, 1892-07-19
LEMON REPLIES.
Every One Of Sickels' Charges are
Mythical.

Each of Them--mr. Lemon In
sLsts ON a Thorough and Imme-
dtate investigation.
City Engineer Lemon has urged Mayor
O'Brien to call for an immediate investi-
cation into the charges against him by
Councilman Sickels. 1t is said that Mr..
Lemon had contemplated libel suit, but
that Mr.. Sickels could take refuge behind
the fact that the charges were made by him
as a city councilman. Mr.. Sickels cites the
following in support Of the charges of in
competency, to each Of which charges Mr..
Lemon has a reply to make which proves
that Mr. Sickels' charges were simply
mythical and malicious:
Charge No. columbia street, at its in
tersection with Fifth, is not on grade, one
side of Columbia and Fifth streets being
higher than the other"
Mr.. Lemon: "This street was made on
piles, placed there by property owners at
some previous time, and no opportunity
was given for me to use a level"
Charge No. 2-"Eighth street was &C
cepted by him and it will take several hun
dred dollars to repair it so the cutters will
conform to the grade"
Mr.. Lemon: 81 never reported on Eighth
street or had anything to do with it. Mel
ther did l eyer make a communication to
the city council on this street"
Charge No. 3. Central streets final esti-
mate were given by him. 1t has cost sew
eral hundred dollars and will cost more to
bring it to grade"
Mr.. Lemon: "No final estimate was
ever given by me on this street, nor was
one dollar ever paid out on it by my rec
OmmendatiOn." "
The public will remember that this is
the street on which Mr.. Sickels took care
of the bids so that 1. Liberman, who bid 3
cents in advance of another bidder, secured
the contract at % cents, and then sub-let it
at 20 cents, so that it cost the abutting
property owners $500 in cash.
Charge No. 5. Union street was ac-
cepted and final estimates given by him.
The street is not graded to its full width"
Mr.. Lemon: Il entered the Office of
city engineer on August LIST and my report
to thelcOuncil dated August 18th, says
The street is graded to conform to stakes
given by my predecessor in office In this
matter, too, my books refer to an overhaul
for $2,375, which was made under the di-
rection of Councilman Sickels, as chair
man of the street committee. This dirt
was hauled from Main street to Moxley
creek, while it could have been deposited
to much better advantage and less expense
in near by places"
Charges Nos. and fisherman avenue
grade was re.established by him and the
city was compelled to pay $305.52 for earth
that was never moved.
"a change of grade on Fifteenth street
between Adams and Franklin, cost the city
$5789 for earth never moved"
Mr.. Lemon: "The circumstances in the
two cases are similar. The grades on both
streets were re-established because of a De-
tition from property holders, and the rec
ords of the city clerk, in the neighborhood
of November g. show a recommendation
from the street committee for the payment
of earth not removed"
Charge No. 8-"The walk at Union and
Franklin street was relaid at the city's ex-
pense."
Mr. Lemon: "This was because of a
blunder Of the city Workmen in not con-
forming to the stakes"
Charge No. 9-"It cost $500 to fill in
Tenth street, between Washington and
Adams streets, and cost $50 to fill Franklin
street in front of the Unitarian church-all
bad engineering"
Mr.. Lemon: "Since I came into office,
Tenth street has been improved simply to
bring it up to grade On Franklin street.
in front Of the Unitarian church, the sub
soil as many people know, is a bog bed,
and six inches of extra earth were put on
to allow for settlement. 1t has already
sunk to grade and even below"
Charge No. lO-"General CaVanaugh was
compelled to remove the bulkhead around
his property on account of change in in
structiOns from engineer"
Mr. Lemon: "On Tenth street heavy
rain caused the bulkhead to fall and on
Union street the posts had been set with
out having had survey stakes. When l
learned this the posts were ordered set back
to comply with the proper lines of the
street."
Charge No. 11-"Refused to make a
change in the grade of Union and Columbia
streets, where it damaged property and
when same could have been done without
any extra cost. References, Messrs. Convey,
Ford and Brown"
Mr.. Lemon; "The engineer las no right
to change grades when it is fixed by or
dinance. Sickles generally said, Damn
the ordinances"
Charge No. 12-Refused to allow the
street committee to make changes on Union
and Columbia streets that were ordered by
the council.
Mr.. Lemon: "The powers of the engi-
neer are not, and never have been of
sovereign nature"
Charge No. 13-"Twelfth street earth has
been moved after the assessment has been
made"
Mr.. Lemon: "This charge is idiotic and
has no pO ST
The complaint in relation to Sixth street
in front of the McCausland property has
bean explained in the CITY council. A
change of grade on the street railway was
occasiOned by misprint in the ordinance,
and not by the engineer, as Mr.. Sickels
knows.