The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-10-01
MAYOR GANDS BY COILS.
s,ys EvEnBoDr WILL BE rRAiS-
So. yuE6ENERHL ny JAN j.

,v,,r a, ~, Avenue Mas Been pens Unaer
w" 80 supervtsion or Chier Engineer
.,.,..,I. Amid Dimcuities ana pe'Ass
-, C.ia Vet ne rsreseon or AVertee'
vary cw Journalist walked ontneiS ihto
Az. MavorI Office yesterday morning ana ap-
S-o.oh,no lis Honor's desk flashed oeioto MS
svs. an assigned petition for tho removal Oh
e'U' 30 ,rom the Office Of Commissioner OF
.rr,h. do YOU think Of It, Mr.. Msyorf' no
- I'm a confidence born OF the assurance
Ths Mayor Strengthened up in his chair.
"rhink OF itr' no replied. why. 1 think
won YOU ought TO know that l haven't the
oowcr TO remove Con. Collis,if l wore so dis
cosed. which | am not" Then tho mayor
raised his voice 30 that every one In the room
could hear him. -
hold Gen. Coils responsible for the delay In the
TStth avenue work. l have watched him
c,o,ely and l am free to shy that l think no has
done his level best. From the start he has do
,erred to the Judgment Of Chief Engineer
Birdsall, than whom there is no man better
1,,od for the task. Gen. Collis allowed Mr..
pirdsall to use his own Judgment In carrying
out this great improvement because he was ad-
: yised 10 do 30 by men eminent In the engineer
ing profession, and I venture to prophcsy that
the newspapers which are pounding Coils now
will euloRize him after Jan. l for doing the best
lob in tho line Of public improvements done In
the city since It's FIRST existence" At this point
the Mayor brought his dst down on tho desk
mo man not identified with the work in
Fifth avenue knows what Gen. Coils and the
laying of these ,memmoth water pipes was
begun" continued the Mayor. 1T was o ter
rible task, requiring patience on the part OF the
citizens as well as tho contractors. There 10 no
map In existence showing the location OF tho
wafer, gas and sewer pipes and the electric con-
duits, and for that reason the work had TO pro
Several times the contractor opened a section
OF tho street expecting TO DO able to close, II up
earth old pipes and forgotten sewors, which
crumbled under their picks, and the work. was
delayed while these were being replaced. Even
east TO replace gas aud sewer connections
Of whose existence no ono had the slightest
knowledge. No human being could fOresee
these drawbacks, and therefore no one could
mako provision for them.
al have no fault to find with tho work moro
han to say, perhaps, that more OF the Garth
viii, n was thrown out of the trenches and piled
In Fifth avenue might have been removed.
s Thls Pin5it Of Of ING as sGo T coll Hsde and the m a%Tsa'f he
might have forced the contractor to live up
moro closely to the terms of his contract in
that respect. At the same time, l will say that
! have heard that the earth was allowed to re-
main there upon the advice OF Mr.. Birdsal.
who thought 1t would expedite the work. His
idea was that the time spent in cartinG away
the earth and then hauling 1t back when need.
ed to I'LL in the trenches would be wasted.
Every day since Aug. l ] have made a per,
sonal inspection OF the progress of the work.
and | think / am competent to speak on the
matter. Once l walked from Washington
square to Fifty-niuth street in order TO better
inform myself of what was going on. and you
newspaper boys can tell the public that the day
will come when the people OF New York will
thank Cen. CplliS and fhlS administration for
the great work which is now undor way in
Fifth avenue"
BY the time the Mayor had finished the very
new journalist had reached the door. Then he
bolted.