Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-12-12
CITY Mattsr..

lnB WI lDC lily COuDCll l1ot w CuuCoudI
evening. 1t had been announced that
there would be a report from the COM
mittee appointed to investigate the de-
fects in the water ditch construction
and as this is subject of interest 10
every taxpayer, there was good atten-
dance of spectators.
The following letter from E. w. Hill,
who superlntended tue ditch, was the
cause of an investigating committee be-
ing appointed:
MEDICINE LODGE. KAs., Nov. Is, 'SS.
Geo: EsmOnd, Esq, Mayor of the City of
Medicine Lodge, kGS.:
DEAR SIR: 1 notice in the BARBER
| COUNTY INDEX in what purportS to be
a report of the last meeting of the city
council, that there are serious mistakes
made by me, engineer on water ditch,
and that am TO be held responsible. l
wish TO state that am ready and will
ling, and have been, all the way through,
to have my work re-measured by a COM
PETENT CIVIL ENGINEER, and | now
demand that it be done at once or that
the statement made 10y the INDEX be
corrected. All / ask is full and thor
ough investigation before reporters are
given the opportunity of judging my
ability as an engineer.
Very Respectfully.
f. w. HILL.
The committee, composed of Mayor
Esmond and Councilman Pearson,
made the following report:
COUNCIL CHAMBER OF THE CITY OF
MEDICINE LODGE, Dec. 5, 1888
TO the Honorable City Council Of the City
OF Medicine Lodge, Kansas:
GENTLEMEN We, your committee.
on looking after the work of repairing
| the banks of the water ditch, respect
fully submit the following report of
work done, work we still consider nec-
essary to do, and the condition in which
We found the work as left by the con-
| tractors.
In the first place, to obtain an intelli-
gent knowledge as to why the water
| ditch failed to hold water in so many
places, and to account for the great
wearing of the banks on the fills, we
deemed it necessary TO have measure
ment of the work by some engineer 9TH
er than Mr.. Hill, who, as per letter
herewith, claimed the work to be done
in satisfactory manner and in full
accordance with the contract. We
therefore employed MIR. Aber TO furnish
us with the necessary measurements,
the result of which we hand you and
ask your careful consideration OF same.
The report of Mr.. Aber showing that
when the contract called for embank-
ments to on inside and to II on out
side that the actual measurement is
| only about to II on inside and that
where the contract calls for width of
not less than four feet on top of banks
that the banks at hardly any point
reach that number of feet. We also find
that the grade line has been lowered
| from AZ To 46 feet, and that the work i'll
number of places fail by foot to
reach the latter figure.
The repairs 10 the work already done
| and found necessary to do by reason of
the above defects and violations of the
contract, have cost the city about $500,
and we find that il will cost several hun
dred dollars more TO place the work
where it ought to be, or should have
been, provided the engineer, Mr.. Hill,
whom the city employed to look after
its interests, had done his duty to the
city, and for which he was fully paid.
We feel that the city ought not to lose
the money it Is compelled to pay out tn
save the work already done and would
ask that either the engineer in charge
or the contractors be required to make
the extra expense good to the city, as,
to say the least, we feel that the engi-
neer in charge failed from some cause,
to us unknown, to do his duty to the
city and from said failure the contract
oTs reaped the benefit.
We would respectfully ask your hon
Orable body to locate the blame for the
neglect of carrying out the contract on
the proper parties.
MO fnrfhar find that o1fhnnnh fhQ
water i'm the ditch has never been up to
the point at which it is expected Ia
stand when full. that 1t was up to a
point within six inches of the top of the
bank in several places, thereby showing
the necessity of the banks being raised
at these low places without unnecessary
delay or before the ditch Is allowed tC
fill.
We also find that the banks on raj
of the fills will have to be riprapped
the same as the big fill, or some other
way must be provided TO prevent them
from cutting through as owing to them
not having the slope provided for in the
contract the water has too much action
on the banks. Respectfully,
GEO. ESOIOND, Mayor,
l.. +. PEARSON.
The report was read, and on motion
of Mr.. Logan it was adopted so far as
it related to the work done and the
work contemplated, and laid on the
table as to the balance. So just exactly
how far the council adopted the report
every one can judge for himself.
Mayor Esmond, as soon as the motion
of Mr.. Logan was adopted, rendered
his resignation as member of the COM
mIttee on water ditch investigation.
He said he thought the action of the
council showed want of confidence in
the committee. For one, he was of the
opinion that rascal should be exposed,
wherever found, His resignation was
accepted, and he at once appointed
Councilman Hubbard to fill the va
cancy, much against that gentleman s
protest. The mayor suggested that if
Mr.. Hubbard wanted any information
about the ditch that he did not possess,
that he could get it from Mr. Hill, no
doubt,
The proposition tn call an election for
the purpose of voting on the question OF
issuing $4,000 waterworks bonds and
subscribing $1,000 to the capital stock
of mining and Prospecting company,
was, on motion of Councilman i"Gan.
laid over until the regular meeting in
January. MIR. Logan explained that he
had no idea that so, 900 would be nearly
enough 10 put in waterworks. and for
one he wanted to know what he was do
ing before he reeklessiy threw away the
peoples money. As for subscribing
money to assist a private company in