The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-10-07
NO ACTION TAKEN.
Board of Works Not Yet Ready to Say
What 1t VIII Do.

What 1t Will Do.
No action was taken by the Board of
Public Works yesterday with regard to ac-
cepting the White river interceptor. City
Engineer Jeup had been directed at a Sc
cret conference the day before to make a
report to the board at yesterdays meeting,
but it was nearly noon when he appeared
He asked for further time. The board d.
rected Mr.. Mcbride to appear with the
contractors at special meeting which is to
be held this morning at o'clock. The con-
tractors believe that this is another effort
to temporize. While they do not say so,
they evidently believe that nothing will be
done until after the election" that time
to which Mayor Taggart has deferred so
many important subjects. One reason why
the work has not been accepted was be-
cause the moment that was done notices of
assessments would be sent out to about
every property owner in the north part Of
town. and it was feared that it would work
disaster to the mayors chance of re-elec-
ton if the property owners found out the
amount they would have to pay before the
election. For this reason the contractors
very much doubt whether anything will
be done before next Tuesday that will let
loose the assessment notices.
The point has been made that the adj
ministration cared nothing about the Holt
transaction, and in support of this it is
pointed out. that there has been no hurry
to accept the work since disclosures were
first threatened To hurry the acceptance
of the sewer would not have cut off the
Holt transaction, as 1T was quite generally
discussed among Democratic contra actors
work was accepted on that account and
there was great danger of it having become
generally known. If it had not been dis
covered until after the work was accepted
the conclusion would at once be drawn that
the officials had accepted it to stop the
mouths Of Fulmer & Seibert and the effect
would have been disastrous. There was no
way that the exposure could have been
avoided If it had been avoided by accept
ing the work, then there would have been
great clamors raised when half the people
in town received notice of their assess
ments No matter which way the mayor
looked. there was danger from the Holt
transaction, and he realized that it must
land him in the sewer" sooner or later
On account of the assessments that will
have to be made public when the work is
accepted the contractors doubt whether
anything will be done to-day.
Mr.. Jeup made trip through the sewer
from old Thirteenth street to Washington
street yesterday afternoon. He said that he
had found places in which no plastering
had been done and other places where the
sewer has cracked.
cit is said that the Pogues run sewer was
accepted without being plastered Mr. Jeup
Is that true?' he was asked by Journal
Eyes, it is true"
why was it that the contractors were
not required to plaster it?'
Because it was an impossibiity Mr. An
derson (of the Board of Works. and other
experts examined it. Deductions were made
in the pay"
1t is claimed that the Pogue's run sewer
was only three feet in diameter and that IT
could not be plastered because it was too
small TO work in. Mr.. Fulmer says that the
White river interceptor is only three feet
in a part Of the stretch that Mr.. Jeup is i'm
sisting shall be plastered. Besides there is
water in it. 1t is impossible to do the
work here as Mr.. Jeup says it was In the
case of tsie Pogues run sewer
Mr. Jeup says that in some places the
White river interceptor is six feet in diam
eter where the plastering has not been done
He also says that he found places where
the contractor had plastered the bottom of
the sewer, where the water flows, while the
top is not plasterei. Mr.. Jeup and his as
sistant. Mr.. Moore, made memorandum
will be presented to the board this morning
L. A Fulmer, Of Fulmer & Seibert, says
that there are many inaccuracies in what
has been said about the White river inter-
ceptor He says that il is not true that the
inspectors were lax and allowed inferior ma
terial 10 go into the work. before or after
the money was paid to Holt. He explained
the claim for extras that his firm has. No
formal claim was ever made, but memo
ran through them with his pencil and struck
out all but about $l,200 OF the $1,000 asked
saying that he could not allow them He
mad previously deducted some 800 from the
original contract price on account of ex-
cavations they We're not required to make
on account of the grade being raised, bring
ing the total allowance the engineer was