Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1893-12-09
LETTERs IRON THE PEOPLE
Architect Smiths CaustIc RejoInder TO
Messrs Rice 8 Jackson's Replication.
Editor of the DEMocRAr:

Messrs Rice 8 Jackson's Replication.
Editor of the DEMocRAr:
Is is far from my intention to enter into
a protracted personal controversy with
Messrs Rice and jackson. But the reply
of this almshouse committee to my state 5
ment requires at least a passing comment.
lis surely news to me and must be to L,
the plumbers of this city, that F. B. Rice
is so great an authority ON plumbing that
the selectmen must needs call him into
their counsel to decide upon the cost of
Job of sanitary plumbing for an immense
public building like the almshouse. Is it
not q pertinent question to ask why was
not some practical plumber called in to de
termine upon such an important and vital
| matter?
In defending myself from these attacks.
did not intend to mention General KEEL
loggs name in any communication which
might be called upon to write, but since
the committee have seen fit to drag him in,
| would say there is no doubt in my mind
that General kellogg was misinformed
| concerning the bath-tubs specified by me
/ for the use of the town poor; and in order
| to correct the erroneous impression he has /
| been given l extend to General Kellogg an |
| invitation to visit my Office. There shall |
| show him my evidence and then let him |
/ set forth the facts as his manhood will |
prompt.
| The statement that emphatically de- |
MED the evidence contained on my own |
plans is barefaced. In answer to this /
would respectfully refer the committee to |
the wording of their own report made to
| the town meeting. from which will quote:
| The plans call for concrete footings four
feet wide and two feet thick under the
main walls. The architect states that he
did not demand more than sixteen inches
of this from the contractor. Just why he
should demand only sixteen inches of con-
crete when the plans called for it two feet
thick does not appear clear to the COM
mittee." These are your own words.
gentlemen. Compare them with what
You say, in your reply to me,
and see what you think of it yourselves.
Kindly be a little more careful of the
truth. What l have maintained all along
to both committees is that there is sufh-
cient concrete footings under the wall of
the building and that the mason has fur
nished practically all the concrete 1 de-
| manded.
given n hearing. do not know what in
the committees opinion constitutes a
hearing" But have a very distinct i'm
preston that was totally ignored in the
matter until invited myself to the aims
house, las had perfect right to do and
walked in upon the committee on their
second tour of inspection, and requested
|
mittee been governed by the dictates Eof
common decency and courtesy they would
have called upon me before they made a
step in the direction of that building and
have Mt least asked if had any desire to
accompany them. The further this goes
along the more evident it becomes that
was this committees ultima thule" 1t
was first tried to make target of the
plumber, then the selectmeu were aimed
at, and now that the plumber and select
men have slipped from under, n lunge is
made at the architect.
The insinuation that the mason would
e not have been notified of what remains to
/ be done if there had been no town meet
I lngs, looks Just trite malicious. 1t was
t not left for this hypercritical committee to
d | tell me what remained to be finished. Mr.
Thompson had been notified of what he
I had to do before the first of this series of
B.. town meetings had convened Had it not
Z, been for the town meetings the almshouse
/, would have been properly finished and oc-
e cupied in October. But when the ques-
5 ton was raised concerning the towns lia-
' bility to pay anything in excess of the ap-
. preparation, the contractors stopped work
Il and took away all their implements, etc.
r to use on other buildings until, as they
=, said, they should know where the balance
of their money was coming from. At that
time the floors were strewn with builders
| L
saw that the floors were washed. Despite
y their statement that the work had every
appearance of being left for finished"
/, must remind the committee that while en-
: | gagged in their investigation / informed
= them the building was not >by any means
considered completed.
g My little knowledge was indeed a
q dangerous thing-for you, Mr. jackson,
g when in the competition for the prepare
| NJ he a
. imously accepted as far above and beyond
= yours without question, Notwithstanding
- the fact that you submitted two sets of
- | plans, while the third competitor twho has
= given proof that he is thorough gentle
mani was content with submitting only one
!. set
Go a little slow, gentlemen. l am NOT
!; so ignorant of the privileges of the owner
:, of building as the committee would infer.
= 1t is the committee who seem to lose sight
- of the fact that the town as the owner was
/ properly and fully represented in the in
a spection of the building by the board OF
- selectmen. If they were not satisfied with
N the work they had the power to call in arbi
traitors, and could reject any unsatisfactory
work, and in several instances they exer.
cised this power. But there is no provision
in the contract to compel the contractors
to submit to the intrusion of every Joe
e Fred, Tom, Dick and Harry, since this
contract so specifically designates who
is shall represent the town, and 1 have not
+. been notified that the selectmen had been
"a ieposed. 1t would be an exceedingly
" pretty state of affairs if contractors could
a not protect themselves from being overrur
"a by committees and individuals who might
have axes to grind" As the committee
AZ did not examine the contract l fear the
Ie preponderance of ignorance must remain
" on their side.
q With reference to the statement of Nj
Rice that he told me how Mr. jackson
p stood in the matter before l wrote my
a article ! would say my letter was pub.
IN lished on Monday evening and it was
Wednesday at noon when Mr. Rice i'm
parted this information. If he remembers
correctly, replied that the testimony Of
a.. two years would not bear him out in his
= statement and he admitted that further
NJ than the present almshouse matter he
knew nothing. Mr. Rice must not think
believe he personally has any lake tc
grind" in this matter. 1t is merely my
in opinion that the usually good Judgment Of
: our genial speculative building friend has
,e been temporarily overthrow.
re Laxity in inspC elton of the worl
"A should be the last thing charged agains
81 me, as a record of an average of abou
lv FIVE visits a week while the work was
er going forward leach visit consuming from
n two 10 four hours will prove. In the
"a outset of their report the committe,
of compliment the completed work in the fol
al lowing words: We would say that tn,
n exterior mason work is very well done
il also all the carpenter work that is com
e pleted." Would this have been the cas-,
re had l been lax in my vigilance? TIL,
n aforementioned work. together with tn,
n. plumbing and steam heating, constitutes
n the bulk of the building; the other item
aa1,