Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-05-08
MILDLY INDIGNANT.
Tbs Members of the Board of Pub
Tic Works
Very Much Wrought Up Over the Action OF
the Finance Committee Talks
With Committeeman.

To cay that the members of the Board
Of Public Works we're feeling warm yester'
day is to state it very mildly. They were
boiling, and from an early hour in the
morning until late at hight they were hard
at work rsllying their friends, and prepar'
for the approaching tilt in Council
over the report Of the Committee on
Finance, the full text of which will be
found in our Council report. At an early
hour in the afternoon the members of the
Board got together, and proceeded TO hold
a private indignation meeting over the re-
port of the Committee. After the lapse Of
about two hours the reporters OF the press
were invited into the Office of the Board,
and the members, through Mr.. Egerter,
who had been selected as spokesman. pro
ceeded to relieve their minds. Mr.. Eyer
ter ssid:-
1--WE look upon this action Of the COM
mittee as a gross insult TO the members OF
this Board. Ia violation OF the Legis!s-
i've enactment creating the Board, and OF
the ordinances of the city, the CONF lttee
has seen fit to usurp all authority vested IN
the Board, and then, to crown their action,
they placed q penalty over the head OF our
clerk, to be in force il he dare obey our
orders. 1.-THE Board is no longer compe
tent TO perform IT'S duties, LEI the commit
tee come out openly and say so let them
make the numbers liable to fire and i'm
prisonment if they desire to put restric,
lions upon u~s-anytbiug but hide behird
the clerk in the cowsrdly manner they
have. What has caused this onslaught
we do not know; certainly it can not be
because we have not endesvored 10 do our
duty.
The simple fact is that the Com mittee
has IAN exaggerated idea of its own
importance, ana has gone to work system
s~ticslly to ignore the Board. Not only
this, but it has undertaken 10 make arbitrary
estimates for sundry pieces OF work without
the least idea as to whether the money they
have set aside for the purpose will be sufi
cient. As an example Of their estimates
take the Eof street extension. We made
a careful estimate of the work. which
amounted to $I4, 600, including 81, 300 for
cutters and sewers. The Committee
~gravely sets down $4,000 tor the paving,
which will cost $ll, 70U, and makes no es'
innate whatever for cutters or sewers
And their other estimates are on q par
with this.
When the Finance Committee first
met we submitted an estimate OF money
wanted for this year, $96, 200. This did
not suit the Committee, and they cent back
for a detailed estimate. We accordingly
itemiZed the estimate and sent it back to
them as follows:
Eighth ward, to be paid out Of the ten
cent levy-Psving Eoff street, from Thirty.
SECOND to Thirty ninth, T%hlriy.ninth, from
Eoif 10 Jacob, ST. 700; curbing for same,
81 ZOE; crossings, 81, 900; total, $l4, 600.
Second ward, to be paid out of the ten
cent Ievy-Psving Chspline street, from
Eleventh to Market Alley, $4,000.
Fourth ward, to be paid out Of the gen.
ersl appropriation to the Board-Psviug
Chapline street, from Sixteenth to
Eighteenth, east on Eighteenth to Eof
south on Eoff to Nineteenth, and east on
Nineteenth to Jacob, Sill, 700; curbing and
crossings, 81. 300; total, $4,000.
First ward, to be paid out of the general
fund-Paving Main street, from Ninth to
Third, 1890; curbing, $500; total,
$l9,8OO. In addition to this the Street
Railway would have to expepd $500 for
paving between it5 tracks.
Third ward-Srsmm House alley, from
Main street 10 Water, 5000.
This made q total of $4,000; then in
addition, there was So, 500 for the condem.
nation of the Hook property, $3.50 for
general curbing, 81, 900 for paving cutters.
81, 900 for crossings, 81 500 for brick for
crossings and cutters, $1,000 for sewers,
and a like amount for laying the same,
81 600 for crawling North Front street,
81 $40 for South Front street, and 81 coo
for filling up South York street, $1,000 for
bridge repairs, $500 for lumber, s.. $50 fcs
salaries, $500 for surveying, $l5G for print.
ing and advertising, and - 200 for paving
ami curling Fourteenth street from Main
street to the Pewiky depot. This. with
$4,000 for our contiugeE: fund (less
$1,000 expended made $50, 200. No
sooner had re committee got this, how
ever, than they cast it aside, aud proceeded
to make up estimates Of their own. when
there ia not a man on the committee who
can estimate the cost of ten feet Of crock
sevef pipe"
What will be Board do in the contin-
gency that Council should adopt this re-
portY' asked the reporter.
"Well," said Mr.. Egerier, that ia a mat.
ter isr future consideration. You can ssy,
however, that we will do one Of two things
We will either resign, or ignore the action
OF Council and spend the money accord.
ing to our OWE ideas. and meet the issue 10
the courts"
This was coHcurred in by the two re.
mainiDg members ofthe Board, who stated
that they would not submit tamely to the
Infringement of their rights and the cur.
tailnent of their power.
Members Of the Finance Committee were
disposed 10 tHke another view OF the mat.
TER. They contended that the Finance
Committee had done nothing more nor less
tiau us pio'u outJ III mhhiuE Tue report "
had, and asserted that it Wa high time the
Board Of Public Works was brought up
with q round turn. Said che member OF
the Committee, who seemed to voice the
sentiments Of ally:
The Board is making a great TODD
about the committees action, forgetting
toe committee merely recommended
C ,rtain things to Council, which can i2nor
whole business if it is 80 disposed
There is no doubt, however, bat that ID,
Board needs a little surveillance " -.
outstanding the plain provisions g, ,ba
restraining ordinance. the Board M. AZ
lberntely run into debt to O. RI,
Campbell to the ,uns Of 81 sra and 7 g..
one, an in favor OF letting ,'oem gs, an, "
hole they are in q. beat thew can
Council is put in a pretty plight before ,bs
We vent 10 the voters e., ~,
loan, ~Pledgipg ourselves that bsra.
utter no debt should be ere.
,ted' we drew up the restraining or.
IMAGE. throwing about the treasury all
he safeguards human ingenuity could de-.
'lse, and here, the 6rst thing we know. We
confronted viii a debt Of three or four
M nWN n N ~ Ill