St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-12-14
LOOKING INTO THE SEWERS
a Special Council Committee Invest-
gates Alleged Irregularities.
A ROAST BY MIR. BARRY
Mr. Rinker Calls Workmen From the
Sewer--A Pretty Little
Scrap. !

by Engineer Rinker and Aid. Kerr, MS
old-time enemy. At first Kerr refused
to go, saying:
'.I'm going to get an engineer to go
with the committee as provided for IN
the resolution. Pm not going to have
an investigation made by the man who
put up the work, and if | can't get an
engineer to accompany the committee L.
won't go. That's settled"
The committee could find no evil
dences of poor or neglected work, and
expressed themselves as fully satisfied
with it, much to Id. Kerr's disgust.
In the afternoon the committee met at
the hall in the council chamber, and
heard witnesses. Cornelius Barry was
the first called.
BARRY RoAsTs THE SEWER.
He told the committee that in his
opinion the arches of the sewers are too
fiat. When part of the sewer had been
built it fell in and the arch was rebuilt,
and heavy plank put in to keep the
bricks in place. He said that a post
which had been put in had forced the
brick in the arch up half an inch.
''lsn't it fact that where the cracks
you say occur is where the moist ground
WASP" asked Aid. Downs.
"What is your opinion Of the whole
job?"
Il think if the arch was regular sewer
shaped it would be all right"
''lf the top of the arch cracks wouldn't
it show something on the sides?' asked
Mr.. Downs.
Eyes, think it would. The trouole
with this sewer is just here: To save
digging two feet deeper they Topped the
thing on its side.''
"How much of the cement, Mr..
Barry, do your say was really bad"'
81 can not say, for | did not see any
except that of which l have already
spoken"
''Do YOU consider the mason work and
the material used all right"
II do, except the cement, which was
in Jumps. But no man can tell much
about cement, for there are so many
kinds of it,
.'You are satisfied, then, that the
work has been we'll done, are you?"
II am. The foreman of the bitches
had no power whatever, as the Superln-
tendent ordered the men around as he
pleased. and changed them from one
place to another without saying any
thing about it to the foreman, OF man in
CHARGE"
fOIQ YOU SpcI IIfdhO huy IOLioi N w
| anyone about the portion OF the sewer
which fell in?''
II did; | told the superintendent
when it was being built that it was not
at all safe. When the sewer was being
rebuilt | saw that old timberS we're
being used, and l asked the man in
charge ii he wanted it to fall in again.
He told me it was none of my business,
and then remarked that l was not rum
ming the sewer" ~
"You were discharged from this work,
were you not?" asked City Engineer
Rinker.
IL was" +
"Did you not say that you were going
to make it hot for me?"
II did not, and | defy any man to say
500
wORKMEN FROM THE SEWER.
Mr.. Sherburn, who had had charge OF
the men doing the brick work, was then
called by Mr.. Rinker, and he said he
had heard that Mr.. Barry had said he
was going to make it hot for us. But L
did not hear him say so,
"Well. never said anything Of the
kind, and no man can come to my face
and say so.'
Il do not believe" remarked Mr..
Rinker, ''that there is any use i'll bring
ing any more men here to tell about the
work in this sewer. | claim that we
have as good a piece of work there as
there is anywhere in the United States.
The whole thing arose from news
paper article, and that ought 10 set
tie it,
Mr.. Rinker produced several books on
mechanics to show that his work was
all right, and quoted numerous illustra-
tiOns to prove it. He read any quantity
of figures to prove that the rise in the
sewer was not as great by some fifteen
to twenty feet, in proportion, as it
might be, were it built the same as
other sewers and bridges. the best ones
in the world. The city engineer went
on to explain why the sewer was built
so flat, and said it was the utmost folly
to declare that the rise was not suffi-
Gent.
ut was built flat,' said he, 'because
we did not want to go down into the
ground any deeper than was positively
necessary, and because we wanted to
90 under Bassett's creek without bring
ing the top of the sewer too near the bed
of the creek That's the reason the
sewer was built fiat. | defy you to
show me any better sewers in the
United States than we have in Mime
apolis. We have had less failures here
than in any other American city. No
one can show me half dozen defects
in our sixty miles of sewers. 1t is
nice time to come in here now and try
to point out alleged defects. I believe
there is 10 question about our sewers
here, and l believe that this investiga-
ton is agreat farce.'
All this time AID. Kerr had been get
ting angry, and he finally broke:
l,x-Iy In choafhlnD
of the sewer?''
THAT shows your ignorance in regard
to seweri building" retOrted the city
engineer. IF You want to know, though,
it was left in because it was cheaper
than to take it OUT
A PRETTY LITTLE SCRAP.
$50 it was cheaper was it?'' shouted
Aid. Kerr, do you know, MIR. Rinker,
that I believe you are one OF the damn
dest thieves in existence! g. .
City engineer Rinker's face grew
purple, then white, and he fairly yelled
s.You are ag-d- liar, and dirty
coward!'
Then he grasped heavy book and
fired it with all his strength straight at
Kerr's head Kerr lodged the missed.
and in a second there was a big row on.
Kerr grited his teeth and made rush
for the city engineer, grasping a chair
as he went. Rinker stood on the defen-
sive, his teeth set and his face as white
as death.
Before Kerr got to Rinker chairman
Downs stepped in front of the enraged
alderman and grasping HIM by the
collar, SAID:
mo you don't. John Kerr. am run
ming this thing just now and you will
do as l say. This thing has gone far
enough"
"Tll be damned if you are running
me-" Kissed Kerr. Get out Of my
way"