The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-13
MEN STOOD BY THEIR BOSS.
WORK ON BULL STREET WAS WELL
DONE, THEY CLAIM.


Though, when the Commissioner
was ArOund-N1thins Material
Drawn Out Favorable TO the Prop
erty Owners COntentIOn-COmm
siOner WiIIinIS Denies the Proper.
" Owners ChnFgcs-City Engineer
VIM Compares the Pavement
With the County Roads.
The City Council spent something over
two hours last night in hearing evidence
concerning the charges made by the Bull
street property owners as to the conduct
Of The work during the gravel paving of
that street. About forty laborers who
worked on the street were present, of
whom some eight or ten were introduced
as witnesses. They unanimously agreed in
denying the charges Of i1leness, drunken
ness and general slackness in the prose-
cuuon Of the work on the part of the la
borers.
Commissioner of Public Works Willink
testified as to the progress of the work
and the material used upon the street and
city Engineer VIM testified as to the
condition of the roadway.
The Council began its session at 8
O'Clock with the following members in at
tendance; Mayor Meidrim, Aldermen
Davis Owens. Thomas, Reid, Krouskof,
Johnson and Charlton.
The work of examining the witnesses in
behalf of the city was at once taken UP.
Several of the men who had worked on
the pavement were placed on the stand.
Among them were George ConnoTs George
HirOy, Ryan, Mccarthy, Sullivan, Fred
Lightbody, T.. b. Quinly and William
Smith. They denied the charges preferred
by The protesting property owners that
the men were idle; that they were drink
ing while at work, that men were allowed
to come to work late in the day, and other
similar charges. Mr.. Wllink and Mr.,
Davis did not drive by at lightning speed,
they said, but were frequently seen on the
work, both in their buggieS and ON foot.
The locomotive was used almost every
day, they said, and, therefore, was not
allowed 20 remain steamed up without be-
ing used. The working hours were from
7 a. m. TO y m. and from 1
p. m. to p. m. They had never seen
men sitting down smoking during working
hours. They had seen men sitting down
smoking IN their own time. The Witnesses
said they considered the roadway a good
one and that Chairman Davis and Com
missioner Willink were frequently in at
tendance upon the work and gave great
deal of their time to it, Mr.. Bedford, one
of the witnesses said, was not in particular
favor with the men, and they spent very
little of their dough" there.
The report that a man named Sehaul had
gone off to a picnic after working half a
day and then returned when the men
cffr nd f1ll DAYS
pay was denied by Witness Klroy who
said that Schaul quit work without noti-
flying the timekeeper and was discharged
when he reported the next morning. He
has not worked for the city since.
The witnesses were questioned by Mayor
Meldrim and occasionally by members of
the Council, after which they were cross
questioned by Mr. George Richter, repre-
senting he property owners The witness
es all made pretty much the same
statement and upheld the character of the
work throughout, declaring chat the road
way was a good one and that the men
had done their work well and faithfully
One witness said, in answer 10 a ques-
ton by MIR. Richter, that the roadway
was perfectly smooth. All the statements
about the men loafng and picking up a
few shovelfuls of earth and scattering It
about were denied. A car of gravel was
unloaded by a gang of twelve men in forty
minutes usually. they said, though 1t was
sometimes done in twenty-five minutes
Mr.. Wulink. several of the witnesses said
was present al the work the greater part
of the time. Some of the witnesses ad-
mitted that the men worked faster when
Mr.. Wilink appeared than they did in
his absence. The charge that the brick
cutters were higher than the roadbed was
denied by the men.
Foreman Smith, who was In charge OF
the work, also denied the various charges
of the property owners as to the man
ner in which the work was con-
Quoted, No men were run out
Of Mir. Belfords place nor was there
any drunkenness that he knew of. He
Acknowledged that the work went on
much better when Mr.. WiLink or Mr.
Davis were present Foreman Smith said
it took eight men an hour and hat to
unload a car Of gravel. Other witnesses
had said forty minutes No record was
kept Of the time taken in unloading cars.
Commissioner WilHnk was put on the
stand and said the roadway was as smooth
as q gravel roadway ought to be- Places
would wear in any pavement suitable for
a residence street, he said. The foremen
were instructed to see that the men did a
days work, and II not, to discharge them.
There were possibly two or three days
when the locomotive was not used because
there was no material to handle.
Mt Wilnk gave a history of the pave
mont, beginning with the test of the ma
terial supplied by the different bidders for
the contract of furnishing the grave. The
sample which in the Judgment of the COM
mit,ee stood the test best was selected
This was the Liberty county gravel. Con-
Siderable quantities OF this gravel several
blocks had been laid when a heavy rain
occurred IT was found that the gravel
cut under traffic. Granite screenings were
spread over The pavement. but did not
give The desired results. The screenings
were removed and the pavement surfaced
with Augusta gravel. The pavement
would not wear any faster than shell
pavement, he s0id. lie did not consider
that an excessive amount of material was
removed from the street by the city carts
Commissioner Whlink said that he ua
ually visited the work twice a day. aver
aging about hve hours a day there. He
denied statement made by Mr.. Bedford
as to the cess pools on the street. saving
tnat MIR. Belord did not tell the truth, If