New-York tribune., 1873-05-10

a miserable Character" " We find the wooden
foundations and the walls utterly worthless y L. also
stated that the work would lavo been substantial III "
had done in accordance with the plans and spech
cations prepared by the Comnission but that would
have COST twice much aP ~ DO In the manner IN
winch Ii was done by the Boatd. Saving the cost 70
be divided with the oontractors appears u nave ooe
have paid for 1t fully the price contracted 5 TOT
with the Commission 70 90 tGe worA wei well wss Sns
known and Acknowledged by the Board 70 DC
total failure Furthe1 tent reodered Inv the Com
mee of Invesgation. AZ page lSs Is Wnat purDoIt W
be copy OF the Specifications for the work referred TO-
which the vitality important matter OF denhsy tx hHss
the depth OF dredging entirety negecSd. n hnI D., "a
evidently omitted for the purpose OF ena1nng me
10 make any Kind Of ARRANGEMENTS with the CONTRACTORS
All doubt this point Ia removed by the hce Snas t
Board accepted and paid in full for dredging an pi @
part OF the canal west OF F0nrteentns,y WEI ~ ]
the required depth by ass feet on an average as
cd by careful measurement (ee report OF experts page
6O2) SupposDg the Board 10 have practeed slINI ii
system OF false measurements ana S o esn
enormous The failure OF the Board. even up 70 me
present time to render integibe account Vi aela
transactions required by the organic act, connus
the impression that the foregoing but fair samps oi
most Of their TRANSACTIONS
THE SMALLER SEWERS ALSO BADLY MADE.
The smaller sewers, OF which many miles have been
put down by the Board, appear have been as badly
devised and constructed the manOne along the canal
Many OF them are too small and very imperfect GreaV
quantities Of bad pottery pipe, imported from osher
cities and from Europe, have been used where moro
capacious and more substantial brick sewers costing
much less, would have wered better purposes. The
extensive and manfesty unwise use OF 50 great quan
position Of honest purpose BY way OF justlfying
impOrtatiOns and the use OF pipe OF inadequate
dimension, Mr. A. r. Shepherd stated TO the Committee
OF Investigation under oath Il think an eight-lncn
earthen pipe is better for drainage Will do its work bet
ter anu a's dOnget sa ' Mr sbenherd a. Senera re-
garded as responsible for all the Boards actions and as
controlling ali its operations, including It's engineering
tbe foregoing statement indicates that he does
not know enough to calculate the area OF a
circle Otherwise he would have known that an
isInch drain will discharge fully five times as much
water as one only eight inches IN diameter The mate
me diference In the quantity OF liquids flowing through
them, provided their interior surfaces are equaAy
f5an onetwenteth dferehce between that Of pottery
pipe and ordinarily wellad brick dram. But there
IL another and very important element IN calculations OF
this kind OF which Mr. Shepherd appears 20 Do pro-
ioundIy ignorant That Is tae Sh1cs ~ The dae 0
This in the sizes under consideration, amounts 70
nearly one-ffth in favor OF the larger Slze .1e
natural difference IN the conditions OF the interior sur
faces Of brick and pottery drains heace % w. ;b t
kinds and sizes OF drains amounts 10 tulIy wv pJr ce en-
aside from the proportional 9ereHSe III II E also re-
ported from trustworthy source that the Bo.rd nau
Teat length of water pipe inches in diameter taken
IN and two fourincD pipes substituted, for the pur
pose OF increasing the supply OF water oI GouisG
diminished the supply fulylODe jbut the Board
appear not to have suspected such result uhul ln
formed OF it by some outsiders =, -... 49,. 10
MI Shepherds claim in favor Of small pottery pipes ls
efectually disposed OF by Mr.. Krepp in his Work Oh
sewerage, page 49, as follows;
The only thing that can OF small Grains that
case of stoppage accumulation Of deposits the BACK u '
Sydroac head hight poporonay to the eogIh
until finally the We8h o e coz
mum oyoes II happen however when be IAN
sediments accumulate over great iels OF
rda distance and the head not ben
Rg enough whole eventually and becomes Al s4
bic nuisance
THE BOARDS DRAINS FILLING UP.
Ths is precisely what Is going on In many OF the
Inadequate drains this city, unwisely put down by
the Board as well in the larger, but still inadequate
sewers along the canal particularly from Ninth to
Third-st They are rapidly filling up. And such as are
too small 10 admit Of interior inspection or to admit the
entrance OF aborers to Obstrucons, will have
To be taken up The necessity for this, and the ncon
| yenience of ii, Mr.. Krepp sets forth at length.
In regard the comparative cost and value or pottery
nine drains there IL close agreement between the Tore
going Of Mr. krepp and the facts ana nAures pre-
sented TO our Legislative Assembly in l87l by the Hon.
John G. Hardness. But as they appear 10 nave Deen
disaseful to Board they enecualy sm0thered
See pages 512 and 53 Of the Investigation REPORT
Aside from the fact thus established that good brlck
3Oiuch diameter be constructed Tor one
third less than the cost OF 20inch pipe viii suppose
for moment that their cost Is the same In such case
az the sectional and effective capacity OF the nrst Is
more than twice great AS that OF Tue second dnd s
the former Is stronger and more durable the value OF
the brick drain be more than double tbit OF the
pipe will thus be seen that at least % per cent OF ne
sum expended on large proportion CI tle pipe utdIus
must be loss TO the city, whatever lt may nave
been TO Board and this Is due eJlef 10 tue lgO
rance or dishonesty DOth OF the Board When ne was
before the CommEee OF Investigation the questions OF
cost aud inadequate sizes OF the pipes were closely
| nressed upon 9r. Shepherd (see page 1871; but ne
avoided giving direct or satisfactory answers " tueu
az well as other points on which exact Information
| - Josirat s. b.
| washington, D. c. May Z, 1873.