The morning call., 1892-05-19
SHOTWELL-STREET PAVING.
Some Complaint About How the Work
RRFup

Some Comp1af About How the Work Is
Being Done.
The repaving Of Shotwell street, between
Twenty-frst and TWenty-seeond, was COM
meneed about the first Of the present
month, with the understanding that the
work should be completed by June /.
The contract was awarded to tbs Southern
Pacific BtuminOus Rock Paving Company,
which completed the lower layer or cement
portion Of the contract about the middle Of
last week, since which time no work has
been dene and the block remains closed to
traffic, much to the discomfort of house.
keeIers, who are thereby deprived of the
daily visits Of the butcher baker. milkman
and other puTyeyCTS 10 tie culinary de- art
ment OF their households
A Tumor having gained currency that the
work was being conducted ia a siDShOd
manner and with poor material, a CALL re-
porter visited some Of the principal prop
erty-OWneTs IN the block yesterday after
noon 10 either diSprOYe or verify the cor
Tertness OF the statement.
Rev. c. GTuen, pastor Of the Evangelical
Church at TWenty-secOnd and ShOtwell
streets, was first seen at his residence, adj
joining the church. Mr.. GTuen is emDOw-
cred to act as agent or attorney for his
church, and has carefully Inspected the
work during Its progress. When asked If
he had any fault to find with the manner in
which the paving was being done. he re.
piled:
Il have several grievances, one Of which
is that, although the contract calls for 6
inches Of cement, not more than or inches
have been laid in some places. Then the
contract REQUIRES the facing Of the curb
ing to be cut down inches. 1t
Is not cut at all, nor is it prop
eTly dressed. Again, the contract calls for
one part cement, TIVE parts sand and seven
parts rock l think there is one part cement.
five or six parts sand and no rock at all. |
can 90 out there and scratch the whole paw
ing uD with the toe OF my shoe. The cement
was not mixed with the concrete as it should
be, but poured over It. The contractors
hauled only 90 barrels Of cement, some Of
them only half full. for the whole Job.
should judge that twice the amount would
be necessary.
''The contractors say that they are wait
ing Tor The cement to harden before they
lay the bituminOus rock. / think they will
have 10 wait till doomsday, because the
cement will never harden, owing to an in
sutficlency Of that material. Were TIE
granite curbs laid level it would be all
right, but they are not. A prominent con-
tractor told me yesterday that this was the
poorest Job of curbing he ever saw in this
city"
The reporter accompanied Mr.. Gruen to
the outer edge OF the Sidewalk and in
spected the curb facing. II is extremely
irregular and has no pretenslons to uni
formity, bullying out in some places and
eaYing In in otLeTs-in short, it presents the
appearance Of not having been dressed at
all.
John Duff, at 723 Shotwell street, was
next seen. lie said:
The concrete will never get harder.
can 60 out and turn it up with my boot
The curb should have six Inches dressing /;
IN places Il IS only one inch. The curling
is nearly all rough. 1t averages FIVE inches
deep where six inches are called for by the
contract. The contract price is 26 cents per
square foot and s. cents per lineal foot for
the curbiDg. / consider the street price
high and the curb price low, which about
equaliZes the job Bituminous rock can be
laid properly and made profitable at IS
cents per foot
think tie contractors have been stingy
with their cement and haven't used near as
much as would be necessary to make good
Job. The old cuTbing. though not of granite,
was good enough for all practical purposes.
and when the workmen came TO remove il
they had considerable difficulty in breaking
tup. The present granite curbing is out Of
line, one piece projects beyond another,
and the facing does not appear to have been
dressed nj al -