The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1857-03-26
sPECIAL NOTICES.

1 take interest the ourJ6ct, thAE tmmedtatoiy
after Mr. Jcha Fl. Knowles announced himself
candidate for thu elise OF Superintendent Of ou'
| CITY Gas Works he certainly had right to
ou.~s WRITER, over tbs signature OF aFair Play"
in tho National American OF the 10th nAt attacked
him In very courteous terms putting certain quss-
| lions, which If not answered by himself or hts
friends would have seriously injured him. both
| candidate and ss a man. The answer to tbs ques-
tions required reference tn the oLo1eedipgs the
Committee on Light and the eHic,al action OF the
| Superintendent Of the Gas Wofk. tMr: WJnneo In
order to free and fair exposition of the charges
made BY Fair Play" and hence the card Of a CT
/ ply Of 'Citizeu" Mr.. Thomas h Wynns, the super
intendent of the Gps Works. takes options Ia the
Dispatch of date Esd inst which requires an answer
He says sthers are not 1900 metrss 10 the city
,ss sSw m s:t vss VIII IL o.. ~.
March 1856. and refresh his memory, page 1lth be
will see that he put down total OF metres SET 1897
He now says 277 have been added during the Gas.
| YEA. These added together. make 1874. according
| to hts own fsures-making ~ more than stated
SO that a. I then stated about 1860 metres" which
Mr. Knowles had to attend to- stands true By the SUI
| periuteldent's own figures
Next Mr.. wynns says: "The ordinance does not
require the metres to be VISITED we1sy Tepe.s
ORDER resolution. 1t matters not which, the me
tres were required to be seen weekly" then 18th
Oct 1851, monthly and on the 7th Nov, 1851, they
| were required to be seen QUARTERLY and this
last superseded the two former, Mr.. Knowles was
governed by it, that is ne visited all In Monros
and all in Jefferson Ia the third nonth-so that LII
were thus in each quarter and the accounts to
made out by his reports and presented
| in this rotation. ~
| 1rae an ordinance, dated the 27.h of March, 1856
pointing out the whole duties Of every officer aud
agent connected with the gas works, says, tpag-
"Re (the Ipspector) shall personally inspect every
metre at least MONTH and at each risit after
euferi0 in the metre book the state Of the yeqister
| date of visit" &c, &c. Now. the accounts
| made i'quarterIy," texcept few monthly, the me
| tres of which Mr.. Knowles did visit monthly why
the necessity of taking the quantity of ges consumed
MONTHLY No use could be made of it, because tie
accounts rendered quarterly. This 10 fully ex-
planned the next page in the ordinance, aud shows
that the meaning must have been tina. TO personally
| inspect every metre, month In Monroe Ward.
| the next month in Madison Ward aid the third
| month in Jefferson Ward for 1t ssys AS soon
practicable after the first day CT zach month, the In
spector shall to the Clerk te metre book, with
the state of the metres OF such persons as are re-
quired to pay monthly. (this Mr. knowles has done)
aud with the state Of the all osEsr persons
Ia one of the Wards, to wit: Jsfersen Ward, II the
month be February May August or Move MAD
| or December; ard Monroe Ward. If the month be
| January, April, Jolly or October The book shall
show the quantity Of gas consumed by eash person.
during the quarter month as the may be, for
| which payment 10 to be made" Now, all this has
| bsen done by Mr. Knowles, agresably to the ordi
nance and early explains the object had in view
page g. that is Mr.. Knowles was TO see sill the me.
tres in Jef.rson in month Madison next month,
and Monroe the third month thus enabling this Clerk
| to make out all quarterly and month y accounts
But suppose it actual was intended that he should
each OF the 1900 metres esch month in the twelve
months! He would have to see Il 600 year.
But was he on y TO run and see them and be eff
No he must each time to es Oh metre take account
of the register "ascertaining whether the metre is
or is not in good working condition. If be not and
| the defect can be remedied without removing
| it. HE SHALL REMEDY 1T BEFORE LEAV-
| ING the premises" Now how is he to learn if or
not the metres In good working condition except
by testing cash and then how very often thsy are
out of order. requiring some times ten minutes some
| tine thirty minutes, some times and bour; yet,
he Is to at the rate of sixty day besides all of
his other duties. such testing pipes and fixing by
application of the air pumps As have asked, is
| Mr. Wynne, Ibid he not promise the Committee on
! Light that he would do all the ordinance required
and does not his official oath bind him to fulfil them"
| What! does Mr.. Wynne put the Committee in the
position of exactng from Mr.. Knowles more than 10
possible for do. and because he cannot do it,
make it chasSe against him IS they have done? Is
| this acting fairly and honoraby 2"
| MI Wynne says he gave nearly every gas filter In
the city permission attend metres to aid con
sune!s In getting their metres thawed This is said
to show that Mr. Knowles was not so hard in the
| performance of his duties But Mr.. Wynne knew
when he gave this permission" that if any sest for
these gas filters they would have to PAY THE ELL
| while to send for Mr. Knowles charge wou be
made, it his duty. and the result of this per
| mission" was to send for Mr. Knowles first; il he
| was engaged, and they could not wait their turn
| then second, send for gas filter
| Mr.. Wynne summons 10 his aid part of ths Com
nittee on Light, to show that the charges he inside
| against Mr. Knowles were not Indefinite and gene
raj" and with promptitude worthy of less
I ",
| Knowles had not examined the metres once Per
| month required by the ordinance" Whether this
is "indefnite general" or distinct and specific,
question of no consequence; 1t Is fully answered
| above.
End charge: "That he did not take the state of the
metre himself when making out the quantity of gas
consumed. but in many instances he sent of the
| lsborers who was employed on the service pipe to
take them" Now Mr. Knowles aid in many inssan-
| css allow assistaus-an intelligent msn-ts take
down the figures from the face of the metres and
hand the same TO him, but never except when hs
pu.hed to get through with his returns that the
clerk might make out the accounts If this 10 to be
! regarded objectionable crime, with Mr.. Wynn g.
| say if lot he himself 10 to escape He is to be
permitted TO set at defiance ordinances while others
are TO be crushed for like offence. Have you, Mr.
Wynne, invariably adhered to that ordinance which
requires the Superintendent to enter the state Of hs
station metre-the height of the gasometre the gas
| made and the gas used at O'Clock, A. Nj and o.
clock, NJ, each day? Have you doue this! No /;
why Because it may be that iyour services were
| more important elsewhere; it may be you were
well or it may be you did not find such
| agreeable. With what propriety you. then,
| gIaVely charge upon Mr.. Knowles dereliction of
duty when you have yourself failed strictly to do
| do not mean to hold you responsible to the very
letter of the ordinance prescribing your duties
should you hold Mr.. Knowles; for your respective
duties such as to compel you, under pressing cir
cumsta to call upon others to help you and this
without the Sigh injury to the interest OF the
CITY. But ,hsn you should bear in mind that "he
who lives In glass house should not be The fist to
th ow stones"
after promising attend to his duties violated them
in lass than twenty.four hours What where 'ths"
charges, when made, and when the promise! Do
you call this distinct and spesfe IL you will be
pleased to give dates and circumstances, will re-
ply, until which decay the charge.
Fourth charge, THAT Mr.. Knowles had employed
persons to work for him without the knowledge Of
Mr. Wynne" When Mr. Wynna came into ofica
be found MI. Knowles in elise, having man to 20
round with him. ex Iins metres, &c This man
died. when, at the Recommendation IF other officers
in the Gas Works he took of the stokeis, (6r.
make g. because he good and steady nan sue b
as he wanted and because his hsa til was sui
fering from the exposure to the hsat of the furnaces
lie is true that he did not formally get Mr. Wynne,s
permission for he did not think he would raise eny
objsction Soon after MIR. Wynne did rai.e en- OBJ.
lection, when MI Knowles gave him up. Finally
however, Mr. Wynne let tn. con inue with hi m
Does MIR. Wynne mean this case? If not let him
be more spscitis and say Whist he does mean
Fifth charge That he had taken a man from an
important post to assist him against tho
of the Superintendent"
Why, this is charge the Ain, in new words requi-
ring no other remark than that he who drew 1t must
have been hard pushed for matter, whsrewith to
make out his list SO much for the charges of Mr..
Wynne, endorsed bya part of the Committee on
Light. Now, charge, that if this committee be-
lieve the truth of these charges made them by
Mr. Wynne, they have been grossly guilty of their
duty in not Diminishing Mr. Knowles long ago. They
not only have cot dismissed him, but have unani
mousy reelected him. The inference then Is, that
they believed that Mr. Wynne was Influenced by en-