The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-10-06
WORK ON THE SEWER
Interesting Interview With Mr..
David James.
THE CAREERS FULLY ANSWERED.
The WOrkmen's Apparent Idleness at Times
Explained Are No Colonists
And No Distinctions.

a HERALD reporter called on David
James yesterday and Intercepted him con-
corning the progress being made on the
construction of the sewers and other points
of interest pertaining thereto. Mr.. James
made the following statement of the situa-
ton and future prospects:
! He said that at present there are five
! different gangs of men at work digging
trenches and laying pipes. Three are at
work on Main street. one on Fifth South
street east of Main, and the fifth at the
stump on the Jordan. The workmen on
Main street will have completed the lay
ing of the laterals along that street by the
end of hemonth, and if there is no delay in
securing the pumping apparatus for the
pump, residence and business houses on
| Main street, will be able to connect with
| the laterals and begin the use of the sewers
during the month of November The total
| length of laterals that will be ready for use
will be 5000 feet, of which LOO are now
laid. Mr.. James said, however, that he
supposed that it would be necessary to
wait on the pump, as the bids were not to
be opened until the Sth, and the chances
were that the firm to whom the contract
would be awarded would not have the ma
chinery on hand and il would be necessary
to wait until it could be built according to
the plans and specifications stipulated in
the contract.
Mr.. James said there were number of
croakers who were constantly kicking be-
cause the men were not doing the amount
of work that they should do, but these peo-
pie knew nothing whatever concerning the
matter and the difficulties encountered on
every hand. The gist of the majority of
these complaints was that the shovelers on
top were not constantly at work If any
one would stop and investigate, the causes
would soon become apparent. Some three
weeks ago the order was given that one
surface shoveler should shovel for two
sets of men below, but few days later two
men received severe injuries by rocks
falling down on their heads and the men
refused TO work any longer unless they were
furnished with a man for each set to keep
the dirt from accommodating on the
surface and rolling back, The foreman
then went back to the first method, but Mr..
James reis5ued the order and surface
men during the past two weeks have been
shoveling for two sets. Passers by do not
always know the reasons why man may
be idle and to illustrate this, Mr.. James re
lated an instance which occurred a few
udN dPO. ne was COLlllllB uONu Iu6 SJE6eu
one morning and saw half block ahead of
him several men leaning on their shovels
He hurried to the place and began to use
fOrcible language to the men when one of
them pointed to the trench and Mir James,
on looking down, saw that the men below
were removing the timbers used as sup
ports. when the reason fer the apparent
idleness Of the men was very plain. There
are numerous other causes why q man may
- Idle for q short time without Chi rlyiDcr
which are not noticed by the casual OBJ
server and men should not be censured
until there is u just cause. 1t is impossible
TO run a gang of men and keep every one
at work continually, and Mr. James said
that he could not ask for u better or more
faithful set of workmeu. He was running
a gang of men on a private contract of his
own and he was satisfied that these men
were not doing more work in a day than
the sewer hands.
At present there is an average of $40 men
employed and the pay role amounts to
about three thousand dollars per week.
Immediately on the completion of the lay
ing of the Main street laterals, work will
be begun on all the laterals branching from
the main sewer-two streets on each side
of Main Street-and run north two blocks
as rapidly as possible in order to get out of
the district where the flow of water is so
heavy before the rains increase the quaint
ties TO any great extent. If the progress
of the work is not seriously impeded by
severe winter, it is expected the laterals
will be laid and in operation throughout the
entire sewer district early in the spring.
The following conversation then took
place between Mr. lanes and the reporter:
ut is reported, Mr.. James, that the men
employed by you are brought here from
different parts of the territory for the pur-
pose of voting the Peoples ticket at the
coming election. Is there any truth in the |
report!'
mo sir! 1 have not asked man where |
he came from or what his politics or
religion are.''
How many men have you from the
country"
'Well, could not say how many, as
never asked man whether he lived in
the city or country. Some, however, have
come to me from the country and stated
that their crops had been injured b. the
drought and they needed work In these
cases l have employed the men if l needed
them"
''Do you give any preference to men
from the country?"
mo, sir When 1 am in need of men I
hire them and ask no questions. l could
not tell whether nine-tenths of the men are
from the city or country. l have no way of
knowing excepting that few of the men
Jold me of their own accord.
SIT is said that you employ no one unless
he is a member of the Peoples party. Is
this true}"
sit is not true, as 1 never ask questions
ON those subjects. At this very time have
men working for me who voted the Liberal
ticket in August and l suppose will do so
n February. l have not employed man
because he belonged to the Peoples party
n discharged one because he was a Lib
oral"
''Then it is not true that you have dis
charged men because they were Liberals?''
at is positively false"