The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-04
NEED OF INSPECTORS
COUNCIL INVESTIGATING COMMITTEE
HEARS MORE FROM ENGINEER.
Defective Work Done by Contractors
when Inspectors Weee Away
The street Commissioner.

The work of the Council investigating
committee yesterday afternoon was con-
hned entirely to the examination of City
Engineer Brown, which was done in a very
INFORMAL manner. The evidence of the
most Importance was the reading of q re-
port from his assistant Jeup who was out
examining the catch basins of the Morton
street sewer. The report showed that he
had examined the particular basin which
was said to be faulty, and had found it to
De In good condition, well built, and of
good material He also examined one of the
basins where the sewer crosses Weghorst
street and found 1T was built with only one
row of bricks, instead of two, as required
by the specifications The bricks are soft
and have no mortar between them, and
there are no brick at all on the bottom
The inside is well covered with cement and
there was little leakage noticeable. Other
catch basins along the line of that sewer
were examined during the afternoon, but
the result is not yet known. This basin is
built exactly William Burke stated he
had seen one, but which he was unable to
exactly locate
This sewer was built by the Acme Paving
and Contracting Company, which company
subiet the contract for the catch basins to
Conner e. Conley. 1t is claimed that Com
N'NA wa tSStiy tiidt iC LOOK the contract
under an agreement with Derk De Ruiter;
that he was to put in only one row of
brick whenever he could do so without
being detected by the inspector. He built
this basin and two others at night and it
Is supposed the others are built in the same
manner Conner has written to the commit
tee that ne will testify before it as soon as
ne reIdrns home. He is now at Hope Ind
small town a short distance east of
franklin 1t is probable that the discovery
of the deception in this work will cause the
city engineer to cut into number of other
catch basins to see IL there are not others
Ia the same condition.
Inc subject OF the possibility of there
being an Asphalt combination in the city
Mas called ne ~, up by letter from D; n. Brad
Charles A. Gauss could give some informa-
ton concerning the efforts made to keep
o eme Of lfr'9 ne Asphalt Refining Company
poeI.aed and given a chance to tell what
NJ knows, Mr.. Brown was asked what, if
any. conclusions he had reached In this re-
gard, from his observations and from his
estimates Of the price paid. at different
were number of things which would lead
him to strongly suspect there had been a
combination, but these things were in such
a. vague shape that he could not properly
give all to the committee. He had at differ
ent times figured out as accurately as any
one except the bidder. could the cost per
square yard of the asphalt streets laid dur
ing his term of office. Last March, when
r there were only two companies, the Var
pany, the bids ranged from $3.50 to s2.S5 a
square square yard: About that time the agitation
so as. to perm:s the use of Bermudez
asphalt, ana immediately the bids of these
Two companies dropped to about $2.T
psAy was allowed to bid, and the price
went down to s242; In July it was s2.25. and
the Trinidad Asphalt Refining Company,
appeared and offered to bid The price then
dropped to Mss and later to S.7s. When
Mr.. Reid was finally permitted to bid he
secured the contract for South Meridian and
Louisiana. streets and Jackson Place. at
when the bids for Washington street east
OF Rural street were opened. This contract
said he beieved to be beow actual eos
The two other sections of Washington
street were 1913 and ;45, the former for
igan avenue, and the other for the section
between Michigan and State avenues. On
account of the large amount of macad-
amtzed street to be torn up and deep cuts
to be made Mr.. Brown does not consider
the bid on the west section too high but
that under ordinary conditions he thought
1t cost about $175 to lay an asphalt street
that some contractors e could do p the work
cheaper than others on account of being
able to handle their material and men to
better advantage. He gave these figures
to the committee and left it to draw it's own
conclusions as to whether a combination
exists or had existed.
Mr.. Stewart, of the firm of Stewart &
Carter, of Kokomo, sent the committee
letter, in which he said he wished to cor
rect his testimony. He said that after look
ing over his books he found he had paid the
expenses of City Engineer Brown when he
visited Kokomo, which he denied on the
stand. He also made correction in regard
to the amount of commission he had paid
Mr.. Humphrey on the sale of stone to the
city.
The committee will meet again this after
noon and will consider erroneous assess
ments.
1t is quite evident that the Investigation
into the city affairs has had one effect.
The councilmen who are members of the
committee have found it forcbly impressed
upon them that the greatest part of the
poor work done by the contractors Is di-
rectly traceable to the lack of sufficient
force of inspectors to properly look after
the work. The report of City Engineer
summer were there enough inspectors to
keep one at each of the sewers perma-
nent street improvements under contract
and that the average number of contracts
for each inspector was fraction less than
four. Yesterday the committee took note
questions in regard to the force of inspec-
tors really necessary to properly look after
the work. Mr. Brown said that it is almost
an absolute necessity that an asphalt ex-
pert be employed to make the chemical and
physical analysis of asphalt. and superin-
general tenor of the questions asked seemed
to indicate that the members of the COM
mittee believe a considerable increase in
the number of inspectors Is advisable for
next summer If the work Of improving the
streets and building sewers is to be kept
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