The Evansville journal., 1868-01-22


fling errors in those statements. lst.
It Is not stated IN the Courier that
DR.. Haas claimed damages to over
81, ,000-the verdict only awarded him
S100. I'd. Ny measurements were by
no means proved incorrect" but
merely the fact that the amount OF
earth taken off the streets by that
measurement was not all delivered to
DR.. Haas. Sd. The instrument used
by me was not proven out of order,
and totally unfit for USE" but only
that an engineers level would have
been better instrument, and that
the wires were not in a vertical sad
horizontai position, position that IS
not absolutely essential to the COR
rectness of the instrument. Hi
g.: I,neYer attempted to prove that all
the earth excavate6 from the streets
went to DR.. Haas; nor did / know
either the position or capacity of the
hO{e the said earth was removed to.
Now my calculations made
4391 78-100 cubic yards of earth.
The whole length of the streets from
which the earth was said to be re-
moved to DIR. Haas was 2, III feet 8
inches; the width throughout was 40
feet 5 inches. Every fair minded
and intelligent man who saw those
streets after the excavation had been
made and before the gravel was put
on, kRoa0s and will admit that the said
excavation was fnlly foot deep.
Allowing it to be foot deep for that
length and width, it would show that
4,067 49-100 cubic yards of earth had
been taken off of those streets. My
calculations only gave them a depth
of i 1-10 feet. But again. suppOs-
ing that there was only 1900 cubic
yards Of earth taken off the streets, as
stated in the Courier, that would only
give for the same length and width
(and / would state here, that the
length and width are indisputable,
and can be proven by actual measure
ment at any time) depth of A 100,
or little over five inches. Is there
any sensible man In the community,
who saw those streets after excava-
ton and before graveling, who will
venture to assert in the face Of the
citizens living on the line of those
streets, that those streets were only
cut down five inches below their Ori-
ginal level? Possibly such a man can
be found; but his assertion would
hardly be believed / could fnd
some rather amusing inconsistencies in
" the very best professional evidence, =
that was supposed to show my . meas
urements and estimates to be incOr-
rect'Tsuch as that a hole 100 feet
long, 80 feet wide and 5 feet deep,
and therefore only of a capacity of
1.488 .48- 1G0 cubic yards-was expect
ed by one engineer to take in 1000;
and how, after having 1900 cubic
yards dumped into it, the said hole
was not half full. How it is possible
TO find the exact depth of hole af-
ter it is filed, though unknown be-
fore, by cross sections, and how an
engineer has no use for rodman, but
is required to stick his leveling rod
in the ground, and operate both rod
and instrument by himself at the
same time and place? These matters
being below the notice of the author
of the article in the Courier. are de-
cidedly below mine. though. salts
factorily proven by the aforesaid best
professional ability.
With regard to professional ability,
/ have only to say that a Civil En-
gineer, like others, is best proved
by his works Since | have held
the Office of City Surveyor there
has been graveled twenty three
squares; powdered FIVE squares;
goodly number of alleys paved, and
sidewalks laid down with brick. The
city wharf has also been carried on
and finished All this work has been
done under my supervision, aud ac-
cording to my lines, grades and stakes.
On these works known to be done by
me, | am perfectly satisfied to stake
my reputation so far as they go, and
/ confidently defy any former Survey
or to show an equal amount Of work
done IN the same time by him, or any
work showing superior ability in the
same line, than these streets, alleys,
and the city wharf exhibit. These
works were done with the aid of the
much abused, but very useful, old
transit belonging to the city; it being
the only instrument the city had at
that time-the level being in Troy,
New York, undergoing repair. The
same transit was used by the City
Surveyor who preceded me, in all his
work; and, as far as / am informed,
was the only instrument used by him.
With this work executed by me, visi-
bic to all, accomplished with the old
transit, l must say [ think it is some
what late in the day to assert that we,
/ and my old transit, are incombetent
and useless. And all [ baFe to say
in conclusion is, tltatif an "acknow-
ledged ignoramus, with an impro-
per instrument " can accomplish such
work. the city has really and actually
no need for anything better.