Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-09-13
WATER DEPARTMENT PAY ROLLS.
Answer Of Capt. Lusk to the Criticisms
Of Mr.. j. II. Crane.

OF Mr. j. II. crane.
The letter of Mr.. j. H. Crane charging that
certain discrepancies existed in the accounts of
several of the departments of the District gov
eminent, which letter was addressed to the
first controller and by him referred to the Dis
trict Commissioners, has heretofore been re-
ferred to in The STAB. That portion of the
letter which related to the water department
was referred to Capt. Lusk- Today he for
warded his report on the case to the Commits
sioners. His report is as follows:
CAPT. LusK's REPORT.
The criticisms on the labor pay roll of that
department for June, 1889, are as follows:
First. That sixteen calkers are down on that
payroll as having made aS2 days calking water
mains"
Second. That the son of the superintendent
is rated as a calker; that he is employed as a
clerk in his fathers Office, and that he is paid
for Sundays.
ANSWER TO THE FIRST STATEMENT.
First. The roll does not state that the calk-
ers were exclusively employed at calking water
mains, which constitutes but portion of their
duties. The latter comprise the placing, cut
ting and fitting of pipes, valves and special
castings; EARNING, pouring and driving joints;
opening and closing valves; turning on and
shutting off the water supply of houses;
raising and lowering stop-cock boxes,
valve-caslngs, MAINS service pipes and
valves, on account of changes of grade;
placing and repairing fire hydrants; re-
pairing leaks in mains: in performing. in short
all the complicated duties pertaining to water
distribution on large scale. The calker must
also act as foreman or time-keeper of detached
gangs. Work is sometimes going on in as many
as eight different parts of the city at once There
are constant interruptions on account OF the
Of fax To 10
where trouble is reported and much time is
necessarily lost in moving from place to place.
On account of this greatly varied character of
the work, the men employed in extending and
maintaining the pipe system have long been
divided into two general classes, calkers and
laborers, according to the skill or responsibility
required of each. 1 do not see how this CLASH
fication can be improved upon. An equivalent
division might be effected by rating them as
first and second class laborers, but can see no
advantage in so doing.
ANSWER To THE SECOND.
Second. The duties of Mr.. F. " Hayden con-
sist in receiving, inspecting, storing, issuing
and accounting for calkers' material and
other stores at the U street pumping station.
which is the principal depot of the distribu-
tion system. He also tests all meters. valves,
hydrants and other appliances. which are
quired to come up to certain standards. He
makes or assists in making all the joints neces-
N.
calker is believed to be entirely correct.
His duties are extremely varied and no
single term can better describe them than that
by which he is designated. This young man
has never been employed day in his fathers
Office, as a clerk or in any other capacity. His
duties are much more those of a workman than
of clerk. In addition to the engineers, fore
men and watchmen necessarily employed on
Sunday there is just as necessarily employed a
force of six men for emergencies. The services
of these men on Sunday are as essential as
those OF the employees of the fire department.
There are to be constantly watched and cared
for about 200 miles of mains, containing at
least 100, 900 joints, LOCO valves and LOO fire
hydrants. A failure on the part of a single
one Of these may at any moment cause great
damage to property or cripple the fire depart
ment. There are also certain streets in which
additional valves must be opened wheneve, a
fire occurs. Each man of the force named is
required to report for duty and to hold himself
in readiness during the whole of each Sunday to
answer at once a summons to repair damage
or to turn on higher pressure in case of a fire.
Mr.. +. V. Hayden belongs to this force. He
has orders to be ready to load and dispatch, as
rapidly as possible, the material necessary to
repair break or leak. As matter of fact, it
is found that proportionally more leaks are
reported on Sunday than any other day of the
week.
THE CHARGE OF EXTRAvAGANCE DENIED.
The general charge. of extravaganza is
denied. Not man is employed whose services
are not absolutely necessary to the proper con-
duct of a great department of the District
government and the rates paid are low. The
calkers in the water department are paid not
to exceed q per day of ten hours. 1 consider
that every man rated as calker on the roll in
question earned more than he was paid.
ONE DOLLAR AND TWENTY CENTS is the ex-
cursion rate to Baltimore for the Maryland ex-
position via Pennsylvania railroad. Tickets
still on sale valid for return until Septem-
Der q.