. July 26, 1827. RESPECTED SIR: I received your favor of the 10th instant, informing me that by making those alterations in the dam, as stated in your letter, my prowas accepted. I agree to take the contract under these alterations; but am somewhat disappointed as regards the advances which I expected would be made from time to time on the contract; I shall, however, make such arrangements as will enable me to go on with the contract with my own funds; I should wish to have the dams in two separate contracts, so that I could receive pay for the one when finished, which would enable me to carry on the work to better advantage. As respects the security on the bonds you mentioned in your letter, would have to be given in Georgia; and as there is no advances to be made on the contract, I know not why security is necessary; but if it should be absolutely necessary, I will make such arrangements as to obtain security in Georgia. I expect to comply with every thing which is required in the contract with Government. I shall write immediately to P. Wiltberger, Jr. of Savannah, to contract for all the materials for the dams. Please have the goodness to write me, immediately after the reception of this, whether it is necessary to give security on the bonds now, or whether it would answer when I go on next Fall, to commence the work. As security is to be given in Georgia, it will be necessary for me to be there. You will please inform me in your next letter in what way it is to be done, and how soon. I am, with respect, your obedient servant, W. C. DANIELL, Esq. PETER BARGY, Jr. (Copy of reply to the foregoing.) NEW YORK, 2d August, 1827. SIR: I have received yours of the 26th ultimo. The contracts for constructing the dams between Hutchinson and Argyle Islands, and the former and Fig Island, I consider you bound for. Upon your return to Savannah, in November next, you can enter into bonds, with the necessary security. In exacting that security, I am merely fulfilling the instructions of the Treasury Department, and have no discretion. The object of that security, no doubt, is to ensure the completion of the work in the time specified in my advertisement; of course, there will be separate bonds for the building of each dam. Respectfully, your obedient servant, TO PETER BARGY, Jr. W. C. DANIELL. I hereby certify that I had frequent conversations with Peter Bargy, Jr. during the time he was engaged in building the dams between Fig and Hutchinson islands. He several times boasted to me of the elegant plan he said he had adopted in sinking the cribs, and said, if the one he had struck upon did not succeed, he did not know what would. This boast was of the last attempt. I never heard him complain, nor of his complaining of being restricted by the Commissioner. I believe the cribs, in the last attempt, blew up very soon after being sunk, which I attribute to his not having had heft enough put in them to keep them down. SAVANNAH, May 13, 1830. THOMAS KILES. I, Samuel Griffin, wishing to be concerned in the constructing a dam be tween Hutchinson and Fig islands, did frequently converse with William C. Daniell on the subject, previous to the contract made by W. C. Daniell with Peter Bargy, Jr.; and that I was prevented from contracting because W. C. Daniell uniformly declared that he could make no advances of money previous to the beginning of the work, or during the progress of the same, and that all risk of failure was to be encountered by the person or persons contracting to make the said dam: nor do I believe that W. C. Daniell would or did contract with P. Bargy, Jr. on any other terms; and I am clearly of opinion that the failure on the part of P. Bargy, Jr. in not completing the said dam, arose more from want of a sufficient number of laborers to fill the cribs speedily, after their being placed in a proper situation, than from any circumstances connected with the bed of the river. I do further declare, that I have conversed with several masters of vessels relative to that part of the Savannah river called the Wrecks, and that their concurrent testimony induces me firmly to believe that the depth of water over the said Wrecks has materially increased since the operation of the dredge boat placed there for that purpose. SAVANNAH, May 12, 1830. SAM’L GRIFFIN. STATEMENT of amounts due by Bargy & Co. to certain of his witnesses, the payment of which depends wholly upon the success of the application to Congress. I hereby certify, that I have heard Mr. George Folts say, during the last attempt they made to stop the channel, that, if they failed, it would ruin them, and they could not pay their expenses; and after the dam did go, he signified to me that he had hopes of getting something from the United States for their trobule. Savannah, 13th May, 1880. WM. RANKIN. SAVANNAH, 13th May, 1830. up, ma During the time of Mr. Bargy's driving the piles between Hutchinson and Fig Islands, I was there several times, and observed that they could not stand, for these reasons: that they were not sufficiently driven into the ground; they should have been shod with iron, and well banded, and the hammer three times as heavy as the one in use. When they blew ny came on shore, and I had an opportunity of judging of the depth they had been driven. I should judge many of them not more than from 24 to 3 feet in the ground. It was generally understood here that Mr. Bargy's creditors would get nothing, unless Government made him some compensation. I believe this was all they calculated upon. JOHN EVERINGHAM, jun. Messrs. Bargy, Norton, & Co. to Alexander A. Smets, DR. Dec. 24, 1827.-By P. Wiltberger's acceptance of their draft, at 90 days Feb. 29, 1828.-By their draft, at 90 days, on Wilt berger and Green By this amount for balance of account 126 06 $307 99 I hereby certify that the above account includes all the timber and lumber sold by me to Messrs. Bargy, Norton, & Co. used by them in the construction of a dam to connect Hutchinson with Fig Island, and that the said account was settled by two drafts on Messrs. Wiltberger and Green, as above stated. I further certify that I never had any other trans action with them relative to said dam. Savannah, May 13, 1830. A. A. SMETS. SAVANNAH, May 13, 1830. SIR: In answer to your inquiries respecting any knowledge I might have of the manner in which Messrs. Bargy & Co. performed their work upon the contract for building a dam across the channel between Fig and Hutchinson's Islands in 1827 and '8, and the causes of the failure of that work, I have only to say, that I had no opportunity of forming any opinion upon the subject from any actual knowledge of my own, as I was not in the habit of inspecting the work. I, however, had frequent conversations with Mr. Bargy while the work was progressing, and as frequently expressed my doubts as to the possibility of sinking and confining to the bottom any frame work extending entirely across the channel. In Mr. Bargy's replies he uniformly disagreed with me, and frequently He mentioned a expressed a perfect confidence in his ultimate success. work of the kind which he said had been done in the same manner at the North, (I believe at Albany) and did not appear to have any apprehensions of a failure in the plan. He never stated to me whether the plan of an entire crib across the channel was his own or not. I never heard him say that it was a suggestion of the commissioner, or that the commissioner required it of him. Immediately after I had heard of the dam being swept away, I had a conversation with Mr. Gill, Engineer of the Savannah, Ogechee, and Altamaha Canal Company, who had frequently visited the work during its progress; and he expressed it as his opinion that the failure was owing to the manner in which the work was done, and observed that he had frequently told Mr. Bargy that the piles were not driven sufficiently deep. My decided opinion is, that the principal cause of failure was the attempt to sink the whole length of the dam together, instead of sinking it in sections. Whatever defects there might have been in the mode of constructing it, or in the workmanship, of course had their influence also. I have understood that Mr. Bargy was largely indebted to several persons in this city, and to many of his workmen; and that he was totally unable to discharge those debts without obtaining relief from Government. You ask me if I have taken any notice of the operations of the dredging engine which has been employed in the river, under your direction. I have seen it in operation several times; and, about five or six weeks since, as I.. was passing down the river, I took particular notice of it while it was in operation. It appeared to work extremely well. The buckets came up full, and discharged without any difficulty. I should suppose that it was at that time removing earth at the rate of from 20 to 30 cubic yards per hour. Mr. Charles J. Brown, one of the creditors of Mr. Bargy, met me in the street some time since, and requested my signature to a certificate, for the purpose (as he stated) of establishing the character of Messrs. Bargy, Norton, and Wolverton, as industrious and hard working men. I told Mr. Brown that I was willing to give my certificate to that effect, they having been employed upon the Ogechee Canal, upon which I was engaged, and I believed them to be such; but that I was at that time in a great hurry, and could not stop to peruse the paper which he presented. He assured me that it was only a certificate of the facts above stated. I read the first part |