Los Angeles herald., 1891-03-14
SATURDAY, MARCH IA, 1891.
A NICE KETTLE OF FISH.

ANICE KETTLE OF FISH.
We are just beginning to get glim-
mer of light upon the way in which the
city has been treated in her new sewers.
The result of superficial inspection
the other day by the present city engi-
neer, members OF the board of public
works and HERALD reporter, was any
thing but satisfactory. They found
sewer chambers on the line of the GEN.
trail interceptor where the cement lining
was so thin, and the proportion of ce-
ment to sand so inadequate, that it
flecked off on being touched with
cane. At one point they found sag in
the sewer itself where great pool OF
water collected. showing that it either
had not been built on an even line or
had sunk since it was laid. At other
points the bricks had been so poorly
laid in the uppersarch of the sewer that
here and there one had fallen out, and
in other places the water from the street
percolated through the upper brickwork.
These discoveries and their publica-
tion have led to great deal of discus
sion, and the public interest manifested
in the subject requires that the whole
work should be thoroughly overhauled.
If the taxp ayers of this city have piled
a great burthen of public debt upon
themselves in order to secure much
needed exte nsion of their sewer system,
only to find that the work, where it has
been inspected, is bad and the material
inferior, they may well suspect that
they have been badly victimized all
through the work. In order to deter
mine this it is the duty of the city coun-
Gil to at once enter upon thorough in
vestigation.
It is not re assuring to the taxpayers to
learn that the contracts for this sewer
work. and material were so drawn that
the contractors were empowered to use
any kind of brick they pleased, provid-
ing Chinese labor had not been used in
its manufacture. Hence some of the
bricks in the sewer work broke at 500
pound pressure, when, had the contract
been properly drawn in the interest of
the city, it would:have mentioned 'sewer
brick" and statedEthe pressure they
must stand. Not less than 6000-pound
pressure bricks ought to have been per-
mitted to have gone into the work. 1t
is now pie AIDED in bar of public censure
that, as the contract prohibited the pur-
chase of bricks from brick-makers who
used Chinese labor, the contractors were
circumscribed to only two or three par
ties who had brick for sale. Mr.. ID.
Freeman, whose bricks have stood a
pressure test as high as 5000 pounds,
furnished a few OF the bricks used at an
early stage in the work; but he was so
harassed with complaints of the
inspector that he stopped supplying
bricks. He was furnishing far superior
quality of bricks from those that
were favorably passed upon afterwards.
The inference from this fact must be
obvious to every one. The bricks were
principally purchased from man who
had started brickyard near Evergreen
cemetery during the boom, and were
most inferior quality of building bricks.
1t is a curious fact in this connection
that the sample bricks to govern the
contracts in the sewer work have been
spirited away from the engineers office.
So, take the matter into consideration
from all points OF view and it does not
look encouraging to the people who
thought they were going to have first
class, durable sewers. The city has
been victimized through the incompe-
tency or negligence or worse of her Off
GERS. Contracts have been drawn SO as
to enable the contractors to furnish
pretty nearly such material and work as
they pleased. The inspectors who were
to stand between the people and the
contractors, and report bad work and
poor material, either betrayed the city
deliberately or were too stupid and ig
norant to intelligently carry out their
trusts. Indeed it is doubtful whether
the city, on account of the tricks her
officials have played her, has any re-
course against the contractors. Never
theless let us have thorough investiga-
tion of the whole business.