The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-10-11

Formal declaration has been made yes
terday by the board of public works to
the effect that there is no necessity of
opening any more of the line of the
gravity sewer until the contractors have
demonstrated beyond the question of a
doubt their ability to complete the al
ready partly constructed portion of the
work. In order to check the onward
movements of the contractors the board
has adopted a resolution which sets out
that no estimates for work done beyond
the point designated some time ago, the
corner of Second South and Third West,
VIII be allowed until the contractors have
caught up with the construction of the
sewer. The city engineer is of the opin-
ION that he has no other course open
than to give the contractors the grades
all along the line of the sewer upon APP
pncation, and notified the board to that
effect This resolution will make it un-
necessary for him to refuse, for it is
hardly likely that the contractors viii in
sist upon excavating beyond the point
designated, although they have already
received the grades for one block farther
east on Second South.
For the purpose of considering the sew
eral knotty questions relating to the
gravity sewer, which had presented them
selves within the past few days, Chair
man DoremuS yesterday afternoon called
a meeting of the board of public works
for o'clock and Messrs. Downey and
Marshall responded to his call. This be-
ing quorum the board proceeded to the
transaction of the most important BUSH
ness upon the table. The announcement
was made that the city engineer had noti-
fed the board that he considered it his
duty to give the grades to the contrac-
orS as fast as they desired and that he
would continue, without the consent of
the board, upon application. 1t developed
that the engineer had already gwen
grades and set stakes one block ahead of
the point designated by the board, carry
ing the survey to the corner of Second
South and Second West and that the
contractors were about to commence with
the excavation without permission from
the board. The members of the board
took the position that it would be impos-
sible for the contractors to finish the
work for which the excavations had al
ready been made by the arrival of win
ter, and in order to obviate the possible
ity of several blocks of trench remaining
open all winter, it was decided to cut Off
any further excavation until the con-
crete gangs catch up. They are now
some 1900 feet behind and not making
satisfactory progress. The following res
olution, offered by Mr.: Marshall. was
adopted and the contractors were notified
of the action of the board:
Resolved, that the chairman of this
beard be instructed to notify the con-
tractors of the gravity sewer that the
board will not allow for either excavation,
masonry or any other class of work done
on the gravity outlet sewer beyond such
point as shall have been, or shall here
after be, designated by the board OF public
works, as the limit where the trench may
be opened"
But very slow progress is being made
on the sewer and the indications are that
winter will overtake the work before it
has passed North Temple street. The
supplies of sand and gravel are nearly
exhausted and the contractors are not
exerting themselves to get more Of the
materials on the ground in any quanti-
ties Yet notwithstanding the fact that
the excavating is 1900 feet ahead of the
coLcreting, they demand more room for
the excavating gang and stakes are being
set The resolution Of the board will put
a stop to this sort of business.