The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1892-05-01
STREET WORK JOBBERY.
How the ProPerty-OWRerS Are Being
F!eeCed.
SPECIFICATIONS SHOULD Be REVISED.
They Are Altogether Too ScbuiOuS to Be GrasPed
by the Mind Of the Average
Inspector.
SPECIFICATIONS SHOULD Be REVISED.


Jobbery jobbery all around.
That is what THE CALL has discovered
by digging into the streets of this city. The
9orkmen engaged to unearth the frauds
have laid down their tools for the present,
but the story Of their discoveries is being
told ali over heclty. The property-owners
have taken it up and they will not cease
their agitation until something comes of II.
The story told by THE CALL is not nice
one.
1t Is the stOTy of robbers and boodlers.
twill be remembered along time in this
People had been accustomed to seeing
newspapers publish articles OF a general
nature crying. out against the frauds which
were kn0wn;tO exist. but they wanted to
see some one place. finger on a particular
spot where: the jobbing was done.
Nothing nebulous can be found in The
Calls recent articles: on street frauds
They tell exactly where the fraud is and
3: they give the feet and inches 49,:
Many letters: Of commendation for the
work done by<THE CALL. are coming in.
The property-owneis are pleased. to find
some paper thatchampiOns their causeln O
clear and intelligent manner.
What has been done, howeYer,:is only
beginning. j.. $3.50. ! -. -;
. The rottenness Of: the whole street bust
ness Will be+Shown up before The CALL is
done withthe subject. .-.<..-
In making comp arisons- yesterday 1t was
fOund.that there are marked discrepancies
betWeen.the orders of the board regarding
street work and the specifications made out
by the Street Superintendent and City En-
. ginReT.. =. -:
The boards orders, if carried out. lay
down a fair conduct for the street centrac-
tors, and one which If lived up to would, in
most cases, give San Francisco q good syS-
tenn Of streets and-sewers: -.
The specifications now used need a sweep.
ing revision. -. -
The.orders of the board require that sewer
work shall be left exposed for the whole
block In order thatitmRy be ms pected, but the
specifications only require 10 feet to be left
open. The contractors following the matter
up.tO its logical conclusion, do not leave so
much as three feet, but cover up the sewer
as fast as il Is laid. ::
The specifications formefly*reaured all.
pipe-sew eES TO be laid 10 feet below the sur
face of the~street. -:
- This is. the way. the specifications. read
nowadays 80
zine ground along the line Of. the work
shall be- excayated to the proper depth for
the construction 6fthe sewer upon the grade
as shown on profles or set by the City En-
gineer3':
To thelamplighter. beer bother, grocer,
shoemaker or papeT-hanger who is serving
as a. street Inspector" this part of the
specifi ,ations is as plain as a passage Of the
Koran. 80. =.
Whynot say. 10 feet below the established:
: grade and De done with it?~
a.: The lamplighter or the shoemaker could,
understand that. - ..:... -
Ambiguity, nebulosty and a general lack
.. Of cleaTneSs chAracteTZe the Whole word
ing or the specifications. They are written
for college graduates, when they should be
written so plainand simple that era nmaT-
school boy could understand them. 49,.
Strange asst may seem, the specifications,
taking their wording literally, do not re-
quiTe the use Of mortar. They merely state:
Mortar l0beneUer used az ttiS ICOTb shall
be composed. of clean. dry sand, mixed in
proportlon-0f one part otcement and two
parts OF SAND" :: -.-
The wording should be:
- mortar NlUSt be used inthiS lgOrk.wher-
ever necessary and shall be composed" etc.
twill also be noted that taking the speci-
bcatlOD as II stands no cement necessary
IN the mortar, even though mortar be used.
The wording should be; Composed of
clean. dry sand, mixed with cement in pro-.
Supervisor Burling. IS in constant receipt
Of letters. from vlctmiZ5d property-ONners
all over the. city appealing for his prOtee-
ton. The following hitter is from person
who. is a victim OF; the private contract
sWindle: -: F.. 1917.
M. Burli1gLDFIR s1R:- This man Philips.
who had private contract Oh Steiner street, be.
tween Ellis. and UEaueh, where he tried TO
bulidoZe the pToperty>owners, see has applied
for } eTmit for paving Vallejo street between
Hyde aud EaTEin. He has played tie same game
on this block. / signed for 1914 cents per
square foot and my neighbor gets his fer Il
cents Please have this block ordered through
The board ana don't give permit TO such a
fellow
Another letter was received from Albert
GAlatin, asking If he would be doing right
TO sign a private contract to pave with BIZ
luminous rock at IS cents foot and granite
curbing at 81 % foot. -. :
Dir. Burling replied that he would be
foolish TO sign such q contract when the
most resi- onSible contracting firms in the
city are bidding to get the work at 21A
cents for paving and 50 cents for curbing,
and on pubic work at that.
a prOperty-0wner on Elizabeth street
writes to The CALL: -
Two or three years ago street contractor
called on me 10 sign for grading and Sewering
Elizabeth street, between Church. and Sanchez.
His contract read that the street was CT feet
wide. The map 10 the Street Department calls
for Ga feet, and one Of the best seaTchers Of
records in the city finds that the said Elizabeth
street Is O. feet, aud, In fac, all the MAPS etc,
that searcheTs lawyers and prOperiy-oWDeTs can
EHd call for 81 feet And still the contractor
graded the street only 81 feet / went TO the
Street Department 10 pay my bill and told them
about It, and hey told me It was graded 10 81
feet and that everything was ali right. ! had 10
paw ~ or stand suit. In fact, have tried every
thing ! know Of 10 find out how Il is we get only
81 feet Of street, when, as 1 say, all the maps
and abstracts call for "a feet. This IS case
where the contractor. not only puts In no Y's but
also gets away wi half oflhe street.
Less than six months ago the sewer at
Eighteenth street and San Carlos avenue
was repaired. Yesterday afternoon there
was large hole near the corner, and the
probability is that the sewer is again
broken Bad work in repairing makes fire.
quent repairs necessary, and these enrich
the contractors.