The morning call., 1893-04-15
DIGGING UP FRAUD.
The Grand Jury Resorts to
Pick and Shovel.
BRIBINd SEWER INSPECTORS.
A Species of Jobbery by Which the
City Has Lost Thousands
of Dollars.

The numerous frauds In street and sewer
work are abou. to receive an oyerha uling
by the Gland Jury.
The committee OF that body having the
subject in charge have taken the matter in
hand, and from what is already known of
their operations some startling evidences Of
criminal doings are on the eve of being lit
orally dug up.
In other words, the Grand Jury is about
to add to its implements for the uncovering
OF fraud a n umber of picks and shoyels. A
gang of laborers under an expert civil en-
gineer is to be employed 10 dig up some of
the streets in which Sc wers have been laid
where there is reason to believe that the
work has not only not been performed ac-
cordlng to the plans and specifications stip-
ulated in the contract but has also been
done in so vile fashion as 10 endanger the
life and health of the people In the neigh
borhood affected.
The Grand Jury, II Is said. is not going
after dishonest contractors. They have
other game in sight by running down
which they believe they can succeed in
bringing into court quite number of indi-
vlduals to answer criminal charges.
The parties in danger are the men who
have done service in the capacity of inspec-
tors of street and sewer work. They are to
be held responsible for the frauds, wherever
detected. This movement of the Grand
Jury is certain TO throw into something
like CONSERVATION large class Of City Hall
political FOUNDERS who have hitherto sup
posed they were absolved from all obliRa-
tons to faithfully perform the duty assigned
to them. which was TO supervise the work
of the contractors and see that the materials
furnished and the work performed were
strictly in accordance with the plans aud
specifications.
An inspector of street and sewer work. 1t
should be explained. is man appointed by
the Street Superintendent at a salary of S4
per diem to inspect the stones, pipe, brick,
cement, sand and mortar brought on the
ground by the contractor and ascertain
whether IL Is Of the kind, grade and quality
called for in the contract, and then TO sland
by and sea that the paving and eurbing and
sewers are laid and connected in q work
manlike manner. Before the contractors
can receive their pay the inspectors must
report that all the conditions of the con-
tracts have been fulfilled.
1t is evident, therefore, that no actual
fraud can be perpetrated unless the lnspec-
tors are in collusion with the dishonest con-
tractors.
There is abundant reason to believe that
such colluson has frequently existed and
that the city has been defrauded out of
hundreds of thousands of dollars in conse-
QueDce.
This means that wholesale bribery has
prevailed in this field of activity. The in
spect0r, not satisfied with his regular per
diem, would accept dollar or more a day
or lump sum from the contractor to shut
his eyes when they should be kept wide
open. He would not only accept bad mate
rial, but would Uass on defective work as
performed to his satisfaction.
The method OF securing an appointment
as an Inspector was very simple one. As
soon as the individual seeking job of this
sort ascertained that certain piece of
work was to be done all he had to do was
to carry petition around among the prop-
erty-Owners assessed for the cost of the
proposed improvement recommending bin
as ft and competent person to supervise
the work. AS rule but few property
owners make any Inquiries concerning his
qualifications 10 act and the majority sign
the paper. Armed with this document
he returns it to the Superintendent
Of Streets. who thereupon appoints
the man, though he may rot have the
slightest practical knowledge of the work
he has tn do. His field for mischief is then
open. He can blackmail an honest con-
tractor By throwing obstacles in his way,
and, by standing in with a dishonest one
can rob the property-owners and ultimately
the city, which, as soon as the street or
sewer is accepted. has to bear the expense
Of its future maintenance in good order.
For several days past committee of the
Grand Jury has been collecting incriminat-
ing data from the Office Of the sewerage
commission. the field employees of which
have alieady unearthed great deal of
fraudulent work.
The engineers employed In that depart
ment have shown the members of the Grand
Jury many Instances where second-class
and refuse sewer-pipes have been used
when the specifications called for the best
quality Of pipe; where inferior brick had
been used as well as pipes that had not been
properly burned: mortar minus sand;
cement which crumbled in the hand like
dried johnnycake, and where miles OF
sewers had not been properly connected,
and where the invert Or lower part of the
sewers had been built without the use Of
any mortar at all.
Two OF the most Infamous among the re-
ce Mt sewer Jobs are undergoing a searching
investigation. One is the job oD Scott
street. near Page. where the ends of the
nouse-dralns are stopped up with barley
sacks instead of being connected. the result
OF which was that the sewage ooZed out
into the ground until the vllest stencil per-
meated the whole neighborhoed, producing
much sickness among the families residing
in the vicinity. In This case it is charged
that an attempt was made TO extort from
the owners of eleven of the houses thus
treated the sum of SO each for making the
connections. Their refusal to be bled re-
suited in the outrage described.
The other case under investigation Is the
sewer job on Eureka street, between
Eighteenth and Nineteenth. This fraud
was fully exposed In THE MORNING CALL |
last February The contractors had laid
the sewer in rickety uphill, downhill
fashion, ignoring the grade completely.
Where the ground was too hard they fai ed
to dig down to the proper level. with the
result that the line of the sewer looked
more like the eccentric stormpath on q
weather chart than anything else.
1t has been suggested that the present Is |
a coed time for citizens cognizant of fraud
nlent street or sewer work to put their in
formation in possession of the Grand Jury
either by letters or personal interviews.