San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-02-13
WILL BE A FAILURE.
Quotes the Express on Mr.. Gray About Our
Sewers.

VuOteS Tie Express on MI. gray ABOUT Uul
Sewers.
To the Daily LIGHT:
The following significant para.
graph appeared in Wednesdays
| Express:
according to S. M. Gray, the
consulting engineer, unless the
sewer inspectors shall exercise
more care in inspecting the work
on the outfall sewers than they
have on the gathering sewers, the
| system will be failure"
II Mr.. Gray is correctly quoted,
and he doubtless is, it might be
pertinent to ask, what has Mr..
Gray been doing for the past
twelve months or more to earn the
$3.50 a month he has drawn from
the city treasury, to say nothing of
the additional thousands spent in
the shape of pay for extra visits at
the rate Of $50 a day and expenses?
If the inspectors have been dere-
lict in their duties; IL they have
permitted inferior material or de-
fective workmanship to enter into
the construction of the sewers,
why has not Mr.. Gray pointed out
the fact, in order that the au-
thorities might take steps to
remedy the defects and protect the
city's interest? That is what he
was employed for; that is what he
is paid for.
But instead of discharging his
duty to the city In q loyal
way, he drops q mysterious hint,
after more than q third of the
work has been completed and hid.
den from view, that the work has
been improperly done or that de-
fective material has been pro-
mitted to be used, either through
the negligence, ignorance or cor
rupt culpability Of the inspectors.
What is Mr.. Gray retained for?
what is he paid $3.50 q month and
$50 a day and his expenses for ex.
ira visits to the city, If it is not to
periodically examine the work and
pass upon the quality of the work
and material, and whether they
comply with the specifications
called for in the contract?
For Mr.. Gray to step in at this
late date, after more than q third
Of the work has been completed,
and announce that sunless the
sewer inspectors shall exercise
MORE CARE in inspecting the work
on the outfall sewers than they
have on the gathering sewers, the
system will be failure" is a vir.
tual admission that there has either
been fraud, negligence or non-per-
Torrance Of contract of some char
acter in the work thus far COM
pleted on the gathering sewers. No
other construction can logically be
placed on his utterances, and they
cannot reasonably be construed to
mean anything else.
II this be true, who is to blame
Consulting Engineer Gray, City
Engineer Pancoast or the inspec-
tors? 1t should be the solemn duty
Of the mayor and council to lose no
time in properly placing the re-
sponsibility where it belongs, and
exacting from the guilty party or
parties, the fullest and most COM
plete reparation.
"The system will be a failure"
says Mr.. Gray, unless certain con-
ditions are complied with. Who is
to determine whether those condi-
tions have been complied with, If
not Mr.. Gray himself or his facto-
tum, the city engineer?
All of which loads back to a
question often asked and never yet
satisfactorily answered: What
use or benefit does the city derive
from the costly services Of Mr..
Gray, and why is he retained?
Even the Express has discovered
what has been patent for months
to the most Indifferent observer,
that "there is widespread dissatis-
faction among the people Of this
city over the exssperating slownsss
with which work on the sewer sys.
tenn is being carried on" Well.
yes, somewhat; but what does the
Express propose to do about it?
Had it raised it's voice months
ago In protest OF the manner