The record-union., 1893-05-04
THAT TROUBLESOME CHAIN GANG.
Supervisors Have Another Wrestling
Bout With 1t.
A Motion Made and Pending to Re.
scind the Resolution Abolishing
the Present System.

The morning session of the Board of
Supervisors yesterday was mainly de-
voted to the examination and passing of
of bills, but few other matters crept in.
Thomas Waite, Chairman of the
Brighton Alliance Committee, presented
communication requesting the board to
have the M-street road sprinkled, and it
was referred to Chairman Curtis OF the
Committee on Roads and Bridges.
An agreement by Jesse Slaughter to
scrape and whitewash the walls of the
County Hospital and repair tie plaster,
where broken, to the satisfaction of
referred to Chairman Miller of the Hos
pital Committee.
+. Mcmillan appeared before the board
with request that they have the San
Juan Grant road, on the hill near Jacob
Heintz's place. repaired and put in good
order. Referred TO Supervisor Curtis.
EXTRA" DEPUTIES SALARIES.
Supervisor Todd stated to the Chair
man that he was not willing to sign the
bills OF certain extra deputies in county
offices, as there was an injunction suit
pending in the court, on the application
of h. \. Burr, to restrain the Auditor and
Treasurer from drawing or paying their
warrants.
Supervisor Jenkins thought Todd had
no right to withhold the bills unless by
consent of the board, but Todd would not
sign them.
DOWN ON THE CHAIN-GANG.
When Supervisor Todd came to the
bills of I. NJ. Smith and p. McGraw for
500 each as deputies, and bill for extra
food for the chain-gang, he looked up as
if paralyzed.
MIR. Chairman" said he, 81 don't
know what / can do with these bills. l
thought that by resolution of this board
the chain-gang was abolished on the 10Th
of April, but here are bills for services up
to the lst of May. / don't understand il.
only short time ago we paid at different
times $50 for their tobacco. They are a
pretty expensive luxury. Can't free men
do more work and do it better and more
economically? Here is S2S7 to pay, for the
deputies and meals, to say nothing of
feeding the horses. 1 think for that
amount paid to men who would be glad
to have the work we could have the same
work done"
Supervisor Miller said that the gang
had been kept on to finish some work
which had been begun long before the
board abolished the. chain-gang, and
which ought to be finished.
The discussion developed the fact that
about two years ago a long and deep
ditch for draining the hospital grounds
was dug through the Dillman tract, and
several hundred dollars worth of drain
pipe placed in it and covered up. 1t WAS
found, however, that the lower end of the
ditch had not been sufficiently extended,
and in order to get the full benefit of the
work and expense already done, it was
necessary to leugthen and deepen the
ditch. The heavy rains this winter rem
dered it necessary to take the gang down
in "the Pocket" near the Freeport road,
TO repair a road there that was so badly
washed out as to almost shut in the resi-
dents there, and thus prevented the fin
ishing of the hospital drainage. Super
visor Jenkins thought that, although
1t did not so appear on the records, the
understanding OF the board at the time
was that Supervisors Miller and Curtis
should be allowed to work the gang until
the job in hand was finished.
THEY CAN BREAK ROCK.
Chairman Morrison said he should at
the next meeting propose that the prison-
ers be put to work crushing rock. The
hobos who were sent to Jail expecting to
have an easy time should be disap-
pointed. They ought to have hard work.
He favored preparing place where they
could be secluded from the public, and
made to exercise their muscles for the
public good. The crushed rock would
also be valuable material for the country
roads, and the railroad company would
receive payment for freight in the crushed
material for bringing the rock down from
Folsom. 1t certainly was necessary that
the work should be finished.
Supervisor Curtis said the county was
getting the worth of its money out of the
chain-gang, and he did not care what
nybody might say-it was not an ex-
pense to the county, but paid for itself.
However, it ought to be worked two
hours more each day, and this work on
hand ought to be finished. Ii the order
abolishing it could be rescinded for a
time he thought the work might possibly
be finished in a week or so more.
Supervisor Miller moved the rescind-
ing of the resolution, but Supervisor
Jenkins thought it would be well to let
the matter go over till to-day, and in the
meantime ascertain from the chain-gang
boss in what condition the work was.
The subject was then dropped.
In the afternoon nothing was done but
examining bills, and the board adjourned
till 10 A. NJ. to-day.