The herald., 1897-08-25
BOILER
BURSTING
Councils Committee and
the Inspectors
ENGINEERS KINDERGARTEN
THE CHARGES AGAINST CHURCH
INVESTIGATED
Some Interesting Revelations About
Preparation and Examination.
Matter Under Amusement

his deputy, Charles M. Little were placed
on trial for their jobs last night at the
council chamber before a special COM
been appointed to investigate the charg-
es preferred against these officials by the
board of examining engineers. The
trial continued nearly three hours, but
rendered as they took the matter under
advisement and will make their report
to the council Monday. There is not
much doubt as to what the decision will
the inspectors, and it is more than prob
able that the charges will be sustained.
In spite Of the seriousness of the mat
| ter to the two officers the investigation
was not without its amusing features.
There were explanations galore which
did not explain; close approaches to cli-
makes in which it seemed that the lie
would be given; developments as to the
manner in which inspections had been
conducted which caused old engineers
| to smile.
|
| The fight between the inspector and
his deputy against the rule of the board
of examiners dates almost from the
time of the organization of the latter
boGy. Since that time there have been
many phases to it and last nights in
vestigation was the elimination. To be-
gin with, Inspector Church was not
recognized by the board until his, bond
had been filed and fully approved, al
though his deputy, whose bond got in
| first, was made secretary of the board
Soon after the bond matter was settled
and Mr.. Church was inducted into office
his deputy, Mr.. Little, conceived an
idea by which he apparently hoped to
catch a few dimes or dollars on the
outside. The board was of course con-
Quoting examinations for engineers reg
ularly, but few incompetent men had
been rejected when Mr.. Little opened at
his home a school for engineers. The
school prospered from the start and the
| enterprising deputy found his Golfers
| filling. About the same time the board
| of examiners noticed great similarity
| in the answers that all applicants were
making to the list of questions given
| them. These answers savoTed of a
previous familiarity with the questions.
Then it was discovered that the ques-
| tions put to the pupils in Mr.. Little S
kindergarten were almost identical with
| the boards list of questions. OF course
| no intimation was then made that the
deputy was using the boards questions
| or was schooling his patrons for eXam-
nations but the board thought the
coincidence strange. Mr.. Little's expla-
nation of it last night was that he must
| have secured his questions from the
same text books that the board used and
| that he might have hit upon their ques-
tions. At any rate, no charges were
openly made at that time of any Jug
Cling with the official list. The board
simply learned of the matter and quietly
changed its list of questions and, the
| manner of conducting the examination
That was but one chapter of the trouble,
| but its sequel appeared when a few days
| after the change had been made there
| appeared among the engineers petition
addressed to the city council asking that
| the board be abolished. This received
many signatures, and by another strange
| coincidence many of those who signed
it were or had been under the tutelage
! of Mr. Little. Then the board went to
| work to fathom the entire trouble 1t
was ascertained-sio the board claims
| that Inspector Church was indirectly be-
| hind this petition; tina t it was written in
the city clerks office, submitted to Mr.
Church, approved by him and then cir
culated. With the board the matter
| then became fight for it's own existence,
and the members began quiet investi-
cation of the manner in which the busi-
ness of the boiler inspectors office was
| transacted.
IRREGULAR INSPECTION
| II was found that since Mr. Church
| has been in office $50 inspections had
been made, and of these all but nine
were by hydrostatic pressure, and were
not, so it is alleged, by internal examina-
| tions. The board declared that they
were nearly all simply tests, and not in
! spections such as are provided for in
the ordinance. There were a number of
instances in which only such a test was
possible, but it is said there were others
| in which examinations were asked for.
but not made.
| About that time there was clash be-
tween Inspector Church and Mr. Frank
ein's brewery, who is himself member
Of the board Of examiners. 1t seems
that twice Mr.. Rademacher made en-
gagements with Mr.. Church to inspect
the boilers which he operates, and both
engagements were broken without ex-
| planation Then the brewery firm re-
ceived an official communication from
Mr. Church asking that they appoint
| time for the inspection. Naturally, the
| firm demanded of Mr. Rademacher why
he had not attended to the matter, when
| as a matter of fact he had twice done So
| Mr.. Rademacher laid the matter before
| the board, and the other two members
| Messrs. G. w. Judkins and Fred j.
Fischer passed a resolution calling upon
MI Church to explain to Mr.. Rade-
macher's employers that the latter had
not neglected mis- duty to them.
This was not done and the resolution
was not placed on the minute book of
the board by Mr.. Church, its secretary
Upon this was based later the charge
that Mr. Church refused to obey proper
instructions.
THE INVESTIGATION
When the petition for the removal of
the board was presented before the coun-
Gil the board promptly replied by filing.