That some men in an organization such as this, gathered from all over the United States, should prove to be lacking, and should fail to hold their place with their fellows, was to have been expected. That the number of such men should not exceed half a dozen was remarkable. In fact, almost every such case was found when the first notes were returned to the office, and in only two or three instances was it necessary to send a second man to do work which had been once covered. In several cases men were sent over certain sections which had been inspected by some one else, with a view of getting an idea of the personal judgment of the different men, but in such cases the results were astonishingly close, and created the greatest confidence in the figures of depreciation which were being received.
Looking back on this work, after the lapse of 10 years, after having fully reviewed it twice, and examined all records, after having heard the men engaged on it testify in court, and knowing the record of these men since the completion of the work, the writer believes himself fully justified in stating that, no matter what opinion may be held as to the accuracy, reliability, or value of the result, no charge of carelessness, neglect, undue haste, or lack of consideration can be sustained as against the staff.
To strengthen the work further, to eliminate the element of personal error, to guard against the danger of dulled perceptions due to constant application to the work, and to forestall, if possible, every point of objection to methods, a Board of Review was chosen by Appraiser Cooley to whom were referred:
(a) The methods of inventory and valuation, as determined by the staff;
(b) All points on which special discussion or difference of opinion were noted in the working conferences;
(c) Questions as to elements of value in the physical property which were in themselves not tangible or capable of inventory; and finally,
(d) The results of the whole work.
The members of this board were chosen on account of pre-eminent standing in the Profession, and on account of experience and prominence in railway engineering. The board was composed of four men, as follows:
Chairman, Octave Chanute, Past-President, Am. Soc. C. E., former Consulting Engineer, Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railway, but at the time not engaged in active railway work.
George W. Vaughn, M. Am. Soc. C. E., Engineer in charge of Track Elevation in Chicago.