Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1898-09-06
CALLED TO TIME.
Council Jumps on the Paving
Contractor Heavily.

Engineer John Samsel Reports to Them
and They Get Very Hot Over the way
Things are G0ing-Apparently None
of the Specifications are Being Lived
Up to-A Change Mnst Take Place
and at Once or There Will be Trouble
Mr.. Berry Will be in To-day and
he Will Then be Heard-N0 Further
Time will be Allowed to be Frittered
Away-The Contractors Bond Will
be Forfeited aud the Contract Taken
Away From Him Before Very Many
Days If There lis Not Decided Re-
form Instituted.
Council had a meeting last night
and it was devoted in the main to a
discussion of the way the street paw
ing has been going on and the proper
means to remedy the defects that ex-
ist in the system or rather lack of
system which is being pursued. They
heard the report of the engineer
John Samsel and compared notes
among themselves and the general
opinion Of the manner in which the
pavement was going down.
The conclusion reached by the
honorable body was that the paving
was not being done right and that
but little more time would be given
to the contractor to make good some
of his promises The fact was de-
veloped that but few of the specifi-
cations were being lived up to and
that the whole thing was wrong.
In the first place the bed is not
being prepared properly for the re
ception of the street The specifica-
tons require that all the stuff on the
street shall be taken off before any
thing is put on and that the bed be
entirely exposed. This has not been
done. The old stones have been
raked from one side to another and
left on the street where they W ere.
Then the dirt has not been cleaned
off as thoroughly as it should
The sand and stone has not been
placed right nor have the brick gone
in as they should have been placed.
In short nothing has been done
right. The contractor has been very
profuse in his protests that he will
soon get everything fixed and will
then give no room for complaint but
the specifications are being contin-
ually violated.
The CURLING that has been placed
on the street from Cleveland is not
right. 1t is too thin and this will
be rejected. The specifications were
lowered by the town in order to
hustle up the work but even the low
ering has not been enough and it
has been still further reduced.
Mr. Berry is out of town but will
return this afternoon when he will
be seen by the engineer and he will
be given to understand that any
fnrther delay will not be tolerated.
The council and everyone concerned
is very much in earnest about this
and they will insist that the matter
be attended to at once
Mr.. Berry himself is said to be a
very competent man by the engineer
and his absence has had much to do
with the way in which things have
gotten mussed up. After this he will
be here all the time and will give it
his personal attention. More men
have been employed and number
Of cutters have arrived and they are
working on the curbing. More men
will come in and the contractor will
try to have two gangs at work. One
of these will get the street in shape
for the paving and the other will
lay the brick.
A great many things seem out OF
the proper order in the paving but
with the bond under which he is
working it does not seem as if he
will want the contract forfeited on
account of failure on his part to dc
his duty The bond is for five thous-
and dollars.
1t is not the intention Of the coun-
Gil to have the contract forfeited il
they can help it but they do not in
tend to waste any further time fool
ing with any one. They have done
every thing that has been asked OF
them and have given every minute
that they think that they are requir-
ed to give and they are very much
worked UP over the matter
The contract calls for the compile
ton of the whole job by the fifteenth
of November but if there is not very