The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-12-16
CLAIMS READY FOR DECISION.
COUNCIL HAS HEARD ALL SIDES N
GRAVEL PAVING CASE.

and Johnson. Together WIN the
Petitioners Committee. and Re-
port VIII BE Made -ionday Night.
Petitioners want Reduction Of
About $1,000.
It developed at the meeting OF Council
last night. when the Bull street property
owners were again heard. that they eX-
poet a reduction OF their assessments
amounting TO between 5000 and 500
The investigation was concluded, and the
matter was referred to a committee com
posed OF Aldermen Krouskoa, Thomas
ard Johnson. who are to confer with
committee representing the petitioners
upon a basis Of settlement. and report at
the meeting to be held Monday night. The
prospect is the matter viii then be ended.
Mayor Aleldrim asked if the petitioners
had further evidence TO submit and Mr..
George Il. Richter presented their side OF
the case. He was interrupted several
times. and questioned as to certain parts
of the work 1t was during the reading
of his argument that Mr. Richter stated
that the petitioners expected the reduction
mentioned.
Alderman Davis, chairman Of the street
and lane committee, introduced city In
gineer VIM, who was asked about GER
tain matters In behalf of the city AS
number OF comparisons have been made
between convict and free labor, ne was
asked which he considered best. From
his experience he said he had found con-
vjct labor better on such work as roads,
for the reason they better understood that
kind Of labor. The cost Is about . cents
a day. He said he had gone over the Mid
dleground road and Estill avenue after
rains, and considered Bull street about as
good as either OF them.
At the conclusion Of Col. WINS state
ment, Alderman Davis arose and fired
shot and shell at the petitioners in behalf
of the street and lane committee. He said
It was his understanding when the inves-
tigation was commenced In Council, that
Il was an inquiry into the material used
and the cost OF the work. II seemed the
petitioners wanted 10 attack the laborers
and foremen as having been drunk while
So the discharge Of their duty.
For over ten months this matter has
been before the City Council" he said,
"and some of the petitioners were not
justified in the complaints they are MAX
ing Many wanted the gravel paving. Al
derman Krouskoff. who represented the
south side. wanted it. So did Mr.. Prem
dergast, Mr.. Belford. Capt Fitzgerald,
Mr.. Morrissey and number of others
] consulted about the best material to
use They all said give US a cheap pave
ment" Alderman Davis proceeded to re-
view the history of the paving, and to re-
count some of its vicissitudes. He wound
up by saying:
1T is the best pavement of its kind in
America to-day and was put down at a
reasonable cost"
The following is the argument on which
the petitioners left their case:
THE five men employed setting curb
were paid 80 per day.
Mr.. Ryan, one of the workmen, testi-
fed land no one denied IT'D that gang laid
from 175 TO 21O feet Of curb per day This
would have represented cost of II
cents per foot for laying.
Mr. Willink thought 100 feet a day
would be a fair days work This would
have been cost OF 9 cents per foot.
Mr. Mr..
Ryan. Willlnk. ASSENT
Anderson ." 5000 1851 ss usa rs
Cost south of
Anderson -. ao7 % 5s7 80 Cpl 27
Total cost 49, 1897 % $69i So sSO5 OF
we attach figures furnished by city
engineer, showing cubic contents of ex-
cayatiohs for the pavement and for the
curbing, including the grading of cross
streets to property line. They are as fol-
lows: North of Anderson, So cubic yards:
assessed. $72969; cost. cubic yard, S2.45c.
South of Anderson, ,036 cubic yards, s.
sessed g. O3.04; cost, cubic yard, $3.50
"Of course the eXcavated material was
hauled away and deposited on other streets;
but we understand that the item of haul
ing was charged for as a separate item,
not Included in labor grading and fill
ing"
1T will be noted that the cost of grading
and filling south of Anderson street was
13.17c per cubic yard, more than the cost
of the same work north Of Anderson
street. In the section north of Anderson
the whole street covered with shells was
excayated, whereas in the section
south of Anderson street about one.
third of the excavation was Of shells and
two-thirds was OF ordinary earth. Why
did 1t cost more 10 do the work south OF
Anderson street, when the work was more
difficult north of Anderson?
"A telegram was received to-day from
the manager of the Augusta Gravel Com.
pany, which shows that that company
works free labor, and pays 10 cents pei
cubic yard for gravel loaded ON cars. Tc
dig and load gravel certainly is not more
difficult than to dig and load shells, anC
is a great deal less difficult than TO dis
and load ordinary earth. Allowing FOL
the difference in wages, and counting IL
the cost OF depositing the excavated ma
terial from Bull street on other street.
(which was done in places very close 4
Bull street, the cost OF grading and fillini
per cubic yard, assuming that the city so
value received for the expenditure woul,
have been about 20 cents.
This would make a difference In the as
eessed cost of S2,S4S.53; IN other words, tn
labor, grading and filling" should hav
cost S7s42O, as against s3,6S273, which i
charged for.
About 641S cubic yards of graveI wer
purchased and put down on the street
This, with the brick cutters, cost for la
Dor, $3,9Ol.57, or a fraction over 90 cents
yard.
The affidavit OF Mr.. Irwin attache
shows that under more difficult condition
than existed in doing the work on Bu
street, men under his charge have unload
cd and spread five cubic yards of August
gravel daily per man.
From an examination Of the pay roll