The morning call., 1893-02-28


tions. The piece of work is $50 feet long,
and was TO be graded. macadamiZed, curbed
and severed in accordance with the city adj
Yanees, and was to cost 81 % front foot, or
total of $3.50. From Eighteenth street to
about the middle of the block the natural
LAY" OF the ground Is almost Level, but
from this point there Is q sharp rise toward
Nineteenth The work was reported to
Street Superintendent Ackerson by Con-
tractor 0'Brien, and after being examined
by competent inspector from that office
was accepted on the part OF the city. and
certificate issued to OBrien February II.
1898.
TIE specifications of O'Brien's proposed
agreement were so loosely drawn that the
carrying out of his part eff the work would
depend more upon the pTlcklng OF his con-
science than upon the binding OF his con-
tract; consequently. there was trouble Ia
the very outset. Several refused to sign
even his amended paper, among whom
we're ii. G. Knapp aud J. NJ. Fountain.
To get these two who were the chief OBJ
iectors. Contractor O'BTien planned much
deerer than he dug for sewer. One day
he exhibited the contract 10 Fountain with
Knapp's name attached. This did not catch
the wary Fountains Signature. Knapp
subsequently pronounced his signature
This was what is called ''pTivate con-
tract" and the payment for the labor de-
pended upon the agreement OF the lndlYid-
ual property-owners TO 90 so after the "oTs
had been carefully examined and accepted
by the City Surveyor and superintendent
Notwithstanding the difficulties he en-
countered at the outset O brien began work
By digging the sewer trench near the
Elgbteenth-street crossing, where the
ground is comparatively level, requiring
little filing. He sank the small ditch three
and 4 half feet below the surface and
commenced TO lay the piping. Then the
property-owneTS hurried away TO the Su-
perintendents Office with their protests.
Mr.. Gileran was a very-hard-to-see person
in those stormy days that endeo up bis ON
cial career. and after much delay they were
told that tie wOrkmen had their diagrams
and understood their business.
However. they persisted in their visits TO
the City Hall, and O'Brien was compelled
TO uncover the pipes and dig the trench
deeper by about two feet.
Right here occurred 'the prettiest play In
the game" In taking up the pipes one OIL
them was broken in such manner that IN
relaying the line was found to be too short
They did not procure an extra length, they
stretched what they had. They spread the
lengths along with great nicely and placed
small fat pieces Of rock and brick over the
opening TO keep the dirt from falling into
the sewer.
They then connected with the Eighteenth
street sewer, which is ten feet below the
surface. by dropping their piping Down
about three feet.
During the performance of this dexterous
sleight-of-hand feat of civil engineering the
prOpeTty-OYneTs who had the efr0ntery TO
object TO the entertainment were beseglng
the big brick roOkery near the corner CT
Larkin and McAllisteT streets. But they
could have talked just as effectively to The
Pleiades, and the work went right merrliy
on.
One reason why this atrccious piece of
work went on uuiDterruDtedly lay IN the
fact that only two of the owners resided u
the locality. and they being laoOTing men
employed away from home could lot stand
watch while their property was being IN
jured By defective sewer connections and
the city imposed upon by contractors with
a pullH while the officials who are appoint
ed to prevent Just such injury aud impos-
ton were skirmishing around in the neigh
boring saloons beating up ballots Tor re-
election.
About 29O feet from the Eighteenth
street crossing a manhOle eight feet deep
was built. 1t lacked two feet Of being as
deep as the Deighboring Eghteenth-street
sewer. but, as manhOle Is easily Inspected.
it was well done The pipes that lead in
and out Of the manhole are also easily IN
spected. Those lengths approaching under
Eve or six feet Of earth must pitcn down
several feet to make the proper connections
with the manhole at the bottom OF that
structure.
Reference to the diagram will show how
nicely it was arranged.
Again the property owners were so unap-
preciative as to object and point out tho
detective drainage and general bad char
ac,er of the work, but even the workmen
derided them and bade them go off and
leave the contractor alone" as he had "a
pull"
Meanwhile the grading gang had filed in
up 10 Nineteenth street. and the sewer
builders started to climb the hill. In the
vicinity Of the manhole considerable filling
In had been done. consequently the piping
was placed al sufficient depth, no labor
being necessary except to lay the pipes and
dump earth over them. As they moved up
the hill, following somewhat the natural
grade, they found that the pipe approached
the surface. About half way up they struck
a large boulder, and then Contractor
O'Brien got in his fine Italian hand again.
By skillful manipulation Of those sections
of clay pipe he led them up over that rock
in graceful curve that should have
charmed his patrons.
But it didn't. They kicked.
However. it was their last kick. They
had no more spirit left They stood and
watched the fsrther progress Of the work
with dL1 mpassvity.
They were mute when their sewer
stopped at Nineteenth street and failed to
connect with the sewer OF that thorough
fare by about six feet; and they were awed
when the contractor put in four US, or
transformations, where there should have
been one for every lot, or twenty-five for
the entire street.
The work on the surface is in perfect
keeping with that Of the sewer below.
There is a uniformity OF badness about the
two that suggests remarkable coinei-
deDce, the same disregard for provisions
OF the contract and the same contempt for
city ordinances.
Instead OF twelye-inch macadam of hard
then soft ROCK, broken into fragments. the
whole we'll rolled and covered with rock
screenings, rs lawfully specified, few
inches of soft rock were spread unevenly
over bed Of clay. and upon this an inch OF
two of screenings was scattered. Down
through this thin skin of broken rock
heavy wheels have sunk in places, testing
the general .neflieieney Of the work beyond
the suggestion Of doubt. And yet this gross
and patent imposition, yaiBly opposed by a
few men who had no pull" was inspected
by deputy from the Street Superintend-
enfs Office and although ne there con-
demned the work his Office approved and
accepted it.
''fhere are only four of US to fight this
thing" said II. g. Knapp TO a CALI. re-
porter. the other property-Owners are
abseniees who have never bren heard from.
1refused to sligo 0'Brien's contract because