San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-04-14
CONTRIBUTED SCRAPS.
To the Daily LIGHT:

AWFUL IduBl6 anu is d uOIDeu Vi
contention and litigation, is fact
which is as "plain as pikestaff."
The three proverbial Philadel-
phia lawyers, with all their
shrewdness and skill, would be
utterly powerless to straighten the
kinks out of the sewer tangle.
Who is chiefly to blame for this
state OF confusion "most admired
disorder" contention, elimination
and recrimination, and an entire
nest full of litigation eggs ready to
be placed in the incubator for
Matching.
Engineer Gray is mainly respon-
sible for the trouble and muss.
He conceived himself to be infall-
able in sewer planning, and went
to work under the impression,
without the least knowledge of
what was beneath the surface of
the soil in San Antonio.
In the super abundance OF his i'm
aginary knowingness and infalli-
bility, he took it for granted that
the subtratum in San Antonio was
an exact copy OF the subtratum in
Providence, r. l., and he made
no effort whatsoever to ascertain
what strata were beneath the sur
face.
He planned the sewers in Provi.
dence, r. I. and therefore, he was
infallible in all sewer matters.
None dared to question his claim
to infallibillity and proud suprem-
acy in sewer matters, consequently,
his sewer plan was regarded as
perfect. City Engineer Pancoast
had neither knowledge or concep-
tion Of the kind and thickness of
the strata beneath the surface of
the soil, and could not furnish any
data to Mr.. Gray.
Mr.. Gray never dreamed, that
the unusually zig gag course Of the
San Antonio river was caused by
stratum Of rock too hard for its
current to cut channel through
it. This caused the sinnosities of
the river in its course through our
city.
Without data, or knowledge, Mr..
Gray not only planned the sewer
system, but he made calculations
concerning the quantity of earth,
loose rock and hard pan, or hard
rock, to be removed in putting
down the sewer pipes and mains.
These same calculations were the
data on which bids were made on
the sewers and formed part and
parcel of the contract.
Then Mr.. Gray injected into the
specifications a clause to the effect
that if the contractors should en-
counter ledge or rock, that was
neither loose rock nor hard pan,
but which required to be blasted,
the city would pay a certain price
per yard.
Right here Mr.. Gray laid the
cockatrice egg from which has
been Matched, under Mr.. Gray's in
cubation, the entire brood Of dis
putes and law suits between the
city and the contractors. Nobody
dared to dispute the infallibility
and supremacy Of Mr.. Gray in
sewer matters, so his word was
law and the mayor and council
meekly said to shear is to obey"
Shakespeare says: "There is a
divinity (Providence) that doth
shape our ends" ETC., but he had
no reference to Providence, r. l.,
where Mr.. Gray took his diploma
as sewer engineer along with the
big head.
Mr.. Gray found a perfect bonanza
in San Antonio. He has enjoyed
"soft snap" He gets $50 q day and
all expenses, every time he comes
to San Antonio. That is a "soft
snap" sure! Mr.. Gray has been
already paid somewhere in the
neighborhood of $4,000, and will
doubtless corkscrew as much more
out of the sewer fund, as he is
thrifty fellow and looks out for his
own interest with an eye single to
the main chance.
The best thing for the city to do
is to give Mr.. Gray the "grand
bounce" as it is plain his making
the plan for the sewers, without
knowing what was under the sur
face Of the earth and putting in a
vague and loose specification