San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1895-08-20
COUNCIL CABINET CRISIS
SEWER COMMITTEE RESIGNS IN
BAD HUM0R.
The Kuefner Matter Causes a Sc
rious Complication and Disrup-
tion-Important City Bust
ness Disposed of.


ness Disposed of.
Yesterdays city council session
was as stormy in the council cham.
Der as the weather without grew to
be before council adjournment, and
old man Kuefner was the cause OF
it all, on Alderman Guerguin pre-
senting a motion to reconsider the
vote taken at a previous meeting,
discharging Kuefner as sewer in
spector, and passing a vote Of con-
fidence in Assistant Engineer True
heart.
Petitions had been read, reports
of officers, opinions of city attor-
ney, reports of standing commit.
tees, etc., and while waiting on the
finance committee to report, new
business was called for, and Guer-
gum read his motion for a recon-
sideration, seconded by Robin.
Alderman Beckmann moved to
table the report, seconded by
Dreiss, but on this motion being
put, Aldermen Hoefling, Guerguin,
Robin, Kerble and Mackey voted
no and the motion was defeated.
Then Beckman asked for a re-
consideration and that his name
be taken of the majority report Of
the sewer committee, in order that
he be allowed to present his minor
ity report. The majority report
was then sent for, brought in and
read. 1t was the same report as
previously published in the LIGHT,
discharging Kuefner and endors-
ing Trueheart.
Then Beckmann presented his
minority report, which strongly
scored Kuefner, and said that it
was his fault alone that poor brick
had been put into the sewers.
Kuefner was incompetent and he
could further state that he had the
names of twelve men who had said
they had seen Kuefner intoxicated
and asleep when he was called on
to designate the proper location of
q branch connection. That alone
should condemn him.
Fahey moved that the minority
report be accepted seconded.
Richards hoped this matter had
been disposed Of. 1t had come up
on Mr.. Trueheart's request; he had
been Endorsed. He asked II the
mayor had not received a letter
from Kuefner on June 18th, com.
planning Of the quality Of material
used.
Beckmann said the sewer COM
mittee had not seen the letter. The
mayor said he had referred it to
Engineer Pancoast. Mr.. Pancoast
sand he had instructed Mr. .Kuefner
to simply follow his official instruc-
tions and under no consideration
to allow bad material to go into
the sewers. That was all he had
to do.
Robin said Kuefner had put US
on to the mixture Of cement and
said, which was taken out Of GER
tain manhole and which had
proved to be more sand than &C.
ment.
This brought up learned dis
cussion of cement, Beckmann say
ing the sample dug out Of the man
hole was too young to have set
properly. Cement requires from 2
to 4 days to set fast and hard.
Devine said he had taken pick
and dug in the cement in that par
ticular manhole and found it hard
as adamant.
Devine moved that the charge OF
Kuefner's being drunk on duty be
investigated by the sewer commit
tee and the twelve witnesses be
sworn and examined. He was not
in favor Of discharging Kuefner on
the grounds advanced, but II this
other charge should be proven
against him, he was then in favor
Of letting every tub stand on Its
own bottom.
Other alderman wanted to heal
from the twelve witnesses and tt
defer action until the committee
, reported, but Beckman arose anC
. said the committee did not wan
to 60 that far. We ask you to adop
or reject our report. Do you trust
us or not? We know what we ar
doing when we ask the discharge
. Of man. The question is: are WI
building the sewers to suit Johl
: Kuefner or for the people Of Sal
Antonio? We ask you for an an
) swer this evening, on our repor
solely.
Holt said the committee was un
animous in their opinion on tn
majority report. It was the sam