New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-06-25
RHALL THE BLOCKS COME UP
HE FIFTH-AVE. PAVEMENT BADLY LAID.
coNrRoILER LoEw Will NOT PAY THE BILL TILL
TINY woyK 10 DONE SATISFACTORILY.

coNrRoILER LoRw Will NOT PAY THE BILL I'LL
THE woSK IS DONE SATISFACTORILY
Controller Loew will move IN the Fifth-ave
pavement matter to-day by giving nouee ~ Nvi ,,
not nav for the work until it Is satisfactorily done
Ee viii accompany his ultimatum With state
nent that he has had an examination OF .ne strec.
made by his own engineers whose report convinces
HIM that the specifications have not been carii t
ont ont in several particulars The surface of the
he nssr oCe ws
But the stones are in many cases bad. The con
tract declares that they shall be not more than man
and cne-halt nor less than seven cdcs n snd
Others eight The result isthat the long ones are nm
bedded firmly in the concrete. while Tue snoIt oncs
scarcely reach the cement, and that RUS VIII soon
Ic m ode Inv heavy vehicles. Mr.. Loew thinks that
the ccucnt is all right. 1t was not right untii lie
called Mr.. Soures attention TO apou' zen uaAs
ogo bat since the defects he cOnplalned ol nave
leen remedied His engineers report. too tbat many
of the stones a; e soft and micaceous Inc stones
now in the Office of the Commissioner OF IunnG
Works were not, Mr. LOcw MAINTAINS, inc olSHlai
exhibits. Those have been taken away and others
more similar to the granite used on lac avenue
have been substituted IN their stead me cIoS.lnts
are rough and uneven, hilc the stones ought 10 t
each other snugly and be perfectly slnootn IN"
work as a whole was aItiully but not properly dore
III tie Controllers Judgment, and no oia moe See
any other course FOR him than to refuse t. pay ihc
cont ractor until the bad work has been done over
again a satisfactory way. A.,
" hen asked If this would mako necessary we
fearing up of what had already been inishcd Nj.
Ioew said he feared that most of it would nave 10
come mn He sa;d that his right to demand that De
SHALL be satisfied to the proper CONDITION OF Lle
work was unauestioncd. lie was responsible for
his own acts and lie did not propose to pay out inc
public money when he was satisfied that IL was not
Iightiully earned. - :.
At the lice of the Public Works Department II
was strouty maintained that the pavement vas az
right in every. respect At the same Time silu
DEPUTY Commissioner William '. SMITH. u am
having au Investigation made OF all the specie
rllegatlons made against the contractor III Is saI
that the bed upon which the concrete is ad Is solt
in two ascertained places. am having me iO2d
torn up in those places to see If It Is SOFT IL VIII e
IN awful Job too for that concrete is laid harder
than rock and the stones in il are set FIRMLY IEls
is ali an outrageous political attack on Mr. squire
That is the long and short OF H. 1t these Things
were all known to Mayor Grace two weeks 400. 1T
was his duty TO tell IL that the contractor was m
posing on us Mr.. loew did that in The matter OF
The cement and detailed two inspectors to watch
il while it was being made and used. If tins thing
truth the Mayor should have sent for Mr.. Squire
and gwen him a charCe to rectiity 1t. But II
would have had no political effect If done in that
way. II would merely have secured good pave
ment. What the persons WHO got up this sensation
want, more than they want good work, Is chance
to discredit Mr. Squire" 49,,
Mayor Grace said that the iny tiGat!on was still
going on. and that the talk about the matter nav
Ing any political hearing was idle. lie said that IN
time he should produce some evidence 10 TX me
responsibility for such betrayal OF the public
interests