The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-10
MIR. ALLEN ON WATCH
STOOD GUARD TO PREVENT IN
sPECTORs SEEING POOR WORK.
Derk DeRuiter Fiatly Contradicted-
His Poor Memory Did Him Good
Service Yesterday.


masons were the only witnesses, excepting
a statement made by City Engineer Brown
in regard to his examination of the catch
basins along the Morton-street sewer. The
evidence of the brick masons brought out
the fact that contractors endeavored to
save on their work by using an insufficient
quantity of cement in their mortar. This
charge was made particularly against the
Acme Paving and Contracting Company
and Mansfield & Allen. 1t is also charged
that few if any catch basins have more
than one layer of brick in the bottom.
City Engineer Brown submitted his COM
plete report as to the condition Of the Nor
ton-street sewer and it's catch basins. The
sewer, he said, was in fair condition, ex-
cept for some mud which had not been
cleaned out and one place where the grade,
for a short distance, is about two inches too
low. This, he said, could be repaired by
filling in the depression with cement, and
as defect was of little consequence. The
catch basins, he reported as follows: At
Cottage avenue, three, with four-inch
walls, laid without mortar; at Weghorst
street, two, with four-inch walls, laid with
out mortar; at Lincoln lane, one good and
one with four-inch wall, and at Gresham
street, one, with alternate layers of head
ers and stretchers, and one with nine-inch
wall, but poorly cemented.
Mr.. DeRuiter began his statement by
describing what he considered an attempt
to blackrnail He charged that Thomas Con-
ner, one of the subcontractors. who built
the Morton-street catch basins, had threat
ened to "squeaP in regard to the poor
work unless hush money was paid. Mr.. De
Ruiter claimed that he had seen only one
of these catch basins built and that he
said, was according to specifications. At
first ha tO Sta re- he Of
the contract was subIet, sbut when Mr..
Young insisted, and argued that if the
price was too low the subcontractor could
only hope to realize profit by poor work,
he agreed that the committee had right
to know the price, but called his poor mem
DRY into play and evaded answering the
testimony was in regard to matters which
have been gone over fully before and are
of very. little Importance, except that he
admitted that, as Is per cent. OF the catch
basins are leaky the work on that many
of them is bad.
The next witness was Charles Chopper,
the sub-contractor who built most of the
Morton-street sewer. He squarely contra
dicted DeRuiter and swore positively that
DeRuiter stood by and saw three of the
catch basins built. He afterwards hesitated
somewhat his testimony when reminded
that DeRuiter had said he had seen only
one built DeRuiter then interrupted the
proceedings and remarked that he had been
around the place but had not actually seen
three of them built Chopper charged that
Conner & Conln, the sub-contractors, never
did any work as it should be done, he said,
the fact that they were the contractors
was sufficient to convince him that it was
faulty. In regard to his own work, he adj
mitted that he had used all sand between
the brick on the outside layer in the bot
tom of the sewer. He did not show very
friendly disposition towards the inspectors
and declared that none of them knew any
thing about their business. He said he had
asked Inspector Sullivan to see that the
mortar was properly mixed, but had been
told to attend to his own part of the work
built in less than two hours and claimed
that it was the work of five hours to do
it properly. DeRuiter said it could be done
in four hours. In regard to the Ignorance of
the inspectors, he said three of them, Hay
men, Mellender and Sullivan, had all
fessed to him that they knew nothing about
their business and asked him to give them
instructions
f. T. Chopper, father of Charles Chopper,
gave substantially the same testimony in
fegard to the quality OF the mortar used in
was too much sand of poor quality used
and not enough cement The mortar, he
said, would not lay on a &rowe and would
set as soon as it was spread on brick,
SO there was no opportunity to press the
brick close together and make close joints.
The sand was too coarse. Better mortar
could have been made of good loan. he
PEELED to quit work until proper mortar
could be made, that which was furnished
cha Charles CROSBY, another brick .u mason who
h MAS emp1oye yea by charles TroPPer Vas on
was given in a manner ' that indicated i he
wished to avoid touching on certain points.
He evaded number of questions and sew
eral times got badly mixed up in what he
was telling. He did not seem to think the
contractor should bother his head about
the way the work was being done, when
the city had inspectors paid for that pur-
pose. He was the foreman on the Norton
remind the men who were mixing the NOR
tar that they were not using sufficient
tors duty He admitted that the m rlopne
used was not suitable for the purpose, and
done with it, but insisted that the bticI-
laying WAS OF good character. Conner &
basins on the Morton street sewer, had
the reputation of sighting all their work.
he said, and it did not surprise him that
many of these basins had only four-inch
walls.
In regard to the Merrill-street catch bas-
ms he said they were not all good, and
then corrected himself and said he thought
that not all Of them were bad, which caused
a smile to pass around the room One of
them has a four-inch wall on one side He
described one that he built 1t had caved
it was necessary to rebuild part of it. In In
stead of tearing out that part of the wall
which was damaged and pulling the dirt
work. leaving the dirt to form a part of
the, wall, Mr.. Allen, of the firm of Mans
was being done. and watched to see that
an inspector did not surprise him before
very reticent about giving this testimony,
and it was only wormed out of him by the
mitted that the dirt should have been taken
out and the wall examined for cracks. but
he said Mr.. Allen was watching him all
the time and he was simply doing the work
under instructions from his employer. Con-
tinuing he said:
mot half of the catch basins in the city
are built according to specifications. Most
of them have only one layer of brick on the
bottom, and that is not laid in mortar. Bats
are laid on the bare ground by the laborers
and the crevices filed with sand. The brick
mason then covers it all with mortar and
there is way of ascertaining If it is
properly built except by cutting into it,
Most of those on Elm street are built in
this way. Some contractors always slight
their work.
Give their names-'' said Mr. Young
Their mortar is of II poor quality" he
said, entirely ignoring Mr.. Young.
The question was repeated with the in
junction to answer it without any attempt
al evasions and he said Mansfield & Allen
sighted their work whenever it was DOS
sible to do He said he once spoke to
Mr.. Allen about the poor quality of the
mortar, and he told to lay brick and
make no complaints; that he was not sup
posed to judge of the quality of mortar
furnished. He said that one catch basin
Elm street built in one hour and
forty minutes. while he said it would take
fully five hours to build according TO
the Specifications The questioning then
turned to the work done on the Central