San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-01-12
COLLINS VICTORIOUS.
CITY GIVES HIM THE PRIVILEGE
OF A RIVER LOT.
Engineer Gray's Praises of the Sewer
Work-To the Memory of Alder
man Kerble-Routine.

After years of bucking at every
council that has been chosen by the
people of San Antonio to guard their
interests, the business administration
yesterday voted away the city's right
to 20 feet front over the river on Hous-
ton street for the consideration of
building retaining wall on the east
side of the river for a short distance
north of the Houston street bridge.
The privilege was granted the F. F.
Collins Land company, and the said
company will proceed to put up a
three-story business block thereon.
The proceedings were as follows:
Harry ]. Haste-Asking s. to repair
buggy broken on Soledad street. Re-
ferred to finance committee.
Mrs. E. Jackson-For repayment of
poll tax enormously paid by her. Re-
ferred to assessment committee.
Edward NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. of as
sessment. Referred to assessment
committee.
San Antonio Female College-Appli-
cation for remission of tax levy. Re-
ferred to assessment committee.
Harry Cunningham, city assessor
Asking an appropriation for $3.50 for
three assistants for two months. Re
ferred to finance committee.
e. H. Bacon-For correction of as
sessment. Referred to assessment
committee.
Citizens-Asking that order that two
dogs of w. H. McGoldrick be shot be
suspended. Referred to police commit
tee.
Chas. Muter- For 5000 damages to
crops by construction of sewer. Re-
ferred to finance committee.
Second Ward Civic club-Calling the
Councils attention to the dangerous
condition of San Fernando and Buena
Vista streets where they cross the
track of the International and Great
Northern railroad. Referred to public
improvement committee.
Albert Sydney Johnston Camp-Ask-
ing for an enlargement of burial
grounds. Referred to markets, parks
and public buildings committee.
Stephen Muth-Carging Policeman
Thompson with drunkenness. Referred
to police comittee.
A report of Samuel NJ. Gray, consult
ing engineer, was read as follows:
Providence, r. J., Dec. 31,1S96-
Hon. Henry Elmendorf. mayor, San
Antonio, Tex.-Dear Sir: Agreeable
to your request for an examination and
report on the condition of the outfall
sewer, as shown by special executions
made by the direction of the city en-
gineer, 1 have to say that on Dec. %
an examination of this particular work
was made by me and q report of the
same is herewith submitted.
Besides the special excavations
made by order of the city engineer,
two other places We're found where ex-
cavations had been made to the top
of the sewer by parties unknown to
me. There were also several places
discovered in the inside of the sewer
where portions of brick work had been
removed by unknown parties, five of
which were carefully examined and
samples of brick and portions of brick
work were taken, which had been dug
or broken out the sewer at these plac-
es.
There has been used in the con-
struction of the brick portion of this
outfall sewer to date approximately g.
$4,000 bricks and 4,725 barrels of ce-
ment, representing enarly $500 linear
feet of Sc and 44-inch brick sewer
I'm the general system there has
been constructed approximately to
date 154,200 linear feet of pipe sewers,
ranging in size from s to "A inches in
diameter, and 24,36 linear feet of brick
sewers, from 26 to As inches in diam
eter,or nearly thirty-four miles of sew
ers, exclusive of the outfall. About
500 manholes and flushtanks were con-
structed in the general system, includ-
ing outfall sewer, all of which has in
volved the use of nearly 5000 900 bricks
LOO barrels of cement and the laying
of 20 miles of pipe sewers.
To intimate that in the construction
of all the above work there was not
one single joint or portion of a joint
in the brick work but that was abso-
lutely perfect as to size or fullness of
the joint, or that there was not one
single pipe that was laid so we'll that
it could not be improved upon, would
be claiming perfection for humanity
at large, and no such statement is
made. 1t would be very unfair, unjust
and unreasonable for any one to argue
from some slight imperfections found
in the work or try to create the inn
preston that poor work was being
done on the sewerage system of San
Antonio. and it would seem as though
no fair minded person would take ad-
vantage of such cases.
Much has been said about the quail
ty of mortar used. statements being
made that it is soft. The mortar is
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