The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-02-18
A BIG POLITICAL JOB.
Unauthorized Sewers Opened
by the Old Board.
MONEY SIMPLY THROWN AWAY,
New Beard OF Pablfe works CnecvepS
More Rotfenness-Trenehe That
Begis and End Nowhere.

pnDlfc WORKS. Andrew Jackson. z Ii. Cal
ligza and ]. W. Van B-oekgin. made tour
OF inspection Of the new sewers yesterday.
The result Of their investigation confirms
the ramor that the old board, in their
anxiety 10 do the political side Ct the JOB
I'D IN style, have overdone il, and have
opened up more ditch than can be laid
with sewer pipe and covered over with the
sum obtained from the sewer bond sale.
Ii IL openly stated by ous OF the four that
the greater portion OF these bitches have
been opened since last Monday morning.
expressly TO force the new board TO dis
charge part OF the TOO large force OF men
and get itself dislikedH This will not be
done, however. and the bitches already
open sili be flied with pipe a; once and
save the money already spent, whether
the whole system Is ever completed. Inc
gTossest incompetency and lack of system,
almost criminal, was revealed on every
side.
The sewers investigated most thoroughly
were those in the Second ward on Bush,
Cullen. Florence and Davidson streets and
Lake Washington avenue. But startling
discoveries were also made on Rol.in
street. A Posr-IsTELLg6EscxR reporter
who vas possessed OF the main facts OF the
investigation interviewed Mr.. Jackson at
his home last night Dir. Jackson freely
admitted that the result had been discour-
aging TO the new board. but was unwilling
TO say all he thought He said in sub
stance:
II don't want to appear as criticising
the old board, understand that.-I say il
enpha;icaiiy-on these are the facts. and
people can judge of them as they will. We
went first TO the sewers in the Second
ward. l would estimate that saw there
fully one mile of open ditch. think that
not one foot of il was touched before last
Monday. The ground looks as II hen
had been managing the work. Men are
scattered thickly over the whole district.
working helter skelter apparently. The
earth is torn up in all directions. The
long lines OF ditch are open, to be caved
In by the next rainstorm. There Is
practically no material on the ground TO
complete the job. Ibelieve there is enough
pipe on Florence street, but on Davidson
street there are but three loads and on
Lake Washington avenue none. No sys-
tenn has been pursued. In places the men
have dug the bitches through small hills,
making cuts ten and twelve feet deep in
hardpan, where il would have been per-
fectly practicable and infinitely cheaper to
have tunneled at least q part of the way.
used with reckless prodigality merely to
keep these high walls from caving in. On
Lake Washington avenue there are many
large logs lying across the line Of the
sewer and there instead of going beneath
them the workmen are cutting four-foot
logs IN TWO and moving them out OF the
way at a great cost and loss of time.
But it is on Davidson street that the
worst mismanagement is revealed. The
trench there is only in spots; the men
worked in one place until the water came
In and drove them out, and then they
went on ahead and dug another puddle.
They have finally set pumps 10 work now.
i can't see what earthly good there is for
this sewer. Ii begins up on Lakeyiew
street, where not dozen houses are to be
served. and IL ends on the flats somewhere.
Mr.. Warner ordered the work stopped
when the trench ran up against hardpan
hill twenty-three feet high, and that is
where We will let it stop after We lay pipe
where il is already opened. AT one place
on this sewer We saw men, two to each
plank. carrying tagging three blocks from
whers it was left by the teamster. can
see no reason why they opened all this
ditch IN the Second ward, to be filled up
again by rains.
Another place where We were treated
TO surprise was on Ro!lin street. We
were going up 10 the Republican street
-
Roilin street. near. Republican. We saw
men at work. Assistant City Engineer
Scott. who was near us. cried out. My
God, they are working on Roliin street
We asked the gang what they were doing.
The foreman. Mr.. Marshall, said that Tim
Ryan ordered him 10 dig a sewer on Roliin
street, and he was doing it. Mr.
Scott said that Mr.. Warner knew
nothing of the work there; that
no surveys had been made at
all. | asked the foreman how he
knew he was in the middle OF the street,
and he replied that he had measured from
sidewalk 10 sidewalk and found the GEN.
ter There was twenty rods of this alb
solutely unauthorized and unsurveyed
work that was thrown away, but the rest
We Will utilize as best we can. | would
like 10 see man in my employ who would
start to dig a sewer in a street without or
ders from the engineer
The tangie we have TO straighten out is
bad one. | fear very much that we will
never be able 10 finish the sewers already
open with the money AT hand, but we will
do II II such a thing is possible We have
ordered all toremen on the sewers to hand
4 ma list OF the men who have been
employed by them. with their
time, and If among them find men who
have worked more than fifteen DAYS there
will be change. This money is public
money and we propose that the public
shall have the benefit of it, We will also
see why II is that worthy men have been
compelled To remain about the city for
Gays looking tor work when II was IN he