The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-08
ALVEY CORRESPONDENCE
Mai. BllaiiOTi Calls a Brother Ead-
neeI 70 Account

the County's Drainage-Col. Winn
saysHe DID SO az the Request % IN.
Dale and M. Chaplin-A LIVELY
Meeting Promised Next Wednesday.
The fact that Chairman Dale u Che
county commissioners. requested Col ".
j. VIM. city engineer. % inspect some OF
the work that Is now teiuE done FOR the
county. under the supervision 81 Ma or r.
A Blandford, has eliminated in a very
interesting correspondence between the
two well-known engineers, Col VIM $
reply to the letters Of Mai Blaudtord
having been received yesterday.
On June 30, Col. VIM, at the request of
Chairman Dale and Commissioner Chap
lin. went out TO where the dredging ma
chine was at work and took some meas
urements which the chairman had asked
for 1t will be remembered that the work
done by the dredging machine was par
ticularly mentioned by the chairman and
held up to the commissioners as an exam
pie of what Chairman Dale chose to call
incOmpetency and extravaganza on
the part of the county engineer
This charge was what led the board to
request Capt. O. NJ Carter to act as con-
sulting engineer and to pass upon the
tended.
A BREACH OF ETIQUETTE.
In addition to the request from the
commissioners, to which Chairman Dale
and Commissioner Chaplin refused to ac-
cede Capt. Carter was invited by Mai.
Blandford himself to undertake the work
specified. Capt. Carriers acceptance of the
invitation made him the county's consult
ing engineer, and on this account Mai.
Blandford regarded the action of Col.
VIM as a breach of professional ETH
quette, not only so far as regarded him
self, but as well from the fact that Capt.
Carter had been requested to undertake
the work,
For this reason Major Blandford ad-
dressed the following letter to Col. VIM
by mail last Monday:
Savannah, Ca, July 3, 1s03.-Col. w. ].
VIM, City Engineer, City Exchange, Savan-
nah: Dear Sir-I am informed that on last
Friday, 30th ult., you were on the works I'M
der my charge on the county lands, mea-
suring up and investigating the same. viii
YOU please inform me II this is true? II true,
will you please inform me il you did this by
request Of the honorable board of commits
sioners of this county or by request of the
drainage committee Of tho commission, or
by request of subcommittee appointed by
the board of commissioners, or by the drain
age committee? An early reply will much
obhge Yours truly,
r. A. BLANDFORD, Co Eng'r.
A SECOND LETTER.
To that letter, Maj Blandford did not
receive q reply, and in day or two he
wrote again to Col. VIM as follows, send
ing the second letter by a messenger:
Savannah, Ca, July 6, lS93.-Col. w. j.
VIM, City Engineer, City Exchange, Savan-
nah; Dear Sir-On the Bird inst. 1 wrote you
something similar to what follows, and res
pectfully requested an early reply AS you
have not so honored me it may be possible
you have not received that letter l am told
that on Friday, 30th. ult., you were on the
work under my charge on the county lands
measuring up and investigating the same. Is
this true? If true, will you please inform me II
you did this by request of the honorable
board of commissioners Of this county, or by
the request of the drainage committee of the
commission, or the chairman thereof or by
request of "a special committee appointed by
the county commissioners, or by the drain.
age committee, or if by none Of these, by what
authority you did it, An early reply will
greatly oblige, Yours truly,
r. A. BLANDFORD, Co. Engr.
following reply from Col. VIM:
July 6, 1S93-Maj. r. A. Blandford County
Engineer: Dear Sir-Your favors to hand
aRd contents noted. On Friday, June 80
1893 at the request Of Messrs j. J. Dale
and w. F. Chaplin, county commissioners, 1
made measurements of work done by the
dredging machine on a canal now being con
structed. am, very respectfully,
w. j. WYNN.
WHAT MAI BLANnFORD SAYS.
Mai. Blandford says that this will not
end the matter He and Col VIM have
always been good friends, and he is not
satisfied now to let the matter rest there
under the circumstances, but will have a
personal interview with him
Maj. Blandford says he did not object
TO the inspection of his work by another
engineer but that he objected to the man
ner in which it was done
81 do not deny" he said, "that
Mr.. Dale or Mr. Chaplin have
the right to ask the opinion of an
other engineer in regard to the work
but ] do not like the manner in which it
was done, especially in view of the fact
that Capt. Carter has been requested by
the commissioners to act as consulting en-
gineer. They did it by no authority from
the commissioners or the drainage COM
mittee, neither of which have requested
Col. Winn to inspect the work. Then
again il is a matter of professional ETH
Quette for one engineer to await an invi-
tation from another before entering upon
his domain for such purpose
LIKELY TO COME UP NEXT WEEK.
This incident is likely to cut some figure
at the next meeting of the county com
missiOners. The drainage work is the
work that the board has asked Capt. Car
ter to inspect. II is also this work or a
part of this work that MIR. Dale and MIR
Chaplin asked Col. VIM to inspect The
question of drainage is at this time an
important one with the commissioners, as
there is now standing against their
engineer, and indirectly against
the majority of the loard. charges of
extravaganza and improperly in the
work, which they are endeavoring to have
cleared away, through an inspection &c
be made Dy competent consulting engin
eer.
There is something else in the wind
which may come up at the next meeting
just exactly what il is none of the com
missioners will say, but it is a matter
which no doubt relates tC
this same difference of opinion that has
for same time existed between several
members of the board. This veXed ques
ton will no doubt be settled soons how
ever, as one of the commissioners peril
nently remarked yesterday: 1T is higl
time to stop all this pickering and t
get down TO parliamentary usages anC